Another Year Down...

Kady and I enjoyed a relaxing birthday weekend. Sadly for Kady, I was very content on just relaxing. She missed her Sunday morning swim and didn't hesitate letting me know her disappointment. So I'll have to take her next weekend. I hope that this next year is filled with fun and adventures... that shouldn't be too hard since Poppie and I are off to Africa in just 22 days! All the preparation has been done and now we just have to wait for our departure day. I'll make sure to post tons of pictures when I get back. Unfortunately we'll be over there for Aislin's first birthday, but I'm sure we can find some great presents to bring back for her.

The Saab Saga

Well after owning my new car for all of 73 hours and only having 374 miles on it I began to have issues. It all started with sputtering and sporadic idling, which was followed by the car stalling and refusing to restart. The best part of breaking down in a new Saab is that they now have OnStar and you get the first year free. So I pushed the button and talked to the ceiling… which is a very strange sensation, it’s like your talking to god and he’s answering only in this case he’s a she. OnStar connected me to Saab Roadside Assistance who then contacted AAA. The AAA dispatcher must not have been here in Houston or familiar with Houston and all of its suburbs because they dispatched a tow truck from Sugarland (a suburb that is about 20 miles south of where I had broken down) during the evening rush hour traffic! The first tow truck dispatched sat in traffic so long that the truck over heated and broke down itself. Another tow truck was then dispatched to me and 3 hours later they were loading the Saab on the flat bed. We arrived at the dealership just as they were closing; I signed the paperwork and hopped into the loaner car, a big ass Caddy!! Won’t ever be buying on of those!

The next day the dealership reviewed with me what had occurred and started their investigation. Upon first analysis of the problem, they concluded that the fuel pump control module was shorting out and that it needed to be replaced. They got the part in the next day (Thursday) and replaced it. After test driving it for about 20 or so miles the car started sporadically idling again and the check engine light once again illuminated. Back to the drawing boards. It took them until Tuesday (one whole week later) to then conclude that it was the processor in the computer that was sending the sporadic signals to the fuel pump control module. They ordered a new computer and installed it on Wednesday. Guess what, that didn’t solve the problem either! By this point I was completely frustrated, had gotten Saab Corporate involved and could no longer stand driving the Caddy. They swapped out the Caddy for a 2008 Saab 9-7X (same model I had just traded in on the 9-3) and away I went not knowing how long or if they could fix my new car. Good news arrived on Thursday (must have been luck from Janice since she arrived Wednesday night for a weekend visit), they had isolated the issue and fixed it!!! After about 50 miles of test driving the car was running smoothly and was not longer having the issue. It turns out that the two wiring harnesses that connect in the circuit just before the fuel pump control module were not fully connected and this was what was causing the sporadic idling problem… who would have thought!

The good news is that at least I know the service department at the dealership where I bought the car is very good and does a thorough job!