Hi Steven,
Please pardon my intrusion – I’ve been a follower of your blog for quite a spell. As a fellow SAAB enthusiast, I felt it my duty to tell you what’s coming: We’re all left out in the cold.
My single local dealership here in the dusty state of Nevada, (Findlay Cadillac is in Henderson, NV, which is further away from me than Phoenix!), Allison Group, is no longer authorized for warranty repairs.
My 2008 9-5 with less than 4,000 miles on it now has to go 120 miles away just to get warrantied repairs and oil changes.
I spoke with a gentleman who was manning the Saturday shift at Allison, and his answer was “It was just as big of a shock to us; we had no warning – and as you see, we haven’t even removed any of the brochures.”
I spoke with a “Shaneel” on GM’s warranty telephone service who stated that if I took it to Allison for a diagnostic if I had issues, they would not use that assessment, and I’d still have to drive to Roseville (Sacramento) if I wanted any service.
They wouldn’t even use any assessment by Allison to look at my obviously-defective paint job (clearcoat is flaking off despite immaculate care, and there are some really ugly overspray blobs).
Of course, if the car was entirely undrivable, GM said they’d tow it under warranty.
GM’s left myself, and my dealership with less support than I had with my decade old Ford which retailed for less than HALF the cost of my SAAB, and I am not pleased in the slightest.
Thanks for listening,
Shawn H
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This is part of the challenge facing a reorganised Saab in the future. Whilst the GM dealerships may not have always offered great service for Saabs (though many did), at least they were accessible if you had a problem.
Many of us live in places that are populated enough to have a Saab dealership relatively close by in the last 10 years. That’s probably going to change a little in the near term.
I wish I had a solution or some hopeful words for you, Shawn. Unforuntately, I don’t have such words at hand, and my contacts at SaabUSA have all been laid off by GM so there’s not even someone there I can ask.
Perhaps someone from SaabUSA is reading this and would like to initiate contact?
Until then, take what I imagine would be Danni’s advice and enjoy the drive.
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