Simply SAAB: Independent SAAB Specialist in Pittsburgh, PA.

Feeling The Parts Shortage

2012-01-09T19:58:00.002-05:00

Today is the first day I can really say I've felt the parts shortage. Needed to CIM's and the junkyards didn't even have them.

Don't lose your keys.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/new-Saab-9-3-programmable-key-fob-remote-transmitter-keyless-entry-transponder-/320826693571?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Make%3ASaab&vxp=mtr&hash=item4ab2c2d7c3#ht_500wt_1194

9-3SS stuff

2011-12-16T17:11:00.003-05:00

Some real fun stuff lately. Broken balance shaft chain tensioner on the 9-3SS. First one I've seen but apparently it's becoming a huge problem.

Also, I needed to trace an electrical issue in the trunk lid of an '05 9-3SS today, and found the harness to be made of wires of the identical colour. Wonderful to try and isolate individual wires from beginning to end...

Death By Sludge

2011-10-20T23:54:00.002-04:00

Another post highlighting how serious and costly oil sludge can be. This is an oil feed banjo bolt for a GT1752 turbocharger out of a 2002 9-5. Turbo died due to oil starvation from sludge. $1,400 bill.

New Shop Open House

2011-09-30T16:45:00.001-04:00

On Thursday, October 6th, from 5:30PM till 9:30PM, I will have the doors of the shop open and invite Simply SAAB customers and local SAAB owners to stop by and check out the new shop. I will be doing free Tech2 scans and providing refreshments.

Hope to see you then.

-Chad

Stupid Mistakes and Essential Tools

2011-09-22T22:31:00.004-04:00

Working in the new shop has been awesome. Things are way too busy still, and I'm still here at 10pm after getting here at 8am this morning.

Slipped a wrench today and cracked the windscreen on a customers 9-5. I felt pretty bad about it, but it was almost unavoidable due to the location of the stuck bolt. I immediately offered to cover it and my expense. Learning to eat your mistakes is one of the hardest parts of business.

An exciting time!

2011-09-16T18:19:00.008-04:00

All moved in to the new shop in Highland Park. New address is 1315 Washington Blvd. 15206. The shop and waiting area are around 3,000sqft, quite an upgrade from my previous locations. I can fit 5 cars in here no problem. I WILL be here at least three years and should be able to grow at this location quite easily. Still need to get the lift and compressor installed, but I'll get to it soon enough. Everyone that has brought their car by so far has seemed to be impressed, so that always helps to make you feel better after what feels like three weeks of doing nothing but signing checks! Finally got a credit card reader as well, so that should make for easier and smoother payments for everyone.

Considering having an open house here in the next week or two, invite everyone on the customer email list to come by and check out the new place and offer a free check over and Tech 2 scan. Now that's a price no one could complain about :)

Some photos of the new shop:

The waiting area before it was furnished:

Work station with benches I made from cabinets. The TV is just there to use to display parts diagrams and open WIS instructions from my laptop, I promise!

Also wanted to share this great article that was posted by a technician on an automotive blog I follow. It's a long read, so its understandable if you'd rather skip it.

"As a mechanic, I never like delivering bad news to a customer; it's not one of my favorite parts of the job. I don't like telling a customer their 5-year-old heavy-duty truck needs $1,600 worth of brakes, front coil springs (because they are broken and dangerous), tires, ball joints, tie rod end and work to pass state inspection, but I must if that's the case. I don't like telling the single mother that her car needs tires because the ones she has now have metal cords worn through the edges and are about to blow out, but someone has to tell her there's a problem. How many customers check the inner shoulders of their tires? How many remove their wheels every week to check out their brake specs? Very few. And that's why I have a job.

Nobody wants to come to a mechanic. They are there because they HAVE to be. Very few people maintain their cars, let alone repair them if there is a problem. That's why many states have state inspections. Now let's be clear here: I'm not the kinda guy that goes looking for spiders. I know the difference between 5/32's of tread and bald. I can reasonably judge at what point a given customer is going to need those rear brake shoes replaced. I can sleep at night, because my living is honest and straightforward. If it's dangerous, I say so. If it's not, I tell them. If they have time before a repair is needed, I let them know. If mechanical trouble is looming on their horizon, I tell them they may want to make a decision soon.

Our shop is very well established in most every way, but this week I pretty much got called a cheat by a newer customer who doesn't know us. Straight to my face. After delivering the bad news concerning the aforementioned 5-year-old heavy-duty truck needing so much work he pretty much shot the words "BS" and "I don't believe it." That's fine. I guess if I had a 5-year-old pickup truck that seemed to drive fine, (mind you, it didn't) I'd be pretty upset too at a mechanic telling me I was on the hook for $1,600 worth of work, none of it warranty. What's worse, if it doesn't get the work done, it doesn't get a sticker for the state. Mr. Officer keeps CLOSE tabs on that around here. of course, this fine gentleman waited until last minute — that is, Aug. 30 — to get his inspection done.

Owning a car is a privilege, and sometimes you gotta pay to play.

As they say, "the proof is in the pudding." I'm pretty sure he got bad news from a shop before me because he didn't go storming out when I broke it to him. Rather, he demanded proof. I actually LOVE it when a customer does that, because I love to be vindicated of any accusation they make against me. Vindication that I don't have to rub in, because the problems with their vehicle are so straight up it's in your face when inspected. Totally proveable, totally valid. All the more reason to be straight.

I showed Mr. C his busted coil springs, ready to slip off their perches and cause a severe control issue or tire blowout. I showed him the tires that were down PAST the wear bar (illegal here and actually citable) and almost bald. I took the brakes apart and showed him where his pad backing had ground into his rotors (he didn't hear a thing; I heard it immediately) and even showed him the specs with a micrometer that proved his rotors were already undersized and uncuttable. I even bolted on his wheels and proved that his ball joints were so bad they needed replacement, and backed it up with factory specs. Mind you, I did this all on my own dime in good faith. As satisfied as he could be that I wasn't lying, and a bit miffed at a new truck needing so much, we hit the office. Then it came to pricing, and every part and charge was called into question. My labor rate (which is actually slightly below the area average), my parts, every little thing called into play. I charge too much. I'm ripping peeps off.

See folks, it's OK for a dentist to make $1,000 an hour. Nobody bats an eyelash at that because we have insurance that could pick that up. No one cares that a family practice doctor can bank $200 off of one 15-minute visit, and forget the fact he or she gets major kickbacks and perks from pharmaceutical companies that pretty much cover their office overhead. It's A-OK for a CEO to make millions of dollars by closing American factories, blowing American workers' pensions and shipping our jobs overseas because it's cheaper to pay some kid in a sweatshop in Burma half a cent to make a product, then ship it over here. After all, we expect that from them, it's what they do. No problem, but this jerk mechanic wants to charge me how much to repair my car?

It comes down to this: I have costs too! I have thousands of dollars worth of hand tools — just hand tools — that I have to buy in order to even service vehicles nowadays. That does not include the $10,000 scanner I have to buy to repair generic OBDII systems, and that I have to update every year. It doesn't include the money I have to pay out of my own pocket to buy special electronic tools in order to diagnose and repair today's cars that are six times more complex than the space shuttle. It doesn't include the subscriptions and dues I have to pay to the parent companies so I can have access to technology, information, and special computers in order to remain competitive. It doesn't include the 6 lifts I have to service and repair if they break. Forget the schooling I have to pay for, forget the ASE's I have to get, forget the fact that every ounce of electricity that comes into my shop has a price tag on it, not to mention the water, gas, chemicals, special tools and equipment, supplies, uniforms, heat, benefits, mechanics' wages, staff, office stuff, advertising, maintenance and shop and grounds upkeep. All those things don't come for free, nor cheap. The owner has to write a check for each and every one.

Folks, that stuff has to get paid for. Someone has to pay for it. I don't like telling the customer that they're the ones who have to pay for it, but let's be real here; it's business like any other business. The consumer supports the industry. Thus the reason football is a billion dollar industry. So is music and entertainment. I don't work for free. Why should I? No one feeds my kids for free. My kids don't go to school for free. My clothes aren't free. My cars break, too. My house wasn't given to me. Heck, my entertainment isn't even free. In reality, when you consider the "cost of business" increases within the industry over the past 30 years, mechanics should charge nearly $300 an hour for the amount of tools, specializations and overhead involved. We don't. Why not? Because there's no health insurance for cars to cover that cost. That comes out of the owner's pocket, and most of us in the industry respect that such costs would break your back, and in turn break ours.

All said, if you own a car, you are going to pay money some way or another. Be it in maintenance for your 2011 model (still gotta change the oil!) or repairs and upkeep on your '87 Celebrity. It's part of car ownership that no one likes to address; we address it because we have to at that time. Owning a car is a privilege, and sometimes you gotta pay to play. After all, if it was cheap and easy then anyone could do it.

So just remember, if you get handed a bill for some serious cash to fix you car, the likelihood is the mechanic isn't trying to rip you or trick you, he's just trying to keep the doors open and put food on the table. That's what he's paid for. If you're looking for a cheat, turn off your reality TV and look at government and big business. You should be more worried about that anyway!"

Hope everyone is doing well. See you soon (well, hopefully not, because that means your car is broken, right?!?).

Best,
-Chad

9-3 Brake Master Cylinder Failure

2011-07-13T00:15:00.007-04:00

Oil and some rubber just don't mix. This is what happens the vacuum pump fails on a OG9-3.

The function of the pump is to give power brake assist on the automatic transmission cars. Manuals do not have the pump. The pump is driven by the engines exhaust camshaft. A diaphragm inside the pump fails and allows the engine oil inside the cylinder head to be pumped in to the brake booster. The brake booster gets to the point where it either overflows into the engine or leaks into the master cylinder. If caught early enough, only the vacuum pump needs to be replaced (to the tune of about $275), if left be for too long, the master cylinder and brake booster need to be replaced as well, as well as the vacuum line that connects the whole works ($450 for the booster, $600 for the master, $45 for the line, and about 3 hours of labor @65/hr).

Perfect example of how an issue that starts small can really pile up and cost big money. If something feels off, get your car looked at!

New master cylinder in the background, old in the foreground. See the swollen seal? That's the effect oil has on the rubber seals of the master.

Take care,
-Chad

Busy, busier, and busiest.

2011-07-02T20:19:00.002-04:00

Things have been insanely busy lately. A bigger shop and an employee seem imminent. Biggest thing about Pittsburgh is trying to be centrally located to everyone, which also means being in the middle of traffic and high priced real estate.

Looking at a new shop in Oakdale soon. Is that too far out for you? Is it less convenient? Would love to hear my customers feedback on this. Will probably send out a mass email to my client list asking for opinions.

If I stay central and get the size shop I really need, labor rate will also have to increase, which is something I really don't want to have to do.

Feedback appreciated.

-Chad

Only two new tires? Always on the rear...

2011-06-10T01:52:00.002-04:00

Had a discussion with a customer today who only needed two new tires. If putting two new tires on a vehicle, they should always go on the REAR. Sounds like fuzzy logic, but this cheesy Youtube video will help make the point:

9-3 SS Headlight Wiring

2011-05-27T18:44:00.005-04:00

A common problem almost since new on the early 9-3 Sport Sedans with halogen headlamps is that the wiring for the headlamp bulbs degrades and falls apart. Saab makes a kit to fix this. I installed one today, here's a pic:

The result is a professional repair near as good as the original factory wiring.

A nice and affordable fix for an unforeseen problem. The kit is about 15 bucks.

2011-05-25T01:36:00.001-04:00

I changed a DI today. It was on a 2002 9-3. With 17,000 miles on it. Awesome.

These are the blog entires you get when I have lots of work to do. :)

The worst head gasket leak I've ever seen.

2011-05-17T16:06:00.003-04:00

Not much to say here. The picture speaks for itself. The only reason the car was brought in was because it could not rev above 2,000rpms without misfiring. Reason being the oil leak from the head was so bad it saturated the Cranshaft Position Sensor harness to the point of failure.

I should buy stock in parts cleaner.

9-3SS/SC Comfort Opening Feature

2011-04-25T18:16:00.002-04:00

The comfort opening feature on the 9-3 is pretty cool!

9-5 Automatic Transmission Mounts and 9-3SS Front Wheel Bearings

2011-04-03T15:03:00.007-04:00

I've been working a ton lately, and haven't been so motivated to take pictures of everything because I have so much to do. Here are some things I worked on in the past week that you might find interesting.

Also, my DSLR has been staying at home lately, so the photos are from my Iphone... sorry.

9-5 automatic transmission torque arm mounts go bad, and allow the engine/transmission to jump badly when going from Park to Drive, or Reverse. The stock SAAB replacement part isn't of good quality at all and fails almost immediately. I've been experimenting with a polyurethane replacement.

This photo shows the slack that develops in the stock bushing. It is easily compressed with just one finger. This is where the "jarring" comes from

This is the polyurethane replacement. The snug fit and firmness of the polyurethane insures no more "jarring," but does transmit a bit more engine/transmission vibration throughout the car.

Overall I was pleased with the results. The jarring was gone, but the car definitely vibrates more at idle when in gear and with your foot on the brake. I think the new mount exposed some weak subframe bushings in the 9-5 in question, as the 02-06's are known for having bushings that badly wear over time.

I also changed my first wheel bearing on a 9-3 Sport Sedan this past week. The car was an '03 and had a bad droning/grinding sound when moving. The customer had new front brakes installed around the time the noise started, and the shop had just done pads, so I thought the sound was coming from the pad riding on the lip of the old rotor, so we did the rotors and new pads first to no avail. Rotated tires front to rear to eliminate that as an option, and the sound still persisted, so a bad wheel bearing it was.

Not that bad of a job I suppose, you can use air tools on it all so that helps. All the bolts are of the E-Torx style, so don't try that one at home unless you've got a set that has a 18, 22, and 24 in it.

New 9-3SS Wheel Bearing Assembly w/ Integrated ABS Sensor vs. Old

Front hub dissembled and wheel bearing assembly removed. Note the oil in the middle right of the photos? More on that below.

As soon as I jacked the right side of this car up I heard a consistent dripping sound. Started investigating and the power steering fluid reservoir was overflowing. Turns out the seal in the power steering pump, which is run off of the engine camshaft, has failed and has pumped motor oil in to the power steering system. After some reading, it turns out this is fairly common on the older ones. The customer is returning next week to replace the pump and have the system flushed with the SAAB specific CHF fluid.

Hopefully this bad Pittsburgh weather will break and we can all start enjoying spring soon as well.

Best,
-Chad

So, Why Saabs?

2011-03-19T00:52:00.006-04:00

No pictures, no technical writing, just words here.

The reason I'm writing about this is because I've fielded the same question from every new client I've worked for since I started here in Pittsburgh. "Why SAAB's?," they always ask. I usually just reply with something like "They're all I know."

Mechanically, they really are. Sure all engines and such work the same and the technology that ran the first Model T ford is still present in the function of the modern engine, but there sure has been a lot of other stuff bolted to/around it since then.

I've been thinking about this question to myself more and more lately.

Specializing on a niche gives me a lot of satisfaction. Sure, I like SAABs and they're basically all I've ever driven, but I certainly don't "love" them. They're great value for the money and dollar to dollar you'll never own another car with as many features as your SAAB, which makes them a tempting buy, but at the end of a day, it's just an organized structure of bolts, wires, fabric, and metal.

I'm very much not your average mechanic. While I've been fascinated by mechanical things my entire life, I never really planned on having a trade skill as a profession. I have a Bachelor's in Political Science from West Virginia University, and had full intention of completing law school... but the modern cubicle/desk lifestyle seemed so un-fulfilling. Daunting repetitive work that's all part of an information based economy that can easily be transfered or phased out... no thanks. I take comfort in knowing that you cant turn a bolt over the internet, so the trade skills are safe. Most of my friends I graduated with are realizing now how generalized and unmarketable their college-acquired skill set really is, and the outlook doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I can't imagine life without the day to day joy of physically fixing or creating something with your own hands. Hearing an engine start after fixing a tow-in, or fixing a problem that's been bugging people for years in only a minute or two... that kind of satisfaction I just don't get anywhere else. Joke about plumbers cracks and people who have jobs with names on their shirt all you want, but they probably have a much more prospective and lucrative job market than someone with a four year degree.

Every other mechanic seems to view a SAAB as a problem, whereas I always viewed it as a challenge. I like challenges. I pretty much live for them. I race bicycles for that reason as well... and I enjoy the hardest races the most, because anyone can do the easy ones. I see a lot of botched jobs that come in that are obviously done by someone that either doesn't care about the quality of their work because they know as long as the cars rolls out the door they're going to get paid, or they just no longer have a desire to get any better at their job and learn something new. Sometimes, I think they just cannot think outside the box. Some SAAB stuff is kind of "quirky," but would make sense to any average person with mechanical knowledge if they would just change their perspective a bit and take the time to look at it from a different viewpoint.

I do find it upsetting, because this kind of stuff is what drives people to sell their cars. Owners are forced to believe that SAAB ownership is just a problem or an inconvenience simply based on the ignorance of those who they are having work on their car. Often, by the time people find me online or get a business card, they have already dumped so much in to their cars at places who had no clue what they were doing or overcharged them to the point that they feel they're in too deep to invest in the work I suggest that the car actually does need to get it running reliably.

I'm getting so much of a workload now that I'm going to have to start being selective about who I work for. If your interest is solely fixing your car as cheaply as possible and you want something for nothing, find another guy, I'm not interested. Maybe I didn't give you the cheapest quote you received for a job, but I bet they're not using genuine parts or they're cutting corners somewhere else. I'm way cheaper than the dealer by a long shot in every way for better quality work and the same parts, and I'm not going to get any younger or live any longer because I'm taking time to work on your car, so I have to make it worth my time at a price that's fair to me and you... and I've found that most people have absolutely no problem paying it because they know they're getting high quality, warrantied work.

This is why I don't work for used car dealers... for the most part, they always want something for nothing and to bandage a problem to pass it on to the poor person who's getting stuck with the car. I feel so, so bad for those people.... but everyone falls victim to the quest for the $ I suppose. The used car world is full of snakes... deal with people, not dealers. Not saying that means you'll get a better deal or a better car, but individuals have consciences, whereas dealers just have money invested.

If you're honest, do good work, and have reasonable prices, the work will come, nothing to worry about there. And if all you care about is cheap... well sometimes there's a price you pay for the price you paid. See you when you get towed in.

I do good work, and I have made a lot of happy clients here in Pittsburgh. I don't know how long I'll do this or if it's my career, but as long as I have a desire to get better and faster at what I do, I'll still be turning wrenches tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who has been so easy to work with and has left me good praise online and via word of mouth. That kind of true marketing is invaluable to a small business.

So.. that's "Why Saab's?."

Take care,
-Chad

Oh, and another take on it:

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
-Robert A. Heinlein

Engine/Transmission mounts

2011-03-19T00:14:00.003-04:00

Is your SAAB feeling shaky... as in, constant vibrations or clunking on acceleration/deceleration? Engine and transmission mounts commonly fail and collapse after 60k miles and make the car feel like it's running extremely rough. It's amazing what a difference changing them can make. Below is a picture of an automatic transmission mount I changed in a 1999 9-3 today.

Notice how the one is torn? This allows the transmission to literally jump up and down when the car is shifting or accelerating, though it cannot fall out as the design is made to cradle the part of the mount that bolts to the transmission. It's amazing how much better and smoother a car drives once one of these mounts is replaced.

I check them all when doing and initial consultation.

Have a good weekend,

-Chad

More Sludge!

2011-02-19T09:04:00.007-05:00

Just dropped the oil pan on a '02 9-3 with an oil pressure light on. Mmm mmm Sludge.

The sludge pile under the oil pickup screen (removed)

And the pickup screen:

Post Cleanup:

Update your crankcases and change your oil with Mobil 1 synthetic, and you can usually avoid this problem.

-Chad

A botched 9-3SS brake job -or- one more reason why you should always have a SAAB specialist service your SAAB.

2011-02-06T21:24:00.008-05:00

I recently got to observe a pretty amazing site... a front brake job on a 9-3 Sport Sedan that had been completely botched in just about every way.

Client stated brakes were soft, making noise, and not stopping well. Front brakes had been "replaced" by a local generic automotive repair shop. Client took the car back to them on two different occasion stating the above issues and overall not being pleased with the work.

The findings were pretty amazing.

Firstly, the shop had "turned" the brake rotors (a process of removing metal from the rotor to create a flat surface). I NEVER do this or recommended it, as replacement with original SAAB parts is a much better option for the same amount that most shops charge for their "turning" service. The rotors had been cut way below their minimum thickness, and had about half of the braking surface removed. Once the pads would have worn down near their replacement point, the brake pistons would have overextended and blown out, causing a loss of front brakes (which provide about 80% of the cars stopping power).

Stock rotor vs. the turned rotor on the car

Now, on to the pads. The pads used were incorrect for the car. The car was a 2003 9-3, which is a tough year to order parts for. In 2003, the sedan version of the car was different from the convertible version of the car. The convertible was the older body style, with different brakes. The issue is that the difference is slight, so if you receive the wrong parts, it seems as if they will install... because they will, but they are completely incorrect!

The pads on the earler 9-3 (which is what was installed on this car) are too large and will rub the caliper, inner hub of the rotor, and bind when the piston trys to compress them. Here's what it looked like when the wheel was taken off:

1: The rattle clip retainer is missing
2: The pad is rubbing the inner hub
3: The pad is not making full contact with the rotor
4: They put some kind of grease on the back of the pad to make it work?

I was pretty amazed at this point. It would have been one thing for them to do the job and send it out thinking it was okay, but the client took it back TWICE to complain about issues with it and they still looked at it and said it was OK!

Things got worse, though. After taking it all apart and removing the pads, it was immediately apparent that something more was very wrong. The pads binding had caused the pistons that push the pads onto the rotors had cracked on both sides due to the binding of the incorrect pads! I can't stress how dangerous this was to be driven. The brake fluid was leaking out from behind the pistons and failure was imminent.

Cracked brake caliper piston

After reassembly with all new and correct parts the brakes work and feel great. I just wanted to put this up as a reminder to everyone... make sure you know who's working on your car. Most inspection stations fail cars on brakes and exhausts, then try to sell them to the customer because that's how they keep their doors open. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I would have easily caught this before I ever installed the new parts. My cost for the job with all new parts was also less than what this shop charged her... just something to keep in mind.

All done

Take care,
-Chad

Crankshaft Position Sensor Replacement, 900's, 9000's, 9-3's, and 9-5's

2011-01-27T23:29:00.005-05:00

Some issues have classic symptoms that throw up a red flag right away when a client is describing them. "The car wouldn't start after I shut it off for a few minutes, but would start right up if I let it sit for an hour" is classic Crankshaft Position Sensor failure.

This little sensor is mounted on the front of the engine on turbo SAABs from 1994 and up. It's job is to tell the engine management system the angle of the crankshaft. Essentially, it's just a magnet that corresponds a pulse from a trigger wheel mounted on the crankshaft. However, without the signal, the car doesn't know what order to ignite spark or fire the fuel injectors, therefore leading to a no start condition.

Sometimes the sensors just fail and have no visual signs of wear, but on the car I was working on today, this was not the case.

Old, broken wiring harness vs. new sensor.

Oil from an oil leak at the cylinder headgasket soaked the sensor harness, causing the rubber to swell and eventually rupture. Heat from the turbocharger also aids in the degradation, though there is a metal heat shield over the sensor to prevent this. If this was a clients car, I would have definitely caught it in the consultation, but this was an out of state tow in that broke down locally and had the car towed to me.

Where the sensor mounts, if you look hard inside the hole you can see the trigger wheel the sensor reads its signal off of.

Easy enough job to do. A common failure that can leave you stuck and stranded... no bueno.

I'm getting out of the cold and heading to Florida for a week on a bit of a vacation. Heading to the Rolex 24hrs of Daytona race on Saturday/Sunday. See "Yinz" later.

Cabin Air Filter Replacement, All Saabs

2011-01-26T20:59:00.009-05:00

For whatever reason, most of the cars I see have never had the cabin air filter replaced. Maybe Wright and Cochran are skipping them in the major services they're doing, or clients are being naughty and skipping their scheduled maintenance!

The filter does exactly what the title says it does, filter the outside air that flows into your car. All the air you and your family breathe with the windows up passes through this thing, so it's important to make sure it's working properly. The units I use also have a charcoal residue built in to the filter which eliminates outside smells from coming into the cabin!

I change it on almost every major service I do, and here's why:

Old filter v. new, on a 7yr old car with 91,000 miles.

This is a picture taken by head technician Anders at Swedecar in California showing how clogged up the housing around the filter can get. The cowl cover that typically covers the filter is removed in this photo. Anders reported that by clearing out the housing and replacing the filter, the customers air conditioning temperature dropped by almost 10 degrees!!!

Have you had yours replaced?

We're on The Facebook!

2011-01-19T00:14:00.002-05:00

Like Simply SAAB on Facebook!

SAAB VIN Decoder

2011-01-11T21:36:00.003-05:00

A neat little tool to use. Enter your VIN below and it decodes it for you.

Saab VIN Decoder

Everything In Its Place

2011-01-05T00:31:00.003-05:00

Organization is half the battle... but today, I won the war.

Look Fast, Go Fast.

2010-12-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

Just got in an order of performance parts for my personal 9-5 from the good folks at www.GenuineSAAB.com. Stuff looks great, and the quality of workmanship really is outstanding.

Performance stuff is such a small part of what I do, but it sure is fun! Looking to get 300hp out of the 9-5 come Spring, and this is the first step. These cars really are capable of some serious power without too much effort and $.

The stock downpipe looks almost comical next to the 3" stainless steel GenSAAB version. Noticed an immediate change in throttle response, and the turbo comes on instantly, no lag.

The intake pipe is also quite an improvement over stock. However, its benefits will not really be utilized until the engine computer software is re-written.

Hope everyone had a good holiday season.
-Chad

2010-10-08T09:10:00.003-04:00

In my last post I claimed that the 9-3SS is highly over-engineered....

After replacing the cylinder head on this client's car, I retract that statement. If anything, the internals are under-engineered. There are NO timing marks to line the timing chain/cam sprockets all back up when you go to re-time the engine. Also, the gears aren't keyed like they were on the older ones. Annoying.

TIS 2000 Security Access

2010-08-19T19:21:00.004-04:00

03+ stuff is too complicated and electronically over engineered.

The process of replacing and reflashing the engine computer (or any module, for that matter) on 2003+ 9-3 involves a lot of crap. Old laptop with TIS software and security clearance, a tech 2, a CANdi module, all hooked together and plugged into the car. Also, the car has to be on a battery charger so it doesn't die during programming or the engine computer will become a worthless brick.

That's over $12,000 worth of diagnostic technology plugged into a car to replace a $400 module. Necessary evil, I suppose.

No wonder the big guys have to charge so much...

A long absence

2010-04-27T00:20:00.003-04:00

I quit updating this blog when life got too busy.

This blog is now the number 1 hit on google for Saab serpentine belt, and 3rd for Saab direct ignition... pretty cool for something I never intended many people to read.

Hope the posted information is helpful!

-Chad

Pittsburgh.

2010-03-29T01:37:00.000-04:00

I have now relocated to Pittsburgh, PA. I am opening my own shop here and am now available for service. For more info or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.PittsburghSAAB.com.

Look for more technical writing soon as well.

Hope everyone is doing well!
-Chad

2009-01-16T01:43:00.002-05:00

Sorry I haven't been writing as of late... life has been consumed by training for the road cycling season ahead and work. Not the interesting kind of work to tell you about and take pretty pictures of, the boring service kind of work. The turbo business has been doing very well though.

Take care, and I'll get back to this very soon.

-Chad

Mechanic etiquette: a rant of sorts?

2008-11-21T20:27:00.004-05:00

Before I even start let me say that these are two words that are rarely used together.

To me, there's a certain etiquette that someone who is working on your vehicle should possess. Vehicles are individuals property which are easy to become attached to, most people care about their vehicle, its condition, and the image it projects about them as a person. I'm personally not so concerned with the image factor, but I'm definitely one who is attached to his vehicle. Along with this attachment comes a certain amount of pride I take in the cleanliness, upkeep, and overall maintenance of it. I know my car down to every single nut and bolt. I have everything exactly how I like it and I know the flaws and what needs to be done to correct them. If a setting or adjustment is slightly off from the last time I drove the vehicle, it does not take me long to notice.

Long story short: I don't like people touching my car.

Now, the personal amount of pride in my vehicle is something I keep in my mind when I'm working on a clients car. Little things, like getting greasy fingerprints on a wheel while remounting it, noting the initial adjustment of the drivers seat and mirrors before adjusting and driving it, ignoring any personal items someone may have in the car, absolutely everything down to the radio station the car was on when I picked it up are things that should be noted and set to their owners preferred settings upon returning a car. As a mechanic, you must also realize that when driving or road testing a car during repair, you are in a huge situation of liability if something were to happen with the car. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to drive responsibly and respectfully, taking more than necessary due caution, when road testing.

I'm writing this because I recently had a very (read: VERY) bad experience at a local tire shop. As all us lovely nor'easterns know winter is in full gear, and with that comes snow tire season. As mechanically inclined and capable as I am, I simply don't have the equipment and machinery to mount, dismount, and balance tires. Therefore, to get the snow tires mounted on my car, I had to take it to...gulp...a shop.

So, I head out to a local generic tire center with the snow's in the trunk hoping for the best. I pull into a local shop that has a pretty decent reputation from what I've heard, so at this point I'm feeling moderately confident that my simple request of dismounting and mounting new tires will be a simple enough task for them to tackle.

...or not?

I'm greeted when I work in by a rather portly fellow perched on a stool behind a desk. I can't seem to ignore the lovely faces on the three other people waiting in the office/lobby/where they keep the magazines, looking like they were in the ER waiting to hear the news about their ill grandmother. The man behind the counter is on his personal cell phone talking to his wife... which he promptly continued as he totally ignored me standing in front of him. Eventually, he finally informed her that he had 'a guy come in' and has to go. We have a brief exchange and I tell him what I would like done, so he takes my information, keys, and I'm off to join the waiting crowd.

This shop has 6 bays with lifts and from what I counted 5 mechanics on duty. Not bad, not bad. So I sit for about a half hour and play some ferocious solitaire on my cell phone (if the luck I was having at solitaire that day was any reflection of how bad the service at that garage was going to be, I would have just got up and left). All this time, nobody even looks at my car. I can see into the bays and see mechanics doodling about not really doing much. I'm semi irritated at this point, but continue the wait. Finally, about 45 minutes a man finally starts walking to my car with keys. He sits down in my car and starts it, and sits there in it running for about two minutes. I see him fooling with the gear lever, and immediately realize he doesn't know how to put the car in reverse.

As fellow manual transmission Saab owners know, the reverse lockout must be bypassed by lifting the collar under the shift knob before the car will go into gear.

The man is literally trying to force the car into reverse! I run out there and grab open the passenger door quickly and give him a look, quickly accompanied by "Having problems?" I guess I was too late... he broke the shifter. The lock ring that holds the pivot ball at the base of the shifter into place has never been that strong on the car, but this guy completely trashed it. Needless to say, I'm angry.

The car goes into the garage for the tires and I return to my seat in the death lounge. I'm fairly irritated by this point, and it only got worse when the mechanics in the bay began blasting some form of heavy metal music that I would not even judge fit for human consumption. I'm not bagging anyone's music tastes, and to each their own, but when you're working in what should be a semi professional environment, this stuff doesn't really have a place. One woman even walked out of the waiting area because she could not stand it any longer. We're not talking like Metallica or any other kind of heavy music, we're talking something 3x faster and 3x more obnoxious. Anyway, to me it just upped the annoyance level.

So the car is ready go come out of the shop when I just hear the engine revving highly and the blow off valve repeatedly opening. I immediately gave the portly shop man the most murderous look I think I could form, and yelled "SERIOUSLY, IS THAT REALLY NECESSARY?" He runs to fetch the tattooed redneck that was revving the car and gets him to stop. Wow, safe to say... I'm pissed. I guess he saw the gauges and 3" exhaust while the car was on the lift and decided he wanted to find out if it was just show or not? Either way, totally unprofessional and not called for in the least. God knows what he would have done in it if he were to test drive it.

When the manager brings the car to the office door I notice there are greasy fingerprints all over my clean super aeros... UGH! Whatever, I can deal with that. I also noticed the shop owner had a small amount of grease on his back... which didn't take long to realize came from the tattooed rednecks shirt. Great, grease on my black Aero interior. To make amends, the shop owner cut me a nice price on the mounting and balancing, and I decided to not make too much of a fuss about the shifter lever (it took about 30 seconds to fix, but that's beside the point). Needless to say, I'll be using my invisible hand and never returning there again... but is there really a better alternative?

The moral of the story is be selective about who works with your car. I don't mean this as a pander for how much better my service is compared to most, but I can say that it takes about 30 seconds of being in an average repair shop to realize why people bring there cars to me. I deal with a client directly and individually, I work promptly, I make all possible attempts to be respectful, and I genuinely care about the quality of my work and your satisfaction. I can also see how dealing with individuals at mechanic shops and garages can be intimidating. The people who are servicing your cars are in a great position of power to lie to you and cost you money... keep that in mind. Don't be afraid to ask question of a mechanic... ask for explanations, ask to be shown the problem so you can see something first hand. If a vehicle ever needs a major item of safety or importance that may not be extremely apparent to the driver I always make it a point to give a thorough yet understandable explanation of what needs done, how soon it needs done, and why. I feel like everyone should expect these things of their mechanics, therefore I strive to provide them.

Basically what I'm saying is... I've learned your average mechanic can't even figure out how to put a Saab into reverse. =)

Take care,
-Chad

Sludge, a personal perspective

2008-07-05T14:35:00.003-04:00

Hello internet peoplez.

It's been a fun day here. My grandparents have needed a nice car to run errands in, so we picked them up for a 96 900SE vert that did not run. We purchased the car sight unseen and brought it back to their home. It sounded to me like the starter was bad, the solenoid that engages the gear that spins the teeth against the flywheel and makes the whole starting process possible was not engaging.

After trying to manually turn the engine with a 27mm socket on the engines crank pulley, a really ugly thing happened....

...it wouldn't turn.

Wuh oh.

Anyway, pulled the valve cover and found this:

Ewww.

The engine has sludged up and siezed, so perhaps a writeup on replacing NG900 engines soon?

Nevermind, Dip already did that, and you can find it here

Actually, for any NG900 or 9-5 owner, Dip's how to webpage is a godsend. His cataloging of procedures is amazing and better than any factory manual I have on the shelf

His page is here

So, go change your oil so you don't end up like this, or call me and have me do it ;-)

-Chad

Apologies!

2008-07-03T20:34:00.002-04:00

Hey there,

I have not been able to post much!

Many of you do not know, but while I run my Saab business I'm also a full time college student at West Virginia University. I've recently gained a spot on the cycling team, so that's been taking up a lot of time. I also recently received an internship at a legal aid firm doing pro bono work here in Morgantown, so I'm staying busy.

Expect more updates next week.

Take care,
-Chad

T7 Crankcase updates... 9-3's and 9-5's, listen up!

2008-06-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Now that the big 3 have been wrapped up, I'm going to move onto some general maintenance related things.

Now, there are many things I could start with here... fuel filters, spark plugs, radiator hoses, whatever. To me, however, there is something much more important. This does not apply to everyone, just T7 cars (00-03CV 9-3's and 1999-2006 9-5's).

To the applicable, let me tell you a story. Somewhere, in 1997 Sweden, engineers sat around, pencils behind ears and coffee pots overflowing, and designed the 9-3 and 9-5 to follow the NG900 and the 9000. They tested the cars beyond comprehension, putting them on earthquake-like suspension testers, driving them into barrels that simulated Moose's, and doing countless laps on the race tracks of Europe. Not a detail was missed!

:cough:except for the design of the crankcase system:cough:

":P.s cough:"....and the fuel pump access hole in the 9-3. That too. ":P.s. cough:"

Anyway, what I'm getting at here, is that these engines flowed crankcase gasses about as well as ice flows downstream... it just doesn't. It stays and builds up, and eventually, bad things happen.

A message to the engineers who designed the crankcase system, and put the catalytic converter so close to the oil pan...

That's kind of the story with the T-7 engine. At idle, none of the gasses generated by the crankcase system get ventilated and what results, amongst other things, is SLUDGE. Say it with me now... SLUDGE.

....Sluuuuuudge.

One last time... Sluuuuudge.

Saab realized this was a problem about the same time the attorneys for all the people effected were sending out their affidavits to the judge, attempting to get money from Saab for engine replacements paid for out of pocket.

Sludge kills engines, but usually will kill a turbo first. What happens is the oil feed line that supply's the precious lubrication to the turbo cakes up with sludge and flow gets cut off to the turbo (think Macdonald's lover needing a triple bypass). Without lubrication, the turbo overheats and cooks the bearings, seals, and eventually will shred the compressor wheel from all the play in the shaft.

A turbo I pulled from a 1999 9-5

Did I mention I rebuild turbos? The reason I got into doing this was how many I was seeing from cooked and sludged engines that it was lucrative enough for me to start doing in house. Anyway, more on that later.

I borrowed these photos from Anders (the Saab expert, if you ask me), they are from his TSN gallery. They show a severe sludge problem in the T7 engine.

Sludged camshaft area underneath the valve cover

A sludged oil pickup screen

Saab rectified the sludge issue with a few different update kits for the crankcase vent system, finally ending up with crankcase update number 6. You can tell if your car has this by looking for these hoses:

When you bring your T7 Saab in for service, this is THE first thing I always check for (unless it's not running, or something...)

The moral here is that sludge is real, and must be addressed. Change your oil, and change it often, always using Mobil 1 synthetic (you do use synthetic, right?) and Genuine Saab or Mann filters. Taking 20 minutes to pull your valve cover and do a sludge inspection can save your car, and will also put your mind at ease when you find a clean and lovely honeypot of oil under there.

In theory.

Oh yeah, I forgot. If you're replacing a blown turbo due to sludge or oil cooking, ALWAYS replace the oil feed pipe too. Install the new one with the old pipe and you might as well leave all the bolts decently loose, because you will be turning them again next week. Write that down.

Chuck Andrews, owner of Andrews of Princeton, does some great writing for NINES magazine and has many of his informative articles posted in PDF format on his website for you to read, you can check them out here.

Check out Anders Gallery at TSN for interesting and eye opening Saab photos.

Take care and keep the dirty side down,
-Chad

Fuel Pumps, all models

2008-06-14T22:45:00.001-04:00

For the final installment of the big 3 common failures I most often note on my clients cars, I will be talking about fuel pumps.

A Walbro brand fuel pump

The name of the thing is pretty self explanatory, no?

The pump is submerged within your gas tank and pumps fuel from the tank to the engine. If you listen very, very carefully while your car is running you can lightly hear it in most Saabs.

Saab OEM pumps are made by Bosch, and will usually last 100,000 miles or so. It is not part of any scheduled service, it is just one of those items whose day comes when it goes out.

Pumps often fail upon startup, they will simply not come on and the car will fail to start. Typically they will sputter and attempt to start a bit, but without sustained fuel pressure the system cannot manage to fire fuel through the injectors and ignition cannot occur.

The fuel pump lives inside a basket within the tank that contains the pump, a pre-filter, and also has the sending unit for the fuel level gauge built in.

The pump rests inside the basket

This particular pump is from my Stage 5 tuned 1994 9000 Aero. I have replaced the factory pump with a larger, higher flowing pump, a Walbro 255LPH. This pump is the most common for racing applications that require more fuel supply to the engine.

My Walbro 255LPH pump installed

Fuel pump replacement on a c900, 9000, or 9-5 takes about 1-1.5hrs. On a OG9-3, it takes about 3 hours because removal of the gas tank is required. The fuel pump inserts run about $180. Your dealer will attempt to replacement the entire basket assembly instead of the pump insert, and list price of the assembly is over $600. By replacing only the insert, it saves me time and you money, so we both come out on the plus side.

That's all for now

Take care,
-Chad

The Saab Direct Ignition (DI) System, most models

2008-06-10T23:33:00.002-04:00

Hello again,

Following my list of 3 common Saab failures that will leave you on the side of the road, I wanted to discuss the direct ignition system found on your Saab. If you have a 9000 turbo (91-98), NG900 turbo (94-98), 9-3 (99-02), or 9-5 (99-present), then your car incorporates the direct ignition technology developed by Saab in the late 80's.

Direct Ignition... it just sounds fancy, right?

As you know (or may not know), Saab prides itself in turbo charging. Turbochargers increase engines efficiency by forcing air into the engine, which ultimately creates more power. By doing this, it is possible to make a 4 cylinder perform at the level of many v6 and v8 engines, providing not only power, but fuel economy (everybody say yeeeah!). The advances of turbocharging, and Saabs innovation with turbochargers, outgrew the performance and ability provided by distributor style ignition systems, so Saab developed the DI system to work with its new Trionic systems. The DI also cleans the plugs after you shut the car off. It runs through a 5 second burn off cycling, in which time it ignites all the plugs with very hot spark to clean the ignition surfaces of the plug!.

A Direct Ignition cassette, this one is red which indicates that this is a T5 system

What the DI system does is eliminate all of the common ignition components found on conventional ignition systems for a more... turbo friendly? ignition system. The ignition system is managed by Saabs Trionic software, which comes in two (technically 3) versions, Trionic 5 and Trionic 7. The MY93 9000's had a special version of T5 different from all others (94-98).

Also, for owners of 2003+ 9-3's, your Saab has a coil pack ignition system, which has 1 individual coil pack per cylinder and is operated by Saabs Trionic 8 system. I have yet to deal with this system enough to comment on any failure trends.

The DI system is housed within the DI cassette which sits on top of your engines spark plugs and ignites them with an electrical charge generated within the cassette. It is essentially a computer. It also can read knock and spark temperature through the spark plug itself, a capability distributor style ignition systems would never be able to incorporate.

Here we see the inner workings of a T5 DI cassette

Now, why is all of this important to you? These DI's commonly fail, and the vehicle will cease to operate immediately upon failure. The most common failure pattern I tend to see with them is an overheating of the small pocket of oil inside of the DI, which will then spill out into the circuitry. I'm not sure which comes first in this case, the chicken or the egg, but either it overheats and spills, frying the circuits, or spills from the circuits overheating.

What causes this?

No really, I'm asking you.

What I'm saying is that there is not really a common point at which these DI's fail. I've heard tell of a friend of mine putting on a brand new one from Saab, and it failing a week later. My 1994 9000 Aero made it 200k miles on its original DI cassette, yet some only go 60k. The DI is not a service item, and is never replaced by Saab unless it fails. I personally keep a spare on hand at all times in my trunk, because you really are at the mercy of it when you're driving.

A T7 Black DI, you can also see the boots which sit on the spark plugs

Replacing a DI is simple and only takes a matter of minutes, failures can often be identified by the smell that a DI puts off after failing, one of a burnt electronic nature. The lesson here is check your DI, there is a date code stamped on the label underneath. It will read something like 0250. The first two digits indicate the year, and the last two indicate the week. 0250 would mean a DI made in 2002 on the 50th week. Remember though, this does not indicate when the DI was installed, just when it was produced. If you have an older DI, I would suggest purchasing a spare to keep, just in case.

I keep both T7 and T5 used DI's on hand, price for T5 used DI's is $150 and $125 for T7 DI's. The two must not be interchanged, as they are meant to work specifically with the T5 or T7 system. As I already mentioned, T5 DI's are red and T7 are black. If any of you Saab-o-philes feel otherwise about DI interchangeability, this is not the place to discuss it.

However, this is. =)

There is also a recall on T7 DI cassettes, I will check your car for this during service to see if it has been done.

Anywho, I'll be doing some less common jobs over the next few days (vent flap motor on a 87 9000 Turbo with Automatic Climate Control, a transmission flush and filter replacement on a c900 automatic, and a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor on a 9-5), I will post about all of that by the end of the week when they are completed.

Take care until next time,
-Chad

Serpentine belt and pulley replacement, all models

2008-06-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

Hello again,

If you're reading this, you probably have a car... most likely a Saab, even. Your Saab does many things, it moves, it stops, it turns, and inevitably it breaks.

Well, chances are if your Saab leaves you stranded on the side of the road the cause is one of three things

1. A Direct Ignition Cassette
2. A Fuel Pump
3. A broken Serpentine belt or pulley

I'm going to venture to say that about 60% of the "HEY! I'm on the side of the road and broken down" calls I receive are specifically related to serpentine belt or pulley failures.

What is a serpentine belt, you ask?

The Serpentine belt and its various pulleys can be seen on the left side of the engine in this photo.

A serpentine belt is a multi ribbed rubber belt which operates the engines various accessories such as air conditioning via the AC compressor, the charging system via the alternator, the power steering system via the power steering pump, and the cooling system via the water pump. It is driven by a single power pulley, known as a crank pulley, which is externally mounted on the engines crankshaft. Tension on the belt allows for the friction of the belt against the various other pulleys to operate these pumps and devices. Tension is applied and removed from the belt via a tensioner with a pulley that adjusts and absorbs shock as the belt turns. Saab 9000's use a hydraulic tensioning system with a shock absorber, whereas NG900's, 9-3's and 9-5's use a spring loaded mechanical tensioners.

This is a 9-3 and 9-5 style mechanical tensioner with tensioner pulley

Classic 900's (79-93) use a multi belt system which total 4 belts and has mechanical non automatic tensioners which must be adjusted by hand.

Anywho, the serpentine belt and its pulleys receive much wear and stress from its constant turning while the engine is operating. The belt is engine speed dependant, so the faster the engine is revving the faster the belt is turning. The pulleys on the accessories, such as the AC compressor, alternator, waterpump, and power steering pump are fairly resilient and do not typically wear (but I would suggest replacement if the parent component is replaced), however, there are two (in some cases 3) specific pulleys that cause problems for Saabs.

The pulleys in question are idler pulleys and the belt tensioner pulley itself. They do not drive any specific function on the car, and since they are hard mounted on the side of the engine itself, they contain bearings which allow them to turn. Their purpose is solely to direct or provide tension to the belt itself. The bearings they contain wear over time and the pulleys can separate from the bearings, which will throw the belt off track, stop the critical functions of the car from functioning, and will leave you stranded where you are.

In this photo we see an old pulley on the left, and a new on the right

Also, the serpentine belt can become weak over time and will snap, also leaving you with the same scenario. However, from personal experience, the pulleys will let go before the belt does, as untrained technicians will many times replace the belt but not the pulleys.

Here we see a 9-3 and 9-5 tensioner pulley with a new hardware kit

I follow Saab's suggested service listing for these bearings, and that is replacement every 60k miles. The pulleys and serpentine belt are included in the 60k mile service, but as stated before, that does not mean they are always changed.

The lesson here is check your belts condition. Belts and pulleys will sometimes make noise and give you some warning before they go, but many times they just go. When you come to me for an initial service, this is one of the first things I will check and suggest to you as a client to keep you motoring safe and happy!

Parts cost varies per model, but an idler pulley, tensioner pulley, and serpentine belt replacement usually runs in the $250 range with labor included.

Please leave comments to let me know how you guys are liking the blog. Also, if anyone needs anymore clarification or explanation, feel free to ask!

Take care,
-Chad

9-3 Sport Sedan Headlight Wiring

2008-06-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hey there,

Today I encountered what is becoming a more and more common problem on the early (MY2003) 9-3 Sport Sedans.

The wiring that connects to the headlamp socket, which holds the bulb for your low beam headlight and provides power to it, becomes corroded and fails. This leads to loss of a headlamp, but provides great fun for those who love a good sporting game of Padiddle.

See: Padiddle

Anywho, the good news is that the repair is simple. GM have encountered the problem enough to the point where they have created a repair piece that splices into the old headlamp wiring and is already wired into the bulb socket. This way, you get a reliable connection and do not have to mess with rewiring the bulb socket internally.

Steps involved:

Remove front bumper

Remove headlamp

Splice and fit repair kit w/bulb
Re-install headlamp
Re-install front bumper

Job cost:
Parts - $20
Labor - 1hr

I'm going to try to remember to take my digital camera with me when I work from now on, but for now cell phone pictures will do!

Take care,
-Chad

Simply SAAB... the blog!

2008-06-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

What I've decided to do here is keep a blog as a point of information and outreach to clients and those interested in Saab automobiles alike. After 5 years of Saab service I've noticed many common failure trends across the spectrum of Saab models and will attempt to address those which I encounter here for everyones information.

First, A bit about me. My name is Chad Lowers, I'm a Political Science/Pre-Law major at WVU. I'm from Charleston, West Virginia, but have resided in Morgantown, West Virginia for the past 2 years. After working on Saab automobiles in and around the Charleston area I made the decision to attend West Virginia University in lieu of moving on to different ventures later in my life outside of the world of automotive service.

Simply SAAB was started by me as an outreach to Saab owners in the greater Morgantown and Pittsburgh areas who were having problems finding technicalness willing to service their automobiles. As known by most Saab owners, many automotive service institutions are not willing to work on Saab automobiles due to the complexity of their engineering. When individuals do find shops willing to work on their Saab automobiles, the cost is typically very high and the quality often low.

I strive to provide quality, convenience, and affordability to all of my clients. Quality through 5 years of experience specifically on Saab automobiles, from c900's to 9-3 Sport Sedans. Convenience through my mobile service and my ability to work with your schedule. Finally, affordability through my labor rates that are half of the Saab dealers!

Take care, hopefully I can write here often!

-Chad