SAAB 9-3 2003 Owners Manual

221 Car care
Use a hose to clean the underside of the car
thoroughly. After it has dried, use a brush or
spray to apply a viscous anti-corrosion
agent to any worn or damaged areas, to
prevent the onset of corrosion.
Even after the anti-corrosion warranty has
expired, it makes good sense to continue to
maintain the rustproofing.
Seams in the body, especially those in the
doors and trunk lid, are particularly vulnera-
ble to corrosion from the outside, caused by
grit and salt thrown up from the road, and to
corrosion from the inside, largely as a result
of condensation. Keep the seams clean and
at the first sign of any rust, apply a thin, pen-
etrating, anti-corrosion oil. Your Saab
dealer will be pleased to give you further
advice.
What causes rust?Steel body panels of automobiles are sub-
ject to rusting whenever air and moisture
manage to penetrate the protective finish.
Body panels may rust through if the process
is unchecked. Rusting can occur wherever
water is trapped or where the car’s panels
are continuously damp.
Damage to paint and undercoating by
stones, gravel and minor crashes immedi-
ately exposes metal to air and moisture.
Road salts used for de-icing will collect on
the bottom of the car and promote rusting.
Areas of the country with high humidity have
a greater potential for rust problems, espe-
cially where salt is used on roads or there is
moist sea air. Industrial pollution (fallout)
may also damage paint and promote rust-
ing.
Preventive maintenanceThe following procedures are necessary to
help protect against rusting. Refer also to
the terms and conditions of the Performa-
tion Limited Warranty described in the war-
ranty booklet.
1Wash the car frequently, and wax at
least twice a year. Under adverse
conditions, where there is a rapid
buildup of dirt, sand or road salt, wash
your car at least once a week. After
extreme exposure to salted snow or
slush, evidenced by a white film on the
car, wash the car immediately. Frequent
washing will prevent paint damage from
acid rain and other airborne contami-
nants such as tree sap and bird drop-
pings. If any of these contaminants are
noticed on the car the finish should be
washed immediately.
 Begin washing by rinsing the entire car
with water to loosen and flush off heavy
concentrations of dirt (include the
underbody).
 Sponge the car with a solution of either
a good quality car soap or mild general
purpose (dish washing) detergent and
water.
 Rinse car thoroughly with clean water.
 After washing, check and clear all
drains in doors and body panels.
 Wipe the car dry, preferably using a
chamois.
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222 Car care2Clean the underside of the car during
the winter. Use high pressure water to
clean the car’s underside (floor panels,
wheel wells) at least at mid-winter and in
the spring.
3Inspect the car frequently for leaks or
damage, and arrange for needed
repairs promptly. After washing or after
heavy rain, check for leaks. When wash-
ing the car inspect body surfaces for
paint damage. While checking for leaks,
lift the floor mats and check underneath
them. Water can collect in these areas
and remain for prolonged periods. Dry
any wet areas including the floor mats.
Have leaks repaired as soon as possi-
ble.
Use touch-up paint to repair small
scratches or minor finish damage. Areas
where metal is exposed will rust quickly
and MUST be repaired immediately by
touch-up or professional repainting.
Rust must be removed, the bare metal
primed and painted. Major body
damage should be repaired immediately
and new panels or exposed areas
should be undercoated with anti- corro-
sion material.
Repairs of this type are the owner’s
responsibility and are not covered under
warranty.Inspect the undercoating and touch up if
necessary. Pay particular attention to the
fenders and wheel housings, which are
exposed to abrasion by flying gravel, etc. If
the composition has worn or flaked off, the
steel must be thoroughly cleaned and dried
before a fresh coat is applied. The cleaning
is best done with a scraper and a steel wire
brush, followed by washing with solvent.
Apply the new coating thinly, otherwise it
may run off or fall off when dry.
Recovery and/or
recycling of automotive
materialsA typical car consists of metals (65–75 %),
plastics (10–15 %), rubber (5 %) and small
quantities of glass, wood, paper and tex-
tiles. The recycling of metals has been com-
monplace for a long time now.
To facilitate the sorting of other materials,
plastic parts, for instance, have been
marked to identify the precise nature of the
plastic.
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223 Car care
1 A-pillar trim: PP, PP/EPDM
2 Windshield trim: PP, PP/EPDM
3 Seals: EPDM
4 Rear window seal: PUR
5 C/D-pillar trim: PP
6 Tail light: PMMA
7 Rear bumper:
shell – PP/EPDM
core – expanded PP
8 Fuel tank: PE
9 Side window seal: PP/EPDM
10 A-pillar trim, textile: PC/ABS
11 Side trim: PVC
12 Rearview mirror: ABS
13 Sill scuff plate: PP/EPDM
14 Wheel arch liner: PP
15 Wheel cover: PA
16 Direction indicator lamp lens: PMMA
17 Front spoiler: PP/EPDM
18 Front bumper:
shell – PP/EPDM
core – expanded PP
19 Washer fluid reservoir: PE
20 Grille: ABS
21 Fan shroud: PP
22 Scuttle panel finisher: PC/ASA
19 2022
211234
18
1716 151412
1311 7
10 9 8 6 5
ABS Acr ylonitrile-butadiene-styrene
ASA Acrylonitrile-styrene (acrylic
plastic)
EPDM Ethylene-propylene rubber
PA Polyamide (plastic)
PC Polycarbonate (plastic)
PE Polyethylene
PMMA Polymethyl methacrylatePOM Acetal plastic
PPO Polyphenylene oxide (plastic)
PP Polypropylene
PUR Polyurethane
PVC Polyvinyl chloride
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224 Car careAir conditioning (A/C)
TroubleshootingIf a fault occurs in the A/C system, there are
a number of checks you can perform your-
self. If the fault persists, however, have the
system checked at a Saab dealer.
Note:
When the A/C system is running, the intake
air is dehumidified. The resultant condensa-
tion that forms on the evaporator is drained
off under the car. When the car is parked,
this may result in a small puddle forming on
the ground. The warmer the air and the
higher the relative humidity, the more con-
densation will be produced.
Inadequate coolinga Check that the controls for temperature
and air distribution are correctly set; see
"Manual climate-control system" on
page 79.
b Check that the condenser (in front of the
radiator) has not become clogged with
dirt and insects.
c Make sure that the compressor drive
belt does not slip (see page 185).
d Check the fuses for the ventilation fans
and compressor (see page 201).
WARNING
 All repairs and adjustments to the A/C
system must be carried out at a Saab
dealer authorized for this kind of work.
 The A/C system is pressurized. Do not
break any connections or undo A/C
system components.
 Escaping gas can cause eye injury or
other personal injury.NOTICE The A/C system is designed for use
with R134a refrigerant.
 Refrigerant handling requires special
equipment and special procedures for
charging and draining the system.
 Never mix R 134a with other refriger-
ants.
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225 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.NOTICEDo not use a pressure washer when
cleaning the condenser or radiator due to
the risk of damage.
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226 Car careHeadlight 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 per-
pendicular 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
be correctly aimed if the low beam lamps
are aimed properly.
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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227 Car care
If you find that the headlight needs adjust-
ment follow these steps:
1 Open the hood and locate the vertical
aiming devices there are two vertical
aiming devices which shall be turned
simultaneously and the same amount of
turns.
2 Locate the marker on the lens.
3 Measure the distance from the ground to
the aim marker No.1 on each lens.
Subtract 2 inches.4 At the wall or other flat surface, measure
from the ground to the recorded dis-
tance (see point 4) and draw a horizontal
line the width of the vehicle.1 Wall or garage door.
2 25 ft (7.6 m) between wall and headlight lens.
3 Measurement from the ground to the low beam aiming marker on the headlight lens.
4 Same measurement as (3) but substract 2 inches.
Vertical aiming device1 Aiming marker on headlight lens
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228 Car care5Cars with Bi-Xenon lights:
Bi-Xenon lights with automatic headlight
levelling system must first do a refer-
ence run before aiming: Start the engine
and let the headlights do a reference
run. Turn off the engine but leave the low
beam on.
Cars with halogen lights:
Turn on the low beam headlights.
Both variants:
Place a piece of cardboard or equivalent
(although not directly on the lens) in front
of the headlight not being aimed. This
should allow the beam cut-off of the
headlight being aimed to be seen on the
flat surface.6 Turn the two vertical aiming screws
simultaneously in the same direction
indicated on the headllight until the hori-
zontal cut-off of the headlight is aligned
with the horizontal line on the wall.
7 If an optical headlight aimer device is
used follow point 1 and 2 and center the
lens of the optical headlight aimer
device at the intersection of the two markers on the headlight lens.
Then follow the instructions in the optical
headlight aimer instruction manual and
point 1, 2, 5, and 6 in this instruction.
NOTICEDo not cover a headlight directly on the
lens to improve beam cut-off when aim-
ing. Covering a headlight may cause
excessive heat build-up that may cause
damage to the headlight.Correctly adjusted low beam Horizontal line on wall or other flat surface
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229 Maintenance and owner assistance
Maintenance schedule __ 230
Owner assistance ______ 232
Reporting Safety Defects
(U.S.A.) _____________ 233
Reporting Safety Defects
to the Canadian
government__________ 233
Maintenance and owner assistance
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230 Maintenance and owner assistanceMaintenance 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 INTERVALSThe maintenance schedule begins with an
Inspection Service at 30 days. A time for
service message will illuminate on the Saab
Instrument Display (SID) when the car is
due for regular maintenance. There are twi
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. Based on this algo-
rithm, this message may appear at mileage
as low a 8,000 or as high as 15,000 miles.
If mileage accumulation does not occur, the
message will be set, and maintenance
required at a maximum of 2 years.
TIME FOR MAJOR SERVICE will be set
when additional maintenance is necessary,
such as air filter or spark plug replacement.
This message will appear at 30,000 mile
intervals. When either message is dis-
played, contact your Saab Dealer for a ser-
vice appointment.
Failure to perform scheduled maintenance
in a timely manner may result in serious
damage to key components or systems.
.NOTICEThe Check-up will be done by your Saab
dealer at no charge and should be done
as close as possible to the scheduled 30
days.
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