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Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 20:12:03 +0100
From: "Tim Ricketts ,Wales, UK ." <rickettsnopsamil.com>
Subject: Re: saabs are not very reliable


ASW wrote: > > To all Saab 9000-ers > I’d like to share my experience with you. I have always thought SAABs were > the best and I believed that they were made using the most sophisticated > methods of manufacturing and the most stringent quality inspection. > Well, judge for yourself: > I bought my SAAB 9000CS in Göteborg. It was new. Every 20.000 km I had it > checked and always only by authorized SAAB garages in the Netherlands and in > Germany. I drove almost all its mileage long-distance with speeds between > 100 - 160 km/h on smooth motor-ways in Germany and in Netherlands and I can > say I have taken a good care of my car. > Therefore, I was shocked when one day, driving on a motor way in Germany, > suddenly at a speed of approx. 160 km/h within a few hundred meters a > terrible metallic noise developed in the engine. I stopped the car > immediately, called the nearest SAAB service and had my car towed for an > inspection. The crankshaft and its bearing failed. Just a day before I had > my car serviced at a SAAB garage in Rotterdam. > Once the defective engine of my car had been disassembled I had the > crankshaft inspected to find the reason of this premature failure. And > indeed...! Major grinding burns(*) were revealed on the journals. With this > type of a defect it is surprising that my car lasted three years and as > much as 160.000 km. > The garage and the lab that inspected my crankshaft explained it was evident > that this failure of the engine in my car was clearly a result of a serious > fault in manufacturing. With this ruling I contacted the customer department > of SAAB in Trolhatan. > And then, here comes the major reason for my disappointment. Ms. Johnson, > responsible for all customer contacts, bluntly pointed out to me that my car > was by then three years old and thus out of the warranty. She did not think > SAAB could account for a car as old as three years !!! One year guarantee > was long enough and if after this it should appear that the car and the > engine were put together by glue and paper clips it was all at the buyers > risk. > So, I had the engine fixed. Had to pay a fortune, almost a price of a new > engine. > Now I am desperately looking for a buyer for my car. I want to get rid of it > and get something reliable. I’m contemplating a Volvo. Meanwhile I have > learned that Volvo uses a state of the art inspection method to inspect all > critical engine components for manufacturing defects such as grinding > burns(*). > So, how are your SAABs doing? Have you had any similar experiences? Please > let me know. > Andy S. Wojtas > > (*) A grinding burn is what happens to an engine part during surface > finishing i.e. grinding if the part is allowed to overheat. Just like when > you sharpen a knife and press it too hard against a grinding wheel. You’ll > see it turn red hot and right in that place the knife will lose its > hardness, so vital for its endurance. My understanding of UK law is that if you have a failure of this kind and can prove(eg,get an expert to testify) that this fault was present when the car was built then you are entitled to redress.However,i'm not a lawyer - any comments from those legal experts out there? PS, it seem "interesting" that you had the car serviced the day before. Did the sump plug fall out? Did they put any oil back in the car?. All these things and more have happened!.Tim.

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