Saab Complaint

What is your intention here, to start a cross-brand flamewar?

Thought you said they were Michelin. Didn't know Saab made tires.

What was the cause of the blowout? Did you have your pressures set properly? Does your car have an alignment problem? Are you trying to solve the problem, or just complain about it?

What is the cause of this atypical problem with your particular car?

OK.

I would? Why would I want to get to your appointment; I'm thinking we wouldn't enjoy each other's company very much.

Dave Hinz

How are blowouts Saab's fault???

Bad luck I think.

Poor baby!

How long did it take you to change a wheel?

Sell it quick.

Which *never* suffer blowouts.

But what has all this to do with Saab? Michelin is a top brand tire. A blow out is a rare but possible risk, possibly caused by prior damage to the tire. Onstar is a communication system that has little to do with the car and is only fitted in some markets.

A comparable Honda Civic? Tell ya what. Pick it out and I'll deliver it and we'll trade. Where are you located?

-klaus

ROTFL!!!

As we all know, Michelin is good at making overpriced and mediocre (at best) tires, but even these should not be blowing out for no reason. My picks would be:

a. improper inflation b. prior damage to the tire (cut or hit sideways causing damage to steel belts inside) c. hitting a pothole with a low-profile tire/large rim.

Finally, 11,000 miles is not "NEW". But, IIRC, even OEM tires have warranty, so talk to the almighty Michelin to give you new tires and cover possible damages to the car IF in fact the reason was none of the above.

People like you do not deserve to drive fine cars like this. Get your Civic already and go cry somewhere else.

Cheers,

Pete

Then you are a fool. What makes you think that expensive cars are more reliable than regular cars? They're not.

Why would Onstar go off automatically after a tire fault? I thought the directions state specifically and quite clearly it only calls in when airbags deploy? Or is it implied when pushing the Onstar button nothing happened? That just seems to be a weird concatenation of what, to my best knowledge, are very rare events. I usually reserve the term "terrible bad luck" for injury accidents, thus I think this has to befiled under the "huge annoyance" qualifier.

...pablo

I had a blowout on my pirelli on my 2002 9-3 hatch about a month after I got it. I had it replaced. A few months ago (about 9 months later) the replacement Pirelli developed a bump and a split.

All other 3 tires work fine. I think it may be aligned poorly, putting too much pressure on that tire.

I'll have them take a look.

Stay safe.

I'm not sure he was saying that. I understood him to be saying simply that OnStar didn't work--which means he couldn't get help, nothing more.

I don't think he said anything about he thought it was supposed to automatically phone home with a blowout.

Looks like YOU didn't do your homework. It's just like buying a Lincoln Navigator instead of a Ford Explorer. (or is it an Expedition?) Same truck different badge. One just costs a WHOLE lot more.

John

Everything on this car costs double what Hondas and Toyotas cost.

I had Pirellis on a Lincoln Mark VIII. OKI tires but didn't last long. They seemed to be prone to finding pieces of metal to run over.

Next time you have it out on the highway for a bit, when you stop, walk around the car and feel the sidewalls. See if the problem tire is noticeably hotter than the others. If it is, report that to the tire guy.

snipped-for-privacy@madmousergraphics.com

in article snipped-for-privacy@news.sonic.net, milt brewster at snipped-for-privacy@sonic.net wrote on 05/09/2003 21:42:

Tyres are tyres. What does this have to do with Saab? If you're not happy with Michelin, then buy another brand. I have Michelins on the front and Avons (my old front set) on the rear. They seem fine.

Were yours at the correct pressure? When did you last check the pressures? It's one of those things, along with fluids, that should be checked on a regular basis to ensure that the car is running as per the manufacturer's intention and to keep you safe.

If you've had two blow-outs so far, I'd suggest you're running them more than a little over-pressure.

Is there a comparable Honda Civic?

Find a new dealer - either it is a bad dealer or your attitude has poisoned the relationship. At the new dealer, try to be calm, don't exaggerate and be patient - have a two way conversation, not a screaming match. Judging from the words you chose in this posting, this may be difficult.

Stop it! Stop it! Please stop it. No more Saab stories, Please.

Tom

please, please, no more cross posting, please.

------------------------------------------- MH '72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96

Some people prefer Saabs, others prefer Volvos. It's only natural...

No.

It was my intention to report a serious problem with an expensive new car that should not have had a serious problem, in a public forum where other people would read it and think about this experience before they make THEIR expensive new car purchases.

I expected most of the snippy comments I've seen here. I was a Saab enthusiast, too; but that doesn't mean Saabs are perfect, or that the Company that builds them are above doing things that are worth complaining about.

I still made my point: ANYONE thinking about buying a Saab should consider whether they want to have TWO blowouts in the space of five months in their expensive new car.

Saab has equipped a lot of their cars in the USA with Michelin tires that might very well be faulty, as Ford found a few years ago with their SUVs. If Usenet newsgroups are worth anything at all, they are worth publicizing potential recall problems like this.

As for the rest of your post (not snipped) I don't think it's helpful at all -- except to note that I check my tires very carefully after my first blowout, did not hit any potholes or make other foolish mistakes, and that you seem to be as snippy as you think I am.

Emotional denial is the first refuge of the childish.

mb

Johannes, I appreciate your posts in this group over the months.

In the United States, Ford Motor Company is in a world of hurt right now, because they 1) sold SUVs with bad tires a few years ago, and then 2) refused to make it right. Their sales have not recovered three years later, and Ford is losing court cases by the bunch to very angry customers who can easily establish that Ford knew about the problem.

While Michelin makes the tires, Saab 1) made the decision to equip their cars with Michelins, and 2) decided to not make it "right" with me. I suggest further, that 3) Saab knows that these Michelins are a safety hazard and doesn't want to admit it; just like Ford did.

From my calling around yesterday, it looks like Saab has apparently to stiff-arm other Saab owners with tire problems as well. This is a safety issue and it is not OK.

Michelin blowouts on new cars are apparently not rare, at least in California. Three of five independent tire dealers volunteered to me that their new car customers are losing between five and ten in a hundred to blowouts over the last few years.

American Courts (not to mention the American auto marketplace) have determined that in the United States, the Auto manufacturer should be held partially responsible for tire problems like this, as well as the tire manufacturer.

I am not looking to start a flame war here, nor am I planning to sue Saab. However, based on my repeated experience with blowouts now, I *definitely* would advise anyone who cares about automobiles to look at other cars as well as Saab very carefully. I suggest that most of them would be better off buying something else with better mechanical and safety records.

I especially suggest Japanese auto makes, which seem to have much, much better records these days. There is a reason why Toyota has just passed Chrysler in US auto sales.

mb