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I have the stock dp for now, and a BSR 2.5in stainless. Car sounds almost stock at idle and under throttle it sounds a little more grunty. Pretty nice.

DICs tend to crack, and the cores in them suffer afterwards. I mean, it's a piece of composite plastic that is sitting on the head of your turbocharged engine... it will get up past 80c on hot days so you gotta expect some damage. It's a great piece of technology as it allows knock control and other engine adjustments RIGHT at the plugs, but it's poorly designed considering where it sits and how it sits there. It's the number 1 thing that can leave you stranded while driving. I've been lucky and have only had one go bad in over 60k of T7 driving (two different t7 cars) but it's a total gamble. Sometimes they will drop within 10k, sometimes within 100k. I've been very lucky considering I only got a CEL from an extra knock sensor. Highly recommend and OBDII reader. Just to pull the code. If you have an android phone ge the torque app and a bluetooth adapter. You can monitor engine health with it and check/clear CELs. http://www.amazon.com/BAFX-Products-PIC18F2480-diagnostics-compatible/dp/B005NLQAHS/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1376322147&sr=1-1&keywords=obd2+bluetooth

I drive a 00 9-5 LPT that I have converted to be an aero. Turbo, up-pipe, exhaust, brakes, clutch, and a few other mods. Flashed a 00 Aero bin and then the e85 map.

There are a few benefits of the tune. First and foremost being the diagnostics. if you push both the -/+ at the same time on the SID you can access diagnostics. This is activated in T7 Suite and is included in my e85 package. Look here for an example of what kinda data can be displayed: http://www.saab-tuners.com/en/trionic-7/t7-suite-sid-info

Things of note:

• amul = fueling information,
  
• tair = intake temps (Important for tuning and IC info),
  
• meng = engine torque in nM,
  
• teng = engine temp,
  
• mair and mreq = mair is air actually delivered, and mreq is the requested air. This is SUPER important to find boost leaks.
  
• miss = engine misfires and there's another value for knocks
  
  Other benefits are the ability to run e85 if you want to. We dont' have any around here, but traveling you may run across one. The increase is hp and torque is an absolute benefit. I find my idle and temps are lower with this tune. Also it evens out the power delivery vastly. Very nice torque curve. You can see the graph here: http://imgur.com/a/L26oR Top image is stage 1, stock is below. I also find that my throttle response and low end power (Where I usually drive the car) is far better. I'm not a racer, so I tend to stay 2-4k and there's a decent amount of torque there to move me around town.
  
  Reasons for tuning are my own, but the diagnostics and power increase were the main ones. Having a fun DD helps too.

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…

My son's first car, bought this year, is an '06 9-3 2.0T as well!

These cars like to throw codes/check engine lights (CELs). Do yourself a favor and order one of these and buy "Torque Pro" from the Google Play/Apple app store. You'll have less than $30 in it all together, and it gives you some nice tools besides just the ability to read and reset codes.

As someone else said, google for any issues you have, they have likely been answered. Might as well make an account on saabcentral and saabnet. Lots of good info and knowledgeable people on those sites.

When (not if) you have to replace the coils, make sure you buy the right ones. ONLY the ones with the correct markings will work correctly. There are LOTS on the market that say they are correct, but aren't. Here's one that I know works (my son's car has 4 new ones). If you sign up for Advance's "SpeedPerks" membership (free), you'll get discounts, money back, etc. Order this stuff online, even if you're picking it up in store. Their website sometimes even has $40 off $100! Usually at least 20-30% off.

Anyways, I hope this helps, and feel free to ask any questions!

> 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.

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.

Hold up, there are some super affordable ones on Amazon, have lasted almost a year for me now (and still going). Let me go find a link

Edit: there you go
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004AYA2PA/ref=oh_aui_i_sh_in_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Brightness seemed about the same from my old ones, slightly higher temperature than only ones (like 5500K vs 5000K)

I bought 4, to me, even if they have half the life span or less, paying $50 for 4 sure beats buying 2 for $200 (Canadian)

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!

Right, well the reason I ask, is if you've seen the guide on... I wanna say twinsaabs, the front main seal job is quite tricky. It's interesting compared to the 9-5, which I believe is just removing the harmonic balancer, and a large snap ring.

On the 900, it's a whole piece- handful of bolts, harmonic balancer, plus the main bolt all come off to do the job. The Fel-Pro kit I got for the front main seal comes with the main seal, oil pump gasket, and two gaskets for passages on the whole cover piece.

Here's a link to the kit I needed for my car, but I'm not sure if this applies to yours (I have a 91 turbo, and going by the cps kit you have, yours is NA) and I don't have my Haynes handy. I specifically bought the fel-pro because I did not see the same gaskets visually included with other kits, and opinion of importance of changing the gaskets varied from person to person.

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.

For my rarer waxings, i use McGuires Cleaner Wax with a radial buffer. However, for just week to week touch ups I use McGuires Quick Detailer ( http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Quik-Detailer-Mist-Spray/dp/B0009IQXAE) which basically keeps the paint clean and shiny in between washes and waxes, and it smells kinda nice.

Edit: with that said, you could really ONLY use quick detailer spray in lieu of waxing, it would more or less give you the same effect from a visual stand point (but in the long run may not not protect the clear coat as well).

I bought Raggtopp from Amazon. Then I bought the 'horse hair' brush along with it. Worked for me. Read the instructions though, the vinyl on the car needs to be completely wet before applying. There's two different solutions (bottles) one is a cleaner the other is a protected. I don't remember paying that much for it but that was 2 years ago.

https://www.amazon.com/Raggtopp-Convertible-Top-Care-Kit/dp/B0002KKIVO

https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-HANSON-BOLT-GRIP-Extractor-394001/dp/B0000CCXVZ You had to use something like this to get that bolt out correct?

With something like this:
3M 39175 Heavy Duty Headlight Restoration Kit
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072FQMY3Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LD4SCbDFZWYRC

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.

Buy this:

Autel MaxiScan MS300 CAN Diagnostic Scan Tool for OBDII Vehicles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LHVOVK/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_vn3HwbDBPRRM0

In the mean time, go to your local auto parts store and get the codes read.

Full synthetic every 3k, premium gas, pcv update. If your vacuum lines show any aging or are cracked, replace them all. Don't forget to check your spark plugs.

BTW every Saab after 98 has a turbo. For 9-5s of that year they are either base (2.3t), SE (3.0t), or aero. Sedan, or wagon.

You can now get a decent one on Amazon for under $20 shipped. I have two of them.

Http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LHVOVK/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/03-07-stock-Headlight-Light-Diamond/dp/B004AYA2PA

I'm probably gonna buy 2 pairs of these ones

3M Headlight Restore! Magic stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-39008-Headlight-Restoration-System/dp/B001AIZ5HY

I used this kit: https://www.amazon.com/3M-39175-Heavy-Headlight-Restoration/dp/B072FQMY3Z/

You may have a failing DI cassette.
http://www.thesaabsite.com/93old/Saab-93-ignition.html

First, get one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS/
Plug is in the footwell under the steering wheel.

Pair it with your Android (phone/tablet) running this app to read the engine codes, etc:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.prowl.torque

A failing DI cassette may not show a code/CEL and exhibit this behavior.

I suspect the app is the less of your worries - just find one that works on your OS. The hardware is the bigger concern. I bought this one a few months ago:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NLQAHS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

... and it's been A-OK in both my '04 Saab 9-3 and my '05 Subaru Outback, running the free version of Torque on a Note 3/Android. The whole reason I bought it in the first place is that I had a check engine light for no obvious reason on the Saab, and neither of the first two auto parts stores I took it to were able to even get a code from it when they gave me the 'free OBDII read' try - both got connection errors. (So I ended up paying a garage to do some diagnostics, and it turned out the actual error was a single cylinder misfire - no big deal, and not worth the $ it cost to find it out.) Point being, the BAFX never had a problem getting a read on the Saab where two different models of wired readers used by professional auto parts stores failed.