Thread of several Saabs: Ignition Switch removal

[Split_Pin]

I took the car on a short bandit run up and down my street. It drives fine but its got the same constant chime saying that the roof is open, which was the main reason I threw in the towel with the other one, so thats slightly suboptimal.  I also noticed the electric mirrors only partly work, I guess that meets the MOT standard of 'adjustable somehow' 😅

It was absolutely howling inside though ( no pun intended) - dog hairs, fag packets, Rizla packets, wrappers, unidentified stuff (one was either actual shit or a lump of hash), spills and the seats looked like the dog had jumped on them right after a muddy walk. Get an estate car FFS!

The fuck can some folk live in such filth?

It looks a bit better now but still more cleaning needed, I ran out of time.

[IronStar]

26 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

How can some folk live in such filth?

Speaking for myself here - my cars have cycles. A freshly cleaned car that slowly turns into a dumpster on wheels with cans, bottles, parking slips, fuel bills, dead air fresheners, and anything else that doesn't stink or rot, discarded mostly behind the passenger seat or in the door pockets. Carpets, or rather floor mats, get dirty from shoes, get an odd crumble of bread from drive-thrus, and are absolutely filthy if it's the rain/snow season.
I generally empty the cans and co every few weeks, and aim to get my regularly-driven cars washed at least monthly. Getting them blasted at the self-service car wash a few times a month, and not touching the interior other than emptying the trash for a few months, isn't unheard of.

When it gets washed, it looks really nice again, just for the cycle to repeat itself.

I can imagine a lot of people do similar loops, but if we're talking EOL cars, they may be driving it until the reg expires and not bothering to clean up the last few cycles. 

[Split_Pin]

My cars get the same use as anyone else's, but after every journey I clear our our shit and run the Dyson round it every week. It takes me literally 5 minutes to do that because it never gets bad.

Theres no excuse IMO.

I get not everyone likes washing cars and a dirty exterior isn't unhygenic, plus its not the weather just now. I just do it because I like it. 

[IronStar]

8 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

My car get the same use as anyone else's, but after every journey I clear our our shit and run the Dyson round it every week. It takes me literally 5 minutes to do that.

Theres no excuse IMO.

I get not everyone likes washing cars and a dirty exterior isn't unhygenic, plus its not the weather just now. I just do it because I like it. 

I live in a flat on the 5th floor. My $CURRENTDAILY and $BACKUPDAILY live in a garage 2 streets away, with no power outlet or space to keep the vacuum or anything else there. There's no trash can in the garage or in front of it, and I really can't be arsed to stop to empty the trash every time I drive it, as it means parking in the middle of the road next to the dumpster to recycle the recyclables, and dump everything else.

Plenty of excuses there IMHO

I love how clean all your cars are though. 

[SiC]

I probably only hoover my cars out once a year 😂

However even then it's only clearing out loose small stones that have got there over that time. Otherwise it's just petrol receipts (no idea why I still request them?) stuffed in the drivers door pockets and the odd empty water bottle hanging around. I clear them up every few weeks.

I have no idea how people can make their car an absolute tip?

Ignoring bring in debris like stones on your shoes into the footwells, what more can you really bring in and not want to get rid of when you're leaving the car? I rarely eat in the car but if I do, I don't want some stinky/sticky packet cluttering up the insides for very long.

As a life long non smoker, Cars that have been smoked in are an absolute deal breaker. I've yet to really 100% successfully remove cigarette smoke from any car that has had it. Not helped I'm really sensitive to the smell. 

You get weird looks when you ask if a car ever has been smoked in or smells like it. But it's the biggest issue when buying older cars that have been through a few owners for me. Mechanical stuff can be fixed and bodywork can be straightened but a stinky interior can't be 100% sorted.

[SiC]

I'm surprised after owning so many Saab's (and Vauxhall's) you've never invested in a Tech2.

[Split_Pin]

48 minutes ago, SiC said:

I'm surprised after owning so many Saab's (and Vauxhall's) you've never invested in a Tech2.

It's the security access part that's putting me off, need a laptop to access Global TIS. Theres no point having Tech 2 if you can't add/remove stuff. I'm not very good at computers ☹️

[SiC]

5 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

It's the security access part that's putting me off, need a laptop to access Global TIS. Theres no point having Tech 2 if you can't add/remove stuff. I'm not very good at computers ☹️

I have a pre-built virtual machine you can load up in VirtualBox that is fully sorted for GlobalTIS if you want it. Will work on any laptop that is half decent - i.e. made in the last decade really.

Once you do the authorisation with GlobalTIS, that's all you really need it for.

[Split_Pin]

Ah superb man I'll give you a shout after Christmas on that!

[Split_Pin]

I'm glad I splashed out on a little more for an exhaust from Neo Bros rather than a cheaper one.

Old one fell to bits!

Shiny new one fitted straight on. New hangers and clamps too.

Oil and filter service.

History shows last service done in 2021, oil filter indicates this is correct:

Gave it a wash outside as well, going to book it in for an MOT hopefully next week.

[purplebargeken]

Christ, that oil filter is utterly vile.

[Split_Pin]

Woo!

 

[Split_Pin]

Old NTH has had a reprieve as well. Someone else on the Scottish Saab page has a very much moribund 9-5 which is an MOT fail big time and also rotten. They desperately need a stop-gap so I've agreed on £300. Its been a good car for me and I see no reason for it not to live on, just not with me.

It's off up to the Highlands on Saturday 👍

[mk2_craig]

Are you still offering the plate up? 

[Split_Pin]

Sorry no, I need it gone and this person needs a car quickly so don't really have the time to wait on a new V5. 

In other news, went out in the new one tonight, drives great and boosts as it should but by crikey the torque curve is progressive, even in 175bhp spec. It doesn't Newton the metres anything like the Noobtune so that'll be on the cards early next year!

[SiC]

11 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Woo!

 

Is this the old Saab or the new one? I've lost track 😅

[Split_Pin]

2 minutes ago, SiC said:

Is this the old Saab or the new one? I've lost track 😅

The new one 😂

Was worth the gamble/effort!

[Split_Pin]

Churro NTH!

 

[Split_Pin]

I changed the air filter, wasn't as bad as I was expecting given the state of the oil filter:

Went to the other side and checked the drain hole in front of the pollen filter which is a common cause of water filling up, spilling into the pollen filter, through the fan housing, ruining the bearing on the motor and soaking the carpet.

Pollen filter was dry, will replace that later plus reseal the housing.

The drain conduit absolutely choked, this is what came out:

I cleaned it with a flexible rod:

But I still wasn't happy so whipped it out and hosed it with warm water:

Much better.

 

[Split_Pin]

I took an extended lunchbreak today after an earlier start.

I Lanoguarded the underneath plus all 4 wheelarches, this is definitely the cleanest 9-3 I've owned. The PO moved up from England some time around 2021 according to the (patchy) service history.

I also gave the roof a good robust coat of Fabisil to try and stop the water ingress.

A good shift!

[mk2_craig]

All sounds positive SP.  Did you end up switching over any bits from the old one? 

[Split_Pin]

23 minutes ago, mk2_craig said:

All sounds positive SP.  Did you end up switching over any bits from the old one? 

Not many bits were pilfered. I changed the electric mirror switch over as the one in tje new car was smashed in, nicked the valve caps, service book and that was it really!

[Cheezey]

I noticed from the train today someone seems to have a row of these parked outside industrial units in Laurieston. I don’t know if they are breakers, menders or hoarders. 

[Split_Pin]

28 minutes ago, Cheezey said:

I noticed from the train today someone seems to have a row of these parked outside industrial units in Laurieston. I don’t know if they are breakers, menders or hoarders. 

Thats Chris Conlin's bit, he's both a breaker and a mender (its just a side line for him though). I go to him for bits/Tech 2 stuff. It was him that put me onto this latest example as he has no more room.  You'll also see a bit further along on your journey the line of dead L322s. Its basically a timeline of my life so far...

[Cheezey]

That’s good you know of them already. There was a gearbox place in that bit years ago. They did selector cables on my Golf. Nearly twenty years ago mind you…

I know where you mean with dead Land Rovers. Cockburn Electrical were up there before they moved. Again, about twenty years ago! 

[Split_Pin]

As the update suggests, I'm going to move this on.

My usual contact is extremely busy just now in repairing and preparing his own Saabs on the sale side of the business, plus he has a family and a full time job. As such he just doesn't have the time to do repairs for other people for the foreseeable. My other contact in Glasgow has not responded to my messages.

The Saab specialist in Bonnyrigg is a no-go as he's so good he's booked up literally years in advance.

I did mention earlier in the year that I was getting a bit frustrated with needing Tech 2 for bloody everything on these cars. If it had been the Audi for example, the full column stalk assemble would easily have been replaced.

I'll put an advert up in the New Year, it needs a new CIM (requires divorcing from the old car and pairing to the new one via Tech 2) and the hood looking at as it says manual operation only (needs Tech 2)

Chapter closed.

[Split_Pin]

I've been using this recently and have taken a bit of an interest in it again since is goes so nicely.

Knocked off early this Christmas eve to give it a proper clean.

Fabisil on the roof and Gummi Pfledge on the door seals which has slowed up the leaks into the cabin

Gliptone on the seats

Engine bay clean/dress

Need to get the CIM replaced somewhere that has Tech 2 in January and the roof scanned for codes. Might have to bite the bullet and book it in with a specialist which I'm loathe to do as they never are.

Anyway, its in great condition and comes up well:

 

 

[SiC]

Just get one of these and DIY. I mean you've had enough Saab's now to justify it many times over! 😂

https://ebay.us/m/9xhtKw

 

[mercedade]

Plan a few days in Manchester and Stockport? 

RTJ Autos LTD https://share.google/bjvAl6RjfDW11euyk

They were great with my 95 and do all ages of Saab. 

[Split_Pin]

Fucking ARSE HOLES. To whoever tightened these locking wheel bolts to one million Nm, I hope you've been on the wrong energy tariff for 4 years and get an unexpected bill of eight billion quid.