Bad week for cars in the Zero Dojo.
1/ Lads new SAAB ( he lives away from home now, I didn't get to see the motor prior to him buying it and I warned him off SAABS which is probably why he kept it secret till purchase!)
It shed a big end bearing 6 weeks and 2k miles after purchase. He took it back to supplying garage (its a 9 year old £2k car) and they promptly shipped it off to a SAAB specialist and plonked in a new (well 50k old assured) lump. I was staggered. 18 hour book time on that job! Full marks to them, no aggro, even told laddo where it was being done, loaned him a motor (an old dog for sure but hey!) and he wenbt round to chat to the guys doing it.
2/ Nicoles Polo kacked a coil yesterday afternoon. She comes home and says the "Helicopter" light is on and it sounds funny. Phone up local garage (changing the coils without a tool is a pita on the 1.4 polo lump) at 6 in the evening, leave a message on the voicemail, get phone call 30 mins later saying "Bring it round at 8 in the morning"
Drop it round, and I say "Throw some plugs in while you have the packs off"
Three hours later get phone call to collect fixed car. 28 quid for no 4 coil, 23 quid for plugs, 50 quid labour plus VAT.
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That's pretty good going I'd say.
How are the coil packs held in, 1 screw is it?
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>> That's pretty good going I'd say.
>> How are the coil packs held in, 1 screw is it?
Plastic rail and clips, you need to squeeze in the clips and use a tool to pull them from the rail at the same time. Its a 4 handed job without the proper tool.
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sounds like an odd arrangement, not a drama I suppose is it was so cheap to sort.
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Good business practice from both of them if you ask me.
Local garage now in your mind as efficient, cost effective and don't pull your pants down, you'll be back and he'll be staying in business.
Very impressed with the dealer who sold your lads car though, you read so many stories of sharks in the used car game...fancy posting the name of the selling garage at some point?.
Suggest you do the lottery this week, PM me the numbers if you don't mind..;)
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 14:18
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Good people, there are a few left.Love to win the lottery spoil the kids we can live in hope.
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>> Good business practice from both of them if you ask me.
>>
>> Local garage now in your mind as efficient, cost effective and don't pull your pants
>> down, you'll be back and he'll be staying in business.
>>
>> Very impressed with the dealer who sold your lads car though, you read so many
>> stories of sharks in the used car game...fancy posting the name of the selling garage
>> at some point?.
When its had time to bed in and I have had time to look at the workmanship. Its a hell of a job, front of car off, subframe out. But yes I was expecting to have to raise a claim in the small claims court.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 14:46
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>> Local garage now in your mind as efficient, cost effective and don't pull your pants
>> down, you'll be back and he'll be staying in business.
Its my fall back garage, its the one I took Nicoles fiesta to years ago when I broke off one of the rusted in Spark plugs......
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That Saab is that the vectra underneath with a Fiat engine?
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Yes thats the one.
Update, new engine, FAILED - gone back with oil pressure problems. Now I know you might say "sounds like the new lump is the old lump" But laddo saw old and new engine side by side out of the car. They say they will stick another one in.
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 15:27
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Strongly suggest if they get it going, he sells it asap. It'll never be right.
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Same advice already given.
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The awkwardness of Saabs has always put me off them, but the same can be said for many FWD cars, one of many reasons for my preference for RWD.
Things were so much simpler years ago weren't they, it wasn't a difficult job to jerry wire a free standing engine and fire the thing up before going to all the trouble of fitting it only to find its nackered.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 30 Nov 12 at 16:52
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Good garages do exist, but they are like gold dust. The boss, the main man, is crucial: has to be pretty well organised and equipped, not stupidly greedy and not given to covering the punter in bull excrement while working out what the market will bear. I have two, one in London and one here. Can't believe my luck...
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>> Good garages do exist, but they are like gold dust.
Of all the many garages I've been to only one has been bad, and it was one of those back street independent places.
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Another "new" engine fitted, - back on the road. Laddo says they have done a good job and its running well. Time will tell.
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Can't knock 'em, fair enough they're not going to stump up for a full recon unit, but they seem to be doing their best to sort the job out, hope the dealer prepping SWMBO's Mitsi behaves similarly should something go wrong, as you say only time will tell.
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>> Update, new engine, FAILED - gone back with oil pressure problems.
Blimey! That was quick.
One hour eighteen minutes ago it was all sounding like good news.
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>> Yes thats the one.
>>
>> Update, new engine, FAILED - gone back with oil pressure problems. Now I know you
>> might say "sounds like the new lump is the old lump" But laddo saw old
>> and new engine side by side out of the car. They say they will stick
>> another one in.
The sump must be dropped and oil pick up,strainer and sump cleaned out on these 95's when purchased unless the history is well known. They are prone to blocking their strainers and because many don't get regular oil changes it exacerbates the problem. Oil must be fully synthetic. This is one of the most important issues on this engine. If this is done they can run up big mileages.
Shame really - at least the garage seems to be holding up their end of the deal.
Last edited by: corax on Sat 1 Dec 12 at 10:52
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Yup, my mate's 2002 9-5 2.0t lunched its engine last year due to a blocked strainer on the sump pickup. Fitted a good secondhand engine and it's been fine ever since.
Guy who towed it in reckons he sees a couple of Saab engine failures a month on average.
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Good garages? they exist - sooty123
