[rob beard]

Hi Folks

Is the BENTLYS manual as good as is sounds????????????????????

Rob

 

[MSOEMiller]

It's the shiznits ! :cheesy:

 

[rob beard]

bentlys

It's the shiznits ! :cheesy:

Thanks for the reply, Bentlys is U.S.A I presume/I think, but what about UK cars?

ROB

 

[Marcos]

My red book is labeled "Official Service Manual" with a bunch of years underneath, so I'd assume it's The Book. The Saab part number in the back cover reinforces this.

And, yes, it's published in the US... I don't know how different a UK car is from, well, the rest of the world , though I imagine there are significant differences on the layout of the steering, clutch and brake pedals, etc.

Bentley advertises www.bentleypublishers.com as the place to go to for other models. Maybe there would be something about UK cars there.

PS. Checked the site but no mention of UK at all. I'm sure someone can help.

 

[cinemarr]

Thanks for the reply, Bentlys is U.S.A I presume/I think, but what about UK cars?

ROB

I have a right hand drive like you and Bentley seems fine for non US.

 

[Oyster]

If you plan on doing the work your Saab needs yourself you will want 2 things....the Bentley Manual and this website!

 

[woywitka]

not only does the betley make sense to even a bigniner but it shows you little jobs, liek replacing the lights in the power window/sunroof switches (now who here even knows about them? they are awsome!), or a guide to fix the heated seats (i fixed mine, total cost was $0), changed a headlight, fixed a bunch of little things, learned much about the car just reading it. its is so awsome, you will love it. it is well worth the money, as this site is well worth the time.

 

[Jezzadee]

The Bentley is fine for UK cars. There are a couple of minor things because it deals with the Bosch system rather than Lucas, for example, but for Lucas specifics you can refer to this site. Everything else is the same, although occasionally on the wrong side in the illustrations .

 

[woywitka]

... although occasionally on the wrong side in the illustrations .

I have always wondered what it is like to drive on the wrong side of the car, or sould i say "right" side. shifting wiht left woudl be difficult as i'm right handed and armed. also what about the pedals?, turn signals? ect?. i would go nuts, still wanna try it. we have quite a few right hand drive cars in canada tho, liek land cruisers and stuff. British Colubia was the last province or reigion of canada to end right hand drive cars back in the 20's or 30's becuase of the very stong british influence,we still have ferry's/parks/monuments/buildings/street anmes from places and people in britain. the street i live on is a british name, and i just had my grad at the "queen elizabeth theatre".

 

[Tomarse]

I have always wondered what it is like to drive on the wrong side of the car, or sould i say "right" side. shifting wiht left woudl be difficult as i'm right handed and armed. also what about the pedals?, turn signals? ect?. i would go nuts, still wanna try it.

The pedals and turn signals should be in the same place, so the only thing you have to worry about is the gear stick!

Turn signals vary on the side of the wheel they are on in this country anyhow! - i keep wiping the windows when i get out of my landrover and into my saab!. It doesnt take much to get used to that!

I think that a lot of the people in this country are right handed and we still manage to change gear

 

[Marcos]

I have always wondered what it is like to drive on the wrong side of the car, or sould i say "right" side. shifting wiht left woudl be difficult as i'm right handed and armed. also what about the pedals?, turn signals? ect?. i would go nuts, still wanna try it. we have quite a few right hand drive cars in canada tho, liek land cruisers and stuff. British Colubia was the last province or reigion of canada to end right hand drive cars back in the 20's or 30's becuase of the very stong british influence,we still have ferry's/parks/monuments/buildings/street anmes from places and people in britain. the street i live on is a british name, and i just had my grad at the "queen elizabeth theatre".

As indicated, all the controls save the shift stick are in the same place... you get used to it in about two hours. What I found hardest was to look ther "right" way when approaching corners and rotundas while driving in London. I guess they are used to fools like me, because the harshest insult tossed my way was "Tourist"

While in Keynsham during the first couple of days I had a tendency to 'bite' the curb, and had to be mindful of it. On the highway I finally opted for driving on the center lane, because by sheer force of habit I was always on fast lane, slowing traffic down.

I drove a Jaguar with right hand steering in south america, where they drive... uh... 'regular' cars, and it was a bit easier, since I had to only worry about the stick shift and having the rest of the car to my left, and not the side of the road and where I was being approached from. As a bonus, you can use your 'strong' hand when driving hard while shifting. The belt tugs on the right shoulder while driving where a bit disconcerting at first.

 

[cdaly]

Turn signals vary on the side of the wheel they are on in this country anyhow! - i keep wiping the windows when i get out of my landrover and into my saab!. It doesnt take much to get used to that!

It's about the country of manufacture. The indicator stalk is on the opposite side of the wheel to the gearstick in the 'native' configuration. So japanese and british made cars have indicators on the right while the rest have them on the left.

The best bit about driving on the wrong side {and easier to do if you bring your own car with you} is where, after a few days of panicked concentration, you begin to get the hang of it. Then you pull in to the garage on the opposite side of the road, fill up, buy a few things, get back in the car and pull out onto the empty road. If you're particularly unlucky, it'll be a mile or so before you meet the truck coming head on at you. More often, you'll spot your mistake a bit sooner...

 

[rob beard]

Thank you chaps

Thanks for the coments lads, I did used to work for SAAB but am a little rusty of late and its nice to have some help and get me going again, bin in car sales and cars sales management and all that [email protected]@@@s for a few years but now I am back for T-Cut, Tuning and left foot braking, thanks boys........

And guess what its Thursday and I've just come home from the pub......

I am married but if you are a bloke and you drive a 900, WELL your the man for me

Rob

 

[dljpdx]

Questions for the Brits

OK - two questions...

1) What is a tax disc holder? ("It holds tax discs", they reply...). But what is it really? I search eBay for "SAAB 900" and see matches from GB for tax disc holders and wonder what they are... Looks like something you need to permanently affix to your car - bolt or screw or rivet on, not unlike the taxi badges in NYC or other American cities...

2) What is the bit of music that plays on Antiques Roadshow, the UK version? It's famous - I should know it, but being American and boorish, I don't...

Gracias,
-daniel

 

[Jezzadee]

The tax disc holder is a small circular thing usually made of polythene that holds the tax disc in the lower left hand corner of the windscreen. They just stick on usually. Every time I get a new windscreen (about once a year at the going rate) they give me a new one.

Antiques Roadshow? No idea .

 

[dljpdx]

So, y'all have to pay a yearly tax on your vehicles (and then display a disc / receipt that proves you've paid)? Or something like that? What's the tax based on - book value, a flat-rate, what you paid for the car, or something else?

Sorry - I'm just curious...

 

[Jezzadee]

It's £170 a year for a C900. Less if the engine size was below 1549cc.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/taxation.htm

Why did they set the cut off at 1549cc? Well the most common engine size in the UK is 1.6 litres. Millions in lost revenue if they'd made it 1649cc.

 

[Fakie]

To get the Tax Disc you also need a current MOT and Insurance Certificate.

So it becomes more than just a way to see whether tax has been paid it is a way to check the car is roadworthy and legal (in theory)

 

[Jezzadee]

I was driving down a main road a couple of weeks ago and it was a familiar scenario of roadworks and temporary speed limit signs of 30 mph. Except all the 30 mph signs were upside down. I knew that made them invalid, and assumed that was intentional. There were no workmen about and I was doing 45 mph on the dual carriageway when I saw a flash in front of me and seconds later I passed a parked van with a camera sticking out of it. I got very annoyed, because I knew the speed limits were illegal.

On the way home I went the same route again, and intended to go and pick up my camera from home and retrace my steps, photographing every speed limit sign and getting as much evidence as I could. As I passed the van again in the layby I saw that it said Tax Disc vehicle check on the side. A relief, in a way, because of course I have road tax. But it shows the state that things have got to in this country now where you can get randomly flashed in an illegal speed limit and then have to prove your innocence in court - it's an all too common scenario. And one that I would fight every step of the way.