1999 Saab 95 problems

[spiral88]

Hi guys,
today I did a test drive of a 1999 Saab 95 and found some problems. First is the AC, after I ignited the engine, AC did't work, however after driving for a while, it came back to work. I just checked Msn autos, and foud out this problem may be the failure of HVAC Housing which will cost 1000 bucks to repair...
The second is noises in the engine when I stepped on gas. The owner said it came from the turbo charger, do you guys have the same kind of noise?
The third is the ignition cassette module, the owner just has it replaced for $750, however I'm wondering if this is a periodic problem and the same thing will happen to me.
so, any comments? Does it still worth to buy? Thanks a lot!!

[mbunakeith]

i am a saab technician and i can tell you that this car will nickel and dime you to death. i would pass on it. the hvac repair is spendy, the engine noise coule be worn timing and balance chains/guides ($$$),and the T7 (engine computer) will need updating all the time, the direct ignition cassetes will go bad every 40-60k miles. 99 9-5's are not good cars. too many issues.

[spiral88]

Hi mbunakeith,
Thank you very much for the information, you really warned me. The engin noise I heard is a whistle, a little loud and annoying. Is this what you thought in mind? The owner said it was from the turbo. I don't have experience with a turbo so I don't know what the sound should be. The AC problem is no air flow at the initial start up, then after 5-10 minutes it blows. Is there any cheap way to repair it? Will it get worse and finally dead?
Too many questions, I think I'll pass on it, thanks again.

[mbunakeith]

for the turbo whistle noise; possible worn turbine shaft or a intake pipe not properly lined up on the turbo-i see that alot. the crank case ventilation system really stinks too and you may have a vacuum leak from the poor quality check valves, hoses etc. also check the intercooler pipes and hoses. i have seen many split hoses. especially the one that runs down the left side of the turbo. it gets hot and cracks. the acc system may be working properly. if the guy has the system set to not blow air until the coolant warms up, you wont ge any air until it warms up. there are a thousand ways to set the acc system up. dont be surprised if the mode door rod breaks. they all eventually do and the only fix is to completely remove the heater box and replae the upper portion of it. the parts are fairly cheap ($400 i think) but it is very time consuming and labor will be upwards of 13+ hours. i despise the job and have yet to meet a tech that likes doing it. the car may be ok overall. chances are some of these things have been fixed in the past. who knows. if you give me the vin number i can run a warranty history and see what has been fixed.

[mbunakeith]

i just dont trust the newer saabs. there are so many oil leaks, blown up engines, broken pistons, sludge problems. all of it seems stupid to me. our shop never used to many engine replacements, tranny replacements. now all we do is engines and tranny's all the time.

[spiral88]

Hi mbunakeith,
Thank you so much. the owner is willing to cut the price down a little bit more if I can take the car to the shop for mechanical check. The VIN number is YS3ED48E8X3000668, and from the CARFAX I can see this car has 3 owners and lots of repairs are already been done.

[mbunakeith]

personally, i would walk away from this thing. it is a very early production car. it has every possible problem known. also, it has old style brakes which tend to be very noisey/quirky. is there oil all over the front of the engine? every system on the car is old style and the newer 9-5's have had all this car's problems fixed. trust me. i wouldnt, but it is your choice. be prepared for it to be in the shop all the time, i swear. if it was a good car, it wouldnt have so many owners.

[mbunakeith]

the top part of the information below are the campaigns/recalls that have been completed. ther are no open campaigns on this car now. the last 4 digits of the repair tell you what shop worked on it. i am not sure what dealer is 2059. this car was so early, it could be one that the saab representative drove. it may have also been one that car magazines tested. who knows. all i know is it was on the road in early 98. i would like to see what has been done to it outside of warranty. i bet it is twice as long as this list.

10473 SC 9-3 AND 9-5 AUTOMATIC SHIFTLOCK SOLONOID YES 11/21/01 2059 139223
10484 SC 9-5 ALARM SIREN REPLACEMENT YES 11/21/01 2059 139222
10717 ER ADD'L STEP FOR RECALL 719-SEE 719 SI YES 2059 234971
10719 ER CHECK VALVE AND BANJO BOLT YES 2059 139221
10724 ER T7 ECM EMISSION REC YES 2059 234972
15013 SR WHEEL BOLT REPLACEMENT STEEL TO ALLOY WHEELS YES 2059 3756601

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Warranty Claim History
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Repair Failed Repair
Date Mileage Claim # Part Failed Part Description Dealer
06/05/03 59720 3756601 15013 RECALL 15013 - 9-5 WHEEL BOLTS 2059
12/17/01 44693 1475911 77412 WHEEL BEARING, FRONT 2059
11/21/01 43902 1463371 35119 HALOGEN LAMP, HEADLIGHTS 2059
03/28/01 34644 1324561 21411 VALVE 2059
03/28/01 34644 1324562 35160 LICENSE PLATE LIGHT 2059
02/16/01 32778 1295871 24610 THROTTLE HSG. 2059
10/04/00 29763 234971 10717 ADD'L STEP FOR RECALL 719 2059
10/04/00 29763 234972 10724 T-7 EMISSION RECALL 2059
06/02/00 26014 164921 44110 TORQUE CONV. 2059
06/02/00 26014 164922 34411 SPARK PLUGS 2059
04/19/00 23686 139221 10719 RECALL 719-REPL OF CHECK VALVE AND BANJO BOLT 2059
04/19/00 23686 139222 10484 1999 9-5 ALARM SIREN CAMPAIGN 2059
04/19/00 23686 139223 10473 9-3 AND 9-5 AUTOMATIC SHIFTLOCK SOLONOID CAMPAIGN 2059
01/10/00 20676 87761 31111 BATTERY 2059
01/10/00 20676 87762 11720 ROADSIDE ASS T - WARRANTY 2059
09/16/99 16306 9029281 38138 INFO DISPLAY 2059
09/16/99 16306 9029282 87021 EXP. VALVE 2059
09/02/99 16077 9021491 35120 FOG LIGHT ASSY 2059
09/02/99 16077 9021492 24810 ECM 2059
09/02/99 16077 9021493 85821 DOOR TRIM, FRONT 2059
06/01/99 11562 9962281 85081 SUN VISOR 2059
06/01/99 11562 9962282 36737 SPEAKER, FRONT DOOR 2059
04/06/99 9942 9936801 34411 SPARK PLUGS 2059
04/06/99 9942 9936802 35169 BULB, LICENSE PLATE LIGHT 2059
11/09/98 4176 8771871 85580 ARMREST ASSY. 2059
11/03/98 4175 8846063 85821 DOOR TRIM, FRONT 2059
11/03/98 4175 8846064 85996 CUP HOLDER 2059
06/29/98 1600 8800261 11101 1000 MILE 1ST SERVICE (99-2000) 2059
03/10/98 22 8787841 55111 HANDBRAKE LEVER 7992

[spiral88]

Thank you so much!!! I will definately give up this car.

[mbunakeith]

trust me...you made the right choice. i hate to say it about cars i have worked on for so long, but there are some real stinkers out there that saab made. another word of warning about saabs...dont ever think about buying a v6 saab anything.

[nickeldog]

I bought a 1999 9-5 on ebay this past June. I paid $7700 for it and thought I got a pretty decent price on it. 30 days after buying it, the DI cassette went...$500 to replace. I had the AC blower motor go on it the next month but was able to find a used fan motor for $100 and had it installed for only $60 which I could stomach...

Also, just had new front brakes and rotors done. Other than those things, the car has been fine. It runs great and is fun to drive. I hope my early issues are over and I have good miles ahead of me. BtW, I bought it with 77,000 miles on it. I keep semi synthetic oil in it... I usually run regular unleaded in it and its fine.

Good luck.