1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Which is why I said, "to be safely 'in warranty,' you can always follow the manual." You'll also notice I prefaced every reference & preference as being mine (except for the TSB & the '03 owner's manual).
I agree the TSB is for the non-US market. I agree that M1 0W-30 is good enough for most applications. What I don't agree with is that the TSB is invalid for these reasons. You can't deny that it's a European car. You can't deny that the US has fuel economy requirements which force all car manufacturers to do business differently here than they would anywhere else in the world. I'm not saying these requirements are bad or wrong, only that they're in conflict with proven formulas for mechanical longevity. You can't deny that a turbocharged engine isn't, by its very nature, a more harsh environment than a normally aspirated engine. And, others on this BB (NOT me) who work in the Saab assembly plants have stated unequivocally that 0W-40 is factory fill for ALL gas-turbo vehicles, regardless of destination.
I don't have an '03 owners manual to reference, but I'm positive that an SL/GF-3 oil will meet warranty requirements. I'm equally positive that European ACEA oil specs are generally more stringent than API-SL/ILSAC GF-3 oil specs. And I'd be very surprised if European citizens preferred API specs over ACEA specs.
I wasn't trying to say, "Do this, or perish!" I was simply stating what I would do, with a caveat to look at the manual. I paid more money for my 9-3 than I paid for my 1st house & 1st seven cars COMBINED. I'm concerned about its longevity, so I prefer to use in my European car what the Europeans use & recommend. I'm concerned about conserving gas, so I prefer to use a fuel-efficient GF-3 oil (thank you for pointing that out last time). I'm concerned about spending MORE time & MORE money creating MORE waste, so I prefer to use an oil I feel confident changing only every 10k mi. My 9-3's still in warranty for another 23mos/11k mi, but I plan on keeping it maybe 15yrs/200k mi longer than than that.
I'm sorry you took my response to mean Joyce shouldn't use what's listed in the manual; that wasn't my intent. I was merely saying what I would do if I spent what it cost to get a new Saab. And the above reasons are why.
Joyce, refer to the manual if you have ANY concerns about what ANYBODY tells you, even, as I've discovered, the dealer's mechanics & service technicians. As an owner, YOU have to make the choices which make the most sense to you.
posted by 216.160.177...
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