cozmopolitan

So it was about time to get a proper handsfree set installed in the 9-5. After some research I ended up getting the Parrot MKI 9200. It has lots of features, but most importantly – it comes with a little LCD display that will display the number of incoming calls, your contact list etc. Why is this an important feature? Because since we live in a world where mobile phones are renewed quite often, it would be to stupid to use vendor specific mounts for the various phones. Each time I aquire a new mobile phone I would have to change the mouting bracket…

With the phone connected to the handsfree using bluetooth, LCD display on the dashboard, and controls on the steering wheel ; any phone could be operated with the handsfree in a smooth way – and the phone can remain in your jacket pocket or wherever you carry it when you enter the car. As long as bluetooth is enabled, it will automatically connect to the car’s HF when the car is started. So far so good.

My 9-5 was equipped with the “TEL1″ package from Saab, which means there is a connector behind the A/C panel just for the purpose of connecting a HF unit. When properly connected, the car audio system will mute and switch to “phone mode” when calls are made. This means that phone audio will be heard through the car’s speakers; unfortunately not all speakers, but only the ones in the dash. But hey – more than good enough for something that is mono anyway Also, cars with “TEL1″ are equipped with a microphone located behind the roof paneling near the rearview mirror. The good people at my local Saab dealer told me this mic was crap and recommended me to go with mic that came with the HF kit. So I did. They also supplied me with the “TEL1 connector cable” that you will need in order to connect your HF kit to the TEL1 HF connector already in the car.

You will need to dismount the SID panel, the HU and the A/C panel to get access to the Tel1 connector. Or actually you don’t need to remove the SID, but I found it a lot easier to remove the HU if I removed the SID first. Once you have these removed, you should be able to locate the TEL1 connector. I missed it the first time around since it is tightly taped up to one of the other cables in there. Use a flash light! Make sure your Saab Tel1 wire harness is properly plugged into the connector in the car. Lots of people seem to get trouble when these aren’t properly connected.

What you then will need is the pinout for the TEL1 connector. You will need to connect the mic, mute, audio input and power leads on the HF-kit to the corresponding ones on the Saab TEL1 wire harness.  For my MY 2005, the Tel1 connector is an 18 pin connector. I never actually managed to find the correct pin numbers, but found the color codes for the various functions on the Saab Tel1 wire harness. They turned out to work fine:

Red : 12 volt power (always on)
Red+blue: 12V, ignition
Green: mic ground
Black: ground
Yellow: telephone mute
White/grey: telephone line out, signal
White/blue: telephone line out, ground
Brown/grey: mic out

With that information what remains is to look up the corresponding leads on the HF unit (information provided in the manual), and connect it all together with terminals.  I ended up mounting the LCD screen to the right of the steering wheel onto the two unused  “dummy buttons” available there (they could be in use on other trim levels or with other equipment – folding mirrors?).  I used a dremel to grind the top of the lower button down to make room for the cable (not shown i pictures) In this way the cable to the LCD can enter the dash between the buttons and is almost invisible behind the screen.

I spent some minutes thinking about the best location for the microphone. After som testing I decided that the best place for it would be in the area around the rearview mirror (which is also where the stock mic is located). I dismounted the plastic panel covering the roof lights and switches,  and put the mic cable through it alongside the foot of the rearview mirror (see pictures). Then I routed the cable between the inner roof panel alongside the top of the windscreen and to the right “A-pillar”. Removed the inner A-pillar trim (don’t use any tools – it cracks easily. Use only fingers!) and routed it down to the speaker mount on the dashboard behind it.

From here I got the cable down to the floor by prying off the speaker cover (use a small screw driver) and letting the cable down through the hole beneath it. Remove the dashboard side cover, as well as the cover underneath the glove box for easier access to route the cable all the way (see pictures).

Once all the leads are in place behind the HU, connect everything together and verify that everything works. Everything worked fine for me, so I ripped off the Scotch tape used for inital connecting purposes and moved on to cable terminals fastened with a medium size plier. Then what remained was just to stuff the HF unit with all its cable mess behind the HU and mount the A/C panel, the HF unit and the SID back

My 9-5 has only got 88.000 km on it, but nevertheless the drop links are now worn out. Why? Because I live in Norway, and Norway has the worst roads in Europe. No kidding. So driving a 1600kg car like the 9-5 on these roads really puts the bushings, links and joints to the test.

How can you tell if your drop links needs replacement? Well, if your front part of the car makes a distinct knocking or rattling noise when going in low speeds (in high speeds the noise from wind and wheels will probably be louder – so you wan’t be able to hear it) on uneven surfaces, the drop links are to suspect.

Replacing them is a fairly easy procedure, but the nuts holding them in place could be pretty stuck, and there is not enough room to apply extenders to get enough torque to undo them (for the lower mounts it would help to raise car on a proper lift – this would allow you to use a long extender from underneath. But few people have access to such gear at home ). I had to apply heat using a small blowtorch, and then work the nuts with ratchets and spanners. In short, these are the steps to replace the drop links:

1. Raise car on both sides (to prevent to much stress on the anti-roll bar – which will make it harder to remove the drop links), and secure it on jack stands. Remove the wheels.
2. Apply lots of WD40 or similar to the mounts. The nuts will probably be pretty stuck, so juice it on there and leave the car while you do something else.
3. Loosen the 18mm nuts on the upper and lower mounts, using a 8mm wrench or similar on the outer part of the threaded tap to make it stay in place (or else bot the threaded tap and the 18mm nut will rotate as you apply force), and remove the old drop link.
4. If stuck and you cannot mount an extender, try using some heat on the nuts with a small blowtorch, and knock on them using a hammer. They will come loose in the end…
5. Mount the new ones, and tighten mounting the nuts properly. You should get a set of new 18mm nuts to replace the old ones.
6. Mount the wheels and lower car to the ground.
7. Enjoy a rattle free ride

For the last year my 9-5 has developed a kind of clicking or knuckling in the steering wheel when going over speed bumps, uneven surfaces, or when suddenly braking or accelerating quickly. Always thought the problem was related to the outer front ball joints, but upon recently inspection they seemed fine.

After some googling it seemed like the steering spline could be the culprit – they seeme to run out of grease every 80.000 km. So this weekend I got to the job, and after giving the spline som fresh lube, all the knuckling and clicking in the steering wheel became history. What an easy fix! The job takes about an hour if you work slow This is how to do it:

1. Remove the  dash panel underneath the steering wheel on the driver’s side by removing the 3 T6 screws and one screw-on retainer (that one could be a little tricky. Mine actually broke, so I had to get a new one)  You don’t have to remove the OBD connector from the car, just loosen it from cover and push it out while you’re working.
2. Now you can see the splined joint connecting the outer steering wheel column with the steering rack coming into the cockpit through the floor.
3. Now make sure the car has the front wheels aligned with the car, and then fix the steering wheel using the seat belt or whatever suits you.
4. Make sure to mark the splined joint so you are able to put it back in the same position as it was. I used a permament marker that was lying around.
5. Remove the bolt (13mm) and pry the connector up to disconnect the steering linkage from the steering rack.
6. Remove old grease and dirt, and put on a good load of new grease. Make sure all splines are greased. I used a tube of ball bearing grease I had lying around.
7. Put everything back together (reverse of removal procedure). Hopefully you no longer have the knuckling sensation in your steering wheel

Even though my 9-5 only has 87k km on it, the front suspension started to squeak earlier this year. At first I thought it was the control arm bushings, so I tried to spray them with silicone spray. No change, and probably something else then. As winter turned to spring, and spring turned to summer, the squeaking got worse every week. When I finally had the time to inspect it thoroughly a couple of weeks ago, the noise had gotten so bad that people kind of turned around and looked at the car as if it was about to collapse every time I was going over a speed bump.

Upon inspection it was clear that the noise came from the anti-roll bar bushings. Two little pieces of rubber creating all that squeaking noise, unbelievable.

Since I read somewhere that poly bushings tend to squeak more than regular ones, I went to the local Saab dealer and got the original bushings. If this is a part that is subjective to squeaking, better not increase the chances for it to happen

The procedure for replacement is simple, but still takes a lot of time because of the very limited space for loosening two of the bolts (one for each bushing clip). I guess a lot of people would consider it a PITA job. This is a quick how-to:

1. Raise the car and secure it on jack stands (since I was going to both sides, I raised both sides before I started working. This way you are also sure that there is no stress on the anti-roll bar), and take off the front wheels.
2. Now you can see the bushing. It sits in a a bracket attached to the sub-frame with two 10mm bolts. The outer bolt (the one closest to the car’s front) is pretty simple to get at with a combination wrench or a ratchet with a 10mm socket.
3. The inner bolt is another story. There is simply no room for a regular ratchet with a 10mm socket (not even a small one). Some guy at the saabcentral.com forum told me he had gotten to it from above, using multiple extenders. I found it easier to get at it from underneath. The best tool I had for the job was a 10mm socket wrench. Since there is very limited room to turn it, it will take you a lot of patience, cursing and time to get these inner bolts off (and on). I would strongly recommend you to get a 10mm ratchet combination spanner if you don’t already have one. This will make loosening the inner bolt a breeze compared to doing hundreds of 10 degree turns with the socket wrench.
4. Because of said tightness with the inner bolt, don’t loosen it completely. Leave it in there when it’s almost out.
5. Now you can pry off the bracket,  slide the bushing towards you and then remove it from the anti-roll bar.
6. Installing the new ones is reverse of removal. Make sure to lubricate the new bushings with appropriate grease. If you ordered poly-bushings I guess they came with their own grease. For regular rubber bushings the important thing is to use a non-acid grease. Regular grease will eat up the rubber, and drastically reduce the lifetime of the bushings. I ended up using a vaseline grease, actually made for greasing your battery posts.
7. Fit the wheels and lower the car to the ground. Voila! Suspension is now the sound of silence.

Det er mye å sette seg inn i som nybakt forelder. Spesielt på utstyrsfronten skal det gjøres mange valg. Mange av valgene som gjøres får ingen dyptgripende konsekvenser dersom noe uventet skulle inntreffe. F.eks spiller det liten rolle om smekken er rød eller grønn når barnet søler. Men på andre områder, f.eks utstyr for sikring av barn i bil, kan forskjellene på valg av bra utstyr og dårlig utstyr i verste fall utgjøre forskjellen mellom liv og død.

At barn skal sitte bakovervendt så lenge som mulig så lenge de sitter sikret med egen bilstol, er ikke lenger et tema som er gjenstand for diskusjon. Det er et faktum, og det er understøttet av grundig forskning på emnet: Det er vesentlig høyere risiko for alvorlige skader når barn sitter i forovervendte barneseter. Se forøvrig den glimrende bloggen “Sikring av barn i bil”.

Likevel observerer jeg omtrent daglig små barn som sitter forovervendt. Hvordan er dette mulig? Det er neppe mangel på informasjon. Det er umulig å unngå essensen i dette når man skal anskaffe bilstol til barn. Det er flyers, informasjon i butikkene, kampanjer fra Trygg Trafikk, skremselsvideoer på YouTube, uttalser fra leger i media, tester av bilstoler på Forbrukerportalen osv.

Svaret ligger nok, desverre, i et bevisst valg. Og dette gjør meg mildt sagt forbannet. Det finnes ingen gode grunner til å sette barnet ditt forovervendt. Sa jeg ingen? Jeg mente INGEN.

Det kan nemlig ikke på noen måte forsvares å utsette en totalt uskyldig skapnings liv for større fare enn det som er nødvendig. Dersom du som forelder med vitende og vilje tar beslutningen om å sette 2-åringen din forovervendt, bør du i det minste selv være villig til å utsette deg selv for større risiko enn det som strengt tatt er nødvendig også. Monter en kniv i sentrum av rattet ditt. Tør du kjøre?

Her er noen av idioti-utsagnene jeg har hørt nevnt som begrunnelser for å snu barnet forover:

Begrunnelse: Lillegutt får så dårlig plass til bena sine når han sitter bakovervendt..
Kommentar: Dette er jo ingen begrunnelse. Barn kan sitte med sammenkrøllede ben i timesvis, sove 9t i en sammenkrøllet bylt, og sitte på huk i evigheter uten at dette plager dem nevneverdig. Støle bein eller risiko for alvorlige nakkeskader? Det er vel et enkelt valg.

Begrunnelse: Vesla blir så kvalm når hun sitter bakovervendt
Kommentar: Gjør det beste ut av situasjonen, men snu henne for all del ikke av den grunn. Ta hyppige pauser. Utstyr dere med spyposer. Og ikke minst – ta hensyn til den lille, og innse at dere nå ikke kan dra på lange bilturer. Dere har valgt å sette barn til verden; for all del – ikke driv med skuespill i form av sikring av trappen og komfyren hjemme, mens dere undergraver alt ved å sette ungen forovervendt i bilen.

Begrunnelse: Det er ikke plass i bilen til bakovervendte seter.
Kommentar: Dere hadde opp i mot 9mnd å løse dette problemet. Velger dere å sette barn til verden må dere innrette etter dette. Er bilen for liten – anskaff en ny. Eller unnlat å frakte den lille i bilen. Ikke råd til større bil? Det koster å ha barn. Ikke sett barn til verden om dere ikke kan anskaffe nødvendig utstyr.

Har hørt mange andre håpløse historier også. Desverre. Hvordan kan folk med vitende og vilje foreta disse valgene? Det er i slike stunder jeg lurer på om det burde vært en foreldre-eksamen. Men kanskje slipper jeg å fortvile når jeg observerer forovervendte småtasser neste gang. Nå anbefaler nemlig ANEC at det blir påbud om sikring av barn opp til 4 år i bakovervendte stoler, og at alle bilstoler produsert for fremovervendt montering i denne vektklassen fases ut av markedet.

På tide!

I usually do a full inside and outside makeover on the car when winter is over, and the streets are sweeped clean. This year the period from easter until now has had us very occupied with other stuff, so the poor car simply had to wait.

Today I gave it a proper inside cleaning. Normally this involves a whole lot of vacuuming, and some washing/cleaning. My car has leather seats though, so some extra effort is required to give the leather proper treatment. This is what I did today:

1. Take out rubber floor mats and give them a go with degrease and water.
2. Vacuum everywhere. Lift up rear seats and vacuum underneath, as well as in the trunk.
3. Use a special leather cleaner for leather seats. I use the same one as I use for my living room leather furniture (got it from IKEA )
4. Use special leather care cream for your leather seats.  In my opinion, the leather care cream from Autoglym is the best product for the job.
5. Use vinyl and rubber care (again from Autoglym) on – tata – rubber and vinyl parts of your interior.
6. Use q-tips or similar to clean the edges around switches and nobs – these are real dust and dirt collectors.
7. Use soft cloth on LCD screens, speedometer glass etc.
8. Voila. Now I just wanna drive around and enjoy my clean and nice smelling interior (leather smells new, and rubber/vinyl smells of…well, whatever smell your cleaning product came with. Mine was lemon )

Only 2 days until the 97th edition of the Tour de France starts with a 8km prologue in Rotterdam. For me, this is one of the main events of the year. I guess once you’ve developed a Tour de France addiction, July will be your favorite month of the year. For a long time. Even the last rounds of the 2010 Fifa World Cup don’t even come close to the mass sprints of the first week, or the insane climbs in the Alps and the Pyrenees.

For us Norwegians, the participation of the coming star Edwald Boasson Hagen in this year’s tour, will make things even more interesting. Now we have two stage win candidates. Thor Hushovd will surely be “up there” and fight for stage wins too (and maybe also the green jersey if his collar bone has healed properly).

Time to go get supplies so I can last a month in the armchair..

A couple of weeks ago Google announced their new secure search beta which gives users the possibility to run searches using an encrypted HTTP connection (HTTPS).  Should we cheer now? No. Why not? Beacuse this is the last of your worries when using Google’s search engine. While this obviously will protect your search terms and search results from being read by a third party, Google will (as they clearly state in their blog) still maintain search data for all your searches. This is what you should worry about when it comes to worries about onlince privacy.

It will hardly be a problem that some 17 year old hacker giggles his ass off when sniffing his neighbour’s Google search terms late at night. Does anyone know how hard it is to actually sniff something of a TCP connection between you and some Google server “out there”? Unless your’re on an open wireless network (then you are shit out of security luck anyway), or on a big LAN, the probability that someone with cruel intentions actually manages to sniff your traffic is so low that you should rather worry about getting stuck in traffic on your way to work the next day. The problem isn’t the security of the connection. The problem is the security of the data.

So the big paradox is that Google announces this as something value-added for people that are concerned about their online security. If you really are worried “about the security of your shit“, the least thing you would do is to let Google create a massive historic profile of all your online actitives by using Gmail and Google searches. Happy googling!

So I’ve been riding with a stiff (as hell) fork on my favorite XC-bike, the Scott Scale 10, for four years now. Since I’ve only been riding light gravel tracks and even a lot of tarmac in some periods of time, I’ve been very pleased with the Pace carbon fork. Its ligtness is impossible to match for any suspension fork, and even though modern suspension forks come with lock-out mechanisms – they will never come close to a stiff fork with respect to energy transfer when you really put the pedal to the metal.

The last year I’ve been focusing more on running, half marathon and hill climbing races etc. But it was two days ago I took my Scott for a spin on a gravel track nearby. Ouch. My back isn’t as flexible as it was before. Or maybe the track (been riding it hundreds of times) has gotten a more uneven surface, which actually might be true for some parts, but not for all 40km.

Anyway, I spent the rest of the evening that day checking prices for some light suspension forks. Even the lightest ones (the SID Team is 1,4 kg) will make the Scott gain considerable weight (around 0,8kg or actually 10%) , but I’m thinking maybe it’s worth it to get a smoother ride. Also, this will probably mean I can ride tracks I’d never even consider now – because with a full carbon XC bike your body is the suspension.

Suspension fork? Yes. Right now I want one of those.

Because of a small self-inflicted accident last year, the front bumper of my 9-5 needed replacement. Delivering the car to my local Saab dealer and getting them to fix everything would cost me almost 15.000 NOK (about 1900 euros), which obviously never was an option. Got lucky getting a second handed replacement bumper from one of the guys on the saabturboclub forum for 1500 NOK. It was in almost perfect shape, but was the wrong color (of course).

I had it painted at a professional car body-shop for 2500 NOK. To make sure it got the right color they borrowed one of the lids for the headlight washers, so they could use special tools to diagnose the exact color (the car’s color now is pretty different from when it was new, due to wear and tear, exposure to sunlight etc).

Took me a couple of hours replacing my old bumper with the new one. In the process I also needed to replace my left turn signal light, as well as my left foglight. They both had shattered glass. Guess I would have used half the time next time – now knowing where all the bolts are located.

Click on pictures to see removal process.