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To all Saab 9000-ers

I'd like to share my experience with you. I have always thought SAABs were
the best and I believed that they were made using the most sophisticated
methods of manufacturing and the most stringent quality inspection.

Well, judge for yourself:

I bought my SAAB 9000CS in Göteborg. It was new. Every 20.000 km I had it
checked and always only by authorized SAAB garages in the Netherlands and
in Germany. I drove almost all its mileage long-distance with speeds
between 100 - 160 km/h on smooth motor-ways in Germany and in Netherlands
and I can say I have taken a good care of my car.

Therefore, I was shocked when one day, driving on a motor way in Germany,
suddenly at a speed of approx. 160 km/h within a few hundred meters a
terrible metallic noise developed in the engine. I stopped the car
immediately, called the nearest SAAB service and had my car towed for an
inspection. The crankshaft and its bearing failed. Just a day before I had
my car serviced at a SAAB garage in Rotterdam.

Once the defective engine of my car had been disassembled I had the
crankshaft inspected to find the reason of this premature failure. And
indeed...! Major grinding burns(*) were revealed on the journals. With
this type of a defect it is surprising that my car lasted three years and
as much as 160.000 km.

The garage and the lab that inspected my crankshaft explained it was
evident that this failure of the engine in my car was clearly a result of a
serious fault in manufacturing. With this ruling I contacted the customer
department of SAAB in Trolhatan.

And then, here comes the major reason for my disappointment. Ms. Johnson,
responsible for all customer contacts, bluntly pointed out to me that my
car was by then three years old and thus out of the warranty. She did not
think SAAB could account for a car as old as three years !!! One year
guarantee was long enough and if after this it should appear that the car
and the engine were put together by glue and paper clips it was all at the
buyers risk.

So, I had the engine fixed. Had to pay a fortune, almost a price of a new
engine.
Now I am desperately looking for a buyer for my car. I want to get rid of
it and get something reliable. I'm contemplating a Volvo. Meanwhile I have
learned that Volvo uses a state of the art inspection method to inspect all
critical engine components for manufacturing defects such as grinding
burns(*).

So, how are your SAABs doing? Have you had any similar experiences? Please
let me know.

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(*) A grinding burn is what happens to an engine part during surface
finishing i.e. grinding if the part is allowed to overheat. Just like when
you sharpen a knife and press it too hard against a grinding wheel. You'll
see it turn red hot and right in that place the knife will lose its
hardness, so vital for its endurance.

All of the information on these pages is to my knowledge either an accurate summary of events and facts or is my opinion. It doesn't represent the views of Saab (urgh), my Internet service provider, or anyone else.