9-3 Aero Convertible 2006 door mirrors and boot issues

[Oldcolner]

Just got this so still getting used to it. 2 litre Turbo. Enjoying it and it seems to be ok and passed MoT but has done 116k and not had much TLC for a while.

Perhaps you can advise on three irritating things

The door mirrors don’t seem to fold in -they seem pretty rigid so the wheelie bin won’t come past. Is that due to the electric control. They don’t seem to retract electronically.

The boot lid seems to come open on its own on occasions- has happened three times so far in two weeks, is that me pressing the key accidentally? I don’t think I have done it.

There is a knocking from the boot which seems to be the jack or tools falling out of the polystyrene moulding onto the spare wheel after a few speed bumps. Any solutions?

Thanks in advance.

[sgould]

First question is, "Do you have folding mirrors?".  If you do, they should fold on the button on the door and also when you leave the car and press and hold the lock button on the key fob.  Door mirrors are vulnerable and it's been known in the past to save money by replacing broken ones with the non-folding variety.

The other thing that causes door lock, mirror and window probems is corrosion in the connectors.  It's worth undoing the big connector in the door hinge and ccleaning the contacts.  The female side of the connector is known for losing clamping force on the pins in the male side.  If the power is not fully available, or the computer bus signal is not getting through, then things go wrong.

[carrera]

On the tools point the easiest thing is to remove the tools and take a test drive. If the knock is still there you need to keep looking.

[Oldcolner]

Thanks for the quick replies.
Will check them out tomorrow.

[Oldcolner]

The mirrors don’t seem to have an electric fold button, just one that allows mirror adjustment. However they are solid and look original but they will not move if knocked back to get the rubbish bin past, unlike my other newer cars.

The boot lock was rusted so have sanded that off and put some WD40 on it. Seems to be ok.

The knock seems to be the jack falling out of the polystyrene holder and hitting the wheel inner so trying some packing between them. So far so good.

More  questions  if I may.

One of the headlight washer covers is broken, so I have bought a new one, however it looks like I either need to pull the washer out of the bumper to fit it and hope I can push it back in, or heavens forbid have to take the bumper off. Any tips appreciated.

I also have a wind deflector which has a net material in a metal frame that fits behind the front seats. The net has some holes in it, can you buy the material to patch the holes or refit a new screen into the metal frame.

[sgould]

I haven't had to do a washer cover, but pulling it about a bit should be OK. It's all rubber pipes, springs and things behind there. 

If it all goes wrong, taking the bumper off is nothing like as bad as it seems!  Three small screws in each wheel arch.  Four across the top and four or five underneath.  All small stuff.  Pull out the sides and it falls off.   I allowed a morning for the work the first time.  But it only took 10 mins to remove and about the same to put it back.

[Oldcolner]

Thanks sg

Another issue.
My second key stopped working, had a new battery in it and it’s stopped working again. Had another put in and it worked for a few seconds but then got a warning the fob battery was low.
As it’s a new battery I wonder if the fob will keep working and I can ignore the warning, or will it stop working and if so what happens?
Any ideas why this is happening?
Fortunately the main key fob is working fine, so I don’t have an immediate problem. It’s just a bit unnerving so I’ve stopped parking up to the wall so I can get in if needed with the key itself.

[sgould]

You can take the circuit board out and have a close look.  Sometimes the microswitches come loose and need resoldering.  There are guys on eBay etc, who sell kits or do the work.

Also try swapping the batteries between fobs. The new battery may be a bad one.

But before a fob with a new battery will work, it has to go into the ignition switch hole before it "remarries".  So keeping the car off the wall is a good idea, or keeping the car unlocked whilr the battery is renewed.

[aerojon]

 fob issue>>my reply here.. http://www.saabtechtalk.com/forum/index.php?topic=1132.30

[Oldcolner]

Thanks sg and aero. Been away for a week so back on the case. I’m no whizz on electrics.
Is frustrated still around. He had this problem.

Any answers on my non folding mirrors. They won’t move on impact at all?

[sgould]

I think you may have to look inside. The glass can be unclipped by releasing the wires behind the inside edga. I have photos but I’m not at home to access them.

It’s not unknown for broken mirrors to be “fixed” by gluing them solid!

[aerojon]

electric fold mirrors were optional,no fold button on the mirror controls=no electric fold..

[sgould]

They may be non-folding, but they should be able to be folded by hand. If they really are solid, someone has glued/screwed them up

[Oldcolner]

Thanks again. The mirrors will adjust electronically so I presume they haven’t been glued. They are more solid than any other car I’ve had when trying to get them to fold manually. I’m reluctant to push too hard but may have to try after a dose of WD40?

[sgould]

The glass moving inside the mirror casing is fine.  It's whether the whole mirror body can be pushed back against the car.  That's towards the door. It should move, but not easily.  It's an attempt to save the mirror body if you hit something in passing.