Congrats on the new purchase.
Too bad the weather wont be little nicer in Pa for your commute.

Make sure you inquire about the history of the DIC

What part of Pa are you from?

Best of luck, oh watch for cops

 

Which Viggen are you getting?

 

i always carry a spare di in my trunk...

 

make sure the DIC recall was done!!!
if it wasn't... get 'er done!

 

Congrats and welcome to the link!

Ohio is bad, bad, bad for staties. I believe they can't let the Cannonball glory days die there.

Are you crazy? No. I was on one of the more crazy retrieval runs.

Smooth sailing and enjoy your car.

 

spare DI and check out the PCV system

 

The car is a Gray 2001 Convertible. I carfaxed it, and the carfax shows very extensive service history from the Saab dealership in Denver. I will make sure to stop by that dealer before I leave town to get a detailed printout of the history.

Are the DICs so prone to failure that I should purchase one before leaving Denver?

Mike

PS: I live near Erie, PA.

 

You can find them used for $100 or less. That might not be a bad route to go. The dealer record might show just how old it is.

 

You should be fine. Since you checked out the carfax, if the service records are pretty complete, I cant see any problems.
Best thing to do: test drive it before you leave

 

I spoke with a guy at an indie saab garage in Denver yesterday. I was originally hoping to schedule an appointment to have the car thoroughly checked over before I drove it home, but the guy was not very helpful. I ultimately decided not to make an appointment. It looks like they sell used parts, so I will call again tomorrow and inquire about a DIC.

How often do they typically fail? How often should I replace it as preventative maintenance?

 

usually at 60k intervals, make a bigger difference if it has a tune on it.

also the MAF should be done at 60k intervals.

 

Some more stats mileage/known services/number of previous owners would probably help here.

As for failure, I have a '01 OG 9-3 SE HOT and the DI has never gone on me in the 4.5 years I've owned it.

 

Just a little background on myself:

I actually sell cars on ebay for a living. I'm an internet sales guy for a local car dealership. I think that's why I'm more apt to trust the salesman. I do, however, know that many things can go wrong. I hope he has really checked the car over as he said he has.

The car has had two owners. One in Denver, and one in Florida. Both owners had the car serviced regularly by their local Saab dealerships. I was very happy when I saw the carfox.

Cheers,

Mike

 

The car has 95,000 miles on it. The carfax's records just say things like "Manufacturers Recommended Maintenance Performed" and "Engine Serviced." It's not very specific. I'll have to get the specifics from the dealership. I hope they cough up the info. Some are weird about sharing that stuff because of their "Privacy Policy."

 

to answer your question:

yes you are crazy!

and welcome.

good luck.. things should be fine... just have a spare DI and a triple A card just in case. probably won't need it but never know.

also be careful if it has the stock Viggen Wheels as they can get bent easily on pot holes etc. make sure they all hold air very well and aren't bent....

 

Aha.

Find out if they've replaced the AC compressor. 95k is right in the target zone for when the pulley bearings start to squeal like a pig and potentially eat your belt. There is a way to short-belt the car that is completely reasonable (find thread here). You might want to pick up a 1805 mm/71.06 inch belt just for the ride home.

Common short-belt parts numbers:

Gatorback 4060710
Duralast 884510
Saab 4961058

Too bad you didn't join up before the night you fly out. I think there's at least one or two folks still around who could have pulled the dealer service information on the car for you.

EDIT: The diagram for the short-belt routing is toward the back of the 9-3 owner's manual. It's basically a "euro-delivery" mod since apparently you could get non-AC cars over there. Should you need to do an emergency delete, you'll of course loose the AC and your defrosting capability. Shouldn't be too much of an issue at this time of year, though.

 

Too bad you didn't join up before the night you fly out. I think there's at least one or two folks still around who could have pulled the dealer service information on the car for you.

I'm actually not taking possession of the car until Friday morning, so I have some time. I'll be arriving in Denver tomorrow evening and staying overnight with some friends. If anybody could pull the information, I would be greatly appreciative.

Mike

 

The carfox shows that the serpentine belt was replaced at 85,000. That leads me to believe that the compressor may have also been done at that point. The carfax records are very fragmented at best. I'll have a clearer picture once I get the actual service history.

The first thing i'm going to do is look at the Compressor to see if it's "shiny and new."

Are those belt numbers a direct bypass if the compressor dies?

Mike

 

Well the belt service is 90k, so they may have just swapped a new one on without really checking anything else. I didn't hear my AC squeal until I actually shut the automatic climate control off on a nice day and rolled down the windows. Owie.

Those are the exact part numbers you'd ask for at the dealer or an autoparts store. Autozone should have something that works.

 

Yes, you are nuts. But, you live in PA so that puts you in the normal category.
You did post here, so that proves you're not all there.......................

Congrats on the new purchase.

 

I'm glad I'm not "all there." It makes life more interesting.

 

You're not that nuts. When my DI's have gone bad, they've only misfired, not not run the car. And if you're buying it from a dealer in good condition, I'm sure if it was making a noise it was addressed.

Enjoy the Vert.

 

I did this before.

I bought my 99' sight unseen and flew in to drive it 750 miles home.

Mine was said to have a bad axle and so I expected some vibration. I got it home fine.

Too bad it needed just a bit more than just an axle lol.

It was worth it in the end, road trip makes it more fun and memorable.

Good luck.

 

If we are going to share stories about buying our viggens - i DROVE 600 miles, gambled the condition (water pump - headgasket, it was the water pump ) and towed it back 600 miles

no, you're not insane good luck.

 

As its been said bring a T7 black DI cassette, new or used is your preference, with you on the journey home. You'll need to make sure you have a t25 torx head for removing it should you need to.

Other things to inquire about is to make sure the most recent PCV update has been done, getting a check for sludge if time allows. The quick way to check for sludge is to pull the valve cover and see how it looks. If you do this you'll need a new valve cover gasket.

Make sure the upper idler pulley was replaced with the belt at that mileage.

Other things to randomly check would be to see if the thermostat was changed since you are near 100k and have a rather lengthy drive home. If not its not to bad to change out and its a cheap part for cheap insurance on the way home.

Another thing would be to see if the throttle body has ever been replaced as its an electronic throttle with built in TCS. If it goes on the way you'll need a new one and a dealer/indie with tech 2 to put it in and calibrate it to the car.

Make sure the top works perfectly and pull the pump assembly out and check the fluid level (done with the top up).

Last thing would be to see how old the plugs are and how the tips looks. The plugs on Saab trionic cars act as the knock sensor so you'll want those in good condition.

Good luck on your drive back. For future parts ordering you can goto either Eeuroparts.com or GenuineSaab.com. Eeuro is good for all regular parts while GS is a family based company that develops and delivers upgrade parts for us. GS is also the official Nordic distributor here in the states.

 

As its been said bring a T7 black DI cassette, new or used is your preference, with you on the journey home. You'll need to make sure you have a t25 torx head for removing it should you need to.

Other things to inquire about is to make sure the most recent PCV update has been done, getting a check for sludge if time allows. The quick way to check for sludge is to pull the valve cover and see how it looks. If you do this you'll need a new valve cover gasket.

Make sure the upper idler pulley was replaced with the belt at that mileage.

Other things to randomly check would be to see if the thermostat was changed since you are near 100k and have a rather lengthy drive home. If not its not to bad to change out and its a cheap part for cheap insurance on the way home.

Another thing would be to see if the throttle body has ever been replaced as its an electronic throttle with built in TCS. If it goes on the way you'll need a new one and a dealer/indie with tech 2 to put it in and calibrate it to the car.

Make sure the top works perfectly and pull the pump assembly out and check the fluid level (done with the top up).

Last thing would be to see how old the plugs are and how the tips looks. The plugs on Saab trionic cars act as the knock sensor so you'll want those in good condition.

Good luck on your drive back. For future parts ordering you can goto either Eeuroparts.com or GenuineSaab.com. Eeuro is good for all regular parts while GS is a family based company that develops and delivers upgrade parts for us. GS is also the official Nordic distributor here in the states.

Great post. Thank you for the information!

 

Well two years ago I flew to Atlanta and bought sight-unseen a 16 year old Suburban with 222,000 miles on it, and drove it 1400 miles back to Minnesota.

Life is short, have some fun. But I second the motion for a AAA membership just in case.

If you're into an interesting dining experience on the way home, I recommend the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha. It's about a mile north of the 13th St. exit on I-80 (1406 S. 13th St).

 

Well two years ago I flew to Atlanta and bought sight-unseen a 16 year old Suburban with 222,000 miles on it, and drove it 1400 miles back to Minnesota.

Life is short, have some fun. But I second the motion for a AAA membership just in case.

If you're into an interesting dining experience on the way home, I recommend the Bohemian Cafe in Omaha. It's about a mile north of the 13th St. exit on I-80 (1406 S. 13th St).

Already have AAA Plus. I love unreliable cars. It's a must.

Thanks for the dining suggestion. I'll check it out if I'm hungry when I'm in that area!

Mike

 

ya really, your perfectly sane, i just bought a 99 9-5 with 211k miles on it and drove almost 900 miles, buddy of mine bought a 72 96 v4 that had been sitting for years and the prior owner had got it running and drove around the block a few times, he flew in and drove it 500 miles home...

just do it, and enjoy the new car, its not like you dont have a cellphone and a creditcard if something happens.

oh and yes watch yourself thru Ohio, roads have vastly improved (just ran the lenght of the state across 70 twice in the last month) but the speedlimit is only 65 and lots of cops.

perry
Perry

 

Perfectly normal

I live in NY, bought my Vig sight unseen, flew to San Fran to pick it up. Best 4 day 3200 mile road trip I could possibly imagine. Life without a net can be hugely rewarding sometimes, in that you discover things about yourself that you wouldn't if you play it safe. Yes I'm single and over 30, so the whole responsibility to others doesn't apply.

 

Just picked up an '00 silver Viggen vert. Called the 1-800 number for Saab to make sure all the recalls were done. That gave me piece of mind. Good Luck- where ya headed?

 

i flew from Fl to NY to buy my 9k and drive it home, its a fun experience! : )

 

You are not crazy. I was crazy.

http://saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18658

I'd imagine that you'll be just fine.