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Ok, here's my installation instructions as best as I remember. I'll be somewhat detailed in my descriptions so don't let the length of this worry
you.
First, start by removing the existing mirror. It is a wedge-mount held
on by a spring clip, so you'll need to try to slide the mirror up and off
the mount. You may need to slip a small flat-head screw driver in the slot at the bottom of the mount in order to get it moving. A slight rocking motion may help get it moving as well... but don't use too much force or you'll remove the mount as well.
Next remove the driver side sun visor and loosen the passenger side
visor, then remove the two inner visor mounts. When you remove the driver-side visor, be careful as you will need to disconnect it's wiring harness. Once that is out of the way, the windshield header trim is held in place with three spring steel clips. Pull down on the trim piece to remove it. Next, remove the a-pillar trim piece... it is also held on by three spring steel clips. Next, remove the fuse panel door and remove the two torx head screws at the top and the single one at the bottom. Remove the two torx head screws on the knee bolster area beneath the steering wheel and the single torx screw attaching that piece to the center console. There is also one 10mm bolt near the drivers door that should be removed as well. Next, remove the two torx head screws that mount the ODB-II Diagnostic connector. The only thing that now holds the lower dash trim on is two plastic expanding studs towards the firewall. I was not able to remove them without breaking them... however, you can purchase similar replacements at a parts store or just use some screws and large washers. After all mounting points have been removed you can ease out the lower dash trim. The area around the fuse box is tight, but it will come loose without damage. At this time you should probably lift off the in-dash speaker cover to make running the wires a little easier. Now, mount the new mirror, tighten the mounting screw, attach the harness and run the wire harness along the same path as the existing harness, but have the wires come out near the fuse box. I ran the large, flat connector on the mirror harness through the frame of the windshield and wrapped it in some tape to keep it from rattling. Use wire ties to bind the mirror harness to the existing harness. You will also need to remove the door scuff plate trim to access the wiring harness that runs along the door from the rear of the car. To remove this trim, simply remove
the torx head screw located near the rear seat and then lift the trim off... it is held on by 4 plastic spring clips.
There will be 5 wires that need to be connected. Black=Ground, Red=switched power, White=reverse trigger, Yellow=constant power and Brown=door switch. When you removed the lower dash trim you will have exposed two excellent grounding points... choose one and attach the black ground wire (The ground wire's connector is a little small, so you may need to crimp on a slightly larger one). Next crimp a spade connector on the Red wire and plug it into the place where the #8 fuse would be. No 8 is for a rear windshield wiper and is not used on the Convertible... but it does have constant 12v.
Next, crimp a spade connector onto the Yellow wire and plug it into the place where the #33 fuse would go (rear seat heaters). No 33 is switched
12v. Next run the White wire down to the area between the door and the front seat and remove some of the tape from the large harness that runs in that area. Use a tap to connect the mirror's white wire to a small plain white wire in the harness. This white wire is the reverse lights (By the way, the reverse trigger is used to disable the auto dim feature so you have a clear view when reversing). Next, and you may need some extra wire for this, using another tap to connect the Brown wire to a thin, plain gray wire in the harness. This is the door switch wire. I found that both wires were near the bottom of the harness. Once you've made all connections... power it up and make sure the mirror is getting power.
The last step is the hardest... running the harness for the outside
temp sensor. For this you will need to go under the hood. There is a
rubber grommet in the firewall that has an unused "outlet" that will fit the harness perfectly. To access this grommet, move the fuse and relay box near the firewall under the hood. To move it, simply remove the single plastic nut near the fender side and un-clip the other side from beneath the weather-stripping. Once both sides are detached, lift it up and you will have enough room to move it over to expose the grommet. You should see the grommet now, along with the unused "outlet"... simply snip off the end of this outlet and start pushing the harness through to the inside. Be sure to lubricate it with some dish soap so that it will slide easy. Once you've got a few inches in you should be able to feel for it under the dash and pull it through. This took the longest time out of everything because it is a bit of a tight fit... but it did go through. Once it is through, connect it to the mirror harness. (At this point you can put the interior back together again). Next route the temp sensor harness along the fender towards the front grille. I found that removing the front headlight made this easier. To remove the headlight, remove the two torx screws on top and the one in the corner that attaches it to the side marker assemble. Slide the side-marker assembly forward to remove it. Disconnect the headlight harness and remove the light. (I don't remember if there were any other screws at this point.. but
there might be). I chose to mount the temp sensor in the small grille
opening next to the passenger side fog light, but feel free to mount it
anywhere in that general area. The Saab temp sensor is mounted right
behind the license plate frame. Once it's mounted and the wires have been tied down, you can reassemble the light and re-install the fuse box.
After that... the last thing to do is program the garage door opener,
set the zone for the Compass and drive around to calibrate the compass.
Programming the Homelink did take a few tries, but it did work
flawlessly when completed. Note... if you have a garage door receiver with a rolling code, you will need to "teach" the mirror the correct frequency first, then program the button for your garage door opener. I got confused when trying to teach the mirror the frequency because the instructions did not state that you need to hold the mirror button for about twenty seconds before it entered "learn" mode.
So, if you're not discourage by all of this then good luck and if anything
needs clarification, feel free to ask. By the way, I am not a rofessional
mechanic, but I do know my way around most cars and this was actually
one of the easier tasks that I've taken on.
Take care,
Bill
PS One thing I discovered after the installation is that driver and passenger door trigger wires operate independently of each other... therefore the mirror's maplight will only illuminate when the driver's door is open. This should not be a problem since the car's own lights are still in place. If you want this to work exactly as designed... while you have the interior trim removed, you should tap into the existing interior lighting wires.
posted by 12.240.13...
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