Greetings folks,

Sadly my comfy old bus 2002 v70 Volvo seems to be terminally sick.

Former mechanic friend of mine has offered me a 2006 Saab 9-3 1.8t (2 litre) Vector, auto (bleh) with 125k on it from a friend of his that previously my friend did the work/servicing on. Price is £850 before any haggling.

2 things are putting me off it- a/c not working and perhaps worse still- only 1 key.

Friend has explained you can get the a/c pressure tested and if it holds get it filled plus dye and that'll show a leak or its maybe the compressor.

The key is a bit of a killer. As theres no dealer network are they available? Prices? Post on the web are generally from when there were dealers and a key could be bought £200 - £400.
Other alternatives seem to be buy a 2nd hand key and get Saab (pre bankrupty) and I guess now someone else to re-program it to the car.

The car looks straight and he'll MOT it. I like the idea of a known entity over a random ebay. I also need a car fairly urgebtly as missus fed up of lending me hers every day!

Thoughts/info from the collective on the key and a/c situation would be welcome!

Thank you!

Check with your local vehicle locksmith , we have one that’s mobile who cut and programmed a key for my Fiat motorhome for a lot less than Fiat wanted

James

I had my old 2008 Mondeo for 11 years, with only one key , and always had a worry about losing the only one!
however, I havnt, or did not until the car went

Although I would be more worried about driving a Grandad Saab car at your age, even though you have been
driving a Volvo !!

steve

For a £750 car they are a good motor
Air con delete. Save on fuel
Manage with one key?

Removing aircon does not necessarily save much fuel. On hot days, opening the windows can cause almost as much fuel use through drag as the aircon uses. Above 40-45 mph, aircon usually wins every time. On cold days, you have to get the car warmed up more before setting off as without the dry air from aircon, you need more heat to demist the screen. On days in-between, you can just turn the aircon off and its clutch means no real drag at all.

Manage with 1 key.

SWMBO lost the 2nd key to a 1 year old company car I had a few years back. I managed with 1 key fine. Getting VW to supply and match a 2nd key was something like £400 so I did without. When it came time for the lease company to collect the car I bought a VW key for £10 from Ebay. Of course the key didn't work with the car, but I removed the battery told the collection guy it had a flat battery and off he went. I never heard another word

Hmmm I have a saab and (as far as I know) not a grandad!!!!! I like my 9-5 tdi.

Key is easy - https://www.carkeycentre.co.uk/replacement-saab-car-keys-glasgow.php but why bother - this is an £850 car! Drive it and fix nothing that does not affect safety then throw it away when it breaks is the cheapest form of motoring.

In my experience chasing leaks around an Aircon circuit is a pain in the ass. Might get away with a re-gas. On the other hand summer is nearly over......

I had a 2006 Saab 9-3 auto, but the 2.0 aero. I had no major issues with it whatsoever, everything I needed was either Vauxhall branded or from one of many breakers.

I had a problem with the air con and got a replacement compressor from a breaker, £60 for the part, one hour labour and then recharge cost. I could have done the replacement myself to be honest, it's very accessible but my air con was still charged so I didn't fancy hurting the environment.

Replacement keys are no bother, plenty of locksmiths still do them. I would recommend getting a spare though, the control modules that are involved in starting the car are getting rare and expensive. The key itself also contains a mechanical key that gets you in the car, check your key has that as well (some keys may not have the blade or it may not have been cut).

Oh, I would recommend an auto box oil change as soon as you get it, the AW box is actually not too bad but it's very dependent on good oil. There's a good chance it's still on factory oil! It also has to be the specific mineral oil, don't use synthetic as it's not an upgrade. It's an easy DIY job though.

For any spares that are Saab specific, find Ron in Leeds, https://www.facebook.com/ron.doodle.52. And if you are so inclined, have a chat with Karl in Nottingham, http://noobtune.co.uk/. Best £90 I ever spent!

[Edited on 16/8/20 by Slimy38]

[Edited on 16/8/20 by Slimy38]