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Last week I picked up the new integrated key remote that I had ordered for my 2000 9-3. Having spent a few days with it now, I thought I would relay my initial impressions for the benefit of Saabnetters who might be considering the purchase.
I have HATED the gawd-awful remote for the original key since Day 1. (Someone else here on Saabnet dubbed it “the whale.”) My dislike for the original remote was based on several factors:
1) The size is WAY too big to sit comfortably in a pants pocket
2) The shape of the sides of the remote combined with the convex sides of the car key make it impossible for them to lie flat against each other or any other keys on a key chain (see lower picture above)
3) The remote buttons are not sufficiently pronounced from the rest of the shape, requiring you to feel your way around the remote much more than should be necessary.
The key with an integrated remote was pictured in the Owner’s Manual for my 2000 9-3 (page 30), but when I called the dealership the day after I picked up the car (in May) to ask if I could get one, no one at the dealer had ever even seen the integrated key. Fast forward to late September, and I was the very first customer to order one of the new keys at my dealer.
These integrated remote keys are now supplied with the 2001 model year cars, and apparently can be retrofitted to any prior year 9-3 (but NOT an NG900). The key consists of three part numbers:
51-84-502 Key Shaft Blank $27.00
52-65-335 Transmitter $97.00
51-84-114 Key Head Cover $8.70
Total Price: $132.70 for one key
It uses the same CR2032 battery as the existing remote.
To my pleasant surprise, the dealer did not charge me any labor to cut the new blank or program the remote because I purchased the car there.
Here are my random thoughts on the new key:
The new key is bigger than I expected it to be, and noticeably longer than the original key. (See upper picture above.) However, the new key is considerably smaller than the combined size of the original key plus the whale. The added length makes the new key a tad awkward in the pants pocket, but it is far preferable to the bulk of the old combo.
The sides of the new key are less convex than the sides of the original key, which does allow other keys to sit better against it on the key chain.
The buttons are easier to find by touch than the buttons on the whale, and when pressed, they provide much better tactile feedback (i.e. click feel).
Because the buttons are on the side of the key, a couple of times when turning the key in the ignition, I accidentally pressed one of the buttons. No big deal, but it does take getting used to handling the key more by the edges.
The white icons for Lock, Unlock, and Trunk are tiny decals applied to the buttons. I have no doubt that these will wear off over time. I would have preferred it if the icons were molded right into the buttons. Also, I would have liked it if the Lock and Unlock buttons felt different from each other to make them more easily distinguishable, because you don’t always grab the key the same way when you reach into a pocket. (If you have a 9-3, note for example how the Up and Down stereo volume buttons on the steering wheel are different, one convex, the other concave.) I may glue a tiny piece of something onto one of the buttons to make this modification myself.
When the Saab logo on the key is right side up, the white icons are upside down. (See upper photo.) I don’t really care which way is up, but one would think that the Saab designers would at least orient everything in the same direction.
I thought the range of operation (distance from the car) for the whale remote was quite short, but the new key remote seems to have even shorter range. I’ve got to do some side by side experiments to check to see if I’m just imagining this.
So, is it worth $130 bucks to retrofit one of these babies? Yes, IMHO, but just barely. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely prefer the new key, and I hope I never again put another whale remote in my pocket. But $130 is a lot of money for a car key, even if it does have a Saab logo (an upside down one) on it. If you’re thinking about getting one of these new keys, do yourself a favor and check one out at a dealer before you plunk down your money. You might HATE it.
For me, the new key is a big step in the right direction, but it isn’t nearly as small or as slick as the switchblade key that now comes with VW’s and Audi’s. Perhaps Saab can employ an attractive Swede to lure a German key engineer to move up north.
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