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09 November 2011 #1
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
Anyone else spin an engine bearing in their Saab 9-2x Aero?
I've been posting this in other threads, but want to start one to see if anyone else ran into the same problem with their 2005 9-2x Aero Auto-Trans...
I blew THREE engines with my brand new 9-2x Aero within 40k miles of each other. After the second engine 8 Saab mechanics (HUGE labor charge due to the fact none of them had ever worked on a Saabaru), told me that it was all due to the fact that i stopped using dino-oil and switched to synthetic after my few Saab oil changes went away...it seems that whilst maintaining higher RPMs (ESPECIALLY THE AUTOMATIC TRANS BELIEVE IT OR NOT) spin engine bearings due to the tightness of the Boxer engine, the "too-slipperiness" of the synth oil, and the way a flat-cylinder opposing engine gets oil to the bearings.
I enjoyed racing (AFTER the 2nd blown engine) the 9-2x Aero...had a few kits on it, limiter/governors off, ordered without sun/moon roof and electric seats to drop overall weight...fun little car, but DEFINITELY NOT a Saab. Same with the 9-7x...total GM build. Yeah, they made it look somewhat like one and put the ignition on the center console, but being a Saab owner (the true ones off the line in Sweden), I could tell as soon as i looked at the instrument panel and the air vents of the 9-7's...the 9-2's were completely obvious, and all their carfax reports start with "shipped from factor in Japan...". I'm DONE with any Saab that doesn't come off the Sweden production line (like my old 900, 9000, 9-5t, and new 9-3Aero.
Anyway, Hurricane irene came by a few months ago and landed a huge maple tree on my 9-2x Aero (oops)! got a $13k total-loss check, put that together with my savings and picked up a 2011 9-3 Aero Turbo4. SO NICE to be back in a REAL Saab!
PLEASE reply if you had a 9-2x Aero and spun an engine bearing! Also reply if Mobile-1 kills cars as I've been told by many mechanics (as my new 9-3 says to only use Mobile-1)!
~ScotHibb
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12 November 2011 #2
- Join Date
- 10 Mar 2011
- Location
- new jersey usa
- Posts
- 832
- Saab(s)
- 08/280/xwd & 09/210/xwd
Irene was never a hurricane on shore.
My ardor for getting a 2006 Aero died when I found out I could locate a Ferrari Daytona easier in New Jersey and then the boxer engines were problems. Subbies were duds too.
Funny but I almost bought a low mile Porsche Boxter from that fancy place around Princeton. Low miles. Then went on the PCA web site and it said not to buy one with low miles unless you could document factory engine replacement. I thought I found a 17,000 mile gem. It was also badged as an RS though there is no such car of those years.
Aside from seeing one on a dealers lot (the old Hunterdon Saab), I have never seen another.
Probably why this forum is so quiet. They only made like what .. 250 Aero's in 06, with the higher output engine .. like 4 horses but bigger displacement.Semper ubi sububi in caput tuum
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14 November 2011 #3
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
What do you mean about Irene never being a hurricane on shore? It KILLED most of our state!
Yes, it's definitely hard to find....but I was using Saab to replace the engines so it was up to them to find them, learn how to install them, and replace them because they screwed up on the installs...THRICE! That's why I'm begging for answers! It was such a limited run and everyone modified them and voided their warranty so there was never even CLOSE to enough information on record for a recall, but I was told off the record that it was the synthetic oil that blew 3 engines. Thank you Hurricane Irene for being the 1st hurricane to go land-bound over NJ and land many branches on my lemon of a non-saab car so I didn't need to spend $11,000 for another engine replaced by a Saab dealer...
There's a site JUST for 9-2x owners (must be filled with every 9-2x owner in the world as it's active as heck) www.saab92x.com . I posted therein, wondering if I should take the "total loss" check from Allstate and buy-back the car to part it out since it's getting rarer and rarer by the week. I had 1000's of replies to the post, IMs, emails, etc, asking for everything from visors to Aero chrome tailpipe upgrade, to the metal aero pedals, to even a cab light cover! Then I found out that the salvage comapny offered Allstate close to $5k for the darn thing, and I had to buy it back for that or let them have it...not a tough descision since the salvage comapny THOUGHT it had a perfect, brand new engine with a few thousand miles on it......little did they know it was BLOWN, hence the reason the Hurricane Irene did a tap-dance on the hood, top, side panels, etc with tree branches from all over the place!!!
PLEASE.....anyone out there....any thoughts on Mobile1 or synth oil versus dino-oil??? Everyone knows you need to break-in any new car with limited RPM and DINO OIL (not synth oil), changed every 1000 miles, then every 3,500 miles, then it's broken-in after 6 oil changes and 5,000 miles after slow increases in top RPM...then the fun begins...there's a reason the speedometer goes to 160MPH and above....I have been over 150 when I stopped looking down at the gauges and focused purely on the strait stretch of highway...everyone should remove any governor/limiters...the only Saabs I haven't modified are ones i leased for my wife...all the ones I own are modified is some way shape or form. I HATE factory settings and limited power!
Geez...my ADHD went on a rant again.....
So....please tell me...ANYONE....any thoughts on synthetic oil versus dino-oil, especially in the 2005 9-2x Aero???Last edited by ScotHibb; 14 November 2011 at 05:10. Reason: Added URL of www.saab92x.com
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14 November 2011 #4
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU USE SYNTHETIC OIL IN YOUR 9-2x Aero....this is the THIRD engine replacement...note the part that they use "!!!!!!" to direct me NEVER to use synthetic oil in this model.....so glad Hurricane Irene took this car out and I was able to grab a 2011 9-3 Aero with a ton of $ from insurance company...
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14 November 2011 #5
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
This is what happens when GM destroys a company and you are frustrated that they want to charge you $12k to replace ANOTHER engine after 3 blown...and a Hurricane named Irene is predicted to hit land directly over NJ.........................
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BYE BYE SAABARU...Hellooooo 2011 9-3 Aero.......bye bye Allstate for taking 2 months to cut me a check! Guess this directly affects the number of 9-2x Aeros available in the US.......sorry GM.....NOT!Last edited by ScotHibb; 14 November 2011 at 06:11. Reason: noticed pics originally added had my 5 & 2 year old daughters in them...removed 3 pics....
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14 November 2011 #6
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
Quote from insurance adjuster "with a major hurricane coming, why would you park your car THERE?" me "it's part of my driveway, is it not??? Write me a check Jethro...".
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14 November 2011 #7
- Join Date
- 10 Mar 2011
- Location
- new jersey usa
- Posts
- 832
- Saab(s)
- 08/280/xwd & 09/210/xwd
The NSW downgraded Irene as a hurricane shortly after it hit the mainland down below DC. The winds dropped below hurricane force and never reached it again. It was technically "tropical storm Irene", the difference was that it was long, long, and slow moving so the damage was intense. I was without power for, like this freak snow, about a week.
Semper ubi sububi in caput tuum
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14 November 2011 #8
Frank Administrator
- Join Date
- 30 Jul 2010
- Location
- USA - Netherlands
- Posts
- 7,903
- Saab(s)
- previous: 2006 9-3, 2001-06 9-5, 2011 9-4X
You would think synthetic oil should be safe for all modern engines. All Saabs have synthetic oil from the factory (including the 9-4X). The requirement to break in a car with dino oil seems to be outdated as well.
That 9-2X seems to be a busy place for a car with such low sales volumes. And also explains why there aren't many 9-2X owners on the regular Saab forums.
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14 November 2011 #9
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
Yes, but they came out later and said that the downgrade was due to measurement in the edge of the eye, where the most intense winds are and what they base a downgrade on...they showed stronger winds than the eye when it was still Hurricane Irene when it hit NJ (miles away from the eye). Either way it's splitting hairs, the winds that took out my trees and buried the surrounding towns along the rivers were hurricane-level winds (not just gusts)! Besides, it could have been "mini wind dust storm Irene", it did its job and got me $13k total-loss for a piece of worthless junk that I couldn't get Saab to fix again!
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14 November 2011 #10
Scot EqualOpportunity Offender
- Join Date
- 08 Nov 2011
- Location
- NJ, United States
- Posts
- 59
- Saab(s)
- 1989 900 SPG Turbo,1993 9000 Aero Turbo, 2000 9-5 Aero, 2005 9-2x Aero, 2011 9-3 Aero Sedan Turbo4
Indeed...it's a VERY busy place with more active members than cars produced! The funny thing is, I went there to part-out my Irene-busted-up 9-2x aero and found TONS of people within an hour that were begging for most everything from a hatchback to cab light covers! But what i found VERY interesting is that they ALL (well, can't speak for every single member) hate Saab! Most of them wanted a Subaru WRX Impreza and found that they could get the Saab for the same cost due to incentives. It became kind of a cult following, they all brag about who has the 1st 2004 (MY 2005) off the line, or who has the last MY 2006. I TRIED to get information out of them about the synthetic oil thing, and they all jumped down my throat!
As the story goes...after the second blown engine (Saab had to cover 100% of the job as it was under parts warranty), they asked if I was still using Dino-oil as they used for all my free warranty oil changes...I said "of course not, I'm having the premium synthetic oil put in every 5,000 miles (Saab calls for Dino-oil every 7,500 miles). Initially FOUR mechanics and the service manager at JMK told me DO NOT put synthetic oil in that 9-2x Aero, it is too "slippery" and spins engine bearings at higher RPMs". I said they were crazy, and they put it on the last service receipt to document it so if i didn't start putting dino-oil in it they wouldn't replace a 3rd blown engine.
I asked why the manual didn't mention it, he said it should but they don't want to bring attention to it as many of the kids who bought the car modified it and blew the warranty so a spun engine bearing is on their tab. I didn't find one other person in the forums that was a Saab enthusiast, all JUST 9-2x fans that never plan on buying a Saab again (unless Saab puts out another Saabaru)...very strange demographic which I am not a part of as my Saab 9-2x Aero purchase was on impulse for my wife to drive, but it was a zippy car so i drove it a lot and killed 3 engines.
If anyone knows of problems with this model only and synth oil let me know!
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