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Saab 9-5 Wagon

1081 messages,  Last post on Jun 02, 2012 at 7:17 PM

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What is this discussion about? Saab 9-5, Wagon

Messages Page 106 of 109

#1047 of 1081 Re: SAAB 9-5 Wagon, 2001 or 2003? [xiaodonger] by saablcp

Jun 02, 2007 (8:46 am)

Replying to: xiaodonger (Jun 01, 2007 2:14 pm)
And if you mix in Consumer Reports you'll likely get a third opinion to further confuse you!lol!My suggestion is this: go from the general to the specific....and by that I mean put more weight on future reliability for either of these individual specific cars by checking their service and warranty histories.I am presuming you are buying from a Saab dealer and if so this info should be readily available .I strongly advise you go this route rather than a private party transaction.Also the '03 could still be available for Saab Certified used car warranty coverage providing it has less than 60k.miles.If that is the case buy it as a certified car and the choice is clear.

#1048 of 1081 Exhaust system 2001 95 SE by massaab

Jun 14, 2007 (4:18 pm)

Is the factory exhaust my only option on my 2001 95 SE Wagon with the V6 3 Litre engine? Do any of the muffler chains carry a muffler for this vehicle? If not, how much should I expect to pay for a replacement factory unit?

#1049 of 1081 update on rattle, speaker cover by nelsoncm

Aug 30, 2007 (9:35 pm)

This 06 sportcombi of mine is plagued with these silly little problems. They fixed the rattle behind the dash a few months ago, and it held -- for a while. Now I notice it's back if I'm on really bumpy asphalt, but only then. I'm sure it will get worse with time. And the speaker cover? After 4 times in 10 months, they can't get the darn thing to stay flush with the dash -- even with the new improved clip! The dash foam underneath has all these gouges so I don't know what they're supposed to clip the cover to. It's purely cosmetic, but a sign of just sloppy workmanship. The car drives like a dream and looks great on the outside and it's paid for so I'll live for now. I reported it to my dealership, and they just say to bring it back and they'll try again. Sigh......I miss my 02 Arc wagon -- didn't drive as smooth, but way better interior build quality. Thanks GM!

#1050 of 1081 Re: update on rattle, speaker cover [nelsoncm] by sonny23

Sep 20, 2007 (5:35 pm)

Replying to: nelsoncm (Aug 30, 2007 9:35 pm)
We too had the same issue with the speaker cover on our 06 Sportcombi/9-5 Wagon, however after several attempts to fix the problem our dealer resorted to glue to hold it down. That was the least of it - We had a knocking sound from the engine when the car was cold and in drive. Turns out they had to replace the short block because of engine slap -- one of the cylinders was build too big for the piston. Now the transmission has issues. It's a beautiful, fun car to drive but we decided to pursue our rights under the Lemon Law and won! The is the 4th Saab in our family and we know they’re not all like this. Perhaps there's hope for the 08s.

#1051 of 1081 2007 9-5 2.3T One year report by sidv

Dec 03, 2007 (7:51 pm)

Since nobody is contributing much here lately I guess I will give a recap of my first year with my '07 9-5 2.3T SC. For the most part, overall it was a good year but far from perfect.
 
The good: still love the styling, the power, the brakes and the room. Very comfortable highway car if the pavement is smooth and the seats are comfortable for the long haul. Clean and clear stereo. It's no sports car, but plenty of fun on back roads with no traffic. Far less turbo lag and far more torque than in my 9-3.
 
The bad: Too much road noise on the interstate, can feel a bit ponderous at low speeds (very heavy feeling nose compared to my previous '04 9-3 2.0T), ride suffers more than it should on poor pavement, transmission can be confused when lifting off heavy throttle, cheap feeling shifter and a few other miscellaneous interior bits, occasional torque steer. Poor remote key range. Don't care for the paddle shifters compared to the 9-3's floor shifter for the automatic transmission. Stereo sounds good but isn't all that loud.
 
The ugly: delivered with defective turbo valve and remote key, remote sensor needed replacing at 1 month and driver's door once somehow became locked and would not come unlocked while the door was open so that the door could not close. Had to pry it open or would have been stranded.
 
In summary, I still like the car a lot and I still feel it's a decent value compared to the competition but the level of refinement and reliability for a car at this price point and where it is in its life cycle (they should have more of the bugs worked out by now!) is a bit disappointing.

#1052 of 1081 Re: 2007 9-5 2.3T One year report [sidv] by georgek

Dec 05, 2007 (9:59 am)

Replying to: sidv (Dec 03, 2007 7:51 pm)
That is pretty much my opinion about my '06 wagon, except I find the stereo more than loud enough. Perhaps you need to adjust the base-line volume level. (Plenty of posts about this on saabnet.com).
 
The only significant problem I have had was a bad sending unit in the gas tank which caused me to run dry when the guage was just barely touching the red; lots of annoying little things though, like lost fasteners around the rear hatch lining, screw covers falling off the door handle and the passenger side front speaker grill popping up. It took four trips to two different dealers to fix that last one.
 
At 31K the P-6s were worn and extremely noisy. I replaced them with ContiExtremeContacts and am very pleased. They needed a few hundred miles to "break in", but are far quieter and smoother than the Pirellis, handle at least as well and were less than half the price of Michelins. Good in snow, too.
 
All-in-all I am pleased with the 9-5 wagon, which I bought because I did not like the new Passat or the V70, and did not want to spend $20K more for a 5 Series or E Class. Were I in the market for a sedan I would not have bought the SAAB. There are other cars in the mid-$30s from Acura, Infinity and Honda that I think are better.

#1053 of 1081 Re: Recurring Steering Problem [zoozeek] by cnunez19

Feb 03, 2008 (3:23 pm)

Replying to: zoozeek (Oct 02, 2006 3:14 pm)
I bought a used 2002 Saab 9-5 Aero in January 2005 from an independent mechanic with whom I have been doing business since 1991. The car was just off lease and had 35,000 miles. At 49,132 miles I took it to a Saab dealer for the "looseness" in the front end or steering column. They found nothing (of course) The warranty expired at 50,000 Miles. At 53,000+ miles, I took it back to the same dealer, but with a more specific description and when it occurs. This time they diagnosed the problem was the steering column. They gave me an estimate for $1346 which I was expected top pay. They seemed to ignore the fact that I was in there 4,000 miles prior with the same complaint with a slightly different description. The dealer could have backed my up given the history of the complaint, but they didn't. The regional rep offered to pay 1/3 as a "good will" gesture - that only irritated me even more. What I didn't know at the time, was that the dealer has a lot of influence and could have gone to bat for me. BTW, 1/3 of the the job meant 1/3 of the dealer cost of $1000, so I was still expected to pay $1000 out of my packet - yeah, good will! The dealer offered to make it less painful by doing the job at their cost if I did my 60K Mile service with them. That would take the cost down to ~$600, but I still felt I shouldn't have to pay.
 
To make this short, I went to another Saab dealer with whom I have good relations and they lubricated the heck out of the column and for 60,000 miles I was happy. Then it came back. This time, my independent mechanic diagnosed the steering column and that this was a known problem. That annoyed me even more. I have owned Saabs exclusively since 1993. At this point I will have to consider another brand when it comes time to replace one of my 4 Saabs. I'm sure part of the problem is GM ownership of Saab.
 
I would love to know which model years are affected. If I do consider another Saab, it will likely be a Saab certified used car to avoid this type of issue again. This would be painful as I avoid Saab dearler in general. After discounting GM, Ford and Chrysler there isn't much left except expensive European sedans and Japanese (which I do like). I am heavily invested in Saab in terms of time and experience in maintaining them, but as an engineer I will need to be objective. Wish me luck!
 
Chuck

#1054 of 1081 New Wagon by stmss

Apr 07, 2008 (11:33 am)

I am looking at replacing our 99V70 with a new (or slightly used) wagon - either a Saab 9.5 or another Volvo. Volvo is preferred at the moment mainly because Saab has little product in my area and overpriced. I am in Canada and looking at importing the Saab from US as the MSRP is close to $8k less for new.
 
But - having owned a 2001 Saab 9.5 sedan, and the heavy depreciation, it is unlikely I will pay MSRP. What should I expect these days for price off MSRP on a 2008 or 2007 Sportcombi purchased in the US? I would expect an Aero for between $35k and $40k but closer to $35k. Is this a reasonable expectation?

#1055 of 1081 update on my 2006 sportcombi by nelsoncm

May 23, 2008 (9:46 am)

Well, it looks like a lot of us have the same issues -- cheap plastic bits that won't stay put (screw covers in doors, speaker covers), road noise, ride on rough pavement, poor range on remote key fob....I reported on my speaker cover issue a few times in this forum. My husband was the one who finally fixed it, at least for a while, using model airplane glue. It held for over 6 months and only recently popped up again after a sever heatwave here in SoCal. In fact, the whole right side of my passenger compartment is where all the loose parts keep falling off.....hmmmm. I've only had the car for a year and a half and I find myself shopping around. Yes, I love the room -- not many wagons can match it except Volvo -- and I love the performance, (very nice on smooth road), and it's pretty good mileage wise. But a few months ago, my husband got an Acura TL and oh what a comfortable, well-put together car! And an 08 TL was cheaper than my 06 Saab! If Acura made a wagon, I would have already dumped my Saab. The seats alone blow Saab away -- I've never felt there's much lumbar support in my 06 and the leather feels hard -- I think the perforated seats in my 02 Arc wagon were much better. I'll probably keep it a while longer unless I start having mechanical issues, but in the end, I think the interior component problems and ride quality (on rough roads only) doesn't warrant paying $37K for a new vechicle. Once again, I find myself in a sort of love/hate thing with my Saab. And I think GM ownership and input has absolutely hurt quality, based on the 2 vehciles I have owned.

#1056 of 1081 Service SAAB by mwadestevens

May 27, 2008 (6:42 am)

hi all,
i am looking for a good mechanic in the princeton nj area to service my 2001 9-5 wagon...this car has been plauged with problems..if anyone can help me please do!!!
 
mark

Messages Page 106 of 109

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