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Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 17:57:49 -0400
From: "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com>
Subject: Re: 1999 9-3 conv. rattles and squeaks


Bob wrote: > > On Sat, 11 Aug 2001 11:14:23 -0400, "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com> > wrote: > > >I had quite a number of irritating problems after I bought the > >car, but I have now -- I hope -- had them fixed, > > Condolences, but you bought a 5 year old car with a large number > of miles and an unknown history. I think you might forgive Saab > if it wasn't quite what you expected. > > >However, there are several shortcomings in the execution of the > >concept, and squeaks and rattles is one. > > Squeaks and rattles can be fixed. Having bought many cars both new > and used, I'd stand by that statement for any vehicle. Saab are > certainly no 'rattle bucket'. In fact, Saab is one of the few > manufacturers that actually issues TSB's for squeaks, rattles, > windnoise, etc and then pays to fix them well past the declared > 16K warranty. Try getting a rattle fixed in your Mitsubishi at 40K > miles and let me know how they handle it. > > >Strangely enough, in view of > >the fact that the car is Swedish-engineered, there are several > >unnecessarily gimmicky touches about it, e.g. the idiotic > >climate-control system, > > Huh ? What's wrong with their climate control ? The functionality > is more advanced than most other cars, allowing you to program > the 'start-up' and 'top down' setting to your personal preference > as well as more dynamically handling the vent control as the car > warms or cools. Other than that, climate control is climate control. > I own several cars with it: All allow you to set a temperature and > let the car handle the details or to run it manually. I'm not sure > what your beef is (?) > > >but some of the basics (such as a smooth, quiet engine) are lacking. > > Huh again ? Do you have a 4 cyl or turbo ? Or the V6 abortion that > the parent company (GM) that you are apparently expecting to be > a savior so moronically insisted that they install even though it > runs worse, get worse mileage, has less power, is less reliable > and in general is a POS in the 900 series ? > > The turbo 4 cyl is one of the quietest 4 cyl motors I've driven. > Mine is smooth and powerful. I've often complained that it's hard to > drive this car because you can't use the engine sound (or vibration) > as an indicator of when to shift. Too many times I've found myself > running 2nd gear at 4K RPM because I got slowed a bit on the upshift > to third and then that damn smooth Saab motor forgot to remind me > that I was still running the gear. > > Doesn't sound as if you like your Saab much. I'd suggest you sell > it and buy that Subaru. > > Bob I have the turbo V-4. Particularly under heavy acceleration it is by no means as quiet as other four cylinder cars I have driven, e.g. the Peugeot hatchbacks that I've rented while on vacation. I also have a Mazda Miata (MX-5), which has a four-cylinder engine. While it is no quieter under acceleration than the Saab, it idles more quietly and smoothly. The idle on the Saab is about 900-1,000 rpms, and that may be part of the problem (although at the last service the dealer told me it was at specification). I also use synthetic oil in the Miata, and I plan to switch to that on the Saab, which also may help. I'm skeptical about the value of climate control on ANY car. I'd rather adjust the AC and heating myself. The particular problem on my car is that turning the temperature down, in order to get the AC to kick in, is a matter of pushing one of two buttons, one marked red and the other blue. The buttons are not illuminated, and it's quite tricky at night. I don't see the point of trying to convey an impression of luxury by a gimmicky climate control system, when you haven't got the basics right, like having a quiet engine and a rattle-free body. I plan to stick with the Saab and hope to get some of the remaining bugs ironed out. As I said before, the basic concept of the car is right, and everyone says it's the safest car on the road. However, I admit I am disappointed. This is my first Saab (and I had been interested in owning one back to the days when they had two-stroke, three-cylinder engines). I always buy used cars, and I got the Saab at quite a reasonable price, considering what they cost new. The U.S. market seems to impose a heavy depreciation penalty on Saabs. If I were Saab management I would take that as a signal that some things needed to be attended to. I don't subscribe to the view that one must have a religious belief in Saabs, and not question anything about them. However, I may switch to another denomination when it comes time to replace my 900SE. By contrast, I have no reservations about the Miata, which I would unhesitatingly recommend to anyone.

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