For me, part of the joy of rescuing these Saabs, is in the small details, sourcing and replacing warn or broken parts that get left and forgotten over time. Look at many ads for Saab 9-5’s for sale, and if it’s an auto, it will most likely have a broken gear selector skirt - a gaping hole in to the hidden mechanics. Also, the MY02/03 handbrake gaitors are made of inferior quality fabric material rather than the original, earlier leather, they tend to crumble and look messy, whilst the leather version ages beautifully with attractive patina.
All small details to most people, but they add up, fix them, and these Saabs react beautifully to a bit of care, in fact, I’m always surprised at just how fantastic these 20+ year old interiors scrub up.
Jason; friend and Saab master, manages to remain calm even with all of my random requests, he knows these 9-5’s inside out, and how best to approach each and every job. Whilst we were replacing the gear selector skirt, we’ve fitted an entirely new handbrake assembly with leather gaiter, and we’ve also fitted a new old stock Saab carbon fibre dashboard to give the interior a facelift. We managed to untangle a load of nasty phone wiring and an unsightly cradle at the same time too.
With the interior stripped out, it allowed us to give the under carpets a good clean, and the seats treated to a Gliptone refresh and moisturiser, leaving the beautiful Saab sand leather almost like new.
All back together again now, and the overwhelming sensation that these cars really are a bit special, everything feels a little more showroom fresh and the perfect backdrop for a few more modifications to follow.
