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Saab 9-3 Sedan

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Comments

  • diswalkerdiswalker Member Posts: 6
    What is the anniversary gold weather pkg?

    If you find what you want with color and all, go for it.
  • paapaa Member Posts: 2
    We are looking at a 2005 Saab 9.3. Everything I read says to use Premium gasoline but the dealer says it is OK to use Regular Unleaded gas. What do you use?
  • starbirdstarbird Member Posts: 38
    The handbook says use 90, which few gas stations provide. However, when its not available I fill up with premium once every 4 tanks and use regular the rest of the time without any problems (2003 Saab 93).
  • saablcpsaablcp Member Posts: 195
    An often asked question for which the answers you will receive are many and varied.Here is the one that I feel is correct.By the way,I both sold and owned Saabs for the last 13 years.The Saab Trionic engine management system is programmed to produce optimum engine performance when premium grade(92 octane or better)fuel is used.If you used a lesser grade the computer would downgrade the engine performance to guard against pre-ignition.Pre-ignition is that "chain rattling" sound the engine makes when under stress.This protective measure will rob your engine of up to as much as 10 to 15 pct.of its normal Horse power output.I urge people to "do the math"! 12,000 miles per year at an overall average of 25 M.P.G. is app.500 gallons consumed per year.If the difference between mid-grade and premium is 15 cents a gallon you save a whopping $75.00 per year! I would rather know that I'm getting all the "ponies" I paid for,thank you!
  • ensconcedensconced Member Posts: 13
    When I purchased our 9-5 I asked three people at the dealership if I could use regular gas in the car just to see what answer I would get. Two of the people I had no association with and they said regular gas could be used with no problem. The third was a salesman I've known for 5 years and this was the 4th car I have purchased from him. (This was the first Saab he has ever sold.) He said sure I could use regular, but don't. His reason was the same as what saablcp said. He normally sells VW's and Audi's and he said he never recommends people use regular gas in their VW/Audi 2.0 turbos.

    The engines used in the 9-3 and 9-5 are high strung little babies.
  • diswalkerdiswalker Member Posts: 6
    I have the 9-3 Arc. I have been using regular since I bought it new. I have had no problems at all. I get 28-30 mpg on the highway and 26 avg mpg in the city.
  • confused13confused13 Member Posts: 17
    When will 2008's hit dealers' lots? Any thoughts on lease deals that might be available between now and December?
  • dbodekdbodek Member Posts: 6
    I think it is a very good deal. It's about what I paid for my simuliarly optioned 2003 9-3 Arc back in 2003. And I had a GM discount too.
  • saablcpsaablcp Member Posts: 195
    And your choice of regular gas vs. premium won't cause you problems! The point I made was that as a biproduct of that choice your engine is NOT producing 210 H/P either!!!
  • nbondnbond Member Posts: 6
    I have had my new 2007 93 2.0t manual for about a month and I find that it is really dificult to get into gear when the transmission is cold. Is this just a matter of letting the car warm up or is it worth having the dealer take a look? Overall I love the car. When I drive conservatively I am getting 35-38 mpg on the freeway, a pleasent suprise for sure after owning a subaru that never lived up to advertised fuel economy.
  • saabgirlsaabgirl Member Posts: 184
    Under warranty, right? Have the dealer take a look. Ask about switching to synthetic. When I switched to synthetic in my manual trans shifts were much smoother.
  • toottoottoottoot Member Posts: 13
    I recently purchased a 2006 9-3 Aero and I love it. One question......does anyone know if you can work with an aftermarket electronics provider to use the phone button on the steering wheel or the keypad and phone buttons on the dash?

    Thanks!
  • mfrenchmfrench Member Posts: 6
    I'm torn between going with a 2006 Saab 9-3 and a 2006 Volvo S40 T5. They both seem to have fairly similar performance, features, and price. Any thoughts on why to go for a Saab 9-3 over the Volvo S40? I'm leaning towards the Volvo S40 since it seems like it has better reliability and safety (although Saab seems pretty close to Volvo in safety). Thanks for the help.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    I looked at these soem time back and my overall conclusion was that saab was better for the more base cars, the volvo when loaded with features. Now that saab has the v6 and awd, this may no longer be true.

    I also think th 9-3 is a safer car than the s40.
  • diswalkerdiswalker Member Posts: 6
    The most important difference for me was the added cargo space in the SAAB.

    I have the feature of rear seats that fold forward. I'm very happy with my decision.
  • costasmazcostasmaz Member Posts: 2
    I'm on the negotiations step of getting as used 9-3. Car was advertised for 17,000. I was told I could buy it for that price, or pay an extra for the "Saab Certification."
    My question is: Is the certification at an extra cost? It was advertised as a certified car for $17,000. Did I misunderstand? Does that mean it's ABLE to be certified?

    Thanks
  • saablcpsaablcp Member Posts: 195
    Don't fall for this pricing ploy!!!!The car is advertised as certified at that price......then the price is for a"certified car" not a "certifiable" car.This dealer is playing fast and loose with the certification procedure and the fact that is a two step process.In order for the car to be sold as a certified car it must go through a thorough diagnostic check and meet Saabs standards regarding brake wear,tire tread etc.Once it is compliant with these standards it is eligible for sale as a certified car.The 2nd part of the procedure ,and this is where the dealer is being a little "skeevy",is the reporting the cars sale to you as a certified car.This is when the car is now in the national data base enabling you to take it to any Saab dealer for covered warranty services.The dealer is charged $1,200.00 for this official certification.This charge should NOT be passed on to you if the car was advertised as a certified car.If the dealer continues his ruse tell him to discount the car an amount equal to his certification cost,$1,200.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • unverzagtunverzagt Member Posts: 1
    hey if you do find somthing let me know i just got a new saab 9-3 arow 07' and i cant get that to work and its killing me also id love instal a gps unit that i was unabel to get in the car the first time i was thinking about ordering one from eurip becas the phone buton works over there ... it seams that this problim shod be ez since the cts-v come with its own phone line
  • dt1027dt1027 Member Posts: 2
    Ok, I’ve decided to buy a Saab and was originally looking at the 2005s, and honestly between the test drives, I almost liked the Linear more than I did the Arc, is there something I’m missing? I know it has less HP and unless you get the premium package (which I would want) a somewhat crappy stereo and no power seats, but it was still a sweet little ride and cheaper. The only downside is that my dealer doesn’t have any Linear’s on the lot, so after some discussion, he just called to tell me if I can do it by the end of the month, he will get me in a Arc for the price of a Linear, so my question to all of you is, how much is reasonable. After doing some looking around, it looked like I could get a 2005 CPO Linear (38K miles) for around 17K, so is that what I should shoot for in a loaded up Arc or is that just unheard of? Is the Arc that much better? Any help is appreciated-Thanks!
  • shihanbshihanb Member Posts: 17
    I have a 2005 Saab 9-3 and just found out that I have to replace the rear brakes. The kicker is that my car only has 23K miles on it and the front brakes are fine. The service manager told me that Saab "tweaked" the brakes to reduce pad dust and improve braking at the expense of the rear brakes wearing out prematurely. This is a bummer, especially since the dealer wants over $500 just to replace the pads and surface the rotors (they are not rusted, they are otherwise ok).

    Has anyone else had this problem? I am going to complain about this to SAAB.
  • diswalkerdiswalker Member Posts: 6
    I too, have a 2005 Saab, 9-3. I needed to have one of the heads replaced, due to excessive leaks.

    I have slightly under 30K miles. This is not good news.

    If anyone else has leaks--especially if you're still under warranty, TAKE CARE OF IT RIGHT AWAY.

    I'd also like to know. Thanks
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Brake wear is a wierd thing. I JUST had my rears done yesterday....$450.00. This included new pads and new rotors. I got 50k out of the rears. I am on my second set of fronts. The rears should last twice as long as the fronts....if the rears are wearing faster, then the brakes are not properly balamced.

    BTW, re-surfacing the rotors is nearly a waste of time on the Saab. The rotors are soft and they get thin fast. I can guarentee that by not replacing the rear rotors, they will warp and fail a lot faster. I know brakes......but, I am also not looking at the car right now. Just speaking from generalities. Make sure they tell you using a caliper how thick they are after the re-surface compared to design spec.

    BTW, Saab brakes parts are hard to find cheap. However, you can buy the rear rotors and pads for about $175 (depending on what wheel size you have) and then install yourself or find a cheap garage to do it.

    http://www.saabpartsdirect.com/

    I recomend calling them first BEFORE ordering brakes as each model and wheel size is different on a Saab. This is GREAT pasrt site for any Saab owner.

    I had the dealer install mine this time since they did a bunch of "free" work for me. Long story short, that while they charges me $450 for the brakes, I got them to do a free rotation and a free tranny flush, so I figured the brakes only really cost $300 or $325.
  • swinkswink Member Posts: 4
    I am currently shopping '05 and '06 9-3's. From what I can tell, they're a great value car (LOTS of safety features, decent gas mileage, drive well, sporty look etc.) Why is it then, when I mention the word Saab to anyone, I get the ominous "they're notorious for being in the shop." Is this true?
  • jaybird15jaybird15 Member Posts: 1
    My 03 9-3 Linear just had its original rear brakes replaced at 70k miles. The Saab dealer said the rotors did not have to be replaced, they just replaced the pads. It still has the original front brakes and now has 78k miles on them. I have never gotten as much life out of brakes as I have with this car.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Saabs own technical literature requires that the rotors be replaced when pads are replaced. The idea of a rotor being good enough to stay on any vehicle is a function of how thick the rotor still is. Every vehicle manufacture has thickness specifications for the rotors. Also, as rotors wear, they grove. The pads actually "seat" on the rotors and over time, fit like a glove. Putting new pads on a car with worn rotors with high miles on them will just lead to premature pad wear and result in have to replace both soon.

    With all that said, I am not looking at the vehicle and I can't see your rotors. Perhaps teh dealer goofed....perhaps you are one of the very lucky few. I find that Saab technicians are better then most, so it must be the later.

    If I were you, I would ask the dealer how thick they were. If they were within spec, then so be it.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Your statement is 100% IMO about Saabs AND, they do make a lot of trips to the shop.

    I bought mine at 22k miles 18 months ago. I have 50k on it now. Since I have had it, it has been to the shop 4 times for warranty work:

    1 - Faded door handles
    2 - Peeling interior trim
    3 - Inop. sun roof
    4 - Minror tranny issues
    5 - Broken coil spring
    6 - Two smog pumps
    7 - Problems with radio
    8 - Seat belt problems

    Each time, the dealer has taken care of everything w/o issue. Saabs are nice cars....just be sure to have one with a warranty.
  • gunrabbitgunrabbit Member Posts: 3
    Anyone got an (extra) oil change before the 10k miles / 12 months (say, at like 3k or 5k miles)? Can anyone tell me if the extra oil change is necessary or good for the car?

    I bought a brand new 9-3 in December 07 but noticed the car has been sitting on the lot since June 07. So I'm curious if an extra oil change is necessary since supposedly the car sat at the dealership for 6 months undriven (from June - December 07).
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    The fact that the car sat for a while won't make a difference. I change mine in accordance with the manual and the cars service computer at 15k.
  • gormerodgormerod Member Posts: 19
    My dealer, JMK Saab in Springfield, NJ, told me that it is completely unnecessary to change the oil any more frequently than once every 15,000 miles (when the service indicator light comes on.) JMK is the largest Saab dealer on the east coast, so they must know something about Saabs.

    I have a 2005 9-3 Arc, which has essentially the same engine as the current 4-cylander 9-3.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    The fact that the dealer says there's no reason to change more often than every 15K doesn't mean much; they don't stand to lose if your car lasts less time than it might. In fact, they tend to gain.

    What is true is that 15K oil changes will most likely get your car to 100K miles, by which point most people have already sold their car. On the other hand, a good modern engine with oil changes, say, every 6,000 miles may well last to 250K miles.
  • saablcpsaablcp Member Posts: 195
    Saab will only pay for the oil changes under their pre-paid maintenance programs in accordance with the 10k/or 12 mo. schedule.Any intermediate changes would be at the owners cost.In light of the fact that this would generate additional income for the service dept.,I think your skepticism regarding what this person was told by his dealer is questonable.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    Hm. Are you suggesting that 2-3 extra oil changes would be a better profit maker than a new car? Especially considering that those extra oil changes might well be performed by a third party or by the owner themselves?

    There's a definite pattern for service intervals to become longer when manufacturers pay for them, independent of actual improvements to the engine. And in the case of manufacturers dropping free service ( such as audi ) the service intervals have become shorter. Also, when service was free/factored into price audi engines had longer intervals than the mechanically identical VW engines.
  • flick2flick2 Member Posts: 4
    My dealer recommended getting it done at 5000 miles due to it being a new engine with possible metallic bits being in the oil. Since this in in line with what my father and father-in-law always told me, I'm going to get it done (at my expense since not part of normal service). It can't hurt.
  • saablcpsaablcp Member Posts: 195
    Interesting leap of logic......service manager is in cahoots with new car sales to get you into a new car every 100,000 miles instead of every 250,000 miles.In this day and age when leasing accounts for more than half of Saabs new car sales I think your basic premise is largely irrelevant.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    1) I never said anyone was in cahoots with anyone. I just said a single dealer owner might be biased a bit in his own interests.

    2) You're making my argument for me. To paraphrase your argument: "50% of people lease, so who cares how long the car lasts?"
  • saabenthusesaabenthuse Member Posts: 4
    So, Saabs kind of get a bad rap for being in the shop a lot, especially the newer ones. I've had my 2003 9-3 for a while now, and I honestly don't think of it as a problematic car. These are the problems I've had:

    1. Driver and Passenger-side headlight failures (replacement necessary)
    2. Driver and Passenger-side break light failures (replacement necessary)
    3. Check engine light came on (went away)
    4. Break failure (absolutely momentary, went away)
    5. Front break pads and rotors made grinding noise (replacement necessary)
    6. Saab lock system failure (occurs occasionally, manual lock necessary on rear driver side door)
    7. Remote unable to unlock car (very rarely occurs, unlock manually, and immediately turn car on to turn off alarm)(remote battery not low)
    8. Traction control failure (only happens when breaking on certain hills, ABS pulsates, not a problem)
    9. The far passenger air vent is broken (unable to close vent or direct air (Saab wants $300 to fix))
    10. Had to replace middle windshield washer ($7, did it myself)
    11. Coating peeling off of several climate control knobs, as well as the glove box release button (can't find needed part, problem not obvious)
    12. Engine Malfunction light came on, twice (problem went away both times (since Saab dealer was closed both days, I waited it out))

    Now, I know potential Saab customers are probably nervous after reading that, but the truth is that most problems aren't as big as they seem. It's a great little car, and I'm happy that I gave it a chance. Most problems are wear and tear, the rest went away pretty quickly. I think Saab is still a growing company. They need to start exploring better quality interior materials, expanding their model line up, customer base, and advertising, and figure out how to rival among companies like BMW and Mercedes. I personally am excited to see this company grow and hopefully evolve substantially. It's still a great company with a unique product to offer, plus not everyone has one like the BMW 3-series sedan.
  • floatsey09floatsey09 Member Posts: 9
    I am looking to buy my first Saab ever. I like the 9-3 Aero's for 2005 and newer. I have a 2005 Subaru WRX STi, but I think I might sell it and sacrafice the insane performance and AWD for something more refined yet still sporty. I have found a CPO 2006 9-3 Aero with 15,000 miles on it but the dealer hasn't priced it yet. Can anyone give me some price ranges to think about? Also, I live in Vermont where winter driving can be treacherous. How do they perform in the snow (assuming I buy new snow tires)? Thanks!
  • bwbbwb Member Posts: 12
    It might have something to do that the front brakes are ceramic and the rear aren't. The ceramic brakes are cleaner and little harder (or so I hear). I would also get them done at a independent mechanic as it will probably be cheaper if the dealer doesn't come down in price. I also thought all routine maintainence was covered until 36K including brakes???
  • gunrabbitgunrabbit Member Posts: 3
    Anyone experienced any 'false alarms' on the warning light before?

    My car is only 3 weeks / 800 miles old and the "Right Low Beam Failure" warning came on today. I got out of the car to check and both front lights seem to work just fine. After I turn off the warning on the dash it never came back on (so far).

    Anyone had this experience?
  • shihanbshihanb Member Posts: 17
    I complained on the Saab customer service hotline, and they told me that brake wear was not includedin the warranty, I had to pay out of my own pocket. In case that is not true, at least i have a case number to reference, but as my car has 28K miles, i think you may be misinformed, brake wear does not appear to be covered. I brought it to my own mechanic who then had the rear rotors checked for wear, and then left them in and installed new pads, saving me over $200. I tried to get the mechanic to put in ceramic rear pads, he wouldn't do it, saying that he had to go with the OEM recommended replacements in order to be safe, and ceramics were not in the computer as rear pad replacements yet. Next time, i will do rear ceramics.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    CPO is definately the way to go. You will get the biggest bang for the buck this way by a long shot. I think this is the best way to buy a Saab.

    The car will be a lot more grown up then the STI. But don't think that the 03 will drive anything like it. While Saabs do well in the snow, the AWD of the STI will do circles around the Saab.

    The STI is a skateboard too....handles like crazy!

    With all that said, I am not a big fan of the STI. They seems like very expensive econo boxes and I just can't get passed that. So, unless you are actually ralley racing, I just don't understand why anyone would spend $40k for one of these when you consider other options on the market.

    If you are no longer concerned with taking corners at the highest possible speed (perhaps only slower then a Elise), then you may be ready for the Saab. I do like the look of the Aero and you do get more goodies too. The car will hussle well, BUT it is NOT a sports car.

    If I had to guess on the price, I think you are prolly looking at something in the high 20's.....$28 - $30k, but that is just a guess.
  • flick2flick2 Member Posts: 4
    Yes, I got it once very early on, like at about 500 miles or so. There was nothing wrong with the lights and the message has never appeareed again (4,300 mi. now)
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    Ah, the STI. It's part of a small category, along with the evo. Basically, these are very fast economy cars. They can hold their own with some very fancy cars on a track, and take you to the grocery store, but they are still economy cars. Nothing wrong with that, to be sure, but some people i've known with such cars eventually want some of the features that lux or near-lux cars have: comfort, safety, quiet, etc.

    That being said, the 2008 9-3 can be ordered with a sophisticated AWD (moves torque to the rear while accelerating), a very slick limited-slip rear differential, and in this guise makes 280hp and 295lb-ft. It's not going to move quite like an STI, it's making some concessions to comfort, safety, quiet, etc, but it's going to be darn quick, and good in the snow besides.
  • bwbbwb Member Posts: 12
    Bummer, I keep on learning these valuable lessons as I get older.
    I shouldn't assume anything. I just figured it was covered since it was covered on my Audi and my friends BMW. I'm glad you got your local mechanic to do it. I do like how the ceramic brakes leave less dust.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    To be honest, I have NEVER heard of brakes or pads ever being covered under warranty unless there was a defect.

    I suppose someone could have bought a warranty that covered this or perhaps a rare few manufacturers have done this from time to time, but I was say that this is a rare thing indeed.
  • dhanleydhanley Member Posts: 1,531
    Audi used to cover brakes under the "included service"

    BMW still does--all they don't cover is tires.
  • flick2flick2 Member Posts: 4
    correction to my previous response, here is what my dealer says:

    We recomend every 5,000 miles for the oil change....required every 10,000...
    It's up to you if you'd like to change it at 5K...I would do that because even though it's full synthetic....condensation occurs and dirt builds...
    If its a leased car....its not as important....

    could be $ making scheme, who knows. But I've seen other forum posts of Saab owners complaining of engine sludge too. I think I will do it at 10,000 interval until the free maint is finished and then change it 2x per year which will be 7000-8000 mi.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Looks like I need to start buying different brands.
  • waterdrwaterdr Member Posts: 307
    Hell, I have been running every 15k....just what the book says. Looks like I should start changing at 7500 miles.

    Anyone know if a standard oil change place can do a Saab? Anything goofy with these things? My Saab dealer, while great, is 30 minutes away and I need an apt.
  • bwbbwb Member Posts: 12
    upon furthe review, it looked like SAAB even covered them on the '04 and '05 for the first 12k miles or 12 months as they covered every thing including "wear items", but changed their policy with the '06. As well as already stated, Audi did until last year and BMW still does for the first 50k miles.
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