Everything I did to my SAAB 9-5 Arc in 2022 | Goodbye 2022!

Backstory:
When I first moved to Oklahoma, I joined the Saab club of Oklahoma FB Group and posted that I was looking for a project car under $1500 and it had to be a manual transmission. Asking on fb groups is always my first option since the people are more likely to be car enthusiasts, and the seller’s name and face are exposed so there is less chance you’ll get scammed. I got a few messages but understandably so, most of them were dirty, not running and really old. I wasn’t in a rush to buy so I had time in my favor. But one of them caught my eye because it was a modern saab, manual and it only had 160k miles. The price was too good to be true at $850. They sent me pictures and told me it drives very well. I was a little skeptical, because any car under $1000 is usually not that good of a shape but since it was only 15 minutes away I decided to take a look without any expectations. When I checked out the car, there was not a single spec of rust, which was new to me because I grew up in the rust belt. It ran and drove remarkably well and it came with a bunch of spare parts in the trunk, including an original DIC. She told me the clutch was original so she worked with me down to $700 and it was a deal.
To very briefly go over what this car is exactly, it’s an 04 9-5 Arc with a 5-speed manual. It’s not a limited edition or anything special but I was stoked to get a very well driving, non rusty saab for under $1000.
I bought it with 165,800 miles and with it being just a weekend/project car, it now has 168,000 so in 1 year I drove a bit over 2000 miles but from how it handled those 2000 miles, I feel like it could handle the abuse if it were a daily driver.
Repairs:
The car drove very well as-is but there were a few minor things wrong with the car.
Initially it had a check engine light for ignition issues but after replacing the DIC with the new one that came with the car, it went away and hasn’t come back since. That was free for me but if I had to buy it, it would have been around $300 for an OEM DIC.
First thing I replaced was the shift knob and parking brake handle. The shift knob was a replica one for $22 and I got a used parking brake boot for $35 and it came with the entire assembly which I did not use.
Then I replaced the broken cup holder for $40. I never use this cup holder but it’s a cool piece to have and I just wanted a peace of mind that it wasn’t broken.
Next, I replaced the coolant temperature sensor and thermostat for $16 and $15 respectively.
I also replaced the A/C condenser myself for $103, which kinda sucked because it didn’t fix my A/C issue. The real issue, after getting it checked out by a pro, turned out to be the compressor which I still have not replaced - so I don’t have A/C.
I also restored my headlights with the mcquire’s restoration kit which was $25.
And most recently, I resolved a boost leak by replacing the one way evap check valve, in total parts that was $35 which includes the valves, hoses and clamps.
So all of that added up comes out to be $291 and that is all the things I had to replace in 1 year. Not all of them were essential, some were cosmetic but I still included those. So from a cost of ownership perspective, it has been rock solid for a car that is almost 20 years old!
There are a lot of wear and tear items that I still need to replace, like all the rubber bushings, brakes, and eventually the clutch. As of right now, even on a stage 1 tune, the clutch is going strong!
Music - mixkit.co/free...
Insta: / bwtech_0521
Merch: bwtech.creator...
Business Inquiries: [e-mail]
DISCLAIMER: BWTECH videos are for entertainment purposes only. We assume no liability for property damage or injury as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use the information provided at your own risk.

[@erricsonvideos1521]

I drive a Saab 93 and I thought I was the only one who loves these cars. So glad I'm not the only one. Hope you can make this handsome boy whatever you wish it to be!

[@BWTECH0521]

There are a few of us that know the secret haha! 😉

[@cooksie0612]

Great transformation! Saab lives on!

[@BWTECH0521]

saab 4ever!

[@jonasblomqvist1571]

Nice SAAB 9-5!! Keep up the good work!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks Jonas!

[@erbi7745]

I have a stock 04 Saab 95 arc this is inspiring

[@BWTECH0521]

Nice! At the minimum, you should get the Aero seats, steering wheel and a stage 1 tune. That will completely change the car! All other things I did are cosmetic or personal preference. Good luck!

[@juancarloslozano3374]

Nice car! The bumper work was just great!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks Juan!

[@robinforrest7680]

Good for you mate. Our 9-5’s are wonderful cars and deserve to be looked after. I found a 2004 Aero estate with 180000miles on it in the UK this summer. It cost me £1150, I did a Maptun stage one 265hp E85 remap and a full service on it before driving it home to France. It’s now my daily and I absolutely love it… Such underrated cars. Our phase onés are also so much better finished than the post 2006 Dane Edna phase two’s

[@BWTECH0521]

What a deal! Love these special cars 😄

[@screwit8408]

Nice journey! Keep it up!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you as always!!

[@javig9203]

Really beautiful car, it looks great, sporty and elegant. Very nice video, I own a 9-3 Wagon from 2008 :) I love Saab. Enjoy the car.

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks! New 9-3s are great too, especially the wagons!

[@Blacknight1812]

excellent video, I owned a 2003 9-5 Arc in gunmetal grey with black hide interior, lovely car it was, I traded it for a 9-3 2009 Combi Sportwagon. Saab made cars. I'll follow your progress.

[@BWTECH0521]

Sounds like a good car. Thanks!

[@zsoltkleger3391]

Awesome, nicely done!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank ya!

[@tomekkowalczyk388]

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you!

[@MassiveTrackHunter]

Made it your own. Awesome.

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks mate 👍

[@MT-rc3gn]

Hey dude. Just wanted to let you know if you didn't already that you should be careful with those cold air intake-type filters when they are placed low in the wheelwell. They can suck up water and hydrolock the engine if you drive through a deep enough body of water. Just wanted to let you know because it would be sad if the SAAB got totaled when you've put so much work into it.

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks for the warning mate, I still have the original intake housing and will be rigging that as a cover so it protects the filter. I heard it's a pretty common thing to do.

[@aymericneau4350]

Cool project!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@clancymcdang]

Fantastic montage of the journey. I'm very curious on how you paint matched the front bumper. What paint brand and color did you use exactly?

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you! It's not 100% match, I'd say maybe around 80-90% match. It's the "perfect match" spray can from duplicolor! Check out the separate video I made for more details (in video description) kzbin.info/www/bejne/poW1fJSfeLqLoa8

[@d4ve587]

Saabtastic 👌💪

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks 🤗

[@Thehunter85]

Great video (y)

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you!

[@PeenMcTuggins]

the shark tooth bumper really transforms these cars, i'm currently working on a dame edna / 08+ 9-3 aero mash up bumper for my 09 9-5. where'd you find those fender marker lights?

[@BWTECH0521]

That is a good combo! The link of the side markers should be on the description of this video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3q9ZaKsa56Wgrc

[@PeenMcTuggins]

@@BWTECH0521 thanks!

[@shadetx713]

Great job

[@BWTECH0521]

Thanks!

[@alchavez5008]

Cool vídeo. Where did you got the booth for the steering wheel column?

[@BWTECH0521]

thanks Al! I got that part from my parts car.

[@waynegood9233]

I bought a 1980 SAAB on June 8th of 1980 Brown EMS 5 speed 2 door fast back and drove it from Seattle to Long Beach California and back now am looking for a 9-3 or 9-5 since I am selling my 2014 Corvette 7 speed

[@BWTECH0521]

got the SAAB itch again? Welcome back! Hope you land a good one! My go-to website for saabs for sale - www.saabnet.com/tsn/class/

[@stretchy1260]

Great video....... i have a 2001 9-5 auto... it's a bit shabby on the outside, but the engine, gear box and the interior are all in excellent condition with loads of service history from day one. I too will be making some upgrades and improvements, but what i would like to know is when you changed the air filter... was it exposed or did you put the air box back on...?? i ask this question because i am a little reluctant to leave my air filter exposed as we have a lot of wet weather here in the UK, and would be concerned of getting water in the intake which could eventually destroy my engine..!

[@BWTECH0521]

Thank you! I left it exposed because I live in a dry climate. You could cut up the stock airbox and mount it to the bottom of the new filter so it is protected from the water!

[@stretchy1260]

@@BWTECH0521 Thanks for reply...... yes i could do. Happy Saabing.

[@makaveli6022]

That poor aero save it if you can 😢

[@BWTECH0521]

It was a flooded, no title automatic sadly. I sold it to a guy with a Viggen who will use the engine harness for his Viggen, and the power train for another project. So it's probably in saab heaven but the parts were used to save another saab!

[@KaptenSpritz]

3:27 where did you buy the side indicators?

[@KaptenSpritz]

@@vortbrodet finns på wish att köpa, finns i beskrivningen på hans video.

[@KaptenSpritz]

hello, where did you buy the side blinkers led?

[@BWTECH0521]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/f3q9ZaKsa56Wgrc check the description of this video for the link!

[@maximus9312]

I shared it. THANK YOU SO MUCH ---be happy ❤!!! #NAME? Promo*SM!!