1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
While anything can happen, mostly it's just maintenance, assuming the car has been well maintained up until now. Some comments:
belts and pulleys - I've found the book recommended 60,000 miles is just fine.
Fuel pump - I did a survey a couple of years back here on Saabnet, and 130,000 is pretty close to the mean value for failure. Purchasing a new pump insert and installing it or having it done is relatively inexpensive. Breaking down on the road, with towing, possibly lodging, and possibly winding up with a whole pump and level sensor assembly is much less so. I recommend doing that. I changed mine at around 110K.
Water pump. I haven't done a survey, but other than that, the scenario is similar, except a failed water pump can also result in overheating and engine damage if the driver "presses on." They have a tendency to hide their coolant weepings and then fail catastrophically when the bearing goes and locks up the shaft, breaking the belt in the process. They can also eat into the timing cover if the bearing failure allows the shaft to wobble, which can let the oil out. Mine was changed along with the fuel pump and there were red stains around the weep hole.
Suspension. You are approaching what most people consider end-of-life for the front struts. Suspension bushings and subframe bushings are also approaching end-of-life, judging from what you read here. These items don't leave you stranded, they just degrade the driving properties and (for rear suspension bushings) can accelerate tire wear.
HVAC: depending on your local atmosphere and whether the a/c is permanently on (which is the design default setting) the evaporator coil may fail. My ***OPINION***, unburdened by fact or personal experience, is that the presence of sulfur oxides or nitrogen oxides in the air results in the condensate being acidic, which eventually eats its way through the aluminum coil. Programming the HVAC to always start in "Economy" and then using a/c only when you need it, as opposed to all the time, would delay the ultimate demise. Changing the evaporator coil is very time consuming (i.e., expensive) due to its being buried so deeply in the center console.
Sunroof
The stinking little plastic slider thingies that provide the pivot for the metal arms that raise and lower the spoiler break. You used to be able to pay a lot more than you should and buy replacement arm assemblies, but no more: you need to replace the entire spoiler assembly, which requires you to R&R the sunroof, I think. At least the design has been improved, I'm told. Or you can just not open the sunroof (my solution). When the plastic thingy breaks, the sunroof will be open and the plastic pieces will jam the sunroof, preventing it from closing. And it will rain soon. You can get the pieces out of the track by working the sunroof back a little (you may or may not need to help it) and picking away, then remove the arm on the offending side. Then when you close the sunroof, you need someone to push down the spoiler while the glass closes. My tech says he can do it from the inside and get his finger out in time, but not **MY** finger.
posted by 70.126.89...
, Fri, 14 Feb 2014 18:50:30
, Fri, 14 Feb 2014 09:37:00
, Fri, 14 Feb 2014 13:22:28
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