My experience w/ 2011 XWD 6sp (Long) - Saab 9-3SS Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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My experience w/ 2011 XWD 6sp (Long)
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Posted by Tulsaab [Email] (#31) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Tulsaab) on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:33:46 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: What's the consensus on XWD?, B Millar [Profile/Gallery] , Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:34:33
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I bought a new 2011 9-3 Aero XWD w/ a 6sp last January. It now has 13K miles, and they've all been trouble-free in regards to the XWD system. One issue (the only issue, actually) i've had because mine's an XWD is with the fuel tank. Apparently the XWD system uses a different "saddle tank" and dual fuel sender units on each side with a venturi system between the sides in order to only have one fuel pump. Last summer, I ran out of gas at an intersection with 41 miles DTE listed on the SID, and got a CEL - I forget the code, but it basically stated that one sensor provided a different reading than the other. After talking with a few guys from Saab Parts at SOC '12, they mentioned that sometimes the venturi system can get blocked with debris or get compressed and not function appropriately, which is probably what is causing the problem. They stated that it sometimes rectifies itself if you add fuel system cleaner (Techron or Chemtool B12). Being that it only impacts about 2 gallons of flow over and i'm rather risk-adverse and cheap, i've opted to not get it fixed and fill up between 1/4 and 1/8th of a tank. 1/8 of a tank typically equals between 12 and 13 gallons, so it's not that big of an inconvenience at all - as a matter of fact, it might save my fuel pump based on the cooling principles.

Insofar as my research on XWD reliability, it seems like the '08s and some '09s had the rear seal issues getting moisture in with the hydraulic fluid for the eLSD and Rear Diff. I haven't heard of any issues with '10s and above.

Finally, the maintenance schedule for XWD appears to be "filled for life" on all the components. Apparently there was a mention in one version of WIS that some of the XWD fluids needed to be drained and refilled after 20K miles (maybe the eLSD?) but the current WIS doesn't show that. I'm debating what to do, but might have the eLSD, transfer case, and diff fluid changed every 30K to avoid having to find these parts later on and paying the price. Might be overkill, but better safe than sorry.

Now...for the most important part, is XWD worth it? It is a heavy system, and slows the car down a bit when paired with the Turbo4, so you might be looking at the tuners for a bit more power. But, it's still a turbocharged Saab, and 3rd gear above 3K is still awesome. And it's unflappable...i've pulled some hijinks to test out the XWD, and have never once felt concerned or understeer. Insofar as mileage, I tend to get 29 highway @ 75mph, and about 24.5 mixed (75% highway / 25% city)

Hope that helps!


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