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Basically, a defective IDM can either cause your car to stall (more often in a 4 cylinder) or in a 6-cylinder there is a chance if you don't stop driving when the check engine light flashes, you can possibly have a fire (or thermal damage in their wording). I realize the odds are slim but apparently it has happened to some drivers. You can read more about the recall at www.autospectator. com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2214 (I searched for saab recalls).
I've never owned a car that will be recalled and am frustrated that GM can cover themselves by sending out this pre-recall letter while the rest of us drive around wondering if it will happen to us.
I increased the loudness of my Aero from 10 to 20 but I found that the result was worse in the front. It didn't sound natual. High pitch was too shape. Howvere, it seemed to be better when I sat at the back. I changed it to 15 and it sounded much better.
I did the same thing to my 9-3SE (changed it to 20). The result was good and I can really tell the difference.
Thanks !
the dic is a major source of failures and the engine quits ...now.
the other is major engine failure due to folowing the oil change recomended by saab.
to solve you must use synthetic oil and change every 3,000 miles .
to solve problem saab has given us an 8 year warranty ,unlimited mileage.
Does anyone know the proper antifreeze to use in a Saab 9-5 Arc from 2002? My manual just says a "saab approved antifreeze" which doesn't help me very much! Thank you in advance for any help!
I think Saab's story is that they have been looking for a solution to this for awhile and are now waiting until there supplier can offer up the replacement.
All of this on a new car with less than 35k on it. Of course it all went bad after I bought it at the time the lease was up and with no miles on it, I didn't opt for the extended warranty. Live and learn. I'll never get into a Saab again.
I'm going to call them. I have the bill for the ignition cassette-has to be related to the IDM?
Good luck.
Like you I am still scared the car will catch on fire and i will be stranded somewhere.
bought 1 yr old, 6yr/100K certified. Since then ~every
2-3 months something's broken down:
-sunroof strut
-radio display x 2
-front wheel bearing
-ignition cassette : coincidentally also left me stranded
in Boston, this time on busy I-93 in rush hour
-paint peeled on front hood, fought w/ Saab for them
to repaint whole hood
-turbocharger replaced
-trunk release
-ignition key
-emissions components x 2
-most recently transmission problems...
-etc..
we finally got sick of the car, and traded it in at a big
loss (only got 7K for it, KBB 12K, but no one would want
to buy such a lemon) --> got a new Toyota Sienna which
should provide yrs of trouble free driving. Never a
Saab again!
Walt
even my dealer told me to forget about resale value .
it is that bad.
and the 65 figure new , b.s.
they are and have been discounted heavily since day 1
my aero 2000 listed for 44.5 and got ti for 39 dec,1999.
The first time we took it in, Saab said it was a loose battery cable. I am really pushing them this time to get to the real problem because this is incredibly dangerous.
What did you end up doing to fix?
are negative I'd like to point out that the Edmunds consumer rating of the '05 9-5 model is an avg.of 9.2.Acura TL,Audi A-6,and BMW 3 Series are all at the same 9.2 average and every critics poster-child for reliablilty and quality the Lexus ES-33O comes in at 9.1. Just looking to add some perspective on the big picture vs the snap-shot.
has downgraded engine reliability to well below
avg (see most recent CR used car guide).....consumers
know this and resale value suffers.
Big picture is that the number of negative postings for
Saab's exceeds any positive postings. This is why I
got rid of the Saab. There are plenty of other cars
out there which are more reliable with far better
resale values.
I have a final price of $32,025 for 2005 Parchment silver Aero Wagon. It has approximately 5500 miles (a demo-but still new car financing) and has Executive package and Sentronic auto. Is this a good price on a Aero wagon? Tax will be another $2000 or so OTD price would be $34,285 here in Texas. Even though it's a 2005, 2006 remodels will arrive at the dealership soon. Dealership is giving me over $12,000 in discounts, but I think I could pull even better price if I could wait just a bit longer...Also, is Parchment silver a popular color? I could live with the color, but I am concerned in a long run if I ever have to trade this car.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
so, if you are a saab traditionalist and are thinking of buying a new one .........wait..........
i think that the new car will just dive in sales.
no real changes over the 2000 .
actually i find the car has been decontented in many areas thou they claim 1360 changes .
yeah sure.
so,sales will be slow and thus good deals to be had in a few months.
just cross shop it with the m35 thr rl 3.5 and others in the same $ 41,000 price range.
it just cannot compete.
now ,a fully equipped 9.5 2006 sports packg. going for less than $35,000. may just do it .otherwise ????
App.$41,000. 2006 9-5 Sedan W/Sport Pkg....260H.P. ALL THE ABOVE STANDARD....M.S.R.P.$35,915.We have received one Wagon and one Sedan,initial customer reaction:OVERWHELMINGLY positive,Both vehicles sold the first day of arrival.After 11 years selling Saab's I have learned that there is a large contingent of Saab-o-philes who despair over every change made to the vehicle since 1985.Of course if Saab followed their lead we would have gone the way of Renault,Peugeot,Alfa Romeo years ago!
and all it had was the sports pckg. and freight .
like i said , a fully equipped one ,and i mean all the stuff, at 35.o is a yes .
otherwise is a no.
as far as saabphiles is concerned ,saab lost most of them the moment that gm started to get involved.
i had always wanted a saab . but they were somewhat unreliable and i never did .even when an aquitance of mine bob sinclair used to ru n the company in the usa ,they ,saab had extremely poor customer service.
it was when the p & g guys moved from saturn to saab and started implementing new quality control standards that i decided to get one.i know their systems very well having worked with many of them in the past.and, i expected them to follow through .they did not.
they screwed things up.
so where we now ........
better cars out there for the same or less money.
i still like my aero. has been great. but will not buy another one.
again,better cars out there ,more reliable, and better sound systems ,etc....
a real shame .
by the way ,i do own infinity and others including another tragic loss due to reliability problems ,mb.
so, you may not agree . but a few saab dealers had opted out of the brand recently by selling the dealerships..they see the hand writing in the wall,and wagoneer is not capable to turn this ,nor gm around.
Dest.= $720.00
Auto.Trans.= $1,350.00
Visibility Pkg.= $1,295.00
Mica Metallic Paint= $550.00
TOTAL M.S.R.P.= $39,110.00
Order your car in non-metallic Black w/5 spd.manual transmission(my preference) M.S.R.P.= $37,210.
Yes, you can drive the car's price up with Onstar and Navigation if you want them but I can buy the $37,210 car I speced out for under $36K.any day,all day!!!!
but ,a stripped one ,or say a base model ,at 30.0$ maybe.but too high at 35.
keep in mind that the new radio is inferior to the one in my 2000 aero.
the leather in the seats is not as subtle as in mine.it is grainer and coarser.
and other.........
the word is decontented.
and yes ,in 2000 my car listed at 42.5 or so,and i did get it for under 38 in december 2004.
so on this basis the new car,5 years newer,at the same price point as my 2000 appears to be a good deal.. but is it really ?
i went to the dealer planning to get the new one ,2006.
i walked away.
and as much as i like saab ,i have walked away.
and now looking at either the rl or maybe the new s class or the m35 or 45.
i am happy with my fx35 and may go the infin ity route again.
the point is ,that saab ,for the year 2006 has lost a repeat customer.
i still like the feeling of driving a saab,and the 32 mpg at 85 mph on long trips .
i may come back but not now.the car is not worth it at this time.
" for under 38 in december of 1999 "
when the car ,9.5 first came out ,this board ,i was told ,was the busiest in edmunds.just . go back and look at the number of posts vs. now.
look at it now.
and if you do not know why ,just look at why the only way you can move these cars out is due to highly subsidized leases.( this has been going on for some time now )
de contented cars------------the 9.5 has been decontented.it is a fact.you can argue all you want. but in my opinion it has been decontented here and there .
and yes you now get better headlights. but are they really ?
the leather is an inferior quality grain from before. not subjective.this is my observation.
the prices are the same as the year 2000 because gm has decided to back out of artificial pricing or should we say away from inflating or creating an artificially high msrp ,to be able to give discounts and make the end price look like a good deal ,and now they have decided to go into a lower msrp by taking away the cosmetics.
you are obviously a dealer and as such you have to stand up for your product. which is fine.
but ,customers are slowly beginning to see the light ,not only with saab ,but also other brands.
and , i do like the way the car looks now . and you may get some new buyers. but repeat sales ?????/i do not know.
i think that the car no longer delivers on the saab brand promise.
it has lost ground to competition and failed to remain as it was originally positioned.
and worse ,its reliability is in the pits right down there with yugo and vw..
just read consumer reports.
and when this happens ,repeat sales are lost . and repeat sales has been saab strenght over the years.
now, it has become another gm brand or should i call it casualty to be in the gm stable.
Also, read some car rags, the new 9-5 is on the way. If you are familiar with Saab, they keep a model style for about 10 years, then again, so does Volvo, BMW, MB, and Audi. I am on my 4th Saab since my 86 SPG, so I am a repeat offender. Leather, better than Acura, Lexus to name a few, very durable and strong, not soft and thin. Leases? must of these cars in this segment our company car leased cars, if not, they are still written off (your discount) that way just as the rush for SUV's were for this year. I am not a dealer, and I am not standing up for Saab, GM or knocking any other brand, but if you do your homework, buy new, lease, buy certified and have a warranty, I don't believe your experience would not be pleasurable. Tell me another car that gets the gas mileage of a Saab, the interior room, standard features, and can hit zero to 60 under 7 seconds? Non of the luxo brands in the Saab price range (street price, not MSRP).
do not misread my posts please.
i do love my saab with 100k miles.
i do get 32 mpg at 85 and 90 mph (no a/c)on long trips 1500 miles .and if i behave ,at 55 to 60 mph on i95 i do get 42 to 46 mph.(take 2 to 3 mpg off with a/c ).
hard to believe but true.
and i do change my oil and tranny fluid myself every 3k miles.
now with a viggen exhaust and other mods to the cat i have lost some torque .but have gained a smoother running car at over 125 mph.
do carry a spare dic in my trunk.
regarding consumer reports, when new this car was highly rated. now ,it is black rated mostly due to the oil sludge problems that are destroying the engines.
that is why i now have an 8 year unlimited mileage warranty on the engine.(courtesy of the gvt. of course).
my problem with the 06 , i have posted , is that it has been left behind by competition and the other stuff i mentioned.
today i took a spirited backroads ride in conn. no it is not as much fun as a 911 or nsx ,but it does seat 4 .
This after a 2000 9-5 and a 2002 9-5 (my wife's). Both were great cars.
The 2006 9-5 is essentially a holdover that was designed before GM took full control of SAAB, so may be OK (if you can get past the headlight treatment that makes it look like it's wearing goggles).
But the 9-3 demonstrates that now that GM is in control, the content and quality is being ratcheted down to GM levels. NO THANKS.
Accorging to the car magazines, it appears that future SAAB's will essentially be re-badged Opels (in the same vein that the 9-7 is a re-badged TrailBlazer).
NO THANKS. I want a quality vehicle, not a GM vehicle!
The leather is a subjective issue, but you cannot twist the facts that Saab 9-5's have had two major engine problems : ignition cassette failures and oil sludge, which federal govt forced Saab to admit these defects.
This has directly led to Consumer Reports downgrading
their reliability recommendations.
Combined with this is the poor customer service at many
dealers in the Boston area (Reading MA, Andover MA,etc),
and I have registered a complaint with the local BBB
about the Andover shop. My Toyota and Acura dealers have
been great in contrast.....I believe I am neutral since
I dont sell cars : I am an internist who simply wants
reliable transportation.
anyway, on to the drive.
upon approach the car is very low to the ground. the front end is very long and "beak-ish" if you will. the wheels look good but imo, need to be 18's. i beleive the 9-3 has 18s and the 9-5 is a bigger car and has a lot of gap to fill. the Pirreli tires are nice, but replacemet will be expensive. the grill looks good to me and the headlights , for some reason, appeals to me. i wish the US version could get rid of the amber corners. i do hate we have to have those on cars here.
the back end looks good, but i dont care for the cheap looking plastic covers on the tailights--the rippled red covers do not appeal to me.
i entered the car and for you who may be worried about traditional saab headrests, they are still there. i have seen some mention on some boards that Saab "GM-ized" the headrests--no worries. the seats were comfortable as always. Volvo still makes the best seats in the biz, but these were nice, no doubt. i for one do not like the extremely busy 9-3 dash. too many buttons! the 9-5 has "GM-ized" the dash some, but for the complainers, i think its for the better. the only thing it lacks imo is the temp dispay for dual zones. the dials are easy to reach and read. i like it. i bet the NAV looks better--the pics i have seen looked better, imo. the drive was nice. i am always amazed at how Saab's 4 cylinder engines put out. always could add more power, but the 260 is plenty for passing and needed fun. the steering wheel is good.
back seat always could use more room, but again, plenty for the class and size of the car. i love the car colored door-handles. i hate the black ones, and i am glad the 9-5 doesnt have the black plastic piece running the side and back of the car much like the 9-3 has.
overall i was impressed. i am 25 and will soon be in the market for a new car. i must admit i am after the Lucerne right now...of all things--a Buick for a 25 year old, but the new 9-5 does appeal to me. its an odd bird. always has been and still is, just less odd.
The 9-2 and 9-7 we know is rebadged, but every manufacturer has done this since the 1940's. Maybe your not familiar with the cars like Camaro and Firebird?
Ford owns jag, same tired post there, GM make a Vette, nobody bitchn there? Ford makes the GT, no bitchn there. But you talk about a 20-40K car and everybody pinches their pennies thinking they can drive a Malibu and get the ride of the new 9-3 combi V6 turbo. If you like it, buy it
GM will have the new Camaro out in 28 months, you won't [non-permissible content removed] about it either. If thats the platform for the new Saab 9-5 will you [non-permissible content removed]? GM saved Saab, so there would be no Saabs left. Plenty of work for Sweedes and Germans cause of GM. Saab will outlive all of us, either drive one, drive something else, but please, we all know the corporate structures. Hey I took a bath on GM stock, took a batch on 4 Saab retained value vs a Honda Accord, but I sure enjoyed my time behind the wheel. PS, the NSX is sooo old, you need to try a GM Vette for half the price and twice the performance. New NSX next year maybe.
1) I think the 9-5 platform (1999-present) (not the new ones, have not tried one yet) is one of the best platforms out. Resonable (fairly) in price, power, performance, etc. I have a 1999 9-5 V4 auto and manual and I like them both. Problems that I have seen are the displays (have gone though about 4 of them in our three 9-5s (other is a wagon v6). Yes, Saab did replace one for free after I compained, a bit on the phone with Saab USA, one other was under warrenty, but not the other two (found cheap on ebay).
2) The V6 GM engines I would simply say away from. I have a 1995 9000 V6 that the timing belt failed and took the engine with it. Hard to understand interference engines in a car like the 9000 when they had the v4 turbo available. Now I am not sure what I am going to do the 9000. If I had known at the time it was a GM engine, I would NOT have purchased the car and held out for the v4 version.
3) We brought our 2001 v6 9-5 wagon in for 60k service. This include the "free" timing belt replacment. The dealer tried to "scare" me into also replacing the ideler pully and a few other items during this change that would have cost $800 more, saying that the mechanic said that the dealer rep said that there are seeing issues (I have seen other costing from $400-$1200 for this). Saab corporate HAS to look into this practice and let us v6 owners know if this is a real problem or not. It seems like Saab / GM does not want to own up to a v6 timing belt issue and can say "I told you so" if the v6 belt fails and you don't get the $800 service (just like the one did in my 1995 9000). I am really debating whether to sell the V6 wagon for a v4. My take right now, just stay away from the v6 Saabs.
Other issues I have seen is the DI in one of my 1999s. I just lost a serpinine belt idler bearing in the other 1999 (130k miles though).
Anyone know when the DI recall is really going to happen? I can just see us getting stuck with the wagon when one or both of the DIs fail.
Again, Avid Sabb owner of the 9-5 platform. Would not purchase any of the new models, will have to look at the new 9-5 platforms and decide then.
I had a 99 SE V6, only one service visit other than scheduled maint in three years (lease). One of my favorite cars. Have a 02 Aero Wagon. Like the 4 Cyl more, 30 mpg @ 70mph on the highway. 22 mgp @ 82 mph on highway. Take off the traction control, put on the sport mode and this car will burn rubber. The above poster who saw the panasonic sticker, on the Harmon stereo, that is the CD drive, not the stereo. I know audio way better than cars.
Many CD "drives" are panasonic, very good drives by the way. Harman makes JBL (james b. lansing), Infinity, Harman Kardon, Clarion, Mark Levinson, etc., so when your buddy in his Lexus brags about his Mark Levinson sound system, tell him you have the same amp in your Saab, different logo. Refer to my earlier post to learn how to boost your amp in your Saab amp, the manual is now been wrong for 5 years for every 9-5 and 9-3 owner. What a shame that the amp is set at 32% of the power level from the factory and no directions on how to boost it. 98% of Saab owners don't ever get to enjoy the nice unit they have in their car. This unit will crank!
As far as safety, I don't know what car is safer, but if it is a Saab, they sure and the hell aren't telling anyone unless you dig deep or visit a dealership. Then again, I like having a car that I don't see five others just like it on the road, so its really no big deal to me, plus I dumped the GM stock after getting rocked this past year.
There is a start setting for the regular audio and one for the telephone setting. I had to set the phone start settting on max so when I switch to telephone mode if was loud enough.
I have the non-HK (Pioneer I think) and the start setting is indeed the start setting and not the gain. I tried 00 for start and 25 for start and confirmed and then cranked the vol, it was very close to the same.
Hopefully you HK users can use the gain setting to blow out some speakers.