Best products from r/saab

As someone who spent an inordinate amount of time completely gutting his 9-3 Aero's sound system, I'm more than happy to offer a handful of tips for this. I dug about forever trying to find walk-throughs and info, but I'll be damned if that wasn't a tedious process. Also, if you need any further help, feel free to PM me, I'm a wealth of knowledge on this, sadly.

Anyhow, a couple of things:

• Firstly, and surprisingly, I found that after removing and replacing all of the factory speakers in the car, the pair that by leagues made the most significant impact on the overall sound were the 3.5" component speakers in the dash. The stock units offered laughable bass response and sounded tinny as hell, they always bugged me the greatest. Take those suckers out (only 2 screws per each, aligned to where they're fairly easy to remove), use a flat-headed screw driver to pop the tweeters out, and drop in these suckers. Yes, they are coaxial (i.e., no separate tweeters), but don't bother with an additional pair of tweeters, these Infinity's are far better than any equivalent setup, least of which the stock setup.
  
  
• Next, the door speakers. These proved to be the most time-consuming, not least of which the way they are mounted. Once you have the door cards out (great guide here), you'll find the speakers mounted on the door card itself, as opposed to being set into the door frame. Now, whatever speakers you go for (definitely choose coaxial in this case, a component setup in the doors is a complete nightmare), keep in mind you only have 2 1/2" depth to set the speakers, so be careful when choosing your kit. I went with these guys from Boston Acoustics. Now, while they're no longer selling this model, just go for their new-model 6.5" coaxial, or the similar offering by Infinity Kappa. In my experience, Boston Acoustics and Infinity Kappa (owned by Harman/Kardon, no less) offer the best experience in after-market car audio, touting (in my opinion) the best and brightest midrange and high, with tight, accurate bass. Anyhow, unless you're planning to amp the setup, this is all you really have to do. However, if you are planning to add an aftermarket amp, tackling this is a whole new animal. You're looking at pulling the factory amp out from under the seat and bypassing it, something I can walk you through should you need to.
  
  
• Lastly, the rear deck. You have slots for the 6x9's for the Arc and Aero and slots for 4" speakers for the Linear and Vector models. I only replaced the 6x9's, and used a pair of Rockford Fosgate Component speakers, which I somewhat regret. The best option for these speakers (again, in my opinion) are Inifinity Kappa's 693.9i 6x9 coaxials, the bass response is unprecedented (deep, full, and crisp), and the highs are brilliant. These are by far and away the trickiest to mount, caused me quite a bit of frustration and still do. Each 6x9 is set by 4 screws at each corner, but each speaker is pushed so close its respective rear pillar that two of the screws are almost wholly inaccessible. Either find yourself a trick screwdriver that can be used in extremely tight places, or do what I did and simply use a set of pliers to remove the two hidden screws from the bottom of the rear deck.
  
  This all aside, you may want to consider some sound deadening, particularly in the rear deck, especially if you plan on amping the setup. People say go with dynamat, but shit's expensive, and better alternatives are out there. Personally, I took the decidedly ghetto route, and cut out a foam mattress pad to size and set it in the deck. Also, you'll want to kill the rattling coming from the third brake light over the rear seats, you'd be astonished at how much cabin noise that crappy plastic cover is responsible for. Use weatherstripping to cover that damned thing on the inside, and just place it back, problems solved. Anyhow, thanks for making me feel useful today, have upvotes!

Pioneer AVIC-W8400NEX.

It can be found on amazon for $694 right now. I’m pretty sure there are cheaper options but I’ve always hated the resistive touch screens; capacitive touch was why I got this one (along with wireless ACP.)

I bought a special harness to retain use of my steering wheel controls and adapt it specifically for my 9-3; it would work for yours too. It ships from Europe. You could possibly source all the components individually, but this was easier. The harness allows you to use your steering wheel controls, tie into the factory amp, bypass the parking brake requirements (auto only), and reverse gear (auto only). Also, by tying into the factory amp, you get the power from the unit and the cars amp and can push upgraded speakers much easier.

Yes, did the complete install myself. It really wasn’t that bad. I used this guide to get started. It really helped with my confidence before dropping money on all the parts

The most time consuming part was getting the signal right for my backup cam and making it work with my 6MT; it’s plug and play with an auto. This was much more expensive than other options but was essentially best on the market for my use. Weather resistant, 1/3” sensor that’s really low light capable so you don’t need additional lights, extremely small footprint and installs easily. Also, you can take it apart to simply mount it using the top two bolts, which is what I did.

I did install all the options that came along with the unit. Microphone, GPS, aux, etc. But I also installed an HDMI adapter to play movies from my phone (android has mirror cast, but personally, I prefer the reliability of a hard-wired connection. Additionally, I installed a parking brake by-pass for the unit. This is simple, and cheap, but not needed for automatic transmissions.

The whole package ended up costing me about $1200…But hey, wireless carplay/android auto is worth it considering there are only around 8 new cars on the market coming with it in 2020…

Its definitely a weird size, I measured a spare Harmon Kardon speaker I have and the cone itself is 2.5" but the mounting points are about 3.5" or 3.75".

http://imgur.com/a/V449V

As for the connector, so you have the aftermarket speaker already? Personally I'd be tempted just to solder it in place unless you plan on removing it all that often. Otherwise I'd take it to a local car audio store or even home depot and get something like this. They're usually pretty universal but just make sure its the right size for the speaker. Then just cut off the stock connector and replace with the crimp connectors.

https://www.amazon.com/100PCS-Insulated-Connector-Electrical-Terminal/dp/B00FZK932G

If you can get your hands on a stock speaker and still want to go aftermarket the green connector on the speaker itself is just riveted on and can be drilled out and soldered onto an aftermarket speaker. I did that in my 9-3 and it worked like a charm. Hope that helps...

Does yours say "General Motors" on your Bluetooth menu on your phone? Passcode should be simple like 0000 or 1234 IIRC. If not, then you might have to hit the green button and say "Pairing" and it might spit out a code, I can't remember. I'm pairing mine with my LG V10 and it works fine for phone, just no music. I didn't think they changed much between the '07 and '09 models. My handsfree works really well in my Saab except for the fact that when I pick up I usually have to wait a second for it to connect, so I hit the green button then wait a second then talk.

I've really been considering updating my head unit to a Joying chinesium thingamajig. If I do I'll probably post on here to ask about adapters and shit because I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm happy with the rest of my '09 but I'd really like A2DP for bluetooth music from my phone.

EDIT: If it would help, I can de-pair my phone and record a video of me pairing it up again, just let me know.

EDIT2: Just did it, you gotta go thru your bluetooth menu and do what I did, it wouldn't let me record and pair at the same time but hopefully the video gives you the gist of it. Apparently the owner before me had an iPhone so I had to clear that out. It will give you the code to connect on your phone, hopefully.

Here is a good way to search for things like that and here is a good tutorial for the PCV update. It's crank case ventilation... it's nothing complicated, but you want to make sure you have the most current version (#6) to avoid sludge.

I do a good amount of things myself and I don't have a garage either. I live in Seattle in an apartment complex, I just park in a nearby lot and do it there, keep what tools I have in the trunk. You can do a lot with a ratchet set and some torx bits, essential things to have if you own a saab. (or just to have in general). O2 sensors are easy. It's literally just a plug that screws into the exhaust pipe, the pipes have threaded holes for the O2 sensor to plug into. The hardest part of this is sometimes it's on there pretty good and you might have to use some PB blaster beforehand to loosen it up, and use some muscle. You need an O2 sensor socket for your ratchet. Worst thing that happens driving with a bad O2 sensor is slightly worse gas mileage and a check engine light, so no rush. Depending on which O2 sensor is bad you might need to jack up the car to get to it, make sure you are safe about this if you do. The O2 sensor literally then just plugs into a spot in the engine bay and you're good to go.

Without a garage yeah it's pretty hard to do major things but stuff like O2 sensors you save hundreds doing it yourself and it's very straightforward. I'm no mechanic but nobody taught me anything about cars either, I have learned a lot over the years by using the internet, doing research, etc. The people on saabcentral.com forums are very helpful, and lots of old posts for common problems to help you out with.

First you should let us know your model so we know if you need a TD04 or a GT17. Aero models use the TD04, the Linear uses the GT17. I forget if the 3.0 uses a Garret but I think they do... Should you have a GT17 turbo car I cannot recommend enough to upgrade to the TD04. A MUCH more robust turbo than the GT. Swapping them is easy, bolt on with the only difference being the lines and you might need to swap your cobra pipe depending on model year of the TD04. Again, not necessary, but definitely recommended.

Do you know whats wrong with the turbo? I would first suggest a rebuild kit providing the housing is intact... You can get the parts and do it yourself for around 100-150 bucks. Add labor for removing and such obviously, but that would be the cheapest. Personally I'd check some junkyard in your area. As you are probably aware, Saabs are $$ to fix because parts are $$. Finding used or remanned parts is a serious win.

You could probably call Nick at GS and ask if he has any used ones kicking around for cheap. I don't trust many online retailers only because a lot of them are cheap Chinese manned turbos that go after 50k miles. Drives me nuts how many cars get back on the road only to start smoking 10k-20k down the road.

GT17 repair kit: [Link] (http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Rebuild-SAAB-Garrett-Turbochargers/dp/B00BEJ9WUA)

EDIT: Totally forgot. Check the forums for turbos for sale. Saablink, Saabcentral, Saabnet, and others. TD04s are popular sale items there. If you live in the Northeast I can give you a few of my favorite junkyards in the area. Might help you out.

I used something like this. I actually just have the wires pushed down into the connector and then taped into place. A more solid connection would probably be better but it's worked for me.

The only things I really used were electrical tape, wrenches for unbolting the amp and the ground bolt and sandpaper to make sure the ground connection is good. That's pretty much it.

I also just used a fuse to tap into the power. I just took a normal fuse, cut it in half, and connected the wire to the blade of the fuse. Makes a good connection that way.

> It's currently in the center armrest, but I would really like to place it elsewhere.

> Also, while I'm at it, would it be possible to add a single USB port in that same general area, for charging a phone? Is there any advice or logic for that?

It sounds like you're playing something off your phone and charging it at the same time, and you have no easy way to change the music. Right?

I'm about to blow your mind. Boom.

integrated USB charger, minijack input, easy bluetooth pairing, high quality audio, hands-free calling with noise cancellation, and play/pause/skip/seek.

EDIT: I retract the following recommendation. I applied it to some trim pieces after a thorough cleaning and degreasing and it is now starting to flake and peel off. It looks like a very very thin hard rubber coating. It seems to be holding up okay on the textured trim pieces, but on smoother plastic it's flaking off after less than a month. Best bet would be to use a trim paint like Duplicolor or SEM trim paint and take time to prep things well.

Check this stuff out:

Bondo 800

I used it on my 9-3 trim and they look brand new again. Masking its very important, and do it on a COMPLETELY dry car. Even small amounts of water behind the trim make masking iffy and the dye bleed out. Found that one out the hard way.

Not sure about the button part. I have the same model. I haven't found a way to pair my phone other than one of those radio tuners. I've had success with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0098Y90PK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can talk hands free and it comes through your car speakers. Good luck!

Just had this issue with my S5 in my 08 Tx. Easiest solution I found was buying the two items below.
Basically plug the aux into the bluetooth adapter and have your phone auto-connect. I've really liked not having my phone tethered to anything, also I can use any other device that will hook up to bluetooth.

http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Technology-BlueTrip-iPhone-Smartphones/dp/B004KPLS7K/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1418662876&sr=1-3&keywords=bluetooth+aux+12v

And this:
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-MIXIT-Right-Angle-Auxilary/dp/B008LCYIHK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418662937&sr=8-1&keywords=angled+auxiliary+cable&pebp=1418662950132

Edit: I like this option because there's no modifications.. it's all plug and play. It may also be the cheapest... Although I did have to extended the little button on the end of the griffin bluetooth adapter.. it wouldn't reach the bottom of the cig outlet for some reason. I just used a little stainless steel sleeve from a bicycle cable and crimped it in place a little bit.

Focuslima on eBay has great quality emblems that you stick over top of your original badges. I got 2 for my 9-3 last week and they went on really easily and have a great look to them. Look for the ones that say 3d, 3d gel, 3d domed, etc. Roughly 1 week ship time to me in the middle of the US.

Edit: Didn't read the full thing, my bad. But if you do find an emblem in the junkyard then I've used 3M Plastic Emblem and Trim Adhesive when I had to stick the an emblem back onto my wheels.

You should coat the soft top every six months to keep it from soaking up water. I've found that this stuff works the best. Give it a good wash before you apply the top treatment, and let the top dry completely.

Going through the same issue with my 09 9-5. GM's plastics do nothing help. There's really not going to be a guide or how to to fix it. You'll have to spend the time and figure out whats vibrating / rattling and figure out the best solution for that specific area.

There are various products that you can use to reduce vibrations. Weather stripping that you would use on a door or window is a huge help. You can also use a CLD sheets or tiles such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Noico-deadening-Automotive-Insulation-dampening/dp/B012B5EMGO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=noico&qid=1557610323&s=gateway&sr=8-3

It's a butyl rubber product (doesnt smell) with adhesive. You can use it bare metal surfaces and even on the back of your door card to reduce vibrations.

Blue

Red

Those I know for sure fit. I took a gamble and ordered some others hoping they're the same in the HVAC panel, and plan on reusing the little bulb shrouds to get the factory green color, Warm White

EDIT: More important, size and options: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dautomotive&field-keywords=T3+Neo+Wedge+LED

They're pretty cheap and surprisingly bright. I got them from amazon, they're 33 dollars with 2 day shipping if you got prime!

http://www.amazon.com/Nilight%C2%AE-1260lm-Cree-Light-Off-road/dp/B00G8R69RC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1422533995&sr=8-4&keywords=led+spot+lights

Try these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018SJ4AK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HL0UAG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I installed those and am very happy with the results. Mine is a 2000 9-3 SE. Cheers!

I use this for bluetooth and this to hold my phone. Obviously this doesn't have apply car play but it mirrors navi, handles calls and plays my music. I also have my phone setup to read out my texts and ask if I would like to reply.

1. I have this and love it. http://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450-Bluetooth-Hands-Free-Input/dp/B009NLTW60
   
   
2. You can get a tune on your factory ECU. Brew City Boost and JZW are two big saab tuners, although there are many others. I have a JZW tune and love it.
   
   
3. OEM bushings will last you another 10 years. Poly bushings are a bit harsher on some cars, on other's it feels no different.