How to kill a Saab

"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
04/08/2016 at 20:24 • Filed to: Saab story

I’ve never seen anything this bad in my 20 years in the industry. The car is a 2002 Saab 9-5. This is what happens when you ignore a slipping clutch under boost up a long grade, apparently. The flywheel exploded, taking the transmission, engine block, intercooler, and radiator with it. Just a ridiculous amount of damage. Needless to say, the car is done. Too bad, these are otherwise pretty hard to kill, and it’s hard to find a manual turbo Saab.

DISCUSSION (37)

Big Bubba Ray > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:27

Dear god that’s some carnage. What’s the plan with it now?

bob and john > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:30

holy tits....

vondon302 > Big Bubba Ray
04/08/2016 at 20:31

Just wow.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:33

CS heard a thunk and lost power, vehicle running fine before that.

This is a shame, they aren’t exactly making new parts for these. That clutch friction disk is well past worn out on the pressure plate side... How was this thing even drivable before it blew up?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:40

I don’t envy you having that conversation with the customer.

RallyWrench > Big Bubba Ray
04/08/2016 at 20:41

Off to the great wrecking yard in the sky.

shop-teacher > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:41

Daaaaaaaamn. Talk about done blowed up!

RallyWrench > bob and john
04/08/2016 at 20:43

Something else, huh?

bob and john > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:45

total pity as, like you said, they are pretty decent other wise...

RallyWrench > FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com
04/08/2016 at 20:46

Good question. The thing got towed in off the freeway, we’d never seen the car before but I have to believe it gave some warning beforehand. I’ve seen some clutch explosions but this is on another level.

RallyWrench > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/08/2016 at 20:48

She was surprisingly not too bad. I came straight out and said “this car is done” and she said “yeah, when I heard the noise I thought that might be what you’d say.” College-age girl still supported by her parents, she’ll get another car handed to her.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher
04/08/2016 at 20:49

Worst I’ve ever seen, for sure.

RallyWrench > bob and john
04/08/2016 at 20:49

It is, I like these things and would happily drive one myself, especially a stick. They haul ass with a flash.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 20:55

Ahh, not so bad then.

RallyWrench > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/08/2016 at 20:58

Yeah. Not the hardest conversation I’ve had this week.

Birddog > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 21:04

The only time I’ve seen that amount of carnage is at the dragstrip. That’s an accomplishment in a stock street driver.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 21:07

Probably the customer who comes in for an oil change they can barely afford, and certainly can’t afford the two tires their car needs to even be safe to go another hundred feet, and accuses you of being or crook or some such nonsense.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 21:08

Mmm I LOVE vehicle carnage posts! Gives me something to inevitable look forward when the bell tolls for whatever car I have at the time u_u

Steve in Manhattan > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 21:27

Is this one of the models that had the clutch near the front, where it was ridiculously easy to change?

shop-teacher > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 22:42

Yeah, it’s actually kind of impressive.

RallyWrench > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
04/08/2016 at 22:55

You have nothing to worry about, you drive Toyotas. The bell never really tolls for them, but just has its jingly little brother kind of ding politely to remind you that you should look at something. European cars have big fucking church bells that sound the apocalypse, just after it's happened.

RallyWrench > Steve in Manhattan
04/08/2016 at 22:59

No, you're thinking of real Saabs, the 99 & 900 with the backwards longitudinal engine. This is a badge-engineered Opel, transverse engine.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher
04/08/2016 at 23:01

After my initial “Holy Shit!” reaction, it was pretty much Ron Burgundy... “I’m not even mad, that’s amazing!”

shop-teacher > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/08/2016 at 23:05

My buddy who teaches auto shop gets accused of padding the bill all the time. Despite the fact that he makes $0.00 on anything they do, and it’s just more work for him.

shop-teacher > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 23:08

Unless you live where rust happens. When I was a baby, my dad walked out of the house to find the right side rocker panel of my mom’s beloved ‘72 Datsun B210 laying on the ground. The strut towers had collapsed overnight.

RallyWrench > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/08/2016 at 23:12

That was the pizza delivery kid with the 330i yesterday. I feel bad for people in that situation, but goddammit, it’s not my fault they’re over car'd. It's especially not my fault when they try to work on it themselves, break a bunch of shit, then complain that it costs money to fix.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher
04/08/2016 at 23:16

There is that, yeah. ;) But I come from a magical land where that doesn't happen! About the only way old Toyotas die out here is crashes and failing to pass smog.

RallyWrench > shop-teacher
04/08/2016 at 23:20

Also, thoughtful of the car to do that in your driveway and not with your mom in it!

shop-teacher > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 23:31

I’ve heard tales of this magical land ...

shop-teacher > RallyWrench
04/08/2016 at 23:35

Mom and baby me!

A friend of theirs painted it a couple years before it collapsed. He told them to sell it, because it was getting soft. They should have listened.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > shop-teacher
04/09/2016 at 02:02

Well, we are all crooks and get paid by the parts manufacturers under the table.

shop-teacher > AMGtech - now with more recalls!
04/09/2016 at 06:55

Riiiiiiiiight!