[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main General Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
Re: Awareness Posted by Snowmobile [Email] (#686) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Snowmobile) on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:53:24 In Reply to: Re: Awareness, DE [Profile/Gallery] , Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:48:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I'm pretty sure one of the issues with the earlier 9-5's which sludged (and the reason repairs were done under warranty) was that the specified oil change interval in the manual was too long. All manufacturers stretch fluid change intervals now to 1) make their cars look reliable, and 2) to save on warranty provided costs, or in the case where fluids aren't covered, to make the low cost of this sort of service a selling feature (as per item 1)... For people who lease their cars, this does not matter, because if the car goes to the dump the day after the lease expires, it does not matter so long as they met their obligations and so long as the car does not spend too much time in for service during the 3-4 year lease (ie to become an inconvenience). Usually this stuff catches up with the owner 5-10 years from the initial purchase date...
If you google "Audi sludge", you'll get lots of hits and pictures, mostly for the 1.8L up to 2004, but here is an example from a class action:
"alleging, among other things, that the 1.8 liter turbo engines installed in model year 1997-2004 Audi A4 vehicles and model year 1998-2004 Volkwagen Passat vehicles are prone to the formation of oil sludge and coking deposits even when maintained according to the recommended maintenance intervals and oil quality specifications"
sounds familiar!
Many manufacturers in the early 2000's seemed to run into these kinds of problems, and have since mostly sorted them out (eg if you have a 2.0L Audi you're probably ok, much like if you had a 2004+ Saab 9-5, sludge is virtually a non-consideration)... so it's probably not a Saab vs Audi thing, but more a 2002 vs 2012 thing... it's not even just turbos: Toyotas from that era had sludge issues also!
Anyway, to keep a car for the long haul, it is usually advisable to shorten fluid change intervals as a precautionary measure. With a new car (especially a new model), nobody really knows what major issue will start to surface later until it is too late and the damage is done... engine + tranny are the big ticket items in that regard and clean fluids usually go a long way to reduce damage/wear and tear...
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.