Saab 9-5: Another DI cassette story

"another one" skrev i en meddelelse news: snipped-for-privacy@news.sonic.net...

This tells me that something else has caused the DI-box to go - can't blame that on Saab.

Cheers!

"Rob Malkin" skrev i en meddelelse news:ohnOc.214172$Oq2.9306@attbi_s52...

Go back to the dealer. Has he installed oit correctly? With the right NGK sparkplugs? Correctly gapped? Has he checked the CAT-converter?

Cheers!

Thanks. I will do exactly that.

- Rob Malkin

Ask them what the code in the computer is when they check it. If it's "miss fire", that indicates a DI problem. However, there are some codes that are misleading since problem "a" can cause "b" and "b" might throw the code.

Your gas cap could also be loose. Always check that first. I think you have a different issue, but it's worth a twist to see what happens before you get to the dealer.

Cheers, indeed.

Whatever caused the DI Box to go, it shouldn't have "gone" in the first place. It shouldn't cost the better part of a thousand dollars to get it repaired. The Goddam thing is nothing but a COIL, for Christs' sake.

Whatever your opinion is; you didn't provide any details. You also ignored the GM directive, that nobody at a dealership in the US should tell a GM owner anything about what they found wrong with the car connected with these Engine Codes. You just about have to get a Court Order to get information from a Saab mechanic employed at a dealership here.

The build quality for my Saab couldn't have been worse, and THAT is certainly Saab's responsibility. I don't want to complain any more than I already have; but I am very, VERY unhappy with this experience.

Your reply is simply inappropriate, and I'm being kind. Saab has work to do. Whoever you are, denying it or avoiding it, will kill the brand.

I respected Saab enough three years ago, that I went out of my way to buy a Saab in the United States. Most people here have to do that, because the dealer network is -- well, not very well organized, to put it mildly. I would like to see Saabs easier to buy, more reliable, priced a bit lower, and more compeditively engineered than my experience with this 9-3 has been so far. I now believe that the Saab brand will die if they don't clean up their act and quickly.

My Saab is not a good car.

any

Rob, I don't know what to say to you. I hope this isn't a common problem with Saabs.

I hope you and I both can get better information out of our dealers in the future. My dealer experience wasn't bad considering the problem, but they simply wouldn't tell me what they found out. They just kept replacing major components for six weeks -- I don't even know if they told me everything they replaced.

There is no upside to my story (mostly NOT presented here) -- except that, if they did get to the bottom of the problems I had, I might now finally have the reliable vehicle that I paid for three years ago. But I don't know.

I paid WAAAAAY tooo much money for this car, to have had this experience with it.

any

A five minute job to replace a $230 part should not cost $1000.

The DI contains much more than a coil. The DI has two main functions; ignition and combustion measurement.

Ignition: 1x 12V to 400V converter 4x ignition control 4x ignition coil Combustion measurement: 1x 12V to 80V converter 4x combustion chamber ionization measurement electronics (using the spark plugs as sensors)

After each spark the combustion measurement electronics will send information about the combustion to the Trionic ECU. The ECU uses this information to analyze how the combustion took place in each cylinder and is then able to adjust fuel mass and ignition point for each cylinder to compensate for combustion problems, such as knocking.

It's much more than a coil. You need to study direct ignition systems (in any popular make such as Saab, Audi, BMW, Nissan, etc. )

I think you need a new dealer. My service department lets me talk to the mechanic if I ask. They print the codes on the RO.

It does look like you got either a lemon of a car or a lemon of a service department. I can't say which, maybe it's a little of both. Don't condemn an entire company based on one experience.

A tail of two Saabs

I have one Saab. It runs great, starts on the first try. It handle the curves with no body roll and is absolutely smooth at 70+ miles per hour. The AC is capable of freezing you on a hot summer day.

I have another Saab. It has died while driving at at night with total electrical failure. Half of the dash lights failed, one of the power seats is dead, and the car has starting problems after driving in the rain. The AC on hot day reduces the amount of sweating - slightly . .

Guess which car is a Classic and which car is a NG . . .

The good news in the newer car is still under warranty. :-)

Saab earned its reputation with the Classics. GM bought Saab and saved money by sharing GM components. GM may have rescued Saab financially, but they have not done much for its quality.