Date: Wed, 9 Jul 2003 15:15:54 +0000 (UTC) From: "Nicko" <nickmailnopsamthisoutmac.com> Subject: Saab 9-5 turbocharger failure
1999 9-5 SE. Clouds of white smoke out of the back of the car upon lifting the throttle after brisk acceleration led me to the Saab repair workshop. The diagnosis was turbo failure. I was advised that the 9-5 engine has a known fault with the oil breathing apparatus. The technician showed me a slight oil leak in two specific places from the head gasket and said the pressure builds up and always leaks from these two places. This build up of pressure caused my turbo to fail. The car has only done 56,000 miles. My previous two Saabs (a 9000 2.3t and a 9000 Aero) went to 135,000 miles each with no such problems. Has anyone else heard of this problem before ? The car is 6 months out of warranty, yet it was never subject to a recall for an oil breather problem, and has always been main dealer serviced. You can see where I am going with this one...... I would like to ask Saab to pay the bill or contribute to it if they knew there was a problem but had not addressed it. Any comments much welcomed. Nick