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Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2003 08:46:39 -0400
From: "Kenneth S." <nimrodnopsams.com>
Subject: Re: Saab Complaint


Milt: In case you're unaware of it by now, quite a few of the most active participants in this news group respond to any criticism of Saab vehicles by personal attacks on the the critic. To me, this phenomenon is, in itself, an interesting one. It seems to indicate that Saabism is a religion for some, and any criticism threatens their world view. For example, saying that there's no valid reason for the unique Saab practice of putting the ignition key between the seats is enough to cause some people to think of burning at the stake the person who said it. I bought my 1996 Saab 900SE three years ago, after several vacations in Europe during which I rented four-door hatchbacks that seemed far more suited to my present lifestyle than the large American V-8s that I had owned up to then. The Saab has been a serious disappointment to me, because of the repeated need for expensive repairs, and because of several obvious design flaws that I did not notice when I test drove it. I have had no problems in the tire department, although I have replaced the original Michelin Pilot tires by Yokohamas, in order to get a less harsh ride. The deficiencies of my Saab are underlined for me again because I have just returned from a vacation in France during which I rented a Citroen C-5. This car was far more comfortable, roomy, and quiet-running than my 900SE, which I expect to trade in before too long. Of course, my Saab is far from new, and was not new when I bought it. Perhaps, under the GM management, the problems have been fixed in the current Saab models. But one disadvantage about habitually brushing off valid criticism -- as some in this news group do -- is that problems don't get fixed. However, I seriously doubt whether Saab executives monitor this news group in search of improvements they can make. So the knee-jerk reactions here to any criticisms of Saabs may not matter. Your point was a valid one. Auto manufacturers DO have some responsibility for the tires fitted to their cars when they leave the factory. You'll just have to give your attackers here a fool's pardon. milt brewster wrote: > > In article <bjdbm5$i0vaf$1nopsam52899.news.uni-berlin.de>, > grunffnopsam.com says... > > > milt brewster wrote: > > > > > Posters here newsgroup ought to report some other helpful advice > > > like this. > > > > While it's clear that you're a moron, and no amount of > > explaining will achieve anything, I'll try again ('cause I'm > > nice like that). > > I have yet to call anyone a name here. > > All I did, was to post a complaint about a serious problem I had > with my nearly-new Saab. > > Your comments below are really not very helpful. While you > probably didn't intend them to be; I propose to you, that I > actually asked some pretty good basic questions. People like you > would be very helpful in a group like this, if you provided > useful answers to questions like this in the future -- instead of > the vague stuff I see below here: > > > > *) Which tire brands work best on Saabs? > > > > A car is a car and a tyre is a tyre. There are no tyres that > > work best with particular cars (with the exception of special > > cases, such as offroading, track work etc.). If you knew even > > the basics of car suspension, this would be obvious. > > > > > > > *) Which tire brands do you stay away from? > > > > There certainly are bad brands, few people would say that > > Michelin are one of. This has nothing to do with Saab. > > > > > > > *) How much should a new tire cost for a Saab? > > > > What make/type? > > > > > > > My dealer charged me $275 for a replacement Michelin. > > > > Just one?? > > Yes. Just one. > > See part of my problem? > > > > *) What about wheel rims, suspension systems and the like? > > > *) As a Saab owner, what simple checks do you perform > > > on your tires and suspension system, and how often? > > > > I crawl around under my cars once a month, carefully inspecting > > all suspension components and tyres for any signs of damage. > > So did I. > > What do you look for specifically? How do you recognize it? How > do you fix what you find? On a new car, when do you decide to > take your problem to a garage instead of handling the problem > yourself? > > > > In fact; this group should maintain a FAQ with simple, > > > practical information like this, for Saab owners and for people > > > looking to buy Saabs. > > > > Well, thank you very much for telling us exactly what we should > > do, that's very kind of you - especially given that you've > > posted to this group about 5 times in the last 3 years. > > What does my posting frequency have to do with the problem I > described? A problem is a problem. It is valid, or it isn't. It > affects other Saab owners, or it doesn't. > > NOTE: I've posted here using several different accounts and read > the group regularly. > > Calling me names doesn't make it go away. > > Calling me names also won't protect you from having the same > problems I had, if you also own a Saab. > > > > > > As fat as our owners' manuals are; Saab > > > still doesn't tell us enough about our cars. > > > > I get very little of my information directly from Saab. What > > exactly do you expect them to tell us? > > Quibble, quibble. You don't expect an answer with any detail, so > I won't offer one -- but car ownership has changed over the last > ten and twenty years. What we need to do; what we can do; and > what we should look out for. > > Some newsgroup readers are new to Saab; some of us are old hands; > some of us are thinking about replacing an older car with a new > Saab. If you are knowledgeable and care to help out in a > newsgroup, then you already know why some of these basic > questions are useful and helpful. > > On the other hand, if you are just a troll-enthusiast, then you > will pretty much post the kind of answers I'm seeing in this > thread --- where posters have called me a moron, or arrogant, or > a fool, just because they felt somehow personally insulted or > threatened that I had a significant problem with my Saab that I > shouldn't have had, and described it here. > > **** > > In the meantime, I've had TWO FREEWAY BLOWOUTS on my new Saab in > six months, under light use, and with better than normal care. > Saab has been AWOL and my dealer has been frankly awful. Calling > me names really doesn't address the problem I've reported here. > > mb

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