"Saab? You can't get parts for those any more."

Saab logo 1  Saab logo 2  Saab logo 3  Saab logo 4

You want to bet?

It's a lot easier than people assume.

Saab Automobile AB isn't around to make cars at the moment, but there is a large worldwide installed base and an extremely active enthusiast community.

More important, the former Saab Parts AB, formerly Orio AB, now Hedin Parts and Logistics AB also at saabparts.com, are alive and well, and working to ensure easy availability of genuine Saab spare parts for the long term. Parts AB, for short, was always a separate company, always profitable, and never went bankrupt.

In most cases, all you need is money. For some parts, and some cars — and some budgets — you need to be a bit more resourceful. But it's not that hard. This page exists to help you find the Saab part you need.

What to buy: Part numbers

Most suppliers can and will turn your description of the car and the part you need into a 7- or 8-digit Saab part number (p/n). But it pays to dig a little and find the part number yourself, if only to compare. The WIS (Workshop Information System), which replaced the old paper service/repair manuals, is now available online! For some models you may still need to install the software (requires Windows, XP and up). The Saab EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog) is also directly available online though finding things in the Saab taxonomy can be an art. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

(Some of the old paper service manuals are available online: the 9000 (my own project), and Classic 900 and older.)

When ordering a part, don't just give the number, even if you think you're sure. Give all the pertinent information — and the seller may well ask you for more. Many parts have variants for engine (2.0T, V6, B205R); transmission (auto, manual, Sensonic); trim levels (SE, Arc, Linear, Viggen, Aero); the presence of other equipment (like folding or heated or auto-dimming side mirrors — even if these were all standard on your model and year); a few even have special codes (coil springs and shocks). For brake discs and calipers, you have to measure: no amount of numbers or codes will tell you for sure what size they are. Some numbers get superseded, replaced by newer numbers; some used parts will come in either the old or new number, so search with both.

Make the seller tell you the part number, and ask if it differs from what you expected.

When you're pretty sure of yourself, try Googling just "saab" and the part number (with and then without embedded spaces or hyphens). That will find a lot of stuff, some of it good, maybe. Truly, YMMV. But I once discovered this way that a Saab fuel pump crossed to a Bosch part that was vastly cheaper. (I haven't ordered it yet: I assume it will be missing the ring or a seal or something.) If in doubt, ask around.

Where to buy: New

Consider buying new, genuine Saab parts, if possible. They're guaranteed to work, and come with a 2-year warranty. (You do plan to drive your Saab for another two years, right?) It will also help ensure their availability for us all.

Hedin has a list their Official Service Centers (OSC), and their Affiliated Retail Parts Websites. Pick one near you, or anywhere in your country, threaten to give them your money, and see what happens. There's nothing to it. In most cases, you will be pleasantly surprised (except, perhaps, by the price).

Shop around. The OSCs don't all have exactly the same prices for everything, and many have local stock, useful when the upstream is dry.

eSaabParts

Among the OSC web sites, one of the best is eSaabParts.com. They often have the best prices of any OSC, and part of every order goes to support the Saab Heritage Car Museum USA. They are also active on the Saab FB groups.

eEuroParts

Also check eEuroParts.com. In addition to OEM, they have many good after-market parts, usually at lower prices than OEM. If you're not sure about a particular brand of part, ask around.

Independents

Not Saab-specialty

...but popular in the Saab community:

Where to buy: Used

There are many sources for good, used Saab parts. This is my personal list of specialty yards, roughly in order by distance from my house. Most offer some kind of warranty — ask before ordering. If I've personally done business with them, they are marked with an * asterisk. (But I only (!!) own six Saabs, so no asterisk doesn't mean they're bad.)

Please send me feedback about other Saab yards, anywhere on Earth.

eBay / Motors / Parts & Accessories is often a good source, for many parts. A few things, like the black or red "DIC" (direct ignition cartridge, properly the IDM, ignition discharge module), seem to have cheap spares but the quality is notorious. If in doubt, ask around. And observe the usual (and widely documented elsewhere) guidelines for buying safely on eBay. It's not that hard.

car-part.com and row52.com are sites that connects with thousands of US junk yards, and individuals who harvest from pick-and-pull yards. Most do not specialize in Saab, but most of the parts you may need are at least identifiable on other cars. If you know what it's called and can find it in the menu, you can probably find the part.

Where to buy: Hard to find

A few parts are, after all, hard to find. The strategy is simply not to stop at the first "no" answer you get. OSCs can see the "discontinued" or back-ordered status at their supplier, and most have local stock, sometimes NOS (new old stock) that's very old indeed. Pick your favorite OSC and start there. If any one tells you they (or you) can't get the part, ask for a recommendation on where to try next. If they have a recommendation, follow it up. If they have none, thank them politely and move on to the next call. Call every OSC on the list, then every yard and every supplier who was ever a Saab dealer, anywhere in the world. Persist.

If no dealer or yard has it, there are private parties selling parts and whole cars. Garages and basements all over are full of the stuff. Ask around. Several FaceBook groups exist for just this purpose.

By model:

On the newer models (roughly post-2000), the GM connection can pay off, and some 8-digit Saab part numbers are really 8-digit GM part numbers. I bought some touch-up paint for my 2011 9-5 at a nearby GMC dealer: same code, same paint, same price, but same-day delivery vs. a month from Sweden. But you have to ask around. The GM dealers themselves rarely know any of this, and it might not be wise to mention Saab at first.

If you have a stroker — a pre-1967 Saab with a two-stroke engine — or a Sonett, you probably already know where the grapevine starts for those parts. Certain shops and owners specialize in and/or collect these models: Jim Smart in Santa Fe NM, Marty Adams at Meyer Garage in Iowa, Tom Donney in Ft. Dodge Iowa, are just a few. They'll be happy to talk to you, and can recommend further sources. Ask around but not so much on FaceBook.

Some Viggen parts are getting harder to find in yards, notably jack point covers (that fall off and get lost) and Viggen side emblems (often targets for thieves). Ask around particularly on the Viggen group on Facebook. It's a surprise to most people that the jack point covers are readily available new. Also, all 4 and the towing-eye cover are now available 3D-printed — yes! — from a seller on Shapeways. Pretty good replacment Viggen emblems are being made in South Korea and sold on eBay, shipped worldwide, in two different materials. The radio antenna is available, cheap, from Antenna Masts R Us; 1999 Viggens may have the 5mm stud, but all later ones seem to use the 6mm stud. Measure twice, buy once.

The 2010-2012 9-5 (colloquially the 9-5NG), total production: ~11,000, and even the 9-4X (total production: 1,152) aren't that hard to supply, with certain exceptions. Ask around on Facebook: there are specialty groups for both models. But don't despair of Hedin: One fellow I know hit an antelope in his 2010 9-5 Aero, clear out in Wyoming, and a local body shop was able to fix him right up, with help from an OSC. Even the much-sought-after HUD windshields for the 9-5NG are now available, per Hedin. Maybe your local glass shop says they can't get them, but you know more than they do.

Is your lightbar fading? saabled.com can fix it. If you're handy with tools, there also a DIY repair kit.

Body parts for the 9-4X are said to be rarer, but there may be some crosses to certain Cadillac SRX parts. (The Caddy is a rebadged Saab, rather than the other way around.)

And certain parts unique to the 2012 9-5 SportCombi (SC), which was never sold or permitted to be registered and numbers in the low 20s worldwide ... well, those people knew what they were getting into.

Ask around: Facebook

There are many Saab-related groups on Facebook: by country/region, by model, and some more-general ones. Some are open to anyone, to read and post; others are closed, or open by invitation, especially some of the by-model groups. There's no law that says you have to own a certain car, though a few groups are that exclusive. If you're just considering (or working on) one of these models, ask to join. They will be by far the best source of detailed information on that model, especially before you buy. (But beware selection bias: You will hear about all the problems, but not much about the trouble-free cars.) Some groups will put you in touch with private sellers; caveat emptor, but this can get you a lower price on parts from a car being dismantled privately, and is occasionally the only source for a hard-to-find part. (But don't take the seller's word for that.)

Here are the groups I use most, or at least know about:

Don't like Facebook?

Some older web sites are still active, and a few have even more-detailed technical information, from other people facing the same problems as you.

Are you serious?

Where are you on the Saab Disorder Spectrum? (Just a little fun.)

Updated: Mon Apr 3 14:51:17 EDT 2023
Please give credit where it's due: This page is http://www.findingsaabparts.com/