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Car Forum / Saab Cars / March 2008New owner - first questions
Hi, I just bought my first Saab - '08 9-3 2.0 sedan (auto, although I'd prefer manual). Love the handling, interior space (size considered) and the workmanship, for most part, seems very good (a bit too much of plain black plastic in the middle of dashboard, looks cheap compared to the rest of the interior, although to be fair still fairly tasteful and not ugly). A few questions, though, to the people having more experience with the brand: - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about oil change in Saab - the dealer sounded as if it absolutely had to be done by a mechanic. Changing the oil filter, draining old oil & pouring new synthetic oil shouldn't be any different from any other car, IMHO. For me, at least, doing this at home is much more convenient. - the break-in period of 5K seem a bit high ? I'm going to stick with it just to be safe, but isn't it usually 1.5-2 K ? - It appears that both 12v plugs are turned off when the key is removed, now this is different - every other car I ever owned kept them powered, allowing e.g. cell phones to be charged in the car overnight. Am I missing something ? I found no reference to it anywhere in the owners manual. Also, am I the only one put off by the sound quality of base audio system ? It seems severely lacking in high-frequency and rather wooden in low. How much of money / hassle is it to replace it with a better aftermarket system ? (not top of the line, just something with better sound quality). Any tips specific to this car would be appreciated, too. Thanks ! >- the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested >every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >car, IMHO. For me, at least, doing this at home is much more >convenient. I don't think you have to have a mechanic do it if you can follow the same routine. I mean, an oil change is an oil change. So long as you can do the inspections and everything yourself I a sure you'll be fine. However, make sure to use a good oil. Also, there are mechanics around who can do it for you that are not associated with a dealer. You might also consider just letting them do the service for you when it comes around to the intervals, since your car should come with a few of the oil changes as part of the maintainence of the car early on. >- It appears that both 12v plugs are turned off when the key is >removed, now this is different - every other car I ever owned kept >them powered, allowing e.g. cell phones to be charged in the car >overnight. Am I missing something ? I found no reference to it >anywhere in the owners manual. This isn't necessarily unusual. I don't think it works that way for my 9-3 either. However, you can check fuses and such if the thing is not working at all. There should also be a hidden one around that may go on without stopping, but this isn't generally a very good practice. >Also, am I the only one put off by the sound quality of base audio >system ? It seems severely lacking in high-frequency and rather wooden >in low. How much of money / hassle is it to replace it with a better >aftermarket system ? (not top of the line, just something with better >sound quality). Sound systems are not known to be really great in a Saab. ;-) I'm sure you can find all sorts of information about how to up the quality of your speakers. ;-) I'd love to hear what you think of it! Is this your first Saab? What was your previous car?  SignatureAaron Hsu <arcfide@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcfide@jabber.org ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat Thanks for reply ! > I don't think you have to have a mechanic do it if you can follow the > same routine. I mean, an oil change is an oil change. So long as you can [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > around to the intervals, since your car should come with a few of the > oil changes as part of the maintainence of the car early on. To me it's not as much the matter of cost as convenience, I can change oil in 30 min when _I_ have time. > This isn't necessarily unusual. I don't think it works that way for my > 9-3 either. However, you can check fuses and such if the thing is not > working at all. There should also be a hidden one around that may go on > without stopping, but this isn't generally a very good practice. I guess I'll play some more with it. > Sound systems are not known to be really great in a Saab. ;-) I'm sure > you can find all sorts of information about how to up the quality of > your speakers. ;-) > > I'd love to hear what you think of it! Is this your first Saab? What was > your previous car? I had a Taurus, for 10 years. Before that, I had a Mitsubishi Galant with a stick shift (not much fun to drive), a Camry, Pontiac Bonneville etc. Also have a Chevy Tahoe, wife / family car, that's also fun to drive but in different terms. > -- > Aaron Hsu <arcf...@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcf...@jabber.org > ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to > live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > and not ugly). A few questions, though, to the people having more > experience with the brand: Just wondering why you bought an auto in a new car when you say you prefer manual? Manual used to be fairly available in SAABs, especially the 9-3 as opposed to the 9-5. Has this changed? I hate auto. > - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested > every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > car, IMHO. For me, at least, doing this at home is much more > convenient. For the warranty, I would have the 10,000 mile oil changes documented. And, yes, they might be free of charge with your maintence. However, I would recommend at least 5,000 mile intervals if not 3,300 mile intervals. Use a good synthetic oil and do the changes yourself or at an independent for the in-between changes. These newer engines are not as bulletproof as the older classic 900 and 9000 engines. > - the break-in period of 5K seem a bit high ? I'm going to stick with > it just to be safe, but isn't it usually 1.5-2 K ? I dunno. Last time I bought a brand new car (SAAB) was in 1969 and it was 500 miles as I recall. > - It appears that both 12v plugs are turned off when the key is > removed, now this is different - every other car I ever owned kept > them powered, allowing e.g. cell phones to be charged in the car > overnight. Am I missing something ? I found no reference to it > anywhere in the owners manual. In my 99 Cherokee, only one is turned off with the key - the cig lighter. I haven't checked my 01 9-5's yet. This is common for radar detectors, for instance. > Also, am I the only one put off by the sound quality of base audio > system ? It seems severely lacking in high-frequency and rather wooden > in low. How much of money / hassle is it to replace it with a better > aftermarket system ? (not top of the line, just something with better > sound quality). I have outgrown my audiophile stage about a decade ago, so I have no comment here. > Any tips specific to this car would be appreciated, too. > > Thanks ! Good luck! Charles Thanks for reply ! > Just wondering why you bought an auto in a new car when you say you > prefer manual? Manual used to be fairly available in SAABs, especially > the 9-3 as opposed to the 9-5. Has this changed? I hate auto. No, stick is readily available and costs less. But my wife doesn't drive manual, and when you have small kids it's imperative that either of you can drive any car at any time. > > - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested > > every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > > Charles >Thanks for reply ! >> >> Just wondering why you bought an auto in a new car when you say you >> prefer manual? Manual used to be fairly available in SAABs, especially >> the 9-3 as opposed to the 9-5. Has this changed? I hate auto. >No, stick is readily available and costs less. But my wife doesn't >drive manual, and when you have small kids it's imperative that either >of you can drive any car at any time. I guess she is not inclined to learn how to drive a stick, eh? I think the kids would get a kick out of Mommy trying to get the stick working. ;-) Hehe. I know my friends tell me fun stories about watching their parents drive stick. SignatureAaron Hsu <arcfide@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcfide@jabber.org ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat > Thanks for reply ! > > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > drive manual, and when you have small kids it's imperative that either > of you can drive any car at any time. My wife is Irish but raised in England. She doesn't know how to drive an auto. And I don't plan to teach her! Charles -000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000n Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:21:08 -0700 (PDT), Passerby <egroy@mailexcite.com> wrote: >Hi, >- the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested >every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >car, IMHO. For me, at least, doing this at home is much more >convenient. Change every 5K, use full synthetic. The dealer is full of $hit. Change it yourself. Be sure to keep receipts for oil and filter. Best place to get filters is www.eeuroparts.com - order a bunch at get them with no shipping (USA). >- the break-in period of 5K seem a bit high ? I'm going to stick with >it just to be safe, but isn't it usually 1.5-2 K ? Is that in the manual? They actually don't use a break in oil anymore as far as I know so it can go for a while on the original. I think this is just a "half period" considering the recommended 10K standard interval (that no one in the USA runs with). I would change at 2.5K at the most. still just me (still just me <wheeledBobNOSPAM@yahoo.com>) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: >>- the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested >>every 5K, what do you think ? Also, is there anything special about oil >>change in Saab - the dealer sounded as if it absolutely had to be done >>by a mechanic. Changing the oil filter, draining old oil & pouring new >>synthetic oil shouldn't be any different from any other car, IMHO. For >>me, at least, doing this at home is much more convenient. > Change every 5K, use full synthetic. >>- the break-in period of 5K seem a bit high ? I'm going to stick with it >>just to be safe, but isn't it usually 1.5-2 K ? > Is that in the manual? They actually don't use a break in oil anymore as > far as I know so it can go for a while on the original. I think this is > just a "half period" considering the recommended 10K standard interval > (that no one in the USA runs with). I would change at 2.5K at the most. First oil change on a brand new 9-3 run to the manufacturer's service schedule here would be 18,000 miles. > First oil change on a brand new 9-3 run to the manufacturer's service > schedule here would be 18,000 miles. Americansa re weird when it comes to oil. They've been using 'dino oil' so long the message about synthetics doesn't seem to have got through. Synthetic oil has NOTHING in common with mineral oil (and its wear-out mechanisms) WHATEVER. It's an 'engineered lubricant' with phenomenally improved performance. Graham Eeyore (Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com>) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: >> First oil change on a brand new 9-3 run to the manufacturer's service >> schedule here would be 18,000 miles. > > Americansa re weird when it comes to oil. They've been using 'dino oil' > so long the message about synthetics doesn't seem to have got through. Even then, they're still ridiculously anal. Yes, 18k is stupidly over- long, but 10k's perfectly fine. > Eeyore (Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com>) gurgled happily, > sounding much like they were saying: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Even then, they're still ridiculously anal. Yes, 18k is stupidly over- > long, but 10k's perfectly fine. Agreed. I'd not really be happy with 18k myself either. At least not if you want the full benefits of synthetics over mineral oil. Graham >> First oil change on a brand new 9-3 run to the manufacturer's service >> schedule here would be 18,000 miles. >Americansa re weird when it comes to oil. They've been using 'dino oil' so >long the message about synthetics doesn't seem to have got through. I think they tend to either not believe it or just think they are different. Many of them don't even see the color of the oil when they service the vehicle, so they wouldn't realize the condition it is in when they change it. If they did, they might feel better. SignatureAaron Hsu <arcfide@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcfide@jabber.org ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat >I think they tend to either not believe it or just think they are >different. Many of them don't even see the color of the oil when they >service the vehicle, so they wouldn't realize the condition it is in >when they change it. If they did, they might feel better. First, you can't tell anything about oil by the color or feel, except perhaps that it's brand new when it's translucent. After that, color is not important. The only thing that matters with oil is the condition and containment level. If you want to follow some people who follow contaminant levels in some oils very closely over time (lab tests), check out http://bobistheoilguy.com. Some folks there do have remarkably good experience with long term use of synthetics, although most change filters every 5K or so. But, those people also test their oil and watch it. Me, I figure it's pretty cheap insurance to change it every 5K and just not worry about it. I sleep better at night knowing there's nice clean oil in there at all times. As a footnote... anyone wonder why the price of synthetic oil continues to rise while dino oil rises? There's no petroleum in Mobil-1, but it still goes up. It couldn't be the oil companies screwing us, could it? > >I think they tend to either not believe it or just think they are > >different. Many of them don't even see the color of the oil when they [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Mobil-1, but it still goes up. It couldn't be the oil companies > screwing us, could it? It's called capitalism. I never fail to be amazed how Americans dislike it. I expect the raw materials for synthetics are oil derived as many chemicals are. Graham Eeyore (Eeyore <rabbitsfriendsandrelations@hotmail.com>) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: >> As a footnote... anyone wonder why the price of synthetic oil continues >> to rise while dino oil rises? There's no petroleum in Mobil-1, but it >> still goes up. It couldn't be the oil companies screwing us, could it? > It's called capitalism. I never fail to be amazed how Americans dislike > it. > > I expect the raw materials for synthetics are oil derived as many > chemicals are. Even if they aren't, I would suspect that the production and distribution costs probably haven't fallen. >>> As a footnote... anyone wonder why the price of synthetic oil continues >>> to rise while dino oil rises? There's no petroleum in Mobil-1, but it >>> still goes up. It couldn't be the oil companies screwing us, could it? > >> It's called capitalism. I never fail to be amazed how Americans dislike >> it. I've got no problems with capitalism. However, I do have issues with gouging your customers. Exxon/Mobil make $40b >> I expect the raw materials for synthetics are oil derived as many >> chemicals are. Not mobil-1. Castrol is dyno-based. >Even if they aren't, I would suspect that the production and distribution >costs probably haven't fallen. Those increases don't account for the rise in price. > >>> As a footnote... anyone wonder why the price of synthetic oil continues > >>> to rise while dino oil rises? There's no petroleum in Mobil-1, but it [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I've got no problems with capitalism. However, I do have issues with > gouging your customers. Exxon/Mobil make $40b At around 10% of turnover. That's good for sure but I expect you'd still whine if it was 10bn. Graham >> I've got no problems with capitalism. However, I do have issues with >> gouging your customers. Exxon/Mobil make $40b [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Graham $10b might be reasonable. $40b is gouging. >-000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000n >Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:21:08 -0700 (PDT), Passerby <egroy@mailexcite.com> >wrote: >>- the break-in period of 5K seem a bit high ? I'm going to stick with >>it just to be safe, but isn't it usually 1.5-2 K ? >Is that in the manual? They actually don't use a break in oil anymore >as far as I know so it can go for a while on the original. I think >this is just a "half period" considering the recommended 10K standard >interval (that no one in the USA runs with). I would change at 2.5K at >the most. My manual (a different model) did give a break-in period that suggested that the motor oil should be changed after the break-in period. SignatureAaron Hsu <arcfide@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcfide@jabber.org ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat > - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested > every 5K, what do you think ? Replacing good quality SYNTHETIC oil every 5000 mi is INSANE. It's simply a waste of money and resources down the drain. 10 k is just fine. The oil will easily be good for 15k in fact. Graham >> - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested >> every 5K, what do you think ? >Replacing good quality SYNTHETIC oil every 5000 mi is INSANE. It's simply >a waste of money and resources down the drain. 10 k is just fine. The oil >will easily be good for 15k in fact. I think that very much depends on your driving style and conditions. According to the manual, the automatic interval monitor should be somewhere between 7,500 and 15,000 for a change. SignatureAaron Hsu <arcfide@sacrideo.us> | Jabber: arcfide@jabber.org ``Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.'' - Frederic Bastiat > > - the manual says oil change every 10K miles, the dealership suggested > > every 5K, what do you think ? > > Replacing good quality SYNTHETIC oil every 5000 mi is INSANE. It's simply > a waste of money and resources down the drain. 10 k is just fine. The oil > will easily be good for 15k in fact. But cost a lot less than petrol used for 5000 Miles (UK). Hopefully not poured down the drain; take it to the local recycling centre.
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