This month I am going to re-run my October newsletter from last year. We have had a lot of positive comments on this newsletter; and as new members get added onto our mailing list, service questions are always one of the first, and most important, things asked! I am adding a few extra ideas from last year, but for the most part it will cover my experiences and recommendations for service on SAAB cars, or, for that matter, any vehicle.
Bear in mind that many people have their own thoughts on this so you do what works for you. This is only given as advice based on what I've done and have been successful with. I will talk mainly about routine maintenance that all cars require, but with my own twist of some twenty plus years of working professionally on cars.
First you need to know what kind of success I've had with the cars that I've owned long term.
1975 SAAB 99 LE, 4 speed: Driven as a company "truck" for over 450,000 miles. Replaced original engine & transmission (neither needed to be replaced but I had a newer, lower mileage engine) at about 250,000 miles. Again, no major engine or transmission work done. Still have this car.
1977 SAAB 99 EMS, 4 speed: Driven as my own personal car to just about 300,000 miles. It never had any major transmission or engine trouble. I replaced a timing chain (because of noise) and a transmission input shaft (splines wore off from clutch disc).
1978 SAAB 99 LE, 4 speed: Driven as my own personal car; then as a company sales vehicle and later in life as a delivery "truck" and loaner for over 400,000 miles. No major engine or transmission work. (Did replace input shaft also.) Still have this car.
1982 CHEVY S-10 Pick-up, 4 speed: Driven as a company delivery truck for over 465,000 miles. Rebuilt engine at 200,000 miles for carbon build-up, although engine had very little wear. Replaced transmission bearing at about 300,000 miles.
1984 CHEVY S-10 Pick-up, 4 speed: Driven as a company truck for over 475,000 miles. Replaced engine at 400,000 miles and rebuilt rear end at 200,000.
1984 CHEVY S-10 Pick-up, Automatic O/D: Driven as a company truck for over 365,000 miles. Still had the original engine but this truck had three automatic transmissions in its life time. (And you wonder why I'm in the automatic transmission business?)
1987 SAAB 9000 Turbo, Automatic: Still driving as a family car with 200,000 miles on it. Replaced timing chain & head gasket at 175,000 miles and turbo at 165,000 miles. Transmission had governor seal break at 170,000; but was a minor fix in the car.
The service all of these vehicles have had is very similar.
Engine:
Oil & filter change, and check all fluid levels every 2,500 miles or every 3-4 months. If it is a vehicle that gets about 1,000 miles a week on it, we extend it to 5,000 miles for its routine maintenance. A good quality 10W-30 of most any brand works. I've never used synthetic oils, but have no problem with their use. On turbo cars it is a must to keep good, fresh oil in them!! On most SAAB's the engine life is exceptional and all I've ever done to mine is replace timing chains. I would recommend replacing your chain every 150,000 miles or when they get noisy. Sometimes the tensioners and guides need replacing too. I try to repair alternators and water pumps at about 125,000 - 150,000 miles.
Tires:
Rotate tires every 5,000 miles! I didn’t believe this one at first but it really proved to be very beneficial. By rotating tires every 5.000 miles instead of 10,000 to 15,000 we were able to nearly DOUBLE the tire life on all of our vehicles! We rarely have an alignment done unless there is a major problem or parts replacement and I own a $20,000 4-wheel computerized alignment rack!
Transmissions - Manuals:
Change fluid as often as you like, but we normally did it every couple of years or when the oil began to lose its new appearance or 50,000 miles. We normally use a GL-5 rated oil in most SAABs and I've never used synthetic oils, but again, I have no problem with them. I know of several people who swear by synthetics for SAAB manuals. I recommend, for any 5 speed transmission, to only use fifth gear on long highway trips with little load in the vehicle, no head wind and no hills. This may mean you are in 4th gear most of time; but I feel this is one of the best kept secrets of long trnsmission life. If you feel you must use your SAAB to tow, tow only light trailers and be very slow on acceleration and don't lug the engine.
Transmissions - Automatics:
Change fluid and clean or replace filter once a year in a SAAB or every 25,000 miles. The thing to do here is to be sure to keep on eye on fluid color. If the fluid starts to change color from red to brownish, change it right away. For a SAAB 9000 only, when driving in the city I would only drive in third gear but it is okay to use 4th gear or overdrive for country driving unless you feel it downshift on hills. If it downshifts on hills then keep it in third gear until conditions change. Based on the number of SAABs I've seen with trailer hitches at the rear and BAD automatic transmissions under the hood, I would avoid this combination. If you own a 900 automatic you must remember that the transmission and differential have separate and different oils! You must check the differential fluid level separately!! This is forgotten by many service people so don't be afraid to remind them of
this.
Other Fluids:
With the rest of the fluids, anti-freeze, power steering, differential (900 auto only), and brake fluids we normally tried to change these every 50,000 miles or three years. This is probably the only areas where we sometimes fell behind. We never replaced any parts, be it a belt or hose until it showed signs of stress, regardless of mileage. I can remember maybe only one or two radiator hoses ever going bad on my SAABs.
Oil Leaks:
This one some people may disagree with me. SAABs tend to leak "minor" amounts of three fluids; transmission, engine and power steering. Guess how I knew I was in SAAB Heaven (Sweden) this summer. All of the parking garages had huge oil spots at only the front of the parking spaces, right where SAABs tend to leak!! A quick walk through my showroom confirms this again. Of over 30 cars most of the cars with drips under them are SAABs. I consider any leak "minor" if it leaves small drops over night and DOES NOT require adding fluid to it between it's normal 2,500 miles engine oil and filter change. In my transmission business I discourage customers from trying to have us fix minor transmission leaks because they are so hard to get to be 100% dry and always seem costly. I've heard a lot of stories from people through the years about all of the hundreds of dollars they've spent on SAABs, or any other vehicle, trying to fix "minor" leaks. In my opinion it just is not
worth it just to have a super clean garage floor. Heck, that's what old carpet and cardboard is for -- to put under your SAAB to catch the "minor" leaks. For those who disagree, may the silicone Gods be with you (and a full pocket book!)
I tease people that SAABs are like old Harley's and are required to have "minor" leaks to be a real SAAB. I'm still trying to prove scientifically that SAABs leak oil as a way of scenting their territory in order to find their partners. (How many families do you know that have more than one SAAB?)
Note: Any signs of brake fluid leakage is extremely serious and the car should not be driven until it is checked out by a qualified technician!
Filters and Plugs:
Air and fuel filters I would replace yearly if the expense is not too great for you. If it is, I have seen many cars that have 50,000 plus miles without any filter changes.
Spark Plugs can be checked for wear, but to me, having them replaced every 50,000 miles or every couple years should do. I normally do not recommend specific products, but I do recommend NGK BCP6ET triple anode spark plugs for use in all Turbos.
AS ALWAYS, Thanks for being a part of my SAAB story!
THANK YOU & SAFE SAABin!
--Tom Donney |
