For anyone unfamiliar with the Russian car enthusiast scene, platforms like Drive2 function as far more than social networks. They serve as long-term technical logbooks, where owners document every modification, failure, experiment, and lesson learned – often over many years. Dmitry Tolstov is one of those owners. His Saab 9-3 Convertible has been documented there for more than six years, with detailed entries that trace not just what was done, but why each decision was made.
That background matters, because Dmitry’s approach to upgrading the Saab 9-3’s multimedia system didn’t start with a product or a trend. It started with a well-known limitation of the pre-facelift cars. Saab never offered the 2003–2006 9-3 a truly coherent path toward modern in-car infotainment. ICM2 remains functional and dependable, while ICM3 introduced a larger color display that looks like progress – but, for many owners, quickly reveals itself as a dead end: visually cleaner, yet offering little practical benefit and no straightforward way to integrate modern navigation, streaming, or hands-free phone use.
Dmitry’s project begins exactly at that intersection. Like many Saab 9-3 owners, he wanted contemporary functionality – navigation, music streaming, phone integration – without sacrificing the interior’s balance or resorting to a visibly aftermarket solution. What followed was not a single upgrade, but a multi-year process of testing, rejecting compromises, and gradually reshaping the idea that enthusiasts now casually refer to as “ICM4.”
Why “ICM4” exists at all
Saab never gave the 2003–2006 9-3 the kind of clean, modern multimedia evolution enthusiasts expected. The hardware story is familiar: ICM2 works, ICM3 looks like progress, yet for a lot of owners it becomes a dead end – nice screen, limited practical value, and no modern phone integration without compromises. Dmitry starts exactly there: the same itch most pre-facelift 9-3 owners eventually get – modern navigation, modern streaming, modern hands-free – but without turning the cabin into a visible aftermarket hack.
And that’s the key point: “ICM4” is a community nickname for a direction, not a part number. Multiple people arrived at it independently because the constraints push you there:
- the screen has to sit high, close to the driver’s natural sightline
- the solution can’t block the SID or force weird reach angles
- the Saab dash hates thick add-on brackets and “universal” frames
- if you want it to feel right, you end up working in ICM3 territory in both size and placement
Dmitry’s version matters because it’s not a demo build. He has been running it for years, and his write-up reads like a practical build log rather than a sales pitch.
Dmitry Tolstov’s starting point: ICM2 installed, ICM3 desire… and ICM3 reality
He opens with the honest motivation: with ICM2 already installed, most owners want the ICM3 look – bigger color display and a cleaner visual center stack. Then comes the punchline: the aesthetic advantage is real, but the functional value isn’t.
That gap is where CarPlay solutions enter the picture. Not because Saab people need a “tablet,” but because Apple CarPlay / Android Auto solves several daily-driver problems at once: maps, audio, voice control, and a stable interface that updates with the phone – not with some discontinued head unit firmware.
Attempt #1: the 7-inch era and the first ergonomic failure
When he began, the market was basically 7-inch units. He installed one in front of the factory CD changer. It worked, but the compromise was immediate: you’re looking down, and in an automatic car the gear selector becomes a physical obstruction to the screen. Dmitry’s complaint isn’t cosmetic – it’s about the driver’s view and reach.
In other words: functional doesn’t equal usable.
Attempt #2: 10.26 inches – finally the right canvas, still the wrong location
Next step: a 10.26-inch CarPlay device, first mocked up in front of the SID using cardboard. His description of the hardware is useful because it explains why this specific format became attractive:
- IPS panel, 1600×600 resolution
- built-in speakers and microphone
- USB + microSD
- rear camera support
- USB Type-C power (12V)
- and – crucially – AUX input for audio integration
So the device was finally “serious” enough. Yet the installation still wasn’t. Mounted in front of the SID it blocked the SID and still interfered with visibility. Bigger screen, bigger problem – because placement was still wrong.
That’s the moment where most builds stop and accept compromise. Dmitry doesn’t.
The turning point: “ICM3 size” as a hard requirement
He calls it a “radical decision,” and it is: build a frame that fits the ICM3 size.
Not “make it work somewhere,” but make it belong where Saab intended the main display to live.
This is also where Dmitry’s approach splits from some other ICM4-style projects: he treats it like a packaging and integration job, not a consumer retrofit.
He learned Autodesk Inventor specifically to model the adapter frame, and he sourced donor components so he could measure and test with stock parts:
- a dashboard cover used as a donor
- a center air duct from friends, so the interface could be built around factory geometry
And he spells out the goal in a way that Saab enthusiasts will recognize instantly: inexpensive, functional, and realistically replicable.
The physical fit: one Saab problem you can’t ignore
The screen fit “almost perfectly,” except for a detail only someone who actually measured would call out: the bottom of the dashboard trim has two protrusions that reduce available height and hit the air vent. His fix is simple and brutally practical – trim them to create a “level floor.”
This is the kind of sentence that tells you the build is real: it’s not rendered perfection. It’s a solution that respects the dash’s actual shape.
Mounting strategy: no screws, no drama, no air-duct casualties
After measurements and modeling, he 3D-printed the frame. The clever part isn’t the printing – it’s the mounting philosophy:
- thin 3M double-sided tape cut to fit the screen
- the frame and monitor held by pressure and the air duct
- no extra screws
That matters in a Saab 9-3 because everyone reading this knows the center vent/air duct can be unpleasant to remove without damage. Dmitry explicitly calls that out: quick removal, minimal risk.
For SaabPlanet readers, this is one of the most convincing arguments in the whole build: he designed the solution around the weak points owners already respect.
The “car won’t start” part: why the electronics still matter
Here’s the section that separates serious integrations from “just mount a screen.”
Dmitry disassembled a donor ICM1 and installed the body deep inside the dashboard because without it the car won’t start.
Then he went further:
- firmware changed from ICM3 to ICM1 via Tech2
- AUX function must be activated
- to keep FM/CD/AUX functional, the “green board” must be enabled; it can be disconnected afterward, and remains enabled after cycling the ICM1
- steering wheel buttons retain control for the OEM side of the system
Audio routing is handled via AUX between the CarPlay device and the CD player – he notes that a 12-pin Opel AUX cable works as a suitable connector.
So the final behavior is not “aftermarket head unit behavior.” It’s closer to: the car still “thinks” it has its Saab components in place, and the new screen is an additional interface layer.
That’s exactly what Saab people mean when they say “OEM-minded,” even when the hardware itself isn’t OEM.
Power: cutting the fluff out of the install
He powers the monitor from 12V by removing the cigarette-lighter connector and wiring it directly to the vehicle’s 12V supply. Because the device supports 12–24V, he says no fuse is needed.
Option 2: when CarPlay is the interface, but sound is the obsession
Dmitry includes a second path for those who want a fully alternative, higher-quality sound architecture. He lists the components clearly:
- Front: Morel Dotech 6 MK2 + Focal TNB tweeter
- Rear: Visaton FRS 8 midrange + Mercedes OEM tweeter trims
- Subwoofer: Saab OEM 10″ behind the back seat
- Amplifiers: MDLab AM-MB4 (two units)
- Front crossover: Focal K-series
- Source/processor: Pioneer DEQ-S1000A + BT adapter
But he’s equally clear about the tradeoff: you lose FM/CD and steering wheel controls; you control sound from phone or processor, and cost goes up.
Saab owners split into two tribes: those who want factory integration first, and those who will sacrifice it for sound…
Daylight reality in a Convertible: IPS isn’t always enough
Dmitry’s final summary is refreshingly unsentimental. He lists the wins:
- large 10.26-inch touchscreen
- convenient reach and clean usability
- CarPlay/Android Auto like modern cars
- steering wheel controls retained for volume and OEM sources
- factory wiring retained
- budget-minded for pre-facelift owners
Then he gives the one critique that only a Convertible owner would emphasize: IPS brightness isn’t enough in direct sunlight, and if he finds a brighter QLED alternative, he’d upgrade.
At night, he manages brightness via a dropdown menu and notes that some models support auto brightness. This is exactly the type of “use it daily” feedback that makes the whole story credible.
What makes this different from the “market product” route
To be explicit – because you asked for it: Dmitry’s ICM4 is not a product for sale. It’s not packaged as a kit, it’s not being marketed, and it doesn’t try to standardize every variable across every trim level and every owner’s tolerance for wiring work.
Ahmad’s approach (and some other builds) leans closer to a repeatable, community-deliverable “solution.” Dmitry’s approach is closer to: document the engineering decisions, prove durability in real use, and leave enough detail so another Saab person can follow the logic.
