2006 SAAB 9-3 maintenance

283 Car care
Maintenance The compressor drive belt should be
inspected under the regular service
program.
 Clean away dirt and insects from the
condenser and radiator to prevent clog-
ging. When washing the car, use the hose
to spray the radiator and condenser
(located in front of the radiator) from both
sides (both from the front of the car and
from inside the engine bay). Do not use a
pressure washer.
Caution: Do not hose down the radia-
tor and condenser while the engine is
hot.Other than in extremely cold weather, do not
screen the radiator, e.g. with netting, as this
will greatly diminish its cooling capacity.
 Applicable to the manual climate control
system - During cold months the air condi-
tioning should be switched on once or
twice a month and run for 5–10 minutes
during highway driving once the engine is
warm.
This action saves the gaskets in the
compressor from being spoiled. The
compressor uses a lubricant that circu-
lates with the coolant.
Note:
The A/C system cannot be switched on
when the outside temperature is below 32°F
(0°C). Turn on the A/C system when the car
is standing in a warm place. Simplest is to
always have the A/C button pressed in. The
A/C system will then cut in automatically
when the outside temperature is high
enough.
Headlight aimingThe vehicle has a visual optical headlight
aiming system equipped with vertical
aiming device. The aim has been preset at
the factory and should normally not need
further adjustments.
If your headlights are damaged in a crash,
the headlight aim may be affected. If you
believe your headlights need to be re-
aimed, we recommend that you take it to
your Saab dealer for service. However, it is
possible for you to re-aim your headlights as
described in the following procedure.
NOTICEDo not use a pressure washer when
cleaning the condenser or radiator due to
the risk of damage.
WARNING
Before checking/adjusting the headlight
aiming, switch off the engine to avoid
danger of fingers and hands being injured
by moving parts.
The radiator fan can start up even when
the engine is switched off.NOTICETo make sure that your headlights are
aimed properly read all instructions
before beginning. Failure to follow these
instructions could cause damage to
headlight parts or a not correctly aimed
headlight.
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287 Customer Assistance and Information
Maintenance schedule __ 288
Owner assistance ______ 290
Reporting Safety Defects
(USA) _______________ 291
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
government__________ 291
Vehicle Data Collection
and Event Data
Recorders ___________ 292
Customer Assistance and Information
3Asterisk means: equipment not fitted in all cars
(can depend on model variant, engine variant,
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288 Customer Assistance and InformationMaintenance scheduleThe Maintenance Schedule prescribes a
service program to the purchaser/operator
of a Saab that is reasonable and necessary
to ensure the proper emission control sys-
tems function, safety and reliability of the
Saab automobile in normal use. Additional
maintenance is recommended for specific
components when the car is operated under
certain severe conditions. Proper mainte-
nance is always a good practice!
Authorized Saab dealers are equipped and
trained to meet your Saab’s service needs.
They regularly receive up-to-date Saab ser-
vice manuals and parts and technical ser-
vice bulletins from Saab and are able,
through their franchise agreement, to attend
Saab service schools, obtain Saab special
tools and technical assistance and pur-
chase original equipment service and
replacement parts.
Today’s complex automobiles should only
be entrusted to the most knowledgeable
service professionals. A Saab dealer is your
best choice.
SERVICE INTERVALSA time for service message will illuminate on
the Saab Instrument Display (SID) when the
car is due for regular maintenance. There
are three different messages that will
appear:
TIME FOR INTERMEDIATE SERVICE
indicates that an oil/filter change is required
along with several inspections. This mes-
sage is set by the engine management
system which calculates service intervals
based on several factors including driving
habits, ambient temperature, number of
cold starts, mileage driven and elapsed time
since the last service. If mileage accumula-
tion does not occur, the message will be set,
and maintenance required at a maximum of
2 years.
TIME FOR MAIN AND INTERMEDIATE
SERVICE
indicates that an oil/filter change is required
along with several inspections and addi-
tional maintenance such as air filter or spark
plug replacement.TIME FOR MAIN SERVICE will be set when
additional maintenance is necessary, such
as air filter or spark plug replacement. When
the message Time for service. is displayed,
contact your Saab Dealer for a service
appointment.
Failure to perform scheduled maintenance
in a timely manner may result in serious
damage to key components or systems.
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289 Customer Assistance and Information
Engine oil and filter changesChanging the engine oil and filter is required
at every service point. Use only a Saab
approved long-life oil filter and engine oils
meeting the SAE viscosity ratings and API
service classifications stated in the “Techni-
cal data” section of this Owner’s Manual.
The use of extra additives in the oil is not
necessary and is not recommended, and
may be harmful to turbochargers.
More frequent oil changes are recom-
mended if your vehicle is operated under
any of the following conditions:
 Most trips are less than 5–10 miles (8–
16 km). This is particularly important
when outside temperatures are below
freezing.
 Most trips include extensive idling
(frequent stop-and-go traffic).
 Most trips are through dusty areas (such
as construction zones).
 If the vehicle is used for delivery service,
police, taxi or other commercial applica-
tions.
If your driving habits match this description,
have the engine oil and filter changed in-
between normal services. These conditions
cause the engine oil to break down faster.
The Warranties and Service Record Book-
let has provisions to record extra oil
changes.
Service record retentionIt is the owner’s responsibility to retain ser-
vice records. If possible, you should keep
copies of all shop work orders for all service
and repairs, whenever performed. As indi-
cated in the new car and emission control
system warranties, it is important to docu-
ment that all necessary maintenance has
been done.
HOW THE SERVICE RECORD IS ORGA-
NIZED
The service record is comprised of a series
of coupons on which to record services as
they are performed. There are additional
coupons for documenting extra engine oil
and filter changes, extra automatic trans-
mission fluid services necessary for severe
service conditions, and brake fluid changes.
HOW TO USE THE SERVICE RECORD
COUPONS
When the car is brought to a Saab dealer for
scheduled maintenance, present the War-
ranties & Service Record Booklet to the ser-
vice manager. When the technician has
completed the service, the technician will
sign the maintenance record. The person
responsible for quality assurance at the
dealership will also sign and stamp the
record with the dealer identification stamp.
Service costsDealer pricing practices and labor for ser-
vice work vary. Saab’s recommended ser-
vice times for each service point do not
include the labor required to replace wear
items, such as wiper blades, brake pads or
tires. Nor is labor to perform other service or
repairs found to be necessary as a result of
the inspections included in these times.
Additional labor and parts will be charged
for such work when necessary, except as
covered under an applicable Saab warranty
or any optional extended service contract.
Transmission fluid changes or suspension
alignment, when necessary, are also addi-
tional.
Dealer charges for general shop material,
regulated hazardous waste removal, recy-
cling expenses or other operation costs may
also be applied to service and repair
invoices and are apt to vary by dealer and
location.
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315 Index
Important considerations for driving
_ 164
Important information, petrol-engined
cars with catalytic converters
_____ 165
Indicator lights
___________________ 84
Inflation, tires __________________ 257
Information about fuel
____________ 169
Instrument illumination, adjusting
___ 103
Interior lighting
_________________ 141
Interior lighting, Convertible
________ 80
Interior rearview mirror
___________ 133
Intermittent malfunctioning, central
locking
_______________________ 52
JJump starting
__________________ 208
KKey
___________________________ 50
Kick-down
_____________________ 175
LLabeling, tire sidewall
____________ 264
Labels and plates, location
________ 307
Lashing eyes
___________________ 149
Laying the car up
_______________ 189
Leather upholstery, cleaning
_______ 277Lighting in luggage compartment,
Convertible
____________________ 81
Limp-home
____________________ 164
Limp-home, automatic transmission
_175
Load carriers, roof
_______________ 202
Load indices, tires _______________ 266
Loading your vehicle _____________ 267
Load-through hatch ______________ 148
Locking a car with flat battery
_______ 53
Locks
__________________________ 50
Long-term parking
_______________ 189
Luggage compartment
___________ 146
Luggage compartment lighting
_ 142
, 150
Luggage compartment lighting,
changing
_____________________ 244
Luggage compartment lighting,
Convertible ____________________ 81
LATCH (child safety)
______________ 25
MMain instrument panel
_____________ 84
Main/dipped beam
______________ 103
Maintenance schedule ___________ 288
Manual climate control ___________ 110
Manual gear selection ____________ 178
Manual gearbox
________________ 172
Manual tripping of car alarm
________ 60
Materials used in the car, reclamation
282
Memory, driver’s seat
_____________ 21
Messages on SID, Convertible
______ 73Milometer
_______________________ 89
Mug holder ____________________ 142
MAXI fuses ____________________ 248
NNew tires, buying
________________ 260
Night driving
___________________ 205
Number plate lighting, changing
____ 244
OOil capacity, engine
______________ 299
Opening handles
_________________ 50
Opening the soft top, Convertible
____ 66
Outside mirrors
_________________ 132
Owner assistance _______________ 290
ORVR
________________________ 216
PPanic function, car alarm
___________ 60
Park Brake Shift Lock
____________ 174
Park Brake Shift Lock, temporary
override
______________________ 176
Parking
_______________________ 187
Parking aid ____________________ 190
Parking brake __________________ 187
Parking on a hill _________________ 188
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