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2000 9-3 Saab Turbo fails

3 messages,  Last post on Jun 08, 2009 at 5:08 PM

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#1 of 3 2000 9-3 Saab Turbo fails by xela200093 May 26, 2009 (9:43 pm)
Help, my 2000 9-3 dealer maintained Saab (94,000) was on the interstate and the turbo failed. Towed 120 miles back to repair shop that just replaced water pump, belts, tensioners and was told the turbo and engine need to be replaced. History of car documents problems associated with recall (engine doesn't always start ....towed to dealership many times over the last 5 years and "fixed"...last failed start was 1/09 after driving car short distance, turned off engine and tried to restart it about 5 minutes later. Didn't start...had to wait about 15 minutes and it started. ll/08 head gasket was replaced. at Saab dealership. I was told the turbo failed due to poor oil changes. The car's service history at a Saab dealership indicates that oil changes were timely and often before the recommended mileage.   Many other Saab 9-3 owners have reported failed engines due to oil sludge, etc.   I called the dealership and they told me it was time to buy a new car! Saab headquarters told me the car had too many miles and was too old for them to offer any assistance.   My warranty company (MPV) and I have put thousands of dollars into this car over the last 5 years. The dealership "documented" repairs that should have prevented this type of failure.   My first Saab 9-3 (1987) was kept in the family well past 250,000 miles without any major problems.   HELP....I was told an attorney would be able to seek financial reimbursement for the expenditures made on this car..but the attorney fees would be significant.   Anyone have suggestions? Replies to this message: 93goblin (Jun 08, 2009 5:08 pm)
#2 of 3 Realistically speaking by lokki May 28, 2009 (6:32 pm)
You are on your own. Your car is nine years old. 94,000 miles while, perhaps only 10,000 per year, is still a substantial number of miles.   Even the best cars are not designed or intended to last forever. While many modern cars are able to go to 150,000 miles or more, there is no promise by any auto company that any individual car will do so.   Your original warranty through SAAB was for 48 months or 50,000 miles. You don't provide any information about your aftermarket warranty but any claim that you might have would depend on the terms of your agreement with them - not SAAB.   You might try to make some claim against the repair shop who had recently worked on your car, but unless they worked on the turbo system, I'd expect them to prevail against any claims. I don't believe that there is any easy way to diagnose turbo bearings that are starting to fail until they're already cooked....   The value of a 9 year old SAAB with a good engine is going to be much less than the cost of replacing your bad engine.   Sorry to be so pessimistic, but, yeah, after 9 years, you probably need a new car.
#3 of 3 Re: 2000 9-3 Saab Turbo fails [xela200093] by 93goblin Jun 08, 2009 (5:08 pm)
Replying to: xela200093 (May 26, 2009 9:43 pm) I had the same problem with the engine not starting, what happens is that the oil pressure builds up in the engine and the pressure sensor tells the computer not to let the engine start. there is a pressure relief kit that must be added to relieve the pressure of the motor oil building up in the block and is mounted near the oil pan (i had a technician install mine because he was checking other things). You may have noticed oil leaks on certain parts of the engine. The time that you wait for the car to start is the engine oil cooling down and contracting. The kit can be ordered at the dealer and installed yourself with a little know-how.

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