2007 SAAB 9-3 warning light

213 Car care
Battery
Check the charge state and electrolyte level
of the battery regularly.If frequent short journeys are made, the
battery may need extra charging. This can
be done with a battery charger or by taking
the car for a long run.
If the battery is not being charged while the
engine is running, the following message
will appear on the SID:
Check the drive belt (see page 216). If the
belt is damaged, the engine may overheat,
the battery may not be charged and the A/C
compressor may not work.
WARNING
When working on the battery, highly
explosive gas can build up. A spark
could ignite this gas that collects
around the battery.
Therefore, always avoid sparks and
open flames in the vicinity of the
battery.
The battery contains corrosive sulphu-
ric acid. Always wear a face mask or
goggles when working on the battery.
If battery acid gets into the eyes or
splashes onto skin or clothing, wash
the affected area liberally with water.
If acid gets into the eyes or a large
quantity makes contact with the skin,
seek medical help.
Battery posts, terminals and related
accessories contain lead and lead
compounds. Wash your hands after
handling
NOTICEA discharged battery can freeze and frac-
ture. Batteries should therefore always be
stored away from sub-zero temperatures.
Battery not charging.
Make a safe stop.
Checking the battery electrolyte level.
Level correct if level indicator dark.
Battery should be changed if indicator is
light
93_U S _M 07.book Page 213 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

218 Car careWashersThe 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 102).
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
93_U S _M 07.book Page 218 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

219 Car careChanging bulbs
Autochecking 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 dis-
played on the SID.
Example of SID message:
The following bulbs are not checked: park-
ing 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 low 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 269.
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.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 219 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

220 Car care
Xenon headlight, low beam3Xenon headlights produce roughly two
times as much light as halogen 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 automati-
cally to the car’s load to prevent dazzling
drivers in oncoming traffic.
If a fault is detected in the system, the fol-
lowing message will be displayed on the
SID:
WARNING
Xenon headlights are high tension. All
work on xenon headlights, including
changing bulbs, must be carried out by
dealer personnel.
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
We recommend you to contact a Saab
dealer to have a xenon headlight changed
93_U S _M 07.book Page 220 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

225 Car care
Front 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 257 and 258.93_U S _M 07.book Page 225 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

245 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.
NOTICEWide wheels and tires with side walls that
are too low can:
be damaged in potholes, etc.
cause springs, shock absorbers and
wheel bearings and body mountings
to be overloaded.
affect the function of the Electronic
Stability Program (ESP
®).
The speed and load limits of the tires
must not be exceeded; see page 250.
Wheels larger than 17" must not be fitted
on the Saab 9-3 for reasons above. The
permissible offset is 1.61 inch (41 mm).
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 254.
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.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 245 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

254 Car careWinter tiresWinter (snow) tires are recommended for
winter climates where the majority of your
driving will be done on snow and ice. Winter
tires should be fitted to all four wheels to
maintain a proper balance. Your Saab
dealer can advise you of to the correct size
tire for your car (if different from the original
size) and also supply Saab approved winter
tires pre-mounted on steel or alloy rims.
Winter tires normally use a different speed
rating compared to summer/all season tires.
Make sure not to exceed the stated speed
rating on the tires you use.Tire 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
followed by a filled triangle.
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.
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 228).
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 90.
WARNING
The spare tire or punctured tire must be
stowed under the trunk floor, and secured
in place with the retaining nut.
93_U S _M 07.book Page 254 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com

255 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 290.
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 139).Tools under a panel in the trunk
93_U S _M 07.book Page 255 W ednesday, April 12, 2006 9:30 AM
ProCarManuals.com