Necessity of service

Tighten undercarriage?? Is it a Gripen or a Draken?

There should be more to it than an oil change. There's a loong checklist of things to do. And rotating tyres is not part of the official service schedule (in fact it seems to be something that only Americans and Canadians do!).

Depends on the dealer and the indy. Some indys are very good. Some dealers are very good. The opposite is also true.

I have no idea what that means. Can you explain further?

I know on the NG900/9~3 the subframe is sometimes retorqued to improve handling related problems. I don't know about the 9~5.

To the OP: You should have the dealer do what's in the book or have an independent mechanic do it for you. There are things you didn't mention that should be done. I would avoid a "quickie lube shop" as they tend to ruin cars now and then. An independent mechanic with a good reputation is fine.

Sorry, it was a joke. undercarriages are found on aircraft. Saab make aircraft. The Gripen and Draken are planes made by Saab.

Thanks, all, for the advice. The independent mechanic I mentioned earlier is going to be half the price of the dealer; he is reputable as well (at least from local testimonies).

For as much as I like cars, I know surprisingly little about really taking care of them.

Again, thanks for the advice.

which is the core issue. You should not take chances. The service is not retorspective, it is (should be) preventative. That is, to keep the car in good and safe condition until the next service comes.

Sorry but in UK prices 180 USD sounds so cheap for a dealer service.

Regards

Not really. There is a TSB to modify how those bolts are torqued in an effort to eliminate clunking noises, but it is certainly not a "regular maintenance" item.

-Fred W

For an oil change? I think not...

True, but a good SAAB specialist will be just as (some might argue "more") capable of performing the required preventive maintenance to keep his car running well, and reliably, and save him a fair amount in the process. I have never heard of an independant mechanic that expects his customers to know all about their cars...

-Fred W

Addendum: What is the "official service schedule"? I'm going to search for it in a moment and will thus probably find the answer before someone answers this question, but I'd like to see info about the "official" service posted within this thread for completeness' sake.

later...

Agreed. I had an old Skoda Favorit that I had maintained myself, and local=20 independant (former franchise) Skoda specialist was doing a deal through=20 it's Mr Clutch fanchise. Book an MOT and service together for for =A3120.

Normal price for the annual service was =A395. that is on a Skoda, so=20 basically just oil, top up coolant, check brakes and wipers, and do the=20 oil and air filter (dead mechanically simple).

If a Skoda annual service is =A395 from an independant, and a dealer=20 service is =A3150 for a later Fabia models, then for the basic annual job= =20 =A3120-130 9180USD) isn't bad for an anual service on a Saab.

--=20 The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.