Cracked bulkhead.......!?!
Discussion
ok, I've got a 1998 9-3 (r reg), 5 door auto, I've just put her in for the 90k mile service.
Garage (Saab Specialist, Hertford) has told me it has a cracked bulkhead and is not safe to drive. So much so that they will not deliver it back to me (apparent risk to their driver) unless I have the work done.... £700 worth of plate welding etc....
Is a crack in the bulkhead such a bad thing (I know it's not good). Is it so life threatening that the car should not be driven?
Any opinions greatly received.
Dunc.
Garage (Saab Specialist, Hertford) has told me it has a cracked bulkhead and is not safe to drive. So much so that they will not deliver it back to me (apparent risk to their driver) unless I have the work done.... £700 worth of plate welding etc....
Is a crack in the bulkhead such a bad thing (I know it's not good). Is it so life threatening that the car should not be driven?
Any opinions greatly received.
Dunc.
DuncanF said:
ok, I've got a 1998 9-3 (r reg), 5 door auto, I've just put her in for the 90k mile service.
Garage (Saab Specialist, Hertford) has told me it has a cracked bulkhead and is not safe to drive. So much so that they will not deliver it back to me (apparent risk to their driver) unless I have the work done.... £700 worth of plate welding etc....
Is a crack in the bulkhead such a bad thing (I know it's not good). Is it so life threatening that the car should not be driven?
Any opinions greatly received.
Dunc.
Where does this crack appear, can it be seen easilyGarage (Saab Specialist, Hertford) has told me it has a cracked bulkhead and is not safe to drive. So much so that they will not deliver it back to me (apparent risk to their driver) unless I have the work done.... £700 worth of plate welding etc....
Is a crack in the bulkhead such a bad thing (I know it's not good). Is it so life threatening that the car should not be driven?
Any opinions greatly received.
Dunc.
Thanks
My bulkhead is flexing abit too.
I got my mechanic to check it out and he said that its a common problem on the NG saabs and Vauxhalls of the same year. Often they dont bother trying to fix them at this stage cos it usually a few years before they give out all together.
He said that often the dealers will make it sound worse than it is, as all it needs is a bit of welding, and they weld vauxhalls all the time. I aked him if it was safe to drive, and well it passed the MOT without an issue, and the DVLA have not issued a statement to deam them un-rodworthy if you do have a crack.
I am going to get the weld plate kit from saab myself, around £40 or so and get him to weld it for a fraction of the price the saab dealers would. Its worth going into your dealer and getting the kit and then get someone you know/trust isnt going to rip you off! the job should only take a few hours, you dont need to remove the engine, just the inlet manifold, and the soundproofing, and the rack components.
My mechanic said that the flexing is often interpreted by saab as a sepraated bulkhead, he said that once the bulk head does go you will know about it, as there will be a loud bang, after loud creaking for a few weeks, and the car will loose its steering.
It wont go out of control persay....just that you will have LOADS of play in the steering. (ie you Turn the wheel and the car wont turn as much as it should.) Also be carfull cos if the bulkhead does give out, apparently (in the case of vauxhalls) they can take the racks with them to, spilling power steering fuild all over the place.
I got my mechanic to check it out and he said that its a common problem on the NG saabs and Vauxhalls of the same year. Often they dont bother trying to fix them at this stage cos it usually a few years before they give out all together.
He said that often the dealers will make it sound worse than it is, as all it needs is a bit of welding, and they weld vauxhalls all the time. I aked him if it was safe to drive, and well it passed the MOT without an issue, and the DVLA have not issued a statement to deam them un-rodworthy if you do have a crack.
I am going to get the weld plate kit from saab myself, around £40 or so and get him to weld it for a fraction of the price the saab dealers would. Its worth going into your dealer and getting the kit and then get someone you know/trust isnt going to rip you off! the job should only take a few hours, you dont need to remove the engine, just the inlet manifold, and the soundproofing, and the rack components.
My mechanic said that the flexing is often interpreted by saab as a sepraated bulkhead, he said that once the bulk head does go you will know about it, as there will be a loud bang, after loud creaking for a few weeks, and the car will loose its steering.
It wont go out of control persay....just that you will have LOADS of play in the steering. (ie you Turn the wheel and the car wont turn as much as it should.) Also be carfull cos if the bulkhead does give out, apparently (in the case of vauxhalls) they can take the racks with them to, spilling power steering fuild all over the place.
Edited by mashhead on Monday 4th February 11:38
Edited by mashhead on Monday 4th February 11:39
Edited by mashhead on Monday 4th February 11:40
Seems Ok on the steering lock check. I cannot see the bulkhead itself due to all the insulation etc.
Car is year 2000, with 130k on the clock.
Steering is OK ( no play or dead spot ) SO I assume bulkhead is good for another year....
Just a thought, would incorrect jacking etc provoke this, or is it a purely random failure.
Car is year 2000, with 130k on the clock.
Steering is OK ( no play or dead spot ) SO I assume bulkhead is good for another year....
Just a thought, would incorrect jacking etc provoke this, or is it a purely random failure.
I spoke to my local Saab specialist about this ( not a main dealer ).
They sell a kit ( triangular brackets ) for about £15. He said that fitting it was quite straight forward if you can weld, but it involves removing quite a lot of stuff for access. Therefore he charges £450 for fitting.
I asked whether there was any advantage in fitting the kit before the bulkhead fails as a preventative measure. The answer was that obviously that would prevent it failing, but most of the cost was for access. Therefore, his personnel recommendation would be to wait until it shows signs of failing ( which it may never do ), then get it welded and the brackets fitted at the same time.
They sell a kit ( triangular brackets ) for about £15. He said that fitting it was quite straight forward if you can weld, but it involves removing quite a lot of stuff for access. Therefore he charges £450 for fitting.
I asked whether there was any advantage in fitting the kit before the bulkhead fails as a preventative measure. The answer was that obviously that would prevent it failing, but most of the cost was for access. Therefore, his personnel recommendation would be to wait until it shows signs of failing ( which it may never do ), then get it welded and the brackets fitted at the same time.
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