ECU SAAB 9-3 2003 Owner's Guide

160 Starting and drivingChecks before drivingMake sure that the car and trailer are in
good working order. This is essential since
towing a trailer increases the strain on the
car.
 Check and if necessary adjust the tire
pressure of the car and trailer.
 Make sure all wheel bolts are properly
tightened.
 Make sure that the equipment joining the
car and trailer is properly secured and
adjusted.
 Make sure the trailer’s electrical cable is
properly connected and is not so long that
it drags along the ground. Also, make
sure the cable is not too short and risks
breaking when turning a corner.
 Check all bulbs.
 Check the car and trailer brakes.
 Make sure that all items on or in the cara-
van or trailer are properly secured.
 Make sure that the trailer’s jockey wheel
is raised and locked.
 Check the distribution of the load so that
the car and trailer are well balanced.
 Check that the rearview mirrors provide
the best possible rearward vision.
 Make sure the trailer’s safety cable is
correctly attached.
Driving considerationsAlways take extra care when towing a
trailer, as the car’s handling will be different
and its braking performance reduced. The
trailer’s braking system and suspension
also have a considerable effect on these
characteristics. See also "Driving with a
load" on page 162.
Drive carefully:
 descending hills
 on uneven roads
 over railway crossings
 when meeting large vehicles
If the car has automatic transmission, select
gear M1 when ascending or descending
steep hills.ReversingGet someone to help you keep an eye out
behind the trailer as the door mirrors do not
always provide sufficient rearward vision
when reversing.
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161 Starting and driving
Driving with a roof rack
loadThe maximum permissible roof load is
220 lbs. (100 kg). Note that the roof load
must be included in the car’s maximum per-
missible payload and axle load.
Strong, sturdy roof carriers designed spe-
cially for your car are available from your
Saab dealer. Always secure roof loads
securely.
1 Open the four covers on the roof of the
car.
2 Insert a screw with washer into each roof
carrier foot. Fit a seal onto each screw.
3 The roof carriers are marked front and
back.
4 Bolt the roof carriers to the brackets in
the roof.5 Check that the roof carriers are firmly
mounted.
WARNING
 A roof load will affect the car’s center
of gravity and aerodynamics. Be
aware of this when cornering and driv-
ing in crosswinds.
 Adjust your speed to the prevailing
conditions.
 Due to higher aerodynamics drag, fuel
economy may suffer when driving with
a roof rack.
Mounting holes for roof carrier
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162 Starting and drivingDriving with a loadThe handling characteristics are affected by
how the car is loaded.
 Place the heaviest load as far forward and
as low as possible in the trunk.
 Secure the load to the lashing eyes (see
page 118).
 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 under-
inflation.
 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 236).
 Roof loads can negatively affect telecom-
munication.
TiresNote: Low tire pressure also causes prema-
ture tire wear and increased fuel consump-
tion.
Tire pressure should match the current load
and speed of the car (see page 245).
The tire pressures given apply to cold tires,
that is tires that are the same temperature
as the outside air temperature.
The tire pressure increases approximately
4 psi/27 kPa as the tires become warm (e.g.
during highway driving). When the temper-
ature of the tires changes by 50°F (10°C),
the tire pressure will change 2 psi/13 kPa.Never reduce the pressure of a hot tire. If the
tires are hot when you check them, only
increase the pressure, if necessary.
Underinflated tires wear more quickly than
slightly overinflated tires.
If a valve is leaking, simply unscrew it and fit
a new one.
Note: Remember to adjust the tire pres-
sures if you change the load in the car sig-
nificantly or intend to drive at substantially
lower or higher speeds than normal.
Automatic tire pressure monitoring, see
page 207.
WARNING
Check the tire pressure at least once a
month and before long journeys. Under-
inflation can result in:
 punctures
 separation of the tire and tread
 damage to the sidewalls
 damage to the rims on poor roads
 poor handling characteristics
 premature tire wear
 increased fuel consumption.
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166 Starting and drivingVehicle recoveryIf the car has to be transported on a flatbed
truck, or similar, it must be securely
strapped down. There are attachment
points for this purpose on the underside of
the car. The attachment points are oblong
hole that have been reinforced to cope with
the stresses that arise during this type of
transport.
Transporting the car
NOTICEIf a car with sports (lowered) chassis is
transported, for example on a flat bed
truck, take extra care not to damage the
spoiler and/or underbody.
Attachment points for anchorage straps
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167 Starting and driving
Driving with the
compact spare wheelObserve the following when the compact
spare wheel is fitted:
 The compact spare is light and easy to
handle when changing a wheel.
 Do not drive further than necessary with
the compact spare fitted - the maximum
life of the wheel is only just over
2,000 miles (approx. 3,500 km).
 Refit the standard wheel as soon as
possible.Important considerations when driving with
a compact spare wheel:
 The car’s ground clearance is reduced.
 The car must not be driven with more than
one compact spare wheel 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 243.
 The spare wheel or punctured wheel
must be stowed under the trunk floor,
and secured in place with the retaining
nut.
NOTICETo avoid damaging a punctured alloy
wheel, 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 118).
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193 Car care
Side-mounted turn signal bulbs1 Slide the lamp fitting forward so that its
rear end can be pulled out.
2 Turn the bulb holder counterclockwise
and withdraw it from the lamp fitting.
Change the bulb.
3 To fit, engage the two catches on the
rear edge of the lamp fitting with the
edge of the opening. Then press in the
front edge of the lamp fitting so that the
groove in the spring engages the plastic
edge.
Front fog lights
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.
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 214
and 215.
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194 Car careSide 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.
Stop lights, tail lights and turn signal
bulbs1 Lower the cover in the trim behind the
lights.
2 Lift the plastic lug on the lamp housing
that secures the bulb holder.
3 Carefully remove the entire bulb holder
unit from the lamp housing. Change the
bulb.
4 Refit the bulb holder. Press the bulb
holder home so that the plastic lug
snaps into place.
If a brake light bulb fails, the adjacent tail
light will act as a brake light to ensure traffic
safety. Change the broken bulb when pos-
sible.
Tail lights1 Turn signals
2 Tail lights/stop lights
3 Reversing lights
4 Rear fog light (left-hand side)
5 High-mounted stop light
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195 Car care
Reversing lights and rear fog lightRemoving the trunk lid trim
1 Remove the two screws securing the
grab handle to the inside of the trunk lid.
2 Unlock the plastic rivets by pressing in
the center of each rivet. Pull out the
rivets by taking hold of the rivet’s collar.
You can use the button on the handle of the
screwdriver supplied with the car to unlock
the rivets.Changing bulbs
1 Press down the plastic lug on the bulb
holder.
2 Carefully remove the entire bulb holder
unit from the lamp housing. Change the
bulb.
3 Refit the bulb holder. Press the lug so
that it snaps into place.
To refit the trunk lid trim
1 Withdraw the center of the rivets.
2 Fit the trim in place on the trunk lid.
3 Fit the rivets. Lock the rivets in place by
pressing the center buttons in until flush
with the collar.
Dome light, front1 Pull down the rear edge of the lens.
2 Fit the new bulb.
3 Insert the guide lugs on the front edge of
the lens and press the lens home.
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212 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 spare wheelCompact spareThe compact spare is light and easy to
handle when changing the wheel. Its use is
only permitted when a standard wheel has
sustained a puncture. The maximum life of
the wheel 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 wheel in the
spare wheel well under the trunk floor.
Driving with the compact spare wheel, see
page 167.
Have the standard wheel repaired and refit-
ted as soon as possible.
WARNING
The spare wheel or punctured wheel
must be stowed under the trunk floor, and
secured in place with the retaining nut.
Date code
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213 Car care
The spare wheel, 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 wheel.
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 195).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).
NOTICETo avoid damaging an alloy wheel with a
flat tire, this can be placed outside up in
the spare-wheel well but only while driv-
ing to the closest workshop.
A general rule is that all heavy loads must
be well secured in the luggage compart-
ment (see page 118).
Spare wheel (under trunk floor)
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