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I'll second the motion Posted by John Fitzgerald [Email] ![]() ![]() ![]() In Reply to: Go with Saab, Ari ![]() |
I admit to a cyclical fluctuation between Saab OEM parts and non [brake pads, shocks, rotors, radiators ... well, almost anything] but I will temper that with the consideration Ari mentioned: how hard is the part to get to, how long is it's useful life, and what's the 'real' cost of the Saab OEM difference in price.
I just did a t-stat in my son's 97 CSE: used the Saab part [partly because of access, my old '86 and '87 9000's were pretty easy to swap out. For a decade or more, starting in the early nineties, I'd swap a 'summer' 82 'stat in the spring and a 'winter' 89 degree stat in the fall in my '80 99, which was super easy to access. Gradually stopped doing it with the 9000's, partly because the engine design [water pump, 16 valve head mass, catalytic/exhaust/turbo placement, I don't know, lots of stuff] seemed to get up to operating temp much better. The 99 really needed the hotter 'stat [and a 'radiator block', a segment of galvanized sheet metal I'd cut to reduce airflow over half of the front engine/radiator].
Wahler stuff seems to work fine, although most of my OEM Saab 'stats are Waxstat, made in England. Differences, visible, anyway, are in small details: the shape of the tiny vent valve, smooth flat vs beveled base of the 'foot' at the bottom of the piston.
Just don't buy the generic autoparts store variety and you'll probably be just fine. I only ever had one 'stat really fail: and it was a Saab OEM at 23,000 mi in the '97 Aero. Stuck wide open. Go figure.
John
'73 96 RHD sold after four years in UK
'80 99 sold after 20 years/192,000mi
'86 9kT sold after 12 years/approx 121,000 mi
'87 9kT parts after 9 years
'97 CSE 210,000
'97 Aero 119,000
posted by 209.236.231...
_______________________________________ John Burlington, Wisc '73 96 RHD sold after four years in Middle Barton, Oxfordshire, UK '80 99 bought new, sold after 20 years/192,000mi '86 9kT picked up at Trollhatten, sold after 12 years/approx 121,000 mi '87 9kT sold after 9 years/approx 174,000 mi '94 CSE given to my son after 8 years @ 245k; he sold it at 254k mi '95 Aero 146,xxx mi sold '98 CSE 248,xxx mi gave it away '97 Aero 317,xxx mi my daughter’s school car … gave away [we put 300k mi on it] still driving: '97 CSE 170xxx mi 'project car' for myself and my daughters to drive '07 9-3 2.0T 240xxx '08 9-5 191xxx mi my wife's daily driver and a couple of 'non-Saabs': '01 Suburban 201,xxx mi '03 BMW 330 Cic 84,xxx mi '14 Mercedes E350 103,xxx mi
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