Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 00:56:03 +0100 From: "Andy" <ASWojtasnopsamet.nl> Subject: Re: 93 9000cse Question and 87 9000i FS in Holland
Robin, my car was also from the first owner - I was the first owner. It also had all the service records. That was no comfort either. As for the automatic transmission (Johannes wrote that those by ZF were not reliable), I don't know either. I have visited ZF many times in the past - various plants. QC is my job. They have a very sophisticated and strict inspection scheme. Well, I have one more story for you here: A few years ago, my SAAB 9000 CSi had then about 180 thousand km, driving slowly in the city traffic I have felt a slight stutter in the engine while it was shifting from the first to the second gear. This is an automatic transmission type ZF 4HP. At first I didn't pay much attention but then it became stronger and stronger and I started getting worried. I have called SAAB. They told me that at 200 000 km I should prepare myself for a new gearbox. I was shocked! What!? These things are supposed to run half a million with no sweat! And then the chap at the other end mentioned the price: DM 7000.- I almost fainted. A three years old car. First, a major crankshaft defect and now the gear box?! I wanted a second opinion. I went to a SAAB garage in Neu Isenburg. They told me, they'd have to diagnose it. I was asked to wait in the lounge. Almost one hour later the mechanic came with the bad news. I had to pay DM 300 for the test. They have changed the transmission oil and told me that they saw the particles of worn out break rim (?) in the oil and this meant that the gearbox was worn out and would have to be overhauled. The price tag was DM 5000.-. Well, look at the bright side of it: it was DM 2000 less then for a new one. Next day I spoke with a friend of mine and he told me that he knew a garage where they specialise in automatic gearboxes. I have called the workshop and they told me, they have overhauled gearboxes for sale and if Id bring my car they'd take out mine and install a new one for DM 2500.- Wow! Within just three days I have saved DM 4500 .- Not bad. But wait! There's more. Next day I went to see a mechanic at a small garage in Schwalbach, near Frankfurt a/M. He was in the past listed in the SAAB manual as an authorised service but later SAAB had opened their own big salon and damped the him. Well, if you're ever looking for and expert that can tell you what' s wrong with your car just by listening to it, he's the one. So we went together for a test drive. He drove around for 5 minutes, tried this and that and listened. We came back and he just changed the spark plugs and charged me DM 20.- Yes! That was it. Brilliant! Now, 130 000 km further my SAAB is still doing OK (as for a SAAB) and only sometimes I wonder if then in Neu Isenburg, if I had agreed to leave my car to them for an overhaul of my gearbox, would they have bothered to take it apart or would they just put in new sparkplugs? Or perhaps, once they would have "fixed" my gearbox and found out that problem was still there and they only needed to put in new spark plugs, would they have told me? So, remember! Always ask a second / third / fourth opinion. Robin <eenopsame> wrote in message news:3iaq9todgthc2p7mlk5p56c5v7eocjn560nopsamcom... > The car has all the service records. So that's good for a start I > presume. It is also from the first owner, so it did not pass much > hands to get to me. > As was told in this thread, the 9000's got better over the years, with > a peak in 97/98. Does this mean the the 87/88 models are crap? Because > my old one has 360.000kms on it, without a lot of hassle. OK, the > standard waterpump had to be replaced, and some other small stuff, but > hey, the car is old and has a lot of kms. > > This 9000CSE, the model '93, has a normal 2.0L engine, without the > DI-kit. My question was if this engine is the same as the 87/88 2 > litre engines. I have heard that especially the early DI-kit are > common to fail, and cost some extensive amount of money to repair. > That is the reason why I did not buy a car with a DI-kit. At least not > of that early age. > If somebody could comment on that? > > As for Andy's story: > Sorry to hear about that. I haven't had any major problems woth Saabs > in the past, other than a broken Automatic tranny in my parents car. > It was the famous ZF-tranny that failed at 180.000kms. But I think it > is widely known that these trannies are not very reliable when the > mileage gets high. > > With my 9000i '87 I had no trouble at all. A fuelpump that quit in the > middle of the Gotthard tunnel in Switzerland last year was the worst > experience. But it was taken care of, and the car drives almost like > new. > > Regards, Robin (dasguptanopsamnl) > who is still very happy to own a 9000cse! > > > > On Wed, 28 Feb 2001 00:09:24 +0000, Johannes H Andersen > <johsnopsamsafish.com> wrote: > > > > > > >Robin wrote: > >> > >> Dear fellow Saabers, > >> > >> Last Monday I followed my heart and have bought a beautiful black '93 > >> 9000cse, manual transmission, normally aspired with 143.000 km. Does > >> anybody know which parts of the car should be checked, to be sure that > >> it keeps running for the next 150.000kms? It has a 2.0L engine. Is it > >> the same engine that I used to have in my '87 9000i? Or were there > >> some modifications made during this 6 year period? > >> > >> Any other information, or places where I could find info on this > >> particular model/year will be appreciated! > >> > >> It is hard, but it 's true. As it is to expensive to own 2 9000's : > >> For Sale in Holland/The Netherlands: > >> My 9000i, 2.0L, manual transmission, 360.000kms. > >> New waterpump, alternator and exhaustpipe. > >> It runs very smooth, the engine is as strong as new. Any offer will be > >> considered. > >> The car is located in The Hague (Den Haag), The Netherlands > >> > >> Regards, > >> Robin (dasguptanopsamnl) > >> Who really likes his new 9000! > > > >My 93 9000 CSE LPT has "only" done 78000 miles, so it is hardly > >run in. Your mileage translates to 89000 miles. I would expect > >the previous owner(s) should have done a bit of maintenance, so > >the state of your car really depends on the service history. > >There can be some expensive milestones, unless you are DIY > >mechanic. Check: timing chain for a start. Waterpump, radiator, > >gearbox, exhaust/CAT, Direct ignition (DI) unit, front suspension > >links, brake discs. However, if the car is sound, then you have > >got a brilliant car, well worth keeping. > > > >Johannes >
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