Konitrasting stories

Posted on December 28, 2006 by swade

As regular visitors to this site would be aware, my Saab 9-3 Viggen is currently out of action due to a burst left front shock absorber.

Earlier this year I got a set of Koni adjustable shocks for the rear, which have been fantastic. The ‘soft’ setting is like riding a normal set of OEM shocks and it just gets firmer from there. Depending on what you need you can go from Elton John to Yngwie Malmsteen with the simple twist of a dial.

I want to match the fronts with the Konis in the rear.

Abbott Motorsport say I can get some.

Genuine Saab say I can get some.

However, Koni themselves say I can’t and Elkparts’ dampers page seems to agree. I spoke with Koni’s distributor here in Australia today and they say that because the Aero and the Viggen are lowered there’s not enough travel for the damper and they’ve had too many warranty claims. He says they’ve had quite a few discussions with an Abbott distributor here in Australia about the issue and the number of claims (about 5 or so) has led them to stating that the 9-3 sport shocks in their online catalogue are NOT suitable for the Aero and Viggen.

So who’s right? The aftermarket guys selling Konis against Koni’s own advice – or the Koni distributor looking to minimise his exposure.

Your experience will be welcome. If I can’t source some reasonably priced Konis I’m thinking of either going with OEMs or Bilsteins, though neither of these have the adjustability.

Saab: Car of the Future?

Posted on December 28, 2006 by swade

Here’s an invitation to put on your thinking caps and maybe your ideas can get a slot on an upcoming PBS documentary about the future of automotive transportation.

I received the following via email from Mark S just prior to Christmas:

I found the following information and thought you might want to make a contribution. PBS is currently producing a Nova program entitled “Car of the future”, and they’ve invited people to make comments/suggestions to help shape the actual production of this program, which is to be aired sometime in late 2007.

I’ve already made some comments about Saab’s SVC engine concept (which mysteriously disappeared after the GM acquisition in 2000-2001). I submitted an overview of the technology, some information about its designer, Per Gilbrand, and suggested it would be interesting to feature this engine as the next logical step in petrol engine design. Who knows….perhaps they will follow the lead! At any rate, Saab MUST get a mention somewhere in this program!

I agree – Saab are deserving of a mention in a program such as this. Saab have a rich history of innovation and the application of technology to bring about a safer and more economical and practically rewarding driving experience.

I’m sure there’s some ideas in the pipeline (or in the dusty back areas) that we could offer up as Saab’s contribution.

Some ideas:

- Saab Variable Compression
- Saab Combustion Control
- BioPower
- Aerodynamics
- Alcokey
- Driver comfort and ergonomics
- Use of recyclable materials

These are just a few off the top of my head. If you can come up with a bunch of others then I can flesh them out and send them in to the producers.

This is an open production and they’re actively encouraging the submission of ideas and themes. Saab themselves should be all over this, though if they don’t want to be seen as a corporate entity pushing an ideology to a program then they’re welcome to do it through the back door via this blog – all information welcome.

Go have a look at the Car of the Future website then get thinking and post your ideas in comments. I’m hoping to put together a well-thought-out and sensible submission that’ll hopefully go some way to getting Saab a spot on this program.

Complaint Snippets

Posted on December 27, 2006 by swade

First complaint:

Well, an apology on my part actually. I apologise for the current banner, which looked OK on the laptop (HP windows machine) but looks downright amateurish on the Mac. It’s 11.47pm as I write this, so I’ll have to fix it in the morning (NOW FIXED – new banner installed).

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Second complaint:

This one isn’t mine, it’s a complaint from Mark S that I received via email and it’s service and quality issues like these that fuel those crappy Consumer Reports surveys I get all uptight about a few times a year.

Hi Swade

Just a little note to let you know my experience within the last 2 weeks of taking delivery of my new 9-3 150bhp diesel Vector Sport Sportwagon last of 06 model year with satnav and 13-speaker stereo).

I have to say up to this point, whilst my father has had Saabs since 1972 (one of the first in N Ireland to have one of the 99s), so I am a life-long saab-ist, albeit this was mt first.

The dealer experience was well below par for what is a £25,000GBP motor. Salesguy was better suited to secondhand Fiats. The worst thing was that when I picked the car up, within an hour I was phoning the dealership to tell them the car was ‘broken!’. I have read about this on What Car and other sites where owners share their experiences – I just thought these were unlucky souls who were unfairly trashing the Saab build quality. Now I know that this is sadly typical of Saab. My car had the engine malfunction light on from picking it up at the showroom and no-one thought anything of it (Didn’t even notice because I was so mesmerised by the thousands other sights on a 9-3′s dash in the dark. It was only when I got out of town and tried to accelerate I discovered the motor was picking up like a dying whale on the shore!

Apparently the engine kicks into limp-home mode upon any engine malfunction, so I had to take my life in my hands and snail home that night. After many calls, the disinterested dealer picked up the motor from my home and returned it that night apparently after changing a coil or something (I’m not technical). Worse still the salesman tells me he thinks there was nothing wrong with the motor and the technicians probably changed the part just to make us all feel happier!!!

Wait til I fill in the post-sale survey on this baby!!!

So, after all that, the window trim on the inside of both rear doors has sagged (this happened to two colleagues as well this year – wouldn’t you think they would check this??). Here’s hoping for a better experience ahead. Meantime thinking seriously would I replace with another in 2 years’ time?

So.

There appears to be two issues here.

One is a product that seems to be having some teething problems (to say the least). When someone spends thousands and thousands of [insert your currency here] they have the right to expect the product to be at a certain level. A car’s a complicated machine and I’m sure most of us can be forgiving of some minor issues as long as they’re fixed properly and promptly.

The second issue seems (to me) to be more serious.

A person’s ability to absorb and forgive some technical issues is going to be influenced quite a lot by the way they’re treated when they raise these issues. If my mechanic were to mock me when I come in, which he’d have plenty of scope to do as I’m a mechanical dimwit, then you can bet your bottom dollar I’d be off quicker than Paris Hilton’s frock.

Truth is, there’s a lot of dealerships out there selling Saabs that don’t necessarily want to be selling Saabs. It’s another legacy from the GM relationship that we’re enduring until the issues settle. The big problem is that it’s creating a lot of long-term problems. Mark says himself that he’s a long-time Saab appreciator with a rich family hstory of Saab ownership. With one dud customer relationship like this one he’s in a position where he’s (quite rightly) assessing what he’ll be looking at in 2 year’s time.

I firmly believe that Saab’s new vehicles are better that what the vocal minority at What Car or Car Survey report. You have a lot more motivation to go to the trouble of writing when there’s issues to report.

But the fact remains that Saab have to be more mindful of their quality issues.

And GM have to continue to train and improve their dealer networks.

Mark, thanks for writing. I love the SportCombi. I think it’s a modern Saab classic and I hope yours works out better in the future than what it has in the beginning. Feel free to direct your dealer to this URL and let him know that his story is out there. Maybe that’ll convince him there’s a world outside his doorstep and the way he treats people actually matters.

900/93 video

Posted on December 27, 2006 by swade

The unofficial NG900 and OG9-3 month commenceth!

OK, this ain’t the best cut video you’ve seen, but it’s a good bunch of photos of some great 900s and 9-3s set as a slideshow.

There’s some ridiculously modified Saabs in this, but mostly it’s a bunch of tastily modded cars. Note again the difference a good set of wheels can make.

Enjoy.

Another Saab Safety story

Posted on December 27, 2006 by swade

I saw this story in my news feeds just before Christmas, but didn’t think too much more of it. A guy in a Honda is said to have had a seizure. He crashed into a Saab and then his car went into the Charles River and he had to be fished out of the freezing water by some bystanders.

I was reminded of this story again today as I received an email from Peter L, and the Saab involved in the crash (a 9-5 as it turns out) belonged to the mother of a friend of his.

The Honda rear-ended the Saab pretty badly, as you can see in the photo. The Saab had a dog in the back (looks like a cocker spaniel!) and of course, the driver in the front. Miraculously neither of them suffered any major injury at all.

No matter how well your car’s designed and built there will be circumstances that it can’t withstand. At least with a Saab in the garage you’ve raised the bar as to how bad those circumstance have to be.

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Oops! I neglected to link up the video. Thanks Edu.

Post-Christmas Snippets

Posted on December 26, 2006 by swade

For those that are interested, I got the following for Christmas:

A Jeremy Clarkson book (can’t remember the title)
A book of “Speeches that changed the world”
A sandwich toaster
A cordless shaver
A Hibiscus (it’s a plant)
Some genuine Belgian chocolate
A new handmade backgammon board (for my wife and I)

Not a bad lot. No Konis for the Viggen, but a good lot of booty nonetheless.

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Eggs-n-Grits got a Stanley socket set, some CD’s and a Saab wristwatch.

Feel free to leave mention of your notable presents in comments.

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We had an unofficial 9-5 month in November/December.

I now declare the next few weeks to be the unofficial NG900 and OG9-3 month. Good quality photos from proud NG900 and old-gen 9-3 owners are welcome.

My tip for owners of these cars that want to make them look special. Get some wheels. I’ve seen several NG900′s here in Hobart that look fantastic and there’s no body kit on them or anything, just a good set of aftermarket alloys. The standard wheels are a little plain, but a nice set of 16″ or 17″ five spokes (or similar) can really set the car off.

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I wrote a few weeks ago about a Saab dealer in Baltimore that has hooked up with women’s automotive website, Askpatty.com

If you’re wondering about the need for such an initiative, consider the following:

Women purchase more than 52 percent of all new vehicles.

Women influence more than 85 percent of all automotive sales in U.S. households.

Women spend $300 billion annually on used-car sales, maintenance, repairs and service.

Getting in on this askpatty.com thing sounds like a sensible move to me.

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If anyone’s looking for white gauge faces for a classic 900, Andy Rupert’s been chasing them. It looks like he might be getting some made up and has the contact details for the company here.

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In an amazing turn of events, we actually had snow on Mount Wellington here in Hobart on Christmas Day – in the middle of Summer!

There was a surprising lack of snow in much of Sweden this Christmas. But ctm shot these frosty photos on Christmas morning. It’s not the normal white Christmas they’d expect, but it’s something….