An unusual Monday morning version of EnG snippets brought to you by the Columbus Day holiday here in the United States. Inside, I demonstrate the value of a TS T-shirt, I talk about specific model quirks (with a bonus from the previous owner of my 9-5) and we go green.

First up, the model quirks. Assuming that most of us enjoy some time actually working on our cars, I offer this mini rant on our collective behalf:

What are automotive OEMs thinking when they make these cars??

I’ll fill you in on the details that lead me to this exclamation:

- Did you know that it takes no fewer than three different tools to remove a 1999 9-5 headlight? A Phillips-head screwdriver (two different sizes, but who’s counting?), the medium-sized Torx (I think that it’s a 20) and a 10 mm socket or nutdriver! That’s not counting what ever you plan to use to pry that silly plastic anchor/screw combination out of the grille slot. I’m completely at a loss. If you can fill me in, I’m in your debt.

Here’s where the bonus from the previous owner comes in: during this episode of my recurring game of mechanical hide-and-seek for that critical fastener or bushing that I’ve dropped or bumped into the engine compartment or dash opening, etc. I found a Craftsman 7mm box wrench on the skid plate/air dam under the front end of the 9-5! Bonus!

- Last week, I looked at a 1990 900 Turbo Convertible that I found on Craigslist. I planned to use it for parts, but, after looking at it, I decided that it needed many of the same parts that mine did. My thoughts then turned to restoring it because it’s a lot better off rust-wise than mine is. I kept coming back to the same roadblock: to work on the transmission, you’ve got to take the whole darned thing apart. There is no way around this. My friends, this is the price we 900/99 aficionados pay to play: the transmissions aren’t particularly delicate, but when they go they cost a bundle to fix because you’ve got to remove the engine and transmission as a single piece to work on them. In this case, the car needs a head gasket, but the owner doesn’t know that the auto tranny is about to go, too. I know this only because he described the “way the car acted” before the head gasket blew. Suffice it to say that his transmission was slipping. I would put a 5-speed in, naturally, but it would take forever and lots of money. Too much. (Please don’t regale me with the “you can do it without removing the engine you just have to jack up the engine three inches and then you wiggle it out, etc. I’ve known one person that says he’s done just that and he swears that he’ll never do it that way again — it takes longer and accomplishes less.)

- Because I replaced my 9-5 stereo with an aftermarket unit without disconnecting the battery first (I should have, I know), I now have to take the darn thing to the shop for a reset of the airbag warning light. It’s a known issue — work on the 9-5 (and maybe others) electrical systems without disconnecting the battery and the airbag warning will come on. What a pain! This has not reset over the past four months or so (one person advised me that it would go away in 10 or 15 start/run cycles) and it certainly can’t be reset by a simple ODBII reader/reset tool. This is a job for the GM/Saab programming system only. Could this be avoided?

Rant over.

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To see that the TS T-shirt brings success in all endeavors of life, see here.

For your very own TrollhattanSaab gear, click here. I heartily recommend it. Ivan’s done a great job with these, take advantage, Christmas is just around the corner!

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Going green. I’ve seen myriad shots on Flickr lately of green Saabs that really appeal to me. Most of them are the old-school Saabs in Europe where green is obviously a more popular color than here in the United States. Personally, I really like the Malachite Green available on the C900, and there’s one here to show what I’m referring to…

A retro pic from Belle’sDaddy, a brand-new 1980 Saab 900 in Malachite Green.

A magnificent old 96 in green from Hans Viveen:

Of course the obligatory Saab 92 in green from Jeff:

Finally, from regular reader Al_Aero comes this beautiful Abbott 9-5 in a great shade of green. This is the one that inspired this little gallery. I would certainly favor this color for my 9-5 because it not only looks great on the car, but it is unique as well. Kudos to the owner. Well done.