2008 SAAB 9-3 Owners Manual

257 Car care
Winter 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.
Make sure that wheels with sensors for tire
pressure monitoring are fitted during
replacement if the car has automatic tire
pressure monitoring.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.
Automatic tire pressure
monitoring systemThe system consists of a sensor in each
wheel and a receiver. The sensors are
located inside the tire in direct connection
with the air pressure valves.
Make sure that wheels with sensors for tire
pressure monitoring are fitted during
replacement if the car has automatic tire
pressure monitoring.Tire pressure information is transmitted
wirelessly to the receiver.
The system checks the tire pressures when
speed exceeds 19 mph (30 km/h).
The system is self-programming which
means that the wheels can be shifted
around without any need for adjustment.
The spare wheel has no sensor. The system
will trigger a warning/alarm because of that.
The sensor batteries last for 10 years or
around 160 000 km. The battery cannot be
replaced. The whole sensor must be
replaced.
WARNING
The system is an aid to the driver. The
driver always has the responsibility that
the tires have the correct air pressure.
For optimum safety, economy and com-
fort tire pressures should be checked reg-
ularly even if the automatic tire pressure
monitoring has not alarmed.
NOTETire replacement must take place with
great care to avoid damaging the sensors
that are built together with the valves.
Remove the rear side first.
Start to remove the tire opposite the
valve.
During removal the tire machine must
not come closer than ±10° from the
valve.
During fitting, start 20° after the valve
and finish 20° before the valve.
Do not inflate the tire with pressure
higher than 102 psi (700 kPa).
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258 Car careThe system does not warn if the tire pres-
sure is too high.If the tire pressure decreasesIf the tire pressure decreases to 6 psi
(41 kPa) below the recommended pressure
then a warning is shown on the SID as to
which tires are affected.
Adjust the pressure as soon as possible.
If the tire pressure continues to decrease
then an alarm is shown on the SID when the
pressure has decreased to 23 psi (159 kPa)
which is the lowest permitted pressure for
the tire.An alarm is also received when leakage is
greater than 3 psi/min. (20 kPa/min.).
Reduce speed (avoid heavy braking and
significant steering wheel movement) and
stop the car as soon as possible at a suita-
ble location. Replace the defective wheel.
The fault message can remain for up to
10 minutes after restarting the car. Then it
disappears if the tire pressure is correct.
Check/adjust the pressure in the other tires
when a fault message is shown.
Note that the tire pressure can decrease
without a puncture. The pressure could
decrease around 3 psi (20 kPa) during a three month period. The outside tempera-
ture could also affect tire pressure.
If the system has triggered a low pressure
warning or alarm then the tire pressure must
be adjusted to the recommended pressure
in order to put out the warning or alarm.
For further information on tire air pres-
sure, see page 244.
Allow 10 minutes for the system to recog-
nize the wheel/sensors positions after fitting
a new set of tires. During this period no low
pressure warning or alarm can be triggered.
Tire pressure low,
front right. Check tires.
Low tire pressure rear
left. Make a safe stop.
Valve with sensor
Valve without sensor
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259 Car care
MalfunctionsThe above message is shown on the SID if:
a wheel without pressure sensor has
been fitted (e.g. spare wheel)
one or more pressure sensors are broken
or missing
a fault has arisen in the receiver
a system error has arisen.
Removing a tireRemove the tire with a tire machine. It is
important to follow the instructions for the
tire machine as well.
Do not fit the tire tool in an area ±10° from
the valve.
Start removing opposite the valve.
Remove the rear side first.
Fitting a tireFit the tire with a tire machine. It is important
to follow the instructions for the tire machine
as well.
Start to fit about 20° after the valve.
Finish fitting before an area 20° from the
valve.
Do not inflate the tire to a pressure higher
than 102 psi (700 kPa). Tire pressure system
failure. Contact service.
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260 Car careCompact 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 230).
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 92.
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.
Fitting a spare tire/wheel without pressure
sensor will trigger a malfunction
message, see page 259.
Important considerations when driving with
a compact spare tire:
The car’s ground clearance is reduced.
WARNING
The spare tire or punctured tire must be
stowed under the trunk floor, and secured
in place with the retaining nut.
WARNING
Do not exceed 50 mph (80 km/h). The
tire can overheat affecting the car’s
roadholding.
Tire pressure: refer to page 294.
The spare tire or punctured tire must
be stowed under the trunk floor, and
secured in place with the retaining nut.
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261 Car care
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.NOTETo 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 141).
Tools under a panel in the trunk
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262 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.
SportCombi
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263 Car care
When the car has to be lifted, the jack must
be positioned at one of the four jacking
points (front or rear) under the sill members.
If a floor jack is used, the lifting plate must
be positioned under the normal jacking
points, see illustration. If the car is equipped
with a towbar, the jack can also be placed
under this. 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 sup-
port the car during repair work or
servicing.
Never crawl under a car that is sup-
ported 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 for-
ward 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.
NOTEApply the jack only to the jacking points
indicated on the body.Jacking points for floor jack
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264 Car care1 Wind the jack up to a suitable height
before placing it under the jacking point.
Each jacking point is indicated by an
arrow on the sill (see illustration).
Make sure that the jack fully engages the
jacking point in the underside of the sill
member and that the entire foot of the
jack is steady and flat on the ground. The
jack must not stand on snow, ice or sim-
ilar.
Wind up the jack until it just begins to lift
the car.2 It is not necessary to remove the wheel
cover.
If, none the less, you wish to remove the
wheel cover, take hold of the outer edge
and pull it straight out.
Remove the plastic wheel bolt covers.
Loosen the wheel bolts half a turn.
3 Wind the jack to raise the wheel clear of
the ground. Remove the wheel bolts and
lift off the wheel.
Jacking points
Marking of jacking points
IB4529
Removing the plastic wheel bolt covers
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