9-5 Aero - Rear suspension

[m4tt]

Had a search but could find nothing of use.

One of the dampers on the rear of my '01 Aero HOT has pissed its oil out. So after doing a bit of research I have come across new ones for about £120 per corner. So I have the following questions:

1: Is this about the right price of OEM dampers.
2: What others might I consider (preferably cheaper)
3: MUST I change them in a pair or is singular acceptable?
4: Roughly how much is labour for changing?
5: Are these any good? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shock-Absorber-Saab-9-5-inc-...
6: Would you buy second hand?

Thanks in advance chaps.

Edited by m4tt on Sunday 1st February 00:56

[900T-R]

NEVER change a single damper. As for second hand, Abbott Racing will very probably have some on the shelf, maybe even with (near) zero miles on them, that they substituted with their own upgraded suspension on customers' cars. Personally I wouldn't get a set from the breakers'yard for obvious reasons.

Oh, and as the originals are Sachs/Boge anyway, the Ebay dampers will probably be alright provided they're genuine Boge items and not some Far Eastern copy.

Edited by 900T-R on Sunday 1st February 08:03

[m4tt]

Thanks for the quick response. How would I tell if they are genuine Boge items or copys or is it just a case of asking and trusting the response?

[900T-R]

I'm afraid that, up until you've got the items in your hand and can compare with genuine ones, trust is all you have. Whom you're buying from is as important as what you buy these days - although the aftermarket has online systems in place to check where a certain part comes from (I'm not sure what kind of makret penetration this yet has within parts wholesalers nad garages though).

[m4tt]

Are the originals Boge/Sachs on the Aero models also?

[900T-R]

m4tt said:

Are the originals Boge/Sachs on the Aero models also?

I'm pretty sure they are - AFAIK they *are* of a different specification than the standard ones though, so the ones in the ebay link are probably no good for you. You might want to try Elkparts.co.uk, if nothing else for positive identification of the correct spec for your car.

Edited by 900T-R on Sunday 1st February 16:06

[RedLeicester]

Also worth noting you state in the title it's a 9-5 Aero - and those shocks are marked for "all" 9-5s.... so at a guess even if they are any cop, they're designed for 9-5s on standard suspension, not the lowered stiffness of the Aero... oops. That'd make for interesting handling!

When my old Aero estate went through its first set at 136k, I went for a full set of Eibachs including springs which came to about £600 all round.

[LongQ]

May be too late for this but you never know.

http://www.partsforsaabs.com/default.php?cPath=2_2...

[m4tt]

LongQ said:

May be too late for this but you never know.

http://www.partsforsaabs.com/default.php?cPath=2_2...

Tis a little bit too late, but thanks for your help. Was trying to get the Sachs ones through the local Factors, however they said they and their supplier were out of stock. I can never find what I want on PartsForSaabs website.

So ended up going for some QH ones off ebay. Hopefully they will be ok. Being fitted Weds. Will report back once I've given them a try.

[LongQ]

m4tt said:

LongQ said:

May be too late for this but you never know.

http://www.partsforsaabs.com/default.php?cPath=2_2...

Tis a little bit too late, but thanks for your help. Was trying to get the Sachs ones through the local Factors, however they said they and their supplier were out of stock. I can never find what I want on PartsForSaabs website.

So ended up going for some QH ones off ebay. Hopefully they will be ok. Being fitted Weds. Will report back once I've given them a try.

My 02 Aero estate now has 120k on it so these sorts of subjects are of some interest to me! It's good to be at least slightly prepared for when the time comes.

Had an Omega with 137k on the clock that had the same problem with one of its rear shocks. Self adjusting on the Omega. Just leaked all over the place whilst parked on a neighbour's drive for a few days. Could only get a single replacement before a planned track day (and in any case the car was about to be chopped so at £130 a time I was not keen to spend too much).

In the wet on the track one did not really notice much difference in balance - I assume the electric adjustments were compensating well enough. But when it dried the handling was somewhat odd in a subtle and inconsistent sort of unfathomable way. It was interesting, certainly, but ultimately not very helpful for track practice purposes. I can't be sure the handling was down to the different ages of the shocks but problems certainly seemed to be rear end related so it seems likely.