[slidejules]

Hi Guys, more advice to ask I'm afraid!

My '96 CSE doesn't have cruise control and I'm interested in adding it. A few daysworth of surfing and the only thing I've googled up so far is this - they also had one as part number 40400103917 (which is for '95 on, so more appropriate for my car), although I think that's a sudbury number and not a saab p/n.

So... my question would be... does anyone here have any experience with adding cruise control to a 9000 that didn't have it originally? The price they had the kit marked at seems very cheap considering how expensive most parts are - only £145...

Anyway, Sudbury don't have that part in stock any more and don't know when or if they'll have another coming in - can any of you guys help?

Cheers! Jules

 

[Al]

I had one put on my CDE when I bought it second hand from a main dealer.

I am pretty sure its fully electronic rather than steam (Vacuum) driven like the earlier ones... I dont know if its a viable proposition to fit it yourself or if the ECU needs programming.

great on long motorway journeys though

Cheers

Alyn

 

[GarethBray]

Hi!

I fitted one to my '97 CSE at the beginning of April - bought the kit from Sudbury's. It was easy to fit and took me under half an hour, almost all the wiring is already in the car, and no ECU programming is needed.

You remove the battery to fit the cruise control motor unit to the battery mounting bracket with three bolts. Attach the electrical connector block that's tied up by the ABS relay unit, and attach a cable to the throttle body.

Then in the car you remove the steering column covers, take out the old indicator stalk and fit the new one. Then there are two switches to fit to the clutch and brake pedal assembly, to fit these and get at the wiring harness you need to remove the under dash cover and pull down the carpet a little.

There is an extra wire harness that you need to buy for a RHD car to connect to the switches (P/N 453 7775 for a manual, cost about £16)

Put all the covers back on and reconnect the battery and you have a working cruise control unit that even illuminates the 'CRUISE' indicator on the dashboard when turned on.

It might be worth you phoning Sudbury's again, as I phoned them and was told that they didn't have any left, then a week later when it was still listed on their site, I phoned again, talked to someone else, and they said they did have one, so it could be that some people there know what they have and some don't.

You could also try a breakers like Two Stroke to Turbo to get the bits, the kit consists of the control/motor box to go under the bonnet, a new indicator stalk, and two pedal switches, they may sell them at a reasonable price.

Good luck,
-Gareth-

 

[HAGGAG01]

Can I assume cruise control was an optional extra ??, I thought it was standard on cse's after 94(my car being a 94 cse),need to charge more when it comes to selling it !!

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Haggag01:
[qb]I thought it was standard on cse's after 94[/qb][/b]

No - my '95 CSE has it but my '96 CSE doesn't. Also, many people are surprised to see velour seats in my '95 as they think leather was standard on the CSE.

 

[HAGGAG01]

my cse has grey velour seats as well !!

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Haggag01:
[qb]my cse has grey velour seats as well !! [/qb][/b]

Glad I'm not the only one. I actually prefer the velour seats, as I find they grip better while driving enthusiastically.

 

[Ian R]

My 98MY CSE also has velour seats, but that is probably because of who the previous owners were; Cleveland Police!

 

[slidejules]

Originally posted by Gareth B:
[qb]Hi!

I fitted one to my '97 CSE at the beginning of April - bought the kit from Sudbury's. It was easy to fit and took me under half an hour, almost all the wiring is already in the car, and no ECU programming is needed.[/qb][/b]

Thanks for all the info guys! I've made a few enquiries - interesting what you say about fitting in under half an hour! I'm not sure if I have the tools/ability just yet to take my car to bits and install myself, but likewise I'm not sure if I can foot the £250 that 2stroke2turbo want to fit it! £175 for the kit though which isn't bad... maybe I should just get my hands dirty

 

[GarethBray]

SlideJules!

It really is easy to fit... There are 3 or 4 screws you need to remove to get the steering column cover off, and two more screws for the indicator stalk (torx type, but the screwdriver in the tool kit fits them).

I think the fasteners for the underdash are awkward to undo, Haynes say you push the centre pin inwards to remove them, this has the effect of sometimes damaging the fastener when I do it - perhaps someone else (BillJ?) can tell you a better way to remove them. (I went to the dealer and coughed up a few quid for some spares before I started)

The rest of the job is easy, removing the battery, doing up 3 bolts and pushing a few electrical connectors together - the control cable to the throtle body is like the 'barrel' end of a bike brake cable.

Seriously, don't worry about the job... If you are getting worried because Two-Stroke have told you it'll take 2+ hours for them to fit it (that's what they told me), take reassurance from a quote I got from a dealer to supply and fit a cruise control which had 0.2 h as the fitting time on it.

The cruise control works well and is great to have...

-Gareth-

ps. If you have a second 9000 with an indicator stalk that doesn't always cancel, then you can use the stalk you take off your car to fix that one's problem as well - Makes the cruise control really cheap when you subtract the cost of a new indicator stalk.

 

[billj]

Originally posted by Gareth B:
[qb]perhaps someone else (BillJ?) can tell you a better way to remove them.[/qb][/b]

Unfortunately not. However, I've found that similar ones from Halfords are a bit cheaper than the genuine ones and are easier to remove without damaging them as the centre pin unscrews.

 

[CtrlAltDel]

Heh, it really is easy to fit - so easy, even I managed it! - my CSE had it when I bought it, but the activation switch was broken off, so I ordered one from a breakers yard, it arrived next day, and twenty minutes later, I was cruising down the A3

 

[Harry Lake]

Originally posted by BillJ:
[qb]... many people are surprised to see velour seats in my '95 as they think leather was standard on the CSE. [/qb][/b]

You're sure it isn't Zegna (?) All New Italian Wool? I have this on my MY93 CSE 2.3T and I understand it was a no-cost option instead of leather - and of course highly desirable and superior!

 

[scallywag]

Are there any restrictions on the 9000's that these kits can be fitted onto? I have a 9000 CSE but a 1993/L Reg? How would I know if I could fit one of these kits?

 

[GarethBray]

Scallywag!

I think that it is possible to add a cruise control to any 9000. I've seen very early cars with cruise control fitted, so it was available from the factory.

I think there are at least three different kits, pre 92, 92-94, and 94 onwards. As yours is a 93 then the part number should be 40205590037 and Sudburys SAAB say they still have one in stock at £195 - not cheap, but less expensive than it normally is.

-Gareth-

ps. I'm not really trying to advertise Sudburys here, but if they get the idea that reducing prices on bits for 9000s gets them sales, they may increase the list of items....