Saab bulkheads...

[Minnsy]

Any advice? Colleague has a 900 turbo conv, one of the last made I guess on a P plate. Car was 'creaking' and this has just been diagnosed as a cracked bulkhead, the bill has been estimated at £3500. This is apparently a 'known fault' of this model...

Just wondering if any PH'ers has heard of this problem, and if so, if any compensation or contribution to the bill was met by Saab at all.

Any advice gladly recieved.

Thanks

David

[NiceCupOfTea]

Yes, it's a well known problem - the steering column places some stress on it or something I think. There are aftermarket steering braces (Abbott et al) that cure it, but once the bulkhead has split...

Possibly your best bet will be speaking to an independant specialist as they may well have tried and tested fixes.

Trouble is, a 12 year old ng900 is going to be worth next to nothing so it may be time to cut your losses. I wouldn't spend that sort of money on that car unless it had a lot of sentimental value.

ETA:

Take a look at this:

http://www.saab9-3bulkhead.com/

and here:

http://www.saabscene.com/forum/index.php?showtopic...

bulkhead cracks on a 4 year old car: Saab paid in full (this was 4 years ago though...)

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Thursday 21st May 20:03

Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Thursday 21st May 20:06

[cbcbcb]

Saab paid for the fix on my 9-3 Viggen last year for the same thing. IIRC the bill the dealer issued to Saab was a lot less than 3500 pounds, so a bit of shopping around might produce a cheaper quote around the 1000 pound mark.

I would be surprised if Saab would foot the bill for a 12 year old car, particularly in the current economic climate. A full dealer service history and low mileage would help.

[stevoknevo]

£3500 is utter bks! JamSAAB in Bristol charge circa £250 dependant on severity http://www.jamsaab.co.uk/
Also it is not unknown for SAAB UK to foot some or all of the bill dependant on age, mileage and full service history. Check out this thread for info http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/viewtopic.php?f=31&am...
Go to any of the main SAAB forums and there are plenty of threads on it.
http://www.uksaabs.co.uk/UKS/index.php
http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t...
http://www.saabscene.com/forum/
HTH

[Torauk]

£3500 is a major rip off, i work at a main dealer and we charge less than £1000.

Edited by Torauk on Tuesday 26th May 08:33

[Minnsy]

Update from matey with car... £3500 was for a replacement bulkhead.. repair to current crack should be less than a grand.. so in keeping with what you guys suggest..

thanks

[saaby93]

Dealer showed how to check cracking
Peering behind brake servo waggling steering wheel can reveal slight movement of two parts of the bulkhead joined by the manufacturer's painted rubbery seal/gunge.
Although it doesn't look serious (it also apparently affects Vauxhalls too) it can cost (at Saab rates) £1,000 - £2,000 to fix involves removing engine (not completely) and foot well trim.


From Google, Vosa say that as this isn't a safety issue (they checked the car is still controllable) they wont issue a recall.
As it doesnt affect the MOT either should we be bothered?

Here's the test here
http://www.saab9-3bulkhead.com/2007/05/how_many_sa...

Edited by saaby93 on Friday 20th November 00:20

[Garett]

My car has a cracked bulkhead, I've been quoted £300 to fix by my local Saab specialist (Motoron, Chorley). If the car has a FSH by Saab it might be worth a punt asking them to stump up as its a recognised problem with the 900 and 9-3.

[K321]

are there any tell tale signs before it cracks? i noticed my cars front bit has a weird noise from it, it feels harder and its crap round the bends, but could just be a saab trait