SID UNIT PIXELS ISSUES & REPAIR
SID Unit Pixel problems are common on all Saabs that have the SID units. The problem is a circuit board issue within sid unit which causes the pixels to fail and only be halfway readable. There are numerous ways to attempt to repair the units but in most cases it will not work.
Sid Removal: To Remove the SID unit simply remove the radio and push the SID unit out from behind. Install in reverse order. New replacement units must be programmed by Saab or a technician with a Tech 2 before the new unit will function
correctly.
Sid Repair:
Thanks to Luca from Italy for contributing to this FAQ!
I did so on my SID 2 of which hardly half of the pixels had become visible: before inserting the foam I applied medium pressure on the white flexible PCB with a ball pen, between a contact and the other, and on each of them, very carefully, exactly where they touch the circuits (about 2 mm
x 130 mm). I used a cropped part of the foam from an old mouse pad back, which I took off the hard plastic upper part from. It worked perfectly and now 100% of the pixels are visible.
Something to watch for after the repair!
Thanks to Robert Hickey for contributing to this FAQ!
I had the pixels on my SID2 (for my 2001 Saab 9-3) repaired. The company did a good job. But when I went to refit the SID2 it did not "light up" and would not save the clock setting (when you started the car again the clock went back to 00:00). If you stared at the SID you could see all the display information, but not lit up. Easy fix in the end, but not documented as far as I could see. Fuse 34 (10 amp) inside the fusebox had blown. The manual does not say that fuse 34 has anything to do with the SID or SID2.