2008 SAAB 9-3 run flat

52 SecuritySwitches on front doorsThe central locking can also be operated
from inside the car using the button by each
front door handle.
Locking the car with the remote control ren-
ders these buttons inoperative.
SportSedan
If you are sitting in the car and pressing the
button on the driver’s door, the driver’s
door will unlock. Pressing the button a
second time will unlock the remaining
doors.
SportCombi
If you are sitting in the car and pressing the
button on the driver’s door, the driver’s
door will unlock. Pressing the button a
second time will unlock the remaining doors
and the tailgate.The button on the passenger door works in
the same way except that this first unlocks
the passenger door. During this operation
the rear doors remain locked.
If the car is left with one or more doors open,
the interior lighting will be switched off auto-
matically after 20 minutes. This is to prevent
the battery from running flat. Also, if the car
has electrically adjustable seats, these will
cease to operate.
Child safety locks
WARNING
If small children are carried in the rear
seat, the safety locks on the rear doors
should be activated to prevent uninten-
tional opening from the inside.
Central locking switch
Child safety locks
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79 9-3 Convertible
Glove boxThe glove box lighting comes on when the
compartment is opened and goes out when
it is closed.
For changing bulbs, refer to page 232.Sun visorAn illuminated vanity mirror is provided on
the inside of the sun visors. The lighting
comes on when the cover is raised and goes
out when it is closed.Trunk lightingThe trunk lighting comes on and goes out
when the trunk lid is opened and closed.
If the trunk lid is left open, the lighting will be
switched off automatically after 20 minutes
to prevent the battery from running flat.
For changing bulbs, refer to page 234.
Unlocking the trunk lid
manuallyIf the trunk lid is not unlocked by the central
locking system, it can be unlocked
manually.
1 Take the traditional key out of the remote
control by pressing the emblem on the
reverse (see page 54).
2 Carefully prise off the round cover using
your nails, a credit card or similar so as
not to damage the paintwork.
3 Unlock the trunk lid using the traditional
key.
We recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer to have the central locking system
checked.
Unlocking the trunk lid manually
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134 Interior equipmentSun visorIlluminated vanity mirrors are provided on
the sun visors. The lighting comes on when
the cover is raised.
Trunk lightingThe trunk lighting is switched on and off
when the trunk lid is opened and closed.
If the trunk lid is left open, the lighting will be
switched off automatically after 20 minutes
to prevent the battery from running flat.
Cup holder3
33 3Cup holders are provided in the fascia, in
the center console compartment between
the front seats and rear seat cushion (Sport-
Sedan and SportCombi). The cup holder
between the seats can be raised if you wish
to use the compartment for storage.
WARNING
The cup holder should not be used to
hold cups made of china or glass as
these can cause personal injury in the
event of a crash.
Use only paper mugs, plastic bottles
or aluminium cans.
Avoid spillage, particularly of hot
drinks.NOTETake care not to spill any liquid on the
audio system , the ignition switch or the
like when using the cup holders. Soft
drinks in particular can cause malfunc-
tions.
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142 Interior equipment
Trunk lightingOn the underside of the parcel shelf is a light
that is switched on and off when the trunk is
opened and closed.
If the trunk lid is left open, the lighting will be
switched off automatically after 20 minutes
to prevent the battery from running flat.
Emergency opening of the
narrow backrest, SportSedanThe narrow section of the backrest can be
opened in an emergency if the car is without
electricity (not possible to open trunk lid)
and you need to access the trunk for a warn-
ing triangle, for example.
Remove the cover and depress the yellow
lever forward.
Tools and spare wheel, see page 260. Do not exceed the load capacity of the
car, as this will alter its handling char-
acteristics (see page 286).
Match your speed and driving style to
how the car is loaded. The handling
characteristics of the car can be
affected since a load in the trunk will
alter the car’s center of gravity.Cover over emergency opening lever, on
parcel shelf
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153 Starting and driving
OFF positionParts of the electrical system are operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the
OFF position with the engine not running
as this could cause the battery to run flat
in a matter of hours.
Cars with automatic transmission: The
gear lever is not locked. See also page 166.
If the ignition switch is turned from ON to
OFF before the car is stationary then turning
to LOCK may not be possible. In which case
turn the ignition switch to the ON position
until the ABS lamp goes out,
approx. 2 seconds. Following which, turn it
back to OFF.
ON positionThe entire electrical system is operative.
Do not leave the remote control in the ON
position when the engine is not running.
Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position
to disconnect the electrical system.
When you turn the ignition switch to ON,
some indicator and warning lights will come
on in the main instrument panel. These
should go out after about 3 seconds.
ST - starter positionThe starter motor operates (automatic
transmission: selector lever must be in P or
N) when the ignition switch is turned to this
position. When released, the ignition switch
will spring back to the ON position.
The car has an electronic restart lock. If the
engine fails to start, the ignition switch must
first be turned back to a position between
OFF and LOCK before the starter motor can
be operated again.
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158 Starting and drivingHave the car serviced regularly in accor-
dance with the service program.
Always be alert to any misfiring of the
engine (not running on all cylinders) and
any loss of power or performance. At the
first sign of a malfunction, reduce speed
and take the car to a workshop. We
recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer.
If the engine fails to start (in severe cold or
if the battery is flat), the car can be bump
started (manual transmission only) or
started using jump leads to a donor
battery. However, as soon as you have
started the engine, it is important that it
runs on all cylinders. If it is misfiring, allow
it to idle for up to 5 minutes to give it time
to settle and run smoothly. If, after this
time, the engine still fails to run properly,
switch off the engine to avoid serious
damage to the catalytic converter. We
recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer for advice.Never park the car on dry grass or other
combustible material. The catalytic
converter gets very hot and could there-
fore start a fire.
Never drive off if the engine is misfiring.
If you bump start the car when the engine
is already at normal working temperature,
the engine must start to run on all cylin-
ders. Abort bump starting if the engine
fails to start immediately.
Failure to strictly follow these instructions
can result in damage to the catalytic con-
verter and associated components, and
could represent a breach of the warranty
conditions.
NOTEIf the car runs out of gas, air may be drawn
in with the fuel, which, in turn, can cause
the catalytic converter to be damaged by
overheating.
WARNING
If the engine is being run with the car on a
rolling road or dynamometer, to ensure
adequate cooling, air must be blown into
the engine compartment and under the
car at a rate equivalent to the ram-air
effect that would obtain at the corre-
sponding road speed.
Engine management system with catalytic
converter1 Engine control module
2 Oxygen sensor
3 Catalytic converter
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196 Starting and drivingDriving with a loadThe handling characteristics are affected by
how the car is loaded.
Driving with the trunk lid
openIf you must drive with the trunk lid open,
close all windows and the moonroof (if
equipped) and set the cabin fan to its high-
est speed setting.
Driving in deep water
NOTEPlace the heaviest load as far forward
and as low as possible in the trunk.
Secure the load to the lashing eyes
(see page 141).
Heavy loads mean that the car’s
center of gravity is further back. As a
result, the car will sway more during
evasive steering.
Never exceed the permissible load of
the roof box, even if there is room for
more.
Ensure that the tire pressure is correct
– slight overinflation is preferable to
underinflation.
The braking distance of a loaded car is
always greater. Keep your distance
from the vehicle in front.
Do not exceed the car’s permissible
gross vehicle weight or axle load (see
page 286).
Roof loads can negatively affect tele-
communication.
For further information on tires see
page 244.
WARNING
Avoid driving with the trunk lid partly or
fully open, since exhaust fumes can be
drawn into the cabin.
NOTEDo not drive in puddles or water deeper
than 7 in. (20 cm) and do not drive faster
than 3–4 mph. Water can otherwise be
sucked into the engine. The engine will be
seriously damaged if water enters the
intake system.
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275 Car care
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.To check the aim, the vehicle should be
properly prepared as follows:
The vehicle shall be placed so that the
headlights are 25 ft (7.6 m) from a light
colored wall or other flat surface. The
aiming area should be darkened, this will
improve your ability to see the beam of the
low beam headlight being aimed.
An optical headlamp aimer can also be
used and will than replace the wall.
The vehicle must have all four wheels on
a perfectly level surface which is level all
the way to the wall or other flat surface.
The vehicle should be placed so it is
perpendicular to the wall or other flat
surface.
The vehicle should be unloaded and fuel
tank full, and one person or 160 lbs.
(75 kg) on the drivers seat.
The vehicle should be fully assembled
and all other work stopped while headlight
aiming is being done.
The vehicle should not have any snow, ice
or mud attached to it.
Tires should be inflated to the prescribed
pressure.
Close all doors.
Rock the vehicle to stabilize the suspen-
sion.
Headlight aiming is done with the vehicle
low beam lamps. The high beam lamps will
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.NOTETo 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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