1994-2002 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hi - thanks for your replies... I am definitely considering doing a lot of stuff myself... most of the stuff I listed were things that I do not know how to do or feel comfortable doing. I am hoping to find someone from the SF Bay Area Saab Club to teach me how to do these things. Bear in mind that I have not gone deeper than changing oil filters and spark plugs before.
I think that my post was confusing. The first list that I mentioned with all the services (DI Cassette, brake pads, clutch cable, 35K, 50K, 65K, etc) was all the stuff that has ALREADY been done to the car. My question was, it didn't seem to line up with what the major service calls for, for instance I thought that coolant should be flushed, brake fluid replaced, etc, at the 35K service but that was not done.
The second list at the end is what I was going to have the mechanic do and look at... I got the list from REM in Seattle:
http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/NG900/index.html?bID=57416
Is it excessive? Basically, I just wanted to do the services he recommends that have not already been done. Didn't keep up with the service schedule with my last car and things will be different this time around. I want this engine to last to 200K plus.
I also want to learn about how to do this all myself but I think starting out doing EVERYTHING will be too overwhelming for me. I'd rather start out doing the visual checks with the mechanic, changing oil filters, getting to know where everything is in my car, than try to work on hard stuff on a car Ii don't know at all. I'm a beginner and really don't want to mess up (if this car goes, I won't be driving for the next several years... I'm in school).
On the one hand, it seems that since the car has had its 65K major service at 60K, I shouldn't have to worry about all of those checks and inspections... on the other hand, it's new to me and I want to start out fresh. I am unsure after reading these boards whether I should switch to synthetic engine oil or just stay on the dino, since it's gone 65K that way. Of course, I do NOT want to write a blank check to a mechanic for these things. But I also want to have a baseline of where my car is at right at the time of purchase so that I know where it's at.
So I want to:
DO OIL CHANGES MYSELF
CHANGE SPARK PLUGS MYSELF (and wires? anything else?)
CHANGE AIR & CABIN AIR FILTERS MYSELF
VISUAL INSPECTIONS MYSELF (but I don't know what to look for!)
I'm sorry... I didn't mean to come off as a "blank check" type car owner at all... it' sjust that before I start I want to know where the car is at. Wouldn't a general inspection inspect all of those systems?
Also, is the Multidrive 4 cyl. Belt the Serpentine Belt? Should I be checking the Timing Chain? How?
Thanks so much for all of your help... hope to be able to educate others even less experienced than me once I learn some of this stuff. (I am also feeling a little lazy about all this work because I have bronchitis and have been in bed but trying to buy a car for two weeks since mine died... a bit overwhelming).
Betsey
posted by 216.175.10...
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