Saab 9-5 2011 Owner's Manual page 174

as possible. Otherwise, you might
damage your engine. A little pinging
noise when you accelerate or drive
uphill is considered normal. This does
not indicate a problem exists or that
a higher-octane fuel is necessary. If
you are using 87 octane or higher-oc‐
tane fuel and hear heavy knocking,
your engine needs service. Although
not required, use higher octane (93
octane) fuel for optimum perform‐
ance.
Caution
Use of fuel with too low an octane
rating could lead to uncontrolled
combustion and engine damage.
Gasoline Specifications
It is recommended that gasoline meet
specifications which were developed
by automobile manufacturers around
the world and contained in the World-
Wide Fuel Charter which is available
from the Alliance of Automobile Man‐
ufacturers at www.autoalliance. org/
fuel_charter.htm. Gasoline meeting
these specifications could provide im‐
proved driveability and emission con‐
trol system performance compared to
other gasoline.
At a minimum, gasoline should meet
ASTM specification D 4814 in the Uni‐
ted States. Some gasoline contains
an octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT). We recommend
against the use of gasoline containing
MMT.
Notice
Gasoline containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and re‐
formulated gasoline may be availa‐
ble in your area. We recommend
that you use this gasoline, if it com‐
plies with the specifications descri‐
bed earlier. However, E85 (85%
ethanol) and other fuels containing
more than 10% ethanol must not be
used in vehicles that were not de‐
signed for those fuels.
California Fuel
If your vehicle is certified to meet Cal‐
ifornia Emission Standards (see the
under hood emission control label), it
is designed to operate on fuels that
Driving and operating
meet California specifications. If this
fuel is not available in states adopting
California emissions standards, your
vehicle will operate satisfactorily on
fuels meeting federal specifications,
but emission control system perform‐
ance may be affected. The malfunc‐
tion indicator lamp may turn on and
your vehicle may fail a emission sys‐
tem inspection 3 104.
If this occurs, return to your author‐
ized Saab dealer for diagnosis. If it is
determined that the condition is
caused by the type of fuel used, re‐
pairs may not be covered by your war‐
ranty.
Fuel Additives
To provide cleaner air, every kind of
gasoline in the United States is now
required to contain additives that help
prevent engine and fuel system de‐
posits from forming, allowing the
emission control system to work prop‐
erly. In most cases, you should not
have to add anything to the fuel. How‐
ever, some gasoline contains only the
minimum amount of additive required
to meet U.S. Environmental
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