Damn you, UKSaabs classifieds!! 99t buys another £350 Saab!!
Discussion
99t said:
A 230 mile round trip was completed at the weekend without incident, four up and very comfortable. Mainly motorway and returned 35mpg at a nice steady seventy and a bit!
The MOT is due mid-November but my insurance is due at the end of October, so I plan to put it in for an early test later this month, just to check that the jobs I think need doing aren't the tip of a huge rustberg.
A pass would, of course, be a bonus, but I would be genuinely surprised.
I've mentioned previously that the suspension is feeling rather tired. The front in particular seems to have worsened the last month or so, probably due to my enthusiastic cornering style combined with some pretty shocking surfaces on my commute. I fully expect a moderate fail on a handful of semi-consumable items (to include but certainly not limited to bushes, brake hoses etc.) Also the front tyres are pretty much on the wear indicators now (and the wheels are desperate for a refurb) so probably add those to the fail list.
Assuming an "acceptable" fail is obtained, I'll revert back to my trusty Octavia for estate duties when I renew my insurance - might as well save on admin fees by not having to change vehicles a couple of weeks into the new policy and put that money towards parts instead!
This will then give me the opportunity to drop the front and rear suspension (and probably the subframe) on the 9-5 and replace / re-bush as necessary. Plus do any other bits the MOT has unearthed. I have the space to do this in the barn so at least I can undertake the work under cover and in a methodical and relaxed (read as leisurely) manner once it is SORN and out of Mrs 99t's eyeline!
Of course, should it fail comprehensively and catastrophically, then I'll have to have a re-think about the car's future, but hopefully that won't be a bridge I'll need to cross just yet...
99t said:
A pass would, of course, be a bonus, but I would be genuinely surprised.
Well f
k me!!
Asked the garage to make a list of non-mot items they spotted whilst underneath, which they did - nothing too terrible, a small coolant leak in the region of the thermostat, a couple of slightly crusty areas around drain plugs on the floorpan, rear washer not working, dampness on a PAS cooler line and a couple of others I've forgotten until I collect the car and see the list.
Overall a decent result so I'll move forward with my plan of SORNing at the end of the month and renewing the suspension front and rear as necessary.
Question is, do I treat it to the Eibach / Bilstein springs and dampers...???
This may be me, right now, contemplating possible upgrades...
Edited by 99t on Tuesday 7th November 13:31
I certainly don't feel as though I was ripped off! 
I think it's fair to assume that with a fresh ticket it is still worth what I paid for it, so the cost of maintenance only over the first 2,000 miles is:-
Fuel pump seal £4.90
Bit of epoxy resin (from tube already on the shelf) say £1.00
Bulb for brake light (from spares collection) say £1.00
MOT £36.00
Total £42.90 or approx 2p per mile!!
I suspect 2p / mile will be a difficult figure to beat once I start spending, but I will update it periodically regardless.
(Of course add in petrol, tax and insurance and the real world cost is more like 25p per mile.)
I think it's fair to assume that with a fresh ticket it is still worth what I paid for it, so the cost of maintenance only over the first 2,000 miles is:-
Fuel pump seal £4.90
Bit of epoxy resin (from tube already on the shelf) say £1.00
Bulb for brake light (from spares collection) say £1.00
MOT £36.00
Total £42.90 or approx 2p per mile!!
I suspect 2p / mile will be a difficult figure to beat once I start spending, but I will update it periodically regardless.
(Of course add in petrol, tax and insurance and the real world cost is more like 25p per mile.)
Started having a look at some of the non-mot notes the garage made last week.
Rear washer is of a design where the screenwash passes through the spindle of the wiper motor before being directed through ninety degrees and split into two jets (firing parallel to the rear wiper) by the plastic cap over the wiper arm locknut. Common for the motor spindle to corrode internally with small flakes of corrosion then blocking the jets.
With the cap lifted, screenwash should be fired straight out of the spindle but not so much as a drop. Used a thin but fairly long Allen key to probe inside the spindle and felt the rusty blockage yield. Was then able to fire (an initially very orange) jet of screenwash out of the back.
Needless to say the cap and jets were completely clogged too, took some time using fine wires and compressed air as the jets are absolutely tiny, but cleared then eventually. Success for now, not sure how long they'll stay clear.
Next up the coolant leak. The level has moved by perhaps 5mm in 2000 miles, but sure enough..
It's in the vicinity of the thermostat housing so hopefully a simple enough fix. I'll order a thermostat and replace it anyway as it is running slightly cool in free-moving traffic (approx ten degrees too cool per Scanguage) and that's only going to worsen as the weather gets colder.
I'll investigate the rusty drain holes better when I jack the car up to do the suspension, but on shoving my phone under the car I initially thought they don't look too bad
Then I moved the phone forward, ok riiight...
Underseal looks bubbly for quite a way from the drain, I sense a bit of welding coming on. Mostly though the underside was described as very clean for its age and mileage so worth sorting any issues now.
PAS pipe dampness query, I couldn't see anything from above so will revisit when I'm underneath.
Finally, come the dark and frosty winter mornings, one's gentleman's region doesn't want to be super-cooled in error. All of the bulbs in the heat / vent switches had failed, so replaced with suitable LEDs (of the same wattage as the bulbs, allegedly).
Bit of a fiddly job as there are two bulbs per switch, one for the symbol and one for the indicator on the rotary switch. Getting the LEDs seated (and with the correct polarity) involved a combination of guesswork, thin screwdrivers and blu-tack!
Unfortunately, the symbols are now super-bright, although the indicator lines are acceptable. Even though they are low enough down in the dash not to be too distracting, for the sake of my OCD I think I'll have to see if I can find a way to dim the LEDs output slightly.
The original bulbs were fitted with green rubbery caps so maybe see if I can find a way to glue those over the LEDs..?
Rear washer is of a design where the screenwash passes through the spindle of the wiper motor before being directed through ninety degrees and split into two jets (firing parallel to the rear wiper) by the plastic cap over the wiper arm locknut. Common for the motor spindle to corrode internally with small flakes of corrosion then blocking the jets.
With the cap lifted, screenwash should be fired straight out of the spindle but not so much as a drop. Used a thin but fairly long Allen key to probe inside the spindle and felt the rusty blockage yield. Was then able to fire (an initially very orange) jet of screenwash out of the back.
Needless to say the cap and jets were completely clogged too, took some time using fine wires and compressed air as the jets are absolutely tiny, but cleared then eventually. Success for now, not sure how long they'll stay clear.
Next up the coolant leak. The level has moved by perhaps 5mm in 2000 miles, but sure enough..
It's in the vicinity of the thermostat housing so hopefully a simple enough fix. I'll order a thermostat and replace it anyway as it is running slightly cool in free-moving traffic (approx ten degrees too cool per Scanguage) and that's only going to worsen as the weather gets colder.
I'll investigate the rusty drain holes better when I jack the car up to do the suspension, but on shoving my phone under the car I initially thought they don't look too bad
Then I moved the phone forward, ok riiight...
Underseal looks bubbly for quite a way from the drain, I sense a bit of welding coming on. Mostly though the underside was described as very clean for its age and mileage so worth sorting any issues now.
PAS pipe dampness query, I couldn't see anything from above so will revisit when I'm underneath.
Finally, come the dark and frosty winter mornings, one's gentleman's region doesn't want to be super-cooled in error. All of the bulbs in the heat / vent switches had failed, so replaced with suitable LEDs (of the same wattage as the bulbs, allegedly).
Bit of a fiddly job as there are two bulbs per switch, one for the symbol and one for the indicator on the rotary switch. Getting the LEDs seated (and with the correct polarity) involved a combination of guesswork, thin screwdrivers and blu-tack!
Unfortunately, the symbols are now super-bright, although the indicator lines are acceptable. Even though they are low enough down in the dash not to be too distracting, for the sake of my OCD I think I'll have to see if I can find a way to dim the LEDs output slightly.
The original bulbs were fitted with green rubbery caps so maybe see if I can find a way to glue those over the LEDs..?
markirl said:
As LEDs are more efficient, fitting the same wattage will result in much brighter LEDs.
Apologies, lazy choice of wording on my part. The LEDs are rated at 0.2W and the original bulbs were (I believe) 1.2W, the LEDs were simply sold as appropriate replacements for the incandescent bulbs but no rating in terms of light output was provided.
That said, the LEDs were dirt cheap compared to the cost of proper replacement bulbs so if I can find a way to tame them a little I'll be happy.
Cheers!
Since this is primarily a comfy commuter, I'll probably go for standard replacements in the main, only exception would be applications where the standard item has a reputation for failing quickly and where going poly isn't going to add significant noise or vibration.
Once the suspension is off, I'll decide whether the springs and dampers need replacing, and if so whether to splurge on an upgrade. It doesn't feel especially floaty so if I can re-use them I should. We'll see what the strip down reveals...
That said, I've just had an unexpected little windfall at work which would just cover a set of Eibach and Billies so the temptation is there!!
Since this is primarily a comfy commuter, I'll probably go for standard replacements in the main, only exception would be applications where the standard item has a reputation for failing quickly and where going poly isn't going to add significant noise or vibration.
Once the suspension is off, I'll decide whether the springs and dampers need replacing, and if so whether to splurge on an upgrade. It doesn't feel especially floaty so if I can re-use them I should. We'll see what the strip down reveals...
That said, I've just had an unexpected little windfall at work which would just cover a set of Eibach and Billies so the temptation is there!!
Any way to get a resistor in line with the LED? Should work in the connecting cable...may be worth experimenting.
https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/219
https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/219
99t said:
.....LEDs are rated at 0.2W and the original bulbs were (I believe) 1.2W, the LEDs were simply sold as appropriate replacements for the incandescent bulbs but no rating in terms of light output was provided.
That said, the LEDs were dirt cheap compared to the cost of proper replacement bulbs so if I can find a way to tame them a little I'll be happy.
This earlier thread might be of use....That said, the LEDs were dirt cheap compared to the cost of proper replacement bulbs so if I can find a way to tame them a little I'll be happy.
Love the ambition, but you'd have to be completely mental to consider putting anything other than the cheapest suspension components on this when doing the refresh.
Nobody (apart from the person selling the components) benefits from you doubling the car's value by fitting a bunch of unnecessary kit.
Nobody (apart from the person selling the components) benefits from you doubling the car's value by fitting a bunch of unnecessary kit.
Possibly. I guess it all depends upon factors that can't be predicted with any great accuracy.
I could spend a thousand pounds plus making good the suspension with decent components and then get several years use out of the car with nothing more than basic maintenance and consumables. At which point it would feel like money well spent.
Alternatively I could spend the money and then have the turbo and gearbox st themselves catastophically the next day. Which would be mildly irritating.
Of course, in the worst case scenario, the good bits I bought would transfer to another example if needed.
I could spend a thousand pounds plus making good the suspension with decent components and then get several years use out of the car with nothing more than basic maintenance and consumables. At which point it would feel like money well spent.
Alternatively I could spend the money and then have the turbo and gearbox s
t themselves catastophically the next day. Which would be mildly irritating.Of course, in the worst case scenario, the good bits I bought would transfer to another example if needed.
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