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Hi,
I'm writing to see if anyone has any thoughts or advice about my situation.
I was experiencing transmission slipping when starting from a stop on my 2001 9-5 V6 (84k miles), so I brought my car to a reputable local Saab repair shop, one that is frequently recommended here on saabnet. The car showed no error codes on the Tech 2, so they flushed the transmission fluid (drain, fill, run car, and repeat two more times as described in the DIY posts here).
Immediately after the flush, while the car was still in the shop (on the tech's road test), things got MUCH worse. When the car is in reverse, the car moves forward. The computer / Tech 2 does not detect this error, though. In park, the transmission engages and wants to move the car forward. Again, the computer thinks everything is fine. I believe it is still slipping when moving forward as well (I haven't driven the car since I brought it to the shop).
The shop says I need a new transmission. The transmission fluid was very dirty when they removed it, and they think the dirt in the fluid probably was keeping some of the seals working inside the transmission, and with the dirt gone, the seals have failed entirely. For some reason, they do not think it's a computer-related issue.
Thankfully, I have mechanical breakdown insurance, so I do not need to pay the $5k (rough estimate) for the new transmission. The claims rep from my insurance company has already spoken with the shop and approved the repair -- that gives me some comfort that the shop is proceeding down the right path. However, I'd love to hear from some of the folks here, who are familiar with Saab cars, as to whether a full transmission replacement seems reasonable. I'd also love to get thoughts as to whether the shop may have done something to cause this problem, or whether it's normal for an ATF flush to generate more problems (my wife is absolutely furious that the shop made things worse and wants them to cover our deductible and rental car costs, which are not covered by insurance).
Thanks for any input you may have!
Marc
posted by 64.142....
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