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@jono84
Quite a lot of progress on the Saab but as always very few decent photos taken.
Good stuff.
It sailed the MOT with only a loose exhaust clamp as an advisory. It ran cleaner than expected but a new set of clamps should hopefully improve emissions further. The resilvered headlight reflector went in without too much of a fight (tricky job normally) and the new lamps seem a little brighter (albeit i'm still not happy with the beam spread). Prior to the MOT my dad patched up the rust hole in the rear arch, not the neatest job but it'll get redone when the wheel arch get replaced. Also found a very good rust and dent free bonnet in a colour that doesn't look too out of place atm so the car is free (AFAIK) of any notable rust. On recommendation my dad tested a local dent puller who turned out to be excellent so i'll be booking in a session asap. And a small victory but after a few failed attempts i found some Thule end caps to fit my genuine Saab rack.
Not so good stuff.
The other headlamp reflector serviced around 4 years ago has already started too dull. Given that these are supposed to be a quality coating on a genuine reflector i'll be going back to the supplier to get their take on it. I also lost 5th on the way back from Bath and then reverse last weekend on a trip to Bournemouth. Being that Saab gearboxes are known for being fragile this came as a concern but after a look underneath we found a very worn coupling bush which for now has been bodged with some cable ties.
After being told my insurance claim shouldn't have a significant impact on my premium i was pretty shocked that my renewal with an insurers i've been with for years had an 100% price increase and mullered my no claims (docked 5 years, i had a 3 year lay off driving where i lost my previous 10 so am now down to 2). I was all but ready to throw in the towel when a forum recommendation for modified car insurance came up gold and i'm now only paying a 20% increase over last year with Keith Michaels.
The other big shock was the price of decent used parts. I went to one of the few proper Saab breakers left in the country (luckily local) to pick up the bonnet and had imagined me walking away with a boot full of spares however prices are way over what i'm willing to pay atm. Furthermore the guys there think the boom in prices is likely to fall in the not too distant future given world affairs.
This all gives me pause again on what to do with the car given the possible expansion of the ULEZ next year. My dad has found someone to do the paint if we want to go that route but a likely month or two of the road plus £4K plus on paint is not sounding all that appealing now. So for now i've decided the next batch of work needs to be as effort free as possible so my dad and i can regroup and come up with a plan. Hopefully within the next month or two...
Session with dent puller to sort doors, tailgate and maybe rear quarter up until the damage wheel arch.
Dyno session at tuners to max performance/economy.
Refit exhaust, fit new Aero springs on back, change gearbox coupling and refit new bonnet (current gaps are not great).
Get it on the ramps at a local garage to do a proper rust inspection underneath.