Kick Those Shoes Off and Relax. It's the Delta 2017 Tea Break

[356sc]

.....clearly there is still a need for us brainless drivers!!!!

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by 356sc

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39027477

A landmark race between two driverless electric cars has ended badly for one of the contestants.......

As posted by Max in the post before yours...

[Gerard C]

Was the black dog a remote one too? If not, this is a very lucky dog… position!

[356sc]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

As posted by Max in the post before yours...

....he beat me to it!!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Ah, Grant, still our resident Saab owner? They did make some good Estates.... Yes, the later model 900 was based on a GM platform and I assumed morphed into the 9-5?

For me, the only 'Saab' 900 is the original 'stretched 99' version!

You can't see the 'pile' of cars near me from the road, but railway line is close behind. I'll try and video next time am passing...

The "GM" 900 became the 9-3.

The 9-5 was effectively a replacement for the 9000.

But I agree, the original SAAB 900 was a proper SAAB.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Moosehead

I bought an '04 Saab 9-5 estate three years ago when I made my career 'move'. It was bought purely as a cheap set of wheels to get to work but has been great to drive and hardly cost me a penny. Following a few months of extremely random cold start issues it finally let me down over Christmas. According to the 'net it could be a number of different modules etc, all rather expensive considering what I paid for the car. Cheapest possibility it the crank sensor so I bought a replacement but it seems someone has attempted removing the current one before as the torx head is knackered. I've already bought a replacement car but its such a shame to let this one die but I can see its days are numbered.

Which model Estate?

Diesel or Petrol?

Crank sensor can cause start problems but also, on mine and before I bought it, see the engine cutting out intermittently when driving.

I know a specialist who can probably identify what the problem is based on a good description of the symptoms.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

But I agree, the original SAAB 900 was a proper SAAB.

And here it is- warts and all....

[Gerard C]

Yeah not bad but not a genuine Aero with the massive rear spoiler and the tall front seats … But OK, rust is here!
I had a 9000 2.3 T but she was too much an unfaithful mistress for me (had already one sitting in the living room!). With a light engine tuning you could bother very expensive GTs.

[bauble]

For goodness sake! Enough already! Cease and desist this love feat for a boring, uninspiring, Swedish motor car, surely the collective intelligence assembled on this forum can find more edifying subjects to waffle on about?

Saabs?????

What is happening to the world?

How much are bananas these day, who is top of the hit parade, why are newspapers black and white?

Yor doin my ed in, innit.

PS; Sacre Bleu, Gerard.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by bauble

PS; Sacre Bleu, Gerard.

Sorry, sir, not my fault, sir, they forced me, sir, try not to do it again!
I'm always surprised by your excellent French, Bob, please go on pour l'amour du Ciel.

[Gerard C]

By the way, Bob, are you still allowed to drink, eat, flirt and smoke in your cinemas? Not necessarily in that order…

[bauble]

I asked her if she smoked after sex? She said I don't know I never looked!

Cher Mon Gerard, I cannot remember the last time I went to the cinema, but I think it was one Saturday morning. I am sure it was Hopalong Cassidy.

Incroyable est?

Robert.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by bauble

I asked her if she smoked after sex? She said I don't know I never looked!
Incroyable est? Robert.

Yep, Robert, incroyable mais vrai! Last time I went to the cinema in England I can't remember where it was! Margate or Ramsgate? Our parents were so glad to get rid of us during their vacations. We were supposed to learn your language (as you can read now it didn't work on me!). But there were so many French in those areas we could stay a full month speaking only our mother tongue. I do remember what looked exotic to my young eyes, like lollypops and amusements things which we didn't have. And the Morris Minor's too !!

[Mike Bell]

I thought we were ahead of the game talking about Saabs, with Sweden making headlines a day or two after thanks to El Presidente's tweet.......

[Moosehead]

Originally Posted by grantp

Which model Estate?

Diesel or Petrol?

Crank sensor can cause start problems but also, on mine and before I bought it, see the engine cutting out intermittently when driving.

I know a specialist who can probably identify what the problem is based on a good description of the symptoms.

Here you go Grant

2.0t petrol

Crank sensor is normally a hot start problem but I thought it worth the £20 to give it a go.

The problem started off as a very random (once every 3 or 4 weeks) cold start. Would spin over fine on the key but wouldn't fire and then all of a sudden would catch and would then run fine, no stuttering or misfire. During the non start I tried backing the key right off, taking the key out, opening doors/windows, locking the car, clutch down, clutch up, in gear out of gear, pressing brake pedal, pressing accelerator, handbrake on/off etc etc. Didn't make any difference.It would just start when it felt like it after holding the key over for a random time. There was no pattern at all, weather could be wet, dry, cold or warm. In between 'fits' the car would start and run perfect. Because it was so very intermittant and because it always did eventually start I left it alone.

When it finally packed up I went through all the above things until it wore the battery down. Tried it with a jumper battery and still no good. Left it overnight and then it started first time on its original (and pretty flat) battery. Ran fine all day. Next day wouldn't start again and thats where we are now. There are no codes showing via the OBD but I know Saab have their own system too which my generic hand held reader won't read. Can hear the fuel pump when switching on. To me it just isn't getting a spark or rather something is not switching on to give it a spark.

Cheers

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Moosehead

Here you go Grant

2.0t petrol

Crank sensor is normally a hot start problem but I thought it worth the £20 to give it a go.

The problem started off as a very random (once every 3 or 4 weeks) cold start. Would spin over fine on the key but wouldn't fire and then all of a sudden would catch and would then run fine, no stuttering or misfire. During the non start I tried backing the key right off, taking the key out, opening doors/windows, locking the car, clutch down, clutch up, in gear out of gear, pressing brake pedal, pressing accelerator, handbrake on/off etc etc. Didn't make any difference.It would just start when it felt like it after holding the key over for a random time. There was no pattern at all, weather could be wet, dry, cold or warm. In between 'fits' the car would start and run perfect. Because it was so very intermittant and because it always did eventually start I left it alone.

When it finally packed up I went through all the above things until it wore the battery down. Tried it with a jumper battery and still no good. Left it overnight and then it started first time on its original (and pretty flat) battery. Ran fine all day. Next day wouldn't start again and thats where we are now. There are no codes showing via the OBD but I know Saab have their own system too which my generic hand held reader won't read. Can hear the fuel pump when switching on. To me it just isn't getting a spark or rather something is not switching on to give it a spark.

Cheers

I'll run that by him tomorrow if I can get hold of him.

Interestingly my fuel pump packed up a few weeks before Christmas one Friday afternoon just before the start of rush hour heading into Nottingham. Had been running fine for about 10 miles no problems, took a roundabout on the dual carriage section of the new stretch into to the city from the M1 and suddenly realised the engine had died. I was doing 40 at the time. No error message at all as I recall.

No way I could persuade it to restart. Managed to coast onto a slip road and stop. I could just about year the pump over the noise of passing traffic. So could the RAC chap when I called them out. He suspected the ignition pack and went to get another one - but it was not that.

Turned out to be the pump - which is what my fettler had suggested first off when I called him but the fact I could hear it and he was 6 miles away and busy sent us off on the wrong tack. Still, the RAC chap was caught out the same way.

The crank sensor on mine was dodgy when I test drove it. Intermittent starting issue but it was the random cutting out on a busy dual carriageway that concerned me the most! Mind you it had already done 95k in just over 2 years at that point.

The 9-5 uses the GM T2 diagnostic system but the generic OBD readers seemingly don't pick up all of the codes and certainly can't be used to reset some of the very many options that can be set to "personalize" the ownership experience.

The other story I remember from waaaayy back about similar troubles on a VX Carlton iirc, cold start on the drive was an intermittent problem but also engine shutting off when travelling, was discovered purely by chance, so the write up went, and turned out to be a broken engine earth cable - big chunky can't possibly be the problem thing - which, reportedly, had broken under the protective sheath. So visually there was no obvious problem to see but engine movement - cranking, accelerating and stuff, could cause a complete break to occur temporarily and, as one might imagine, this slowly became a worse problem over time.

The story was that the breakdown service had been out to it about 20 times in a year and the dealer service team had had it in about as many time and not found the problem. Still, I suppose it would be pretty unusual.

[midgetman]

Cars eh? Who'd have them!

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[bauble]

Viva, how is your Vauxhall running these days? Is it still giving reliable and economic service, as do all Vauxhalls?
My old Astra continues to prove a truly great car with performance out of all proportion to it's cost and age, I doubt any Swedish, French, or German car can match the all round excellence of the Marque.

I wonder why so many people purchase what they consider to be 'good cars' from some very suspect manufacturers when Vauxhalls are so readily available with a ready source of spare parts, even though there is little need for them.

There's no so queer as Historic folk, seems to me.

Cheers,

Bob.

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by bauble

Viva, how is your Vauxhall running these days? Is it still giving reliable and economic service, as do all Vauxhalls?
My old Astra continues to prove a truly great car with performance out of all proportion to it's cost and age, I doubt any Swedish, French, or German car can match the all round excellence of the Marque.

I wonder why so many people purchase what they consider to be 'good cars' from some very suspect manufacturers when Vauxhalls are so readily available with a ready source of spare parts, even though there is little need for them.

There's no so queer as Historic folk, seems to me.

Cheers,

Bob.

Bob, sadly my trusty Viva went to that big gravel car park in the sky in 1983 being replaced by an orange Mini Traveller. Since that time I have owned a myriad of vehicles (including another couple of Vauxhalls), would you like me to write a story about my trials and tribulations of each one?

[John Elwin]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Bob, sadly my trusty Viva went to that big gravel car park in the sky in 1983 being replaced by an orange Mini Traveller. Since that time I have owned a myriad of vehicles (including another couple of Vauxhalls), would you like me to write a story about my trials and tribulations of each one?

Viva, have you ever had a Saab...??

[grantp]

Bob is right.

Why the good folk of France want to lumber themselves with Opel when they could probably prise VX away separately and rectify the obvious error they made when closing Ryton is beyond my comprehension.

My Omega (Built by Opel) was a pleasant enough car marred by some dodgy engineering. The Senator before that (Built by Opel) was OK but for lack of comprehensive parts backup before the thing was 10 years old.

So for consistent quality the only choice is VX and the older the better, preferably coming out of Luton.

Isn't that right Bob ...?

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by John Elwin

Viva, have you ever had a Saab...??

Actually John, no I haven't. I have driven a few but that's as close as I've got, but thanks for asking...

[PeterMorley]

Originally Posted by bauble

Viva, how is your Vauxhall running these days? Is it still giving reliable and economic service, as do all Vauxhalls?
My old Astra continues to prove a truly great car with performance out of all proportion to it's cost and age, I doubt any Swedish, French, or German car can match the all round excellence of the Marque.

I wonder why so many people purchase what they consider to be 'good cars' from some very suspect manufacturers when Vauxhalls are so readily available with a ready source of spare parts, even though there is little need for them.

There's no so queer as Historic folk, seems to me.

Cheers,

Bob.

But your Vauxhall is a German car...

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by PeterMorley

But your Vauxhall is a German car...

Are you saying that Bob's DisAstra is Opeless?

[bauble]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Are you saying that Bob's DisAstra is Opeless?

I have driven a wide variety of cars in my time although I won't bore with a list, however, the car that gave me the greatest pleasure was a 2.0 litre Mk1 Cavalier.
I can see the sneers on assorted faces as they read this, but for a 'bog standard Vauxhall' it was a true drivers car, I always thought of it as 'honest', in as much as it did everything well, with no notable shortcomings. The engine would keep on revving right up the speed range, due I was told due to it's heavy flywheel. It could see off much more fancy cars because you could drive it on the limit without worrying about running short of grip or brakes.
On one dark, wet and misty night I drove from Wadebridge in Devon to Luton stopping twice to fill up with petrol, and after allowing for the time this took I worked out that I had averaged close to 70 MPH for the journey, for once across the moors it was virtually all Motorway. I could have made it faster, but I needed to be careful at Motorway junctions because of the tendency of the scuffers to hide there to catch the unwary.

Overall more fun than my Alfa GT Veloce, or the Sud, while the MGB GT was dire.

A simple car for a simple man.

I have owned and driven many Vauxhall models and have found them all reliable and driveable, so I stick to what works for me.

Boring, boring, Bauble.