[thekingroy]

Hello,

I need to change the oil in my 2003 Saab 9-3. What kink of synthetic oil grade should I put (5W10-5W30....)?

Thanks.

 

[jlrdrony]

my dealer use 5W30

 

[cjhutch]

The official answer is to use an oil that meets GM LL A 025 spec. Not sure if it's the same in Canada, but the two most common oil that meet the spec here in the states are Mobil 0W-40 and Catrol Syntec 0W-30 (Made in Germany) which is only available from AutoZone. There are also other oils that meet the spec from Motul, Total, and Amsoil.

 

[Ravenous666]

With cars it's like with your salad: Don't ruin it with cheap oil :cheesy:

For that reason, for the last years i allways used 0W40 (which is also what my dealer recommends)

 

[Cosmicflash]

The official answer is to use an oil that meets GM LL A 025 spec. Not sure if it's the same in Canada, but the two most common oil that meet the spec here in the states are Mobil 0W-40 and Catrol Syntec 5W-30 (Made in Germany) which is only available from AutoZone. There are also other oils that meet the spec from Motul, Total, and Amsoil.

Good answer. However your manual should state 0W-30 or 0W-40. The last year or two 5W-30 and 5W-40 have been added.

Mobile 1 0W-40 is your best bet all around--reasonably priced, easy to get, and probably the best oil out of all of them.

 

[JonV]

There is no 5W30 that meets the GM LL A 025 Spec in the US market.
You may have it in Canada. If you use a non spec oil change it sooner. And you have an 03, ignore the SID, it is calibrated to an obsolete standard Mobil 1 0W40 was re-certified and the Interval dropped from 15K/2yrs to 10K/1yr.

Mobil does make a 5W40 that meets the GM LL B 025 Spec, you can use B in Diesel or Gasoline Engines, A is Gasoline only. I myself never heard of anyone recommending or using it in the SS.

 

[jlrdrony]

There is no 5W30 that meets the GM LL A 025 Spec in the US market.
You may have it in Canada. If you use a non spec oil change it sooner. And you have an 03, ignore the SID, it is calibrated to an obsolete standard Mobil 1 0W40 was re-certified and the Interval dropped from 15K/2yrs to 10K/1yr.

Mobil does make a 5W40 that meets the GM LL B 025 Spec, you can use B in Diesel or Gasoline Engines, A is Gasoline only. I myself never heard of anyone recommending or using it in the SS.

GM LL A 025 Spec
A=gasoline

GM LL B 025 Spec
B=diesel

 

[zippyluvssaab]

I use Mobil 1 0W40 and change my oil every 5000km as 95% of my driving is around town short distances.

zippy:cheesy:

 

[JonV]

Actually it's A or B in gasoline and B in Diesel only, had it backwards

 

[Pokerguy]

Dude (as in Zippy) . . . you must seriously love your car . . or have wayyyyy to much time on your hands. Most people are switching it out every 10,000 MILES (as in 16,000 km's) !!!!

 

[XC_Rider]

Look it up in the owners manual and follow the recommendations.

 

[9-3gotboostAERO]

5k mile every change here, people who abuse there cars a bit more should be changing sooner then recommended by the manual

0w-40

 

[JonV]

Look it up in the owners manual and follow the recommendations.

He's an 03... if he goes by his manual he's going to go 5000 miles too far or a year too long on Mobil 1..... The Oils rating was changed in 06 to 10K/1year. Spec 0W40 is easy enough to find... Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, Gulf GTX and several other brands.

 

[Pokerguy]

JonV, I can't believe you let the post above yours go without comment . . .

I'm trying to imagine how some one (who isn't either racing, driving continuously in 140 degree temperatures, or doing a lot of off-roading in dusty conditions) could possibly "abuse" their saab enough to cause their oil to breakdown to such an extent that it would require changing it out at half the suggested interval . . .

Never say never I guess . . . but zero chance of this occurring if you do the majority of your driving on the street in city conditions (no matter how much street racing you do) imo . . .

 

[FTYsaab]

Not hearing the best things about mobil 1 0-40...switching Porsche and Saab to castrol syntec 5-40 or mobil 1 5-40.

 

[Cosmicflash]

Pretty funny pokerguy:lol:

And JonV although the M1 0W40 might have been reformulated, as most oils and products are, it still has the GM Long Life spec so it should still be able to go up to 18,000 miles? Where do you get the idea that it is only good for 10,000 mi.? Unless someone has an UOA showing that the M1 can't go that far it should be fine.

My UOA from last summer with 12,000 mi. still had plenty of life left--probably another 4-6,000 mi.

Plenty of people here are still wasting money and oil by changing their full syn oils too frequently. But to each their own I guess...

 

[9-3gotboostAERO]

JonV, I can't believe you let the post above yours go without comment . . .

I'm trying to imagine how some one (who isn't either racing, driving continuously in 140 degree temperatures, or doing a lot of off-roading in dusty conditions) could possibly "abuse" their saab enough to cause their oil to breakdown to such an extent that it would require changing it out at half the suggested interval . . .

Never say never I guess . . . but zero chance of this occurring if you do the majority of your driving on the street in city conditions (no matter how much street racing you do) imo . . .

Considering we've both discussed this topic a million times before (Jon V)... I think were mostly on agreeance. Going 10k miles without an oil change, especially at the mileage me and him are at, is pretty dumb.
City driving is considered strenous on your engine.
I dont street race.

Unless you drive competely like a grandma, you really shouldnt be going beyond 10k miles without a change.
I do race on the track.

Im not saying I desperatly need a change at 5k miles, but its good for your engine. Just like letting your gas run almost completly out until filling up. Of course you dont have to put gas into the tank until almost empty, but its usually better for the car to put some gas in before running out.

 

[JonV]

I myself change every 7.5K, I reset my OLM every other Oil Change. After 7.5K it usually reads between 44 and 55% Oil Life left. I do mostly Highway and Suburban driving.

@Cos look in the 93SS Manual 06 on, Saab now recommends 10K intervals or one year, and the SID/OLM Algorithm has been adjusted to that Interval, ...We've had this discussion in June, I'd posted links about it ....from a June thread....

"I've posted Links about it in the past, http://lnengineering.blogspot.com/ it's old news, you can also find information on BITOG. Or write Mobil."


and

Mobil 1 0W-40 Current PDS - Bob Is The Oil Guy


Mobil 1 0W-40 Current PDS - Bob Is The Oil Guy

More on discrepencies with Mobil 1 0w40, reformulations, and its poor performance in high performance engines.

 

[JHZR2]

The GM-LL specs are correct for the 9-3 and should be followed. That said, especially given the change to lower OCIs in subsequent years, that spec may or may not be important. What IS important, and apears to be a prerequisite for the LL oil is to meet ACEA A3. While A5 is the long drain spec, my manual explicitly states that if the right LL spec oil cannot be found in a pinch, that the correct plan of action is to use an A3 oil with the right viscosity.

I buy that... That said, I have run Amsoil SSO, which is not A3, and got very nice UOA results.

However Id recommend ACEA A3 at bare minimum. The LL spec oils are very good, Id run them and not bother thinking about anything else.

 

[zippyluvssaab]

Dude (as in Zippy) . . . you must seriously love your car . . or have wayyyyy to much time on your hands. Most people are switching it out every 10,000 MILES (as in 16,000 km's) !!!!

I do a lot of stop and start driving short distances and the oil is usually quite dark when it get changed. I look at it this way I pay CA$90 for an oil and filter change probably twice a year that may save me a ton of money in a few years time. My car is nearly six years old (I got it in Aug08) and I intend on running it into the ground and replacing it with a second hand 9-5 (the model due out this summer) when it does head off to that scrapyard in the sky.

zippy:cheesy: