UKSaabs

Hi Guys

Have only joined recently to pick some advice and tips on buying a SAAB 9-3 Aero, anyhow they seem relativley bullet proof and ended up buying the car and other than some niggly bits its a brilliant car.

Problems i have encountered so far are:

Aerial doesnt retract anymore
CD player workks intermitently
Slight knock on front end (steering)
Badges peeling & corroded
LED panel has some missing pixels

Other than that i love it and it goes like a scalded cat. Have always had VW i nthe past and glad i have gone for a change.

Have some plans and will update this thread as i go.

My last car that i chopped in against the SAAB


The 9-3 when i got it. It really did come across as a well looked after example with MASSIVE history.





The car had a massive weekend long cleaning session, found a few minor bits and pieces on the body but will be having a little paint and other bits sorting.

Oooh I do like that. And it's a T5 as well If it doesn't have them fitted already, then a steering rack clamp and brace and a piggybacked rear anti roll bar should be your first upgrades. And a cheeky wee stage 1 remap.
Should only cost circa £200 for that lot and it'll transform the car.

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Thurz bin a murrr-derr in Berzzz-den

i just happen to have an abbott rack brace and clamp available in the for sale section

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If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.

That is a very tidy looking 9-3! Enjoy, and take on board the comments about the brace - everyone I know with a 9-3 has done this mod and it really has transformed the handling, and of course guards against the bulkhead issues associated with 9-3s.

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......Gotta love a 9K..........

1996 9000 Aero
2001 9-3 Aero convertible

Is it a T7 or T5 car? Always thought the oil dip stick off to the left was T7 & T5 was in the middle? And T5 had the metal delivery pipe?
...could be wrong though!!

Lovely looking car by the way

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1st rule of fat club is you don't talk about fat club...

def a T7 engine... has got a T5 DI fitted though

Your quite correct, I was looking at it on my phone earlier and saw the red D.I. and assumed it was T5
Best get a new D.I. as well L5NTN

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Thurz bin a murrr-derr in Berzzz-den

Very tidy and pretty looking car you have there! - looks great in jet black!

As its a 205 check that the sumps been dropped and if not get it done ASAP, sounds like its got some serious history with it so could've been done already. Deffo get a rack brace, the bulkhead is Achilles heal of the 9-3.

Good luck with it all, I reckon it's gonna be a goodun this!

Yamas!

Yep you need to change the DI cassette to a black T7 one - and ensure you fit the correct NGK plugs.

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Project 9-3GT 484Bhp & 483lb ft / 654Nm
Lightweight trackcar - more coming soon!

Ah I see you have found the forum... Welcome! A lot of knowledge on here to be gained.

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Bungle Racing Developments

Thanks guys.

I have lots of questions as i am quite unfailiar with the car not sure where to start with parts or spares.

What exactly are the steering braces that have been mentioned? The car does have a slight knock on the steering so wondered if these wer maybe linked somehow? Where can these braces be sourced and what are they like to fit?

I have read a coulpe of things about the bulk head, what exactly is the problems they suffer from?

I have looked at the engine number and it appears the car is a B205, from what i can gather it has the incorrect DI Cassette fitted, however it does not seem to cause the car any issues and the item is brand new, allegedly it had a red one fitted previously also, i am a little confused by this.

Thanks for the replies guys.

What exactly are the steering braces that have been mentioned?

it is a solid machined clamp with a brace that replaces the rubber bushed clamp only at the passenger end of the steering rack

The car does have a slight knock on the steering so wondered if these were maybe linked somehow? Where can these braces be sourced and what are they like to fit?

the braces are sourced usually from PFS or abbott racing. however they do come up from time to time on here and ebay second hand.

the knock maybe indictive of worn bushes rather than a rack problem

I have read a couple of things about the bulk head, what exactly is the problems they suffer from?

the earlier 900 and early 9-3s suffered from bulkhead cracking. easy way to check is move the steering wheel and if the pedals move your bulkhead has gone. specialists now have a fair quick simple weld in fix for it if it has happened

I have looked at the engine number and it appears the car is a B205, from what i can gather it has the incorrect DI Cassette fitted, however it does not seem to cause the car any issues and the item is brand new, allegedly it had a red one fitted previously also, i am a little confused by this.

the red and the black DI units look for knock differently so if your supposed to have a black and use a red instead the ecu won't pick up knock properly. if tuning you should put the right one in so you don't kill the engine through knock


I have lots of questions as i am quite unfailiar with the car not sure where to start with parts or spares.

for parts, spares and performance parts my pref now is neos as i've never had an issue. abbotts do tuning mainly, but are expensive. PFS do service and tuning bits and euro car parts do service bits.

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If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.

PFS Steering rack clamp
http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_in ... ts_id=2894

or more expensive (better???) Abbott Racing version
http://www.abbottracing.net/product.php?id_product=206

Subframe brace
Ebay 6 point brace
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAAB-BRACE-9- ... 3f17f8e1bc

Abbott 2 point brace, no idea which is better but I've got the 6 point on mine and happy enough with it...
http://www.abbottracing.net/product.php?id_product=210

Most of the guys have done the double rear arb piggyback mod which seems a no brainer for the cost of it, but I've gone for a Genuine Saab 22mm one instead (just fancied a thicker one for a change as I piggy backed the last car...& still to be fitted) they seem to be unavailable at the moment from the tuning shops so I went with the ebay one...he might have more coming in but I think has just sold his last one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/rear-sway-bar ... _500wt_924

I've just upgraded all the bushes bar the front ARB ones and this has made a huge difference to the way it handles (mines a vert so not the best at going round corners!!) try Neos or Larkspeed for bushes...or ebay.

Brakes I've just swapped for some EBC Yellow Stuff R pads on standard discs (go to Neo's for these as you get a decent UKS discount)
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=73878
Really impressed with the R compound pads, had normal yellow stuff on my 9000 but found them pretty crap tbh...these are much better

Also just swapped the dampers for some Bilstein B8's which are fantastic. The car came with Abbott springs so I kept them but I think Neos still do a Bilstein B8/Maptun spring combo which is excellent value...

^^^^^^^^
Expensive that lot!! But definitely do the steering rack clamp and subframe brace...and if you can get hold of one I'd piggy back the rear arb as its a cheap enough upgrade...

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1st rule of fat club is you don't talk about fat club...

oh pfs rack clamp out of stock just following that link

pm on they way to you however re a clamp

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If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.

Thanks for the information on the clamp, the car is currently having acouple of minor issues sorted then will be looking at some goodies.

Got my hand on a set of wheels and tires, will put some fitted pics up.

nice wheels.. cant beat a set of azev's

what size are they? get them fitted asap!

Cheers mate.

A friend had some on an old 900 years ago so seemed like an ideal choice.

Pics of them fitted, i think the car sits ideally on them. Having owned VW in the past been overly obsessed with having a car low, it is refreshing to have car that is drivable but does sit nicely on reasonable sized wheels.

I will be having them refurbished in the coming weeks to clear some minor marks off of them.



Gave the car another massive cleaning session and got my private plate on over the weekend.



And as some of you know, when i bough the car it had a red DI Cassette, not knowing much about this i went ahead and bought the car anyway. After advice from memebers on the forum and the car developing a misfire i took the car to Aeromotive Saab in Birstall. They supplied a used Black DI and cleared some blocked vacuum hoses and now have the car running perfect. Cant recomend Aeromotive enough.

Black DI fitted below, will cleaned and maybe painted to tidy it up a little.

Sorry forgot to add, they wheels are 7.5x17

Lovely looking machine

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It's big, it's brassy and I'm going to blow it!

CAR NOW FOR SALE.