instrument panel SAAB 9-3 2008 Owner's Guide

165 Starting and driving
Automatic
transmission3
33 3The automatic transmission has an elec-
tronic control module. The control module
receives information including accelerator
position and road speed. Using this and
other information, it controls the hydraulic
pressure of the transmission to ensure that
gear changing is as smooth as possible.The remote control can only be removed
when the selector lever is in the P position.The engine can only be started when the
selector lever is in the P or N position.
When the car is stationary, the engine must
be idling when you move the selector lever
from one position to another. If not, the
transmission could be damaged.
WARNING
Depress the brake pedal when shifting
the selector lever from P or N.
The car must be at a standstill before
P, R or N is selected. You have to have
your foot on the brake pedal to move
the lever out of P. If the car is still
moving when a drive position is subse-
quently selected, this could cause a
crash or damage the automatic trans-
mission.
Never park the car with the selector
lever in a drive position, even if the
parking brake is on.
If you want to leave the car with the
engine running, move the selector
lever to P or N and apply the parking
brake.
NOTEAfter selecting a drive position, pause
briefly to allow the gear to engage (the car
starts to pull a little) before you acceler-
ate.
Selector lever1 Position for manual gear selection
Indication of gear position on main
instrument panel
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170 Starting and driving
Certain variants also have steering wheel controls for manual gear
selection. On these models, it is possible to change gear manually
using the selector lever and the steering wheel controls. The steer-
ing wheel controls are only active when the selector lever is in the M
position.
Select a higher gear by pressing the right-hand button and a lower
gear by pressing the left-hand button. Sentronic, manual gear selection
Move the selector lever to the manual position (M)
(to the left position D) to select gear manually.
Select a higher gear by pressing the selector lever
forward or a lower gear by pulling it back. The
selector lever will return to a position adjacent to
the letter M after each gear change.
An example of when you may wish to make
manual gear changes is when overtaking, to
enable you to remain in a low gear for an extended
period of time.
If the road surface is slippery, you may wish to start
off in 2nd or 3rd to reduce the risk of wheel spin.
When descending steep hills you should select a
low gear to increase the braking effect of the
engine and thus spare the brakes.
Manual gear selections are displayed on the main instrument
panel. The letter M and the current gear are displayed.
When the selector lever is in the M position, as opposed to the D
position, the engine is much more responsive to changes in accel-
erator position. The accelerator has a different feel.
When changing down, the desired gear can be selected but the
transmission will not change down until the engine speed is low
enough to avoid overrevving.Steering wheel controls for manual gear
selection
3
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171 Starting and driving
Cruise control(Cruise control system)
For safety reasons (brake system func-
tion), the brakes must be applied once
when the engine has started, before the
cruise control system can be activated.
The following message is shown on the SID:
The system has the following functions:
1 ON: engaged
2 OFF: disengaged
3 SET/+: sets the speed and increases
the set speed
4 SET/ –: sets the speed and decreases
the set speed
5 RESUME: re-engages the system at the
set speed
The CRUISE indicator light in the main
instrument panel comes on when the switch
is slid to ON. If you switch off the engine
while the cruise control is ON, the system
will be ON the next time the engine is
started.
To set the desired speed1 Slide the switch to ON.
2 Move the thumbwheel up to SET/+ or
SET/– when the car has reached the
desired speed (above 15 mph
(25 km/h)).To increase the preset speedYou can increase the speed in any of
the following ways:
Accelerate to the desired speed. Jog the
control to SET/+ or SET/–.
Jog the control to SET/+ to increase the
speed by 1 mph (1.6 km/h) (when cruise
control already engaged).
Hold the control in the SET/+ position until
the desired speed is reached (when
cruise control already engaged).
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control system in
wet or icy conditions, in dense traffic or on
winding roads.
Tap brakes lightly
before using cruise ctrl.
Cruise control switches
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204 Car careHoodThe hood release handle is located on the
left under the instrument panel. Open the
hood in the following way:
1 Pull the release handle.
2 The hood moves to the half-locked posi-
tion and is stopped by a safety catch at
the front edge.
3 Press the lever of the catch upwards and
raise the hood.
When you close the hood you should drop it
from a height of about 12 inches (30 cm),
without slamming it.
Hood release catch plate
Hood release handle
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239 Car care
Fuse panel in end of fasciaNo. Amp. Function
1 15 Steering wheel lock
2 5 Steering column unit; ignition switch
310Hands-free3
410 Main instrument unit; automatic climate control
(ACC)3
57.5 Control module in front doors; Park Brake Shift Lock
(automatic transmission)
6 7.5 Brake light switch
7 20 Dash fuse panel; fuel filler door
8 30 Control module in passenger front door
9 10 Dash fuse panel
1030 Trailer socket3; electrical socket in storage com-
partment between seats3
11 10 Data link connection (diagnostics)
12 15 Interior lighting incl. glove box
13 10 Accessories
14 20 Amplifier 2, Sound System 3
15 30 Control module in driver’s door
16 5 Passenger Sensing System
17 - -
18 - -
19 - -
20 7.5 Headlight levelling switch3
217.5 Hands-free3; brake light switch; manual climate
control3; clutch pedal switch
22 30 Cigarette lighter3
23 40 Cabin fan
24 7.5 Airbag control module
25 - -
265
Yaw sensor (cars with ESP
® )
27 - -
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305 Index
Head restraint, Convertible
_________ 74
Head restraints
__________________ 23
Headlight flasher _________________ 99
Headlight levelling ________________ 98
Headlights
______________________ 98
Hood
_________________________ 204
Horn _________________________ 120
Horn button
____________________ 120
IIf a tire goes flat
________________ 251
Ignition switch
__________________ 152
Immobilizer
_____________________ 55
Important considerations for driving
_156
Important information, petrol-engined
cars with catalytic converters
_____ 157
Indicator lights
___________________ 82
Inflation, tires __________________ 244
Information about fuel
____________ 161
Instrument illumination, adjusting
___ 100
Interior lighting, Convertible
________ 78
Interior lighting, SportSedan and
SportCombi
___________________ 133
Interior rearview mirror
___________ 125
Intermittent malfunctioning, central
locking
_______________________ 50
JJump starting
__________________ 200
KKey
___________________________ 48
Kick-down
_____________________ 167
Kurvljusstrålkastare
_______________ 99
LLabeling, tire sidewall
____________ 252
Labels and plates, location
________ 299
Lashing eyes, SportCombi ________ 146
Lashing eyes, SportSedan ________ 141
Laying the car up
_______________ 181
LATCH (child safety) ______________ 25
Leather upholstery, cleaning
_______ 267
Lighting in luggage compartment,
Convertible
____________________ 79
Limp-home
____________________ 157
Limp-home, automatic transmission
_168
Load carriers, roof
_______________ 194
Load indices, tires _______________ 253
Loading your vehicle _____________ 254
Load-through hatch, SportCombi
___ 145
Load-through hatch, SportSedan ___ 140
Locking a car with flat battery
_______ 51
Locks
__________________________ 48
Long-term parking
_______________ 181
Luggage compartment
___________ 138
Luggage compartment lighting,
Convertible
____________________ 79Luggage compartment lighting,
SportSedan
_______________ 134
, 142
Luggage compartment lighting,
changing
_____________________ 234
MMain instrument panel
_____________ 82
Main/dipped beam
________________ 99
Maintenance schedule
___________ 280
Manual gear selection ____________ 170
Manual gearbox
_________________ 164
Manual tripping of car alarm
________ 58
Materials used in the car, reclamation
273
MAXI fuses
____________________ 238
Memory, driver’s seat
_____________ 21
Messages on SID, Convertible
______ 71
Milometer
_______________________ 90
Moonroof ______________________ 130
Mug holder ____________________ 134
NNew tires, buying
________________ 247
Night driving
___________________ 197
Number plate lighting, changing
____ 233
OORVR
________________________ 207
Oil capacity, engine
______________ 291
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