headlight aiming SAAB 9-3 2009 Owners Manual

219
Car care
Wrong bulb fitted
If a low or main beam bulb of too high a
rating is fitted, a bulb failure message will be
shown on the SID (a too high wattage bulb
can damage the reflector).
If the following message is displayed but the
bulb shines, it is most likely that an incorrect
bulb has been fitted.
Note
When changing bulbs, fit the same type of
bulb (e.g. Long-Life) as that removed.
Headlight aiming , page 274.
Xenon headlights 3Xenon headlights produce roughly two
times as much light as halogen bulbs and
have a significantly longer service life.
The lamp units consist of a gas discharge
lamp containing xenon. When the lights are
switched on a very hi gh voltage activates
the xenon gas. The lamps soon reach full
intensity.
Cars with xenon headlights have automatic
levelling. The levelling system is comprised
of two sensors, one on the front suspension
and one on the rear suspension, and a con-
trol unit by the engine bay fuse box. Head-
light alignment is adjus ted automatically to
the car’s load to prevent dazzling drivers in
oncoming traffic.
If a fault is detected in the system, the fol-
lowing message will be displayed on the
SID:
Right high beam failure.
WARNING
Xenon headlights are high tension. All
work on xenon headlights, including
changing bulbs, must be carried out by
dealer personnel.
Headlight levelling
malfunction.
We recommend you to contact a Saab
dealer to have a xenon headlight changed
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274 Car carecompressor 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 cu t in automatically
when the outside temperature is high
enough.
Headlight aimingThe vehicle has a visual optical headlight
aiming system equippe d 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.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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275
Car care
be correctly aimed if the low beam lamps
are aimed properly.
If you find that the headlight needs adjust-
ment follow these steps:
1 Open the hood and locate the vertical aiming devices.
2 Locate the marker on the lens.
3 Measure the distance from the ground to the aim marker No.1 (see illustration) on
each lens.
Subtract 2 inches.
4 At the wall or other flat surface, measure from the ground to the recorded
distance (see point 4) and draw a hori-
zontal line the width of the vehicle. 5
Cars with xenon lights:
Xenon lights with autom atic 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.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 subtract 2 inches.
Vertical aiming device1 Aiming marker on headlight lens
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276 Car care6 Turn the vertical aiming screw until the horizontal 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.
Horizontal line on wall or other flat surface
Correctly adjusted low beam
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