2006 SAAB 9-3 warning light

231 Car care
WashersThe reservoir capacity is approx. 6 qts.
(5.8 litres).
When the washer fluid level drops below
1 quart (1 litre), the headlight washers (if
equipped) are deactivated. This is in order
to prioritize the windshield. The following
message is displayed on the SID:
Headlight washers are only available on
certain markets.
Fill with a mixture of washer fluid and water
as recommended by the table on
the packaging to reduce the risk of freezing
and to ensure effective cleaning (see also
page 106).To prevent the smell of washer fluid from
entering the car, recirculation can be acti-
vated automatically while the windshield is
washed. The recirculation symbol will
however not light up. This function is
optional; contact a workshop. We recom-
mend that you contact a Saab dealer.
Washer jetsThe washer jets, which are adjustable, can
be cleaned with a pin if necessary.
WARNING
Take care not to spill washer fluid concen-
trate onto hot surfaces. Washer fluid
concentrate can contain flammable ingre-
dients such as alcohol.
Washer fluid level low.
Refill.
Washer fluid reservoir
93U S M 06.book Page 231 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

232 Car care
Changing bulbsAutochecking of lightsThe bulbs that are most important from the point of view of traffic
safety are monitored by the car’s electrical system. If one of these
bulbs should fail, a message will be displayed on the SID.
Example of SID message:
The following bulbs are not checked: parking lights, front fog lights,
reversing lights, license plate lighting, side marker lights and side
direction indicators.
SportCombi
The tail lights and brake lights consist of LEDs. If approx. 3/4 of the
LEDs on one side are broken then this is indicated in the SID.If a stop light bulb fails
Sport Sedan: If a stop light bulb fails, the adjacent taillight will act
as a stop light to ensure traffic safety. Change the broken bulb when
possible.
All rear light bulbs are of the same type and rated 21 W, with the
exception of the license plate lighting which is rated 5 W.
Wrong bulb fitted
If a dipped or main beam bulb of too high a rating is fitted, a bulb
failure message will be shown on the SID (a too high wattage bulb
can damage the reflector).
If the following message is displayed but the bulb shines, it is most
likely that an incorrect bulb has been fitted.
Note:
When changing bulbs, fit the same type of bulb (e.g. Long-Life)
as that removed.
Headlight aiming, page 283.
WARNING
Before changing a bulb in the engine bay, switch off the engine
to avoid the danger of fingers and hands being injured by moving
parts.
The radiator fan can cut in even when the engine is switched off.NOTICESwitch off the ignition before changing a bulb, to avoid possible
short-circuiting.
Left low beam failure.
Right high beam failure.
93U S M 06.book Page 232 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

233 Car careXenon headlight, dipped beam3Xenon headlights produce roughly two times as much light as halo-
gen bulbs and have a significantly longer service life.
The lamp units consist of a gas discharge lamp containing xenon.
When the lights are switched on a very high voltage activates the
xenon gas. The lamps soon reach full intensity.
Cars with xenon headlights have automatic levelling. The levelling
system is comprised of two sensors, one on the front suspension
and one on the rear suspension, and a control unit by the engine bay
fuse box. Headlight alignment is adjusted automatically to the car’s
load to prevent dazzling drivers in oncoming traffic.
If a fault is detected in the system, the following message will be dis-
played on the SID:
WARNING
Xenon headlights are high tension. All work on xenon headlights,
including changing bulbs, must be carried out by dealer person-
nel.
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
Contact Saab dealer.
We recommend you to contact a Saab
dealer to have a xenon headlight changed
93U S M 06.book Page 233 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

238 Car careFront fog lights3
1 Undo one screw in the wheel housing.
Lower the air shield.
2 Remove the protective cover. Release
the two spring clips securing the bulb.
3 Unplug the connector.
4 Change the bulb. Try not to touch the
glass part of the bulb with your fingers.
The height of the beam can be adjusted
using a screwdriver inserted through the
hole in the lower grille adjacent to the lens.
Side marker lights1 Slide the lens rearward so that its front
part can be pulled out.
2 Fit the new bulb.
3 When refitting, make sure that the
groove in the spring engages the plastic
edge of the bumper trim.
WARNING
Never crawl under a car that is
supported only by a jack. Always use
axle stands.
 Refer to the information on jacks on
pages 273 and 274.93U S M 06.book Page 238 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

261 Car care
Uniform Tire Quality GradingQuality grades can be found where applica-
ble on the tire sidewall between tread shoul-
der and maximum section width. For exam-
ple:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature
A
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-
tion, which grades tires by treadwear, trac-
tion and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United
States.) The grades are molded on the side-
walls of most passenger car tires. The Uni-
form Tire Quality Grading system does not
apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12
inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-pro-
duction tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary
with respect to these grades, they must also
conform to federal safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire Perfor-
mance Criteria (TPC) standards.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions on
a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and a half (1.5) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100. The rela-
tive performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits, service prac-
tices and differences in road characteristics
and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled condi-
tions on specified government test surfaces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance. Warn-
ing: The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
WARNING
Mixing tires could cause you to lose
control while driving. If you mix tires of
different sizes or types (radial and bias-
belted tires), the vehicle may not handle
properly, and you could have a crash.
Using tires of different sizes may also
cause damage to your vehicle. Be sure to
use the same size and type tires on all
wheels. It’s all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, it was devel-
oped for use on your vehicle. See
“Compact spare” on page 270.
WARNING
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle,
the wheel rim flanges could develop
cracks after many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the
wheels on your vehicle.93U S M 06.book Page 261 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

270 Car careTire date codeTires should be regarded as perishable
goods. As the tires age, the rubber becomes
progressively harder, and the roadholding
ability of the tires diminishes. This is partic-
ularly true on winter tires.
Tires have a code that specifies their date of
manufacture. The first two digits denote the
week number and the last two digits the
year.
Accordingly, a date code of 3701 signifies
that the tire was manufactured in week 37,
2001.
Compact spareThe compact spare is light and easy to
handle when changing the tire. Its use is
only permitted when a standard tire has sus-
tained a puncture. The maximum life of the
tire is only just over 2,000 miles (3,500 km).
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h) with the
compact spare fitted.
The tire pressure should be 60 psi
(420 kPa). Put the punctured tire in the
spare wheel well under the trunk floor.
“Driving with the compact spare tire”, see
page 208.
Have the standard tire repaired and refitted
as soon as possible.The spare tire, the tools and the jack with its
crank are carried under a panel in the trunk.
Fold the carpeting forward to ease access to
the tools and spare tire.
The screwdriver handle has a “button” for
removing plastic rivets. This type of rivet
must be removed when changing the light
bulb in the trunk lid (see page 241).
Your Saab is equipped with a trip computer
and you can use its “Speed warning” func-
tion, to monitor driving speed since you
must not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h), see
page 94.
WARNING
The spare tire or punctured tire must be
stowed under the trunk floor, and secured
in place with the retaining nut.
Date code93U S M 06.book Page 270 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

271 Car care
Driving with a compact wheel
fittedObserve the following when the compact
spare tire is fitted:
 The compact spare is light and easy to
handle when changing a tire.
 Do not drive further than necessary with
the compact spare fitted - the maximum life of the tire is only just over 2,000 miles
(approx. 3,500 km).
 Refit the standard tire as soon as possi-
ble.
Important considerations when driving with
a compact spare tire:
 The car’s ground clearance is reduced.
 The car must not be driven with more than
one compact spare tire at a time.
 Avoid driving against the curb.
 Do not use snow chains.
 Do not fit the wheel cover - this would
conceal the warning text.
WARNING
 Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h). The
tire can overheat affecting the car’s
roadholding.
 Tire pressure: refer to page 304.
 The spare tire or punctured tire must
be stowed under the trunk floor, and
secured in place with the retaining nut.
NOTICETo avoid damaging a alloy wheel of a
punctured tire, this can be temporarily
placed outside up in the spare wheel well
but only while driving to the closest work-
shop.
As a general rule, all heavy loads must be
well secured in the trunk (see page 149).Tools under a panel in the trunk
93U S M 06.book Page 271 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com

273 Car care
Changing a tire
WARNING
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous
without the appropriate safety equipment
and training. The jack provided with your
vehicle is designed only for changing a
flat tire. If it is used for anything else, you
or others could be badly injured or killed if
the vehicle slips off the jack. Use the jack
provided with your vehicle only for chang-
ing a flat tire.
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The
vehicle can slip off the jack and roll over
or fall on you or other people. You and
they could be badly injured or even killed.
Find a level place to change your tire. To
help prevent the vehicle from moving:
1 Set the parking brake firmly.
2 If you have an automatic transmis-
sion, put the shift lever in PARK (P).
For a manual transmission, leave the
car in gear (1st or REVERSE (R)).
3 Turn off the engine and do not restart
while the vehicle is raised.
4 Do not allow passengers to remain in
the vehicle.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't
move, you should put blocks at the front
and rear of the tire farthest away from the
one being changed. That would be the
tire, on the other side, at the opposite end
of the vehicle.
 The car jack is designed solely for use
in changing a tire or fitting snow
chains. It must not be used to
support the car during repair work
or servicing.
Never crawl under a car that is
supported only by a jack. Always use
axle stands.
 Raising your vehicle too high or with
the jack improperly positioned can
damage the vehicle and even make
the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to
fit the jack lift head into the proper
location before raising the vehicle, and
raise the vehicle only far enough off
the ground so there is enough room for
the spare tire to fit (no more than
25 mm or 1 inch clearance between
the ground and the bottom of the tire).
 Switch on the hazard warning lights if
the car is on a road.
 The jack should be stored correctly
under the carpeting in the trunk. If it
lies loose in the car, it could thrown
forward and cause personal injury in
the event of a crash or if the car rolls
over.
 Grit, salt and rust can clog the inner
threads of the wheel bolts if the car has
been driven for several years exclu-
sively with alloy wheels.
If steel wheels are being installed, the
bolt hole threads in the brake hubs
should be cleaned before the thinner
steel wheels are fitted. It may other-
wise not be possible to achieve the
correct clamping force, despite tight-
ening the wheel bolts to the correct
torque.
93U S M 06.book Page 273 Friday, February 18, 2005 1:15 PM
ProCarManuals.com