How I spent my 100,000 km Service - 1996 SL2

Discussion in 'Saturn S-series' started by Box134, Apr 23, 2005.

  1. Box134

    Box134 Guest

    I've followed Saturn's recommended service fairly closely since I got this
    boat in the fall of '95. Probably never missed one but had them a little
    earlier or later, depending on circumstances. After close to 10 years on the
    road I'm still satisfied. My only beef is size, mainly getting in and out.
    The old knees can be very sore and I have to lie down to drag myself inside
    because the door opening are too narrow. (I had a Festiva once, practically
    the smallest car on the road, and ingress and egress was much better, not to
    mention hauling a box with a 27" TV!)

    Anyway, Saturn noted the following after the 100,000 km service,(done at
    104,330):

    * Motor mounts sagged,but just within spec, $196.05 to replace.

    * Oil leak at back of engine. They've mentioned this four times; I've never
    seen a drop of oil on the floor. In fact, I cleaned the engine with the
    garden hose and aerosol engine cleaner and it looked like new. I'm not
    panicking.

    * Steering gear leaking into boots, $653.63 with non-Saturn parts! A real
    turd! However, no visible sign of leakage, so I'm not rushing into this.

    * Four new tires, not surprising, since they came with the car.

    * Muffler rusted through, although I can't detect it, $269.19. Not bad for
    10 years.

    And my stuck horn. Even though I found half a dozen places on the web
    mentioning a '98 recall, they knew nothing about it, $172.23 to replace. I'd
    buy a cheap one from CND Tire, but Saturn was clever enough to put the relay
    on the horn, making it an oddball. I contacted Sixth Planet and they will
    sell me a used one for $40, including shipping. Replacing it can be a bitch
    without a hoist, but I've read that removing the headlight assembly will
    open it up. I think Sixth Planet has a good reputation. What do you think?
     
    Box134, Apr 23, 2005
    #1
  2. Box134

    Napalm Heart Guest

    6th Planet has an excellent reputation. AFA the horn goes, I
    installed a set of Fiamms using the relay that came with the horn set.
    They work fine.

    Ken
     
    Napalm Heart, Apr 24, 2005
    #2
  3. Box134

    private Guest

    snip
    You should have got a SW
    Our SW1 now has 238,000km.
    Wait until they are a problem
    Good, "if it aint broke don't fix it"
    No opinion, not enough information, monitor it, do not run it out of oil.
    We got 145,000 km. (approx.)out of ours but we ran them until they went
    flat. Lots of people here do not like the stock Firestones but we got good
    milage from them
    You must be making a lot of short trips or live where they use a lot of
    salt. Our strap rusted through but the hay wire repair seems to be working
    well. No excesive corrosion on the muffler or pipes. Repair seems pricy to
    me.
    I would like more information on the horn failure. Our horn sounded while
    we were driving on the highway, then stopped by itself. I removed the fuse.
    I think this is not an uncommon problem and have heard several reports here.
    I am curious about the recall. Do you know where I can get more info?

    We also have no backup lights. I have tested the lamps, and wiring and the
    switch tests ok. I suspect a bad connection at the switch connector. Any
    comments from others?

    Happy trails
     
    private, Apr 24, 2005
    #3
  4. Box134

    Box134 Guest

    Well, you've gotten good service from your Saturn. My mileage is pretty
    wimpy for a 10-year-old car.

    About the horn:

    http://www.alldata.com/TSB/53/965310F5.html

    http://home.earthlink.net/~egibbons/98C01.DOC

    http://www.accidentreconstruction.com/news/feb99/020899.html

    http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19990208/press003548.html

    http://www.recall-warnings.com/auto-content-5354.html

    About the muffler; 80% of my km are city to suburban driving, and we use
    salt. Not as much as some places, but enough. This car's been much better
    muffler-wise than other vehicles I've owned. Repairing mufflers was a
    biennial event in those days, not to mention the semiannual tuneups.

    I got nowhere getting my horn repaired on recall. They know nothing! I'm
    going to call the customer service line in hopes I'll get some straight
    talk. I could understand if the recall was over and done.... but not knowing
    anything about it??
     
    Box134, Apr 27, 2005
    #4
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