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6 years, 53'000 Miles with a stick MY2000 9-5 Aero.
So my 2000 Aero is turning 6 in a couple of weeks.
When I purchased the car in 2000, it was the last
year that SAAB was selling with only a 1 year
engine/drivetrain warranty in Switzerland. There
is good and bad in that considering that the next
year in modified the engine.
Here is the list of problems I have had with the
car since my purchase. I don't leave anything out.
Year 2000:
1. +/-300 Miles... car unstable at highway speeds.
- Rear suspension bolts checked and made sure they
were tightened with the correct torque settings.
Problem went away after that. (Warranty).
2. +/-350 Miles Punctured Michelin tire. Replaced at my expense.
3. +/-550 Miles Punctured Michelin tire. Replaced at my expense.
4. +/-1000 Miles Punctured Michelin tire .(I hate Michelins)
replaced all 4 tires with Dunlop SP9000s at my expense.
Problem was solved after that. It also solved the noise problem
that the Michelin tires were creating.
Year 2001:
1. New Engine ECU for 260Hp from Hirsh. Probably an
early version of what became standard in 2006.
2. Replaced the tissue interior (leather was an option
in 2000 in Switzelrand) with a Hirsh leather interior that
featured the Viggen style seats that latter became Std.
in the Aero. Cost less then the original SAAB leather option!
3. New suspension from Hirsh for Aero to improve handling.
This was a substantial improvement for earlier 9-5 Aero's.
Not much later SAAB provided all new Aero's with an improved
suspension.
4. Improved engine ECU, intercooler, downpipe from Hirsh
power increased to 280Hp.
5. Replaced plastic dash with carbon style dash from SAAB.
6. Replaced Bosch bypass valve with one from Forge.
7. Friend opens garage door into the front bumper of my Aero.
Requires repaint paid by his insurance.
8. Front rotors warped. Replaced around +/- 12'000 Miles.
Typical for me to burn up rotors that fast, but it seems that
the 9-5 burns em up fast any ways. Replaced at my expense.
Year 2002:
1. Replaced carbon dash with new one from SAAB due to massive
discoloration (SAAB part Warranty).
2. Hit pigeon at +/- 128Mph on the Autobahn, bird crashes into
front left headlight and destroys it. (Was not a pretty sight
with the mashed up bird in there...) Btw... his last meal was corn.
Paid by insurance.
3. Some dots in the SID start to disappear on cold days only.
Year 2003:
No special events.
Year 2004:
1. Front rotors warped. Replaced around +/- 27'000 Miles
Replaced at my expense.
2. Windshield hit by stray ricochet bullet on the Freeway.
(Shooting is the biggest sports in Switzerland, but the shooting
ranges are often alongside the Freeways...) Windshield cracked
and replaced. Paid for by insurance.
3. DI cassette no longer working well. Replaced at my expense.
4. Paint peals off where bumper had been fixed. Fixed at dealer
expense.
Year 2005:
1. Replaced interior protection carpets with new ones from SAAB
at my expense. Old ones were looking bad by now.
2. Front rotors warped, rear rotors used up. Replaced around +/- 43'000 Miles.
3. SID now dead... Replaced at my expense.
4. Left front bearing damaged and producing noise at some speeds
(probably due to me taking a lowered curb stone too tight in 2002...)
Replaced at my expense.
Year 2006:
1. Light bulb of passenger heated seat no longer works.
Will have it fixed at next service when the car reaches 56'000 miles.
There was one SAAB recall, for the wheel bolts... do not remember when
that was... SAAB gave me new bolts and had them installed and that was that.
I am not putting in tire replacements, I go through a set of summer
tires and a set of winter tires in 3 years. That makes 4 sets of tires
by now. Currently my winter and summer sets are good. I am also not
mentioning the light bulbs I have had to replace, were 2 so far as
I use the day time lights all the time.
Its 2006 now, still no signs of rust, even the exhaust system looks
ok after 6 winters and plenty of salt exposure. The engine still goes
like new... just when I let it stands for 2 weeks or longer does
the engine not go on all cylinders for about 5-6 seconds, guess I will
need new spark plugs this year.
The gearbox and clutch are still fine, the crankshaft has not bend and
the fuel economy remains good. No signs of overheating, it rather
takes longer for the engine to heat up in the winter. Oil consumption
remains very low, in 6 years only once I needed 1/2 Liter of Oil
between regular servicing, this shortly after a service, so I guess
they did not put in enough oil that time. I change my oil every 6'000 miles
and use a Swiss made premium fully synthetic blended oil.
Now, you might say... that I used up many brake rotors and needed
to replace quite a few parts... but before you come to this conclusion
consider this. A VW-AUDI 1.6L FSI engine is good for recycling
after around 600 miles of my driving. After 100 miles it will start
to overheat and vibrate. I used to bend VW engine crankshafts
in the 1.9L engines in around 100-200 miles. So every time I
rented a car and they give me a GOLF... well that would be the last trip
for the GOLF, the next client would surely have a total engine failure.
As to VW Diesel engines... they last not a mile more. Let me explain,
I do not exceed engine RPM, what happens is that I warm
the engine and drive the cars hard. Brake late and assist braking with
the clutch... which kills a lot of crankshafts, drive train components,
gearboxes of cheaply build cars. I use weight shifts in my driving
every day... so shock absorbers and the suspension take a real beating
from me. As to brake rotors, I usually warped Mercedes rotors in around
600 miles to the point that when you brake the car vibrates like a
old diesel engine, even when I tried to avoid this... did you know that
Mercedes gives you a warranty for these... LOL. I must admit that
Mercedes has fixed their brake problems on their new large models
which is good news! How long would a BMW last in my hands... no idea
but if they're less tough then a 1.9L VW engine... maybe 50 minutes
or so...
In my opinion the SAAB 9-5 Aero is a robust car, it might not be like
a Toyota in that small things do break. But it beats any other car
I have rented or owned in that it doesn't fall into pieces just
because one drives it a little rough. To get the most out of a 9-5
Aero you need a good dealer and have it serviced well, replacing the
oil every 6'000 miles and just keep fixing the little parts that
go bad over time. If your 9-5 Aero was build properly mechanically
speaking... not much will happen. If you feel that the engine
sometimes hesitates to accelerate, replace the DI cassette with no
delay. I simply expect a car to be able to be driven fast uphill on
mountain roads on a hot day without any signs of overheating for hours,
this the Aero delivers, few cars in that price range I know are capable
of this!
Would I buy another... yes... but mine is like new, still eats up
330is, R32s and many other models... so why should I ?
Should you buy a 9-5... no idea. Some people prefer to see their
dealer every month because there is one more problem with the
electronics of their "Driving Machine..."
For more on my Aero go to http://www.coolknight.com/saab
Btw... I no longer have the Lancia. Have too update my site
some day...
Regards,
Coolknight
posted by 212.77.42...
, Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:32:17
, Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:31:48
, Wed, 15 Feb 2006 10:41:22
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