Making Your SAAB
Unique
By:Alex Berezovsky
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About Me
1) My name is Alex Berezovsky. I'm a
successful commercial pilot, and a car
wizard on my spare.
2) I own a logistics business that operates
all around the world focusing on
Importing and specialty loads.
3) I am a huge car fanatic. I own various
vehicles and I LOVE to make them
unique.
My Cars
S Through out my years I owned various brands and types of
vehicles. My Current “fleet” 2005 M3, 1999 “Viggen” 2011
ML350
The Saab Scene
S I started with Saab since I was maybe 6 or 7 back in Ukraine
S My First Saab was a 9000Aero that was handed down to me by
my father
S At the age of 17 I bought myself a 900, although it was a fun car it
was heavy to own and working at wal mart I could not maintain
it.
S My current Saab a 9-3 “viggen” is being built as we speak. Its
going to be the most unique Saab ever produced.
Big Brake Upgrade
S Advantage of big brakes can be a plus when you are doing
track performance or aggressive driver
S Most Saab brakes are interchangeable
S Advantages/Disadvantages
S Parts Needed
S Kits VS OEM Saab
Advantages / Disadvantages
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Better Performance
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Longer Life
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Better Cooling (if vented)
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Look Much nicer
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Could be very pricey Depending on Kit
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Some OEM rims will not fit over brakes
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Replacement costs are higher
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Not much use on regular Street upgrade.
So you are ready?
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Parts Needed going OEM route
1) Brake Pads
2) Dust shields
3) Appropriate Calipers
4) Custom Brake lines
Parts Needed Going Kit Route
Kits usually come with all the required hardware and instructions. This would include parts
listed.
Kits VS OEM
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Any Saab 9-3OG, 900NG, 9-5 can upgrade to the max factory size 308MM.
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9-5 AERO 99-02 308MM can be upgraded to vented from 02 ->
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02-> Has from factory 308MM all around so OEM upgrade kit is not an
option
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NG 9-3 Can be upgraded to ARC size vented rotors. To go to AERO size
some work is required.
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Kits such as Maptun, Brembo etc are very nice but they do cost a lot of
money. Kits are only recommended IF car is used for track purposes.
Pictures
SAAB BBK K SPORT
Basic Tune Up
S Preventative Maintenance
S What to look out for.
S Frequency
S Fluids, Filters, Belts.
Preventive Maintenance
S Every Car manufactured today is designed to break. There is
no such car that is made to drive without putting any money
into it.
S Preventive maintenance can insure you to have a long
lasting and pleasurable drive without the unexpected
happening.
S Most of these items can be done by yourself without paying
high shop rates.
What to look out for?
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Car running rough hard to start, or simply just does not feel right?
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Most of these items can be fixed by taking about 1hour of your own time and
diagnose the issue.
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Check your vacuum lines Frequently they tend to crack causing air leaks
which leads to problems.
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Maintain your battery SAAB does not like voltage lower then 10V
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Don’t ignore rattles, clunks as this can lead to much more serious issues. If
diagnosed in time you can save an engine, a pump, or a seized caliper.
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Most important rule DO NOT BE CHEAP.
So Alex how often should I look
at my engine bay?
S Look at least 2-4 fill ups, check the oil inspect the condition.
S Check your brakes visually
S Preform the required service ( most can be done yourself)
S Inspect engine for leaks. If there is a leak FIX it, chemicals
are corrosive and they will eat other seals.
Fluids, Filters,Belts
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Fluids are very important in any car. Many can argue about they type, the brand the
quality.
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My suggestion BEFOR you put anything in the car REASERCH REASERCH
REASERCH. Just because it has a name does not mean its good for your car.
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Oil – use only approved oil. No it does not have to be 0w40 Mobil 1.
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Coolant – Again use the appropriate coolant. My recommendation is the basic AC
Delco DexCool. Its cheap its good and its from the factory.
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Power Steering – Ac Delco works the best.
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Transmission – ONLY and I repeat ONLY use approved transmission oil. This can be a
life and death situation for your transmission.
Fluids,Filters, Belts
Continuation.
S Filters – They should be changed often. Engine works on 2 things
Air and Fuel. A bad air filter will make your engine dirty and
cause problems. You don’t need to go with brand name filters.
S T7/T8 – Stay away from k/n filters. They do nothing but block up
your MAF and send check engine light codes.
S Cabin filter – This is what you breath in. If you have a cheap filter
this will let all the dust inside making your ride not enjoyable.
S Belts - Continental Only.
Mechanic VS DIY
S Saves you a lot of money
S Great Fun
S You will understand your car much more
S Save money for more important things or maybe even future
upgrades.
I saved $1900.00
Leather Cleaning
S Leather can be very tricky to clean.
S Cleaning with wrong products can lead to ruining your
leather.
S Dye Vs Upholstery.
Cleaning Products
S There are lots of
products available in
todays market. Lots
claim to protect your
car and give a shine
but really are they
worth it?
Leather
S Leather is very picky and hard to clean and maintain. Some
manufactures like SAAB use lower quality leather which is
prone to sunlight and cracks.
S To fix this only use products that have no SILICONE in
them. Silicone makes it shiny but it eats on the dye. Only
use very fine water based cleaner. Do not use any fancy stuff
as you will do more damage.
Leather Recommendation
S My personal favorite leather cleaner is Leaons couch cleaner
(yes I did say couch cleaner)
S Saddle Soap. This has to be used with care. It is VERY
strong and will take out your dye. If done right you will
have a nice clean interior that will be long protected and a
nice smell in the car also.
Saddle Soap
My leather looks like this
Step 1 Clean the leather
S Leatherique has an awesome kit that comes with all the
right stuff you will need to clean the leather.
Step 2
S Apply Special putty on the cracks
Step 3
Apply the dye and you have amazing seats
Another Option
S If you do not want to go as far as re-dying the seats but want
to take out some cracks on the seats. Use some Leatherique
rejuvenating oil. Not only does it clean but it also stretches
out and rejuvenates the leather making it almost like new.
LED Exterior Upgrades
S LED bulbs are much brighter and better in color
S LED bulbs last longer and do not generate heat
S LED bulbs are almost resistant to water damage
S LED bulbs usually are plug and play.
Important things to remember
S LED bulbs have a very low load. When buying a bulb you
have to make sure it has a built in LOAD resistor otherwise
you might get Bulb out error or hyperflash.
S Some LED bulbs are longer and will not fit in stock
housing.
S Cheap LED bulbs will only emit light into one direction
making them useless.
Types
1)Typical basic LED.
2)Commonly used for stop lights,
turn indicator lights, Reverse lights.
4) Plug And Play
5) Do not have a load resistor built
into them
Projector LED
S Good for fog
lights
S Projects the
beam into
direction of
projector
S Most time much
brighter.
Load Resistor LED
S Used for turn signals
or any other light that
is monitored by the
car.
S Simulates a load
S Some LED have them
built in. Ideal for Saab
MY SAAB LED
Saab Audio Upgrade
S There are many ways to upgrade and Audio system on the
car.
S Know what you want
S Some limitation (9-3 03-06)
S Good sound requires good knowledge.
Easiest Solution
S Speaker Upgrade
My old speaker
Important to remember
S Saab 900 94-99 9-3 99-03
-Door Speaker – 5 ¼ some 6 ¾
fit
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Dash Speaker 3.5”
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Rear Deck – 6x9
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Convertible 6 3/4
Saab 9-5
S Saab 9-5 99-07
S Dash 3.5”
S Door 5 1/4”
S Deck 6x9
Saab 9-3 NG
S 9-3 03-08
S Same as 9-5
S Best option for some bass is
to add a set of good 6x9 in
the rear
S Car is pre-wired
S 03-06 You cant upgrade
headunit
Headunit
Headunit
S Many options are available. With different features.
S Double Din – Takes up 2 spaces. Usually a 7” screen used.
Some modification required to dash to make it fit
S Single Din used to provide higher sound quality then
normal. Usually requires a cubby but can be installed on
any vehicle.
Dash Modification
Amplifires
S Amplifiers make a night and day difference in how your car
sounds.
S Choosing an amplifier requires you to know what kind of
system you are running.
S Amplifiers can be used to bypass factory system.
Installation
S Proper wiring harness
S Proper bezel
S Proper sound dampening
S Correct speaker size
S Correct amplifier and wire gauge
HID Lights
S There are 2 ways to upgrade your light output.
S Kits
S Projector Retrofit.
HID KIT
S Hid kits are inexpensive and provide a plug and play
installation for your car.
S HID kits should be used with caution because you can
install on the wrong type of lenses and upset oncoming
drivers.
S Hid kits can be installed if your car has stock projectors.
S Kits are not needed if your car came factory xenon.(HID)
Typical HID kit.
Projector Retrofit
S Expensive solution but worth every penny
S Provides OEM look and best output
S Can be upgraded if you have stock projectors.
S Longer longevity then OEM and Kits
S Does not work on glass lenses.
My Custom 9-3 Conversion
Is it a big deal? Yes!
Questions
S Contact me at (416) 890-0127
S alex@nanookexpress.com
S Any car not just SAAB
S Parts, Labour, Shipping Import from USA
S A Beer or two.