*This blog thread is about the Saturn and work done on it, not including much towing info, which can be found in the parent section here: ‘Towing’*
I purchased this car in June 2016. Mileage was only 60,085!
As with all vehicles, I have to maintain the Saturn so when I do tow it to some idyllic spot, I can drive it without worrying about whether or not it’ll break down. So this section is about any repairs I have to do to the vehicle.
First and foremost, I looked for any online Saturn Forums shortly after I bought the car. The one I ended up reading the most is SaturnFans. Spend hours going over the typical issues Saturn owners had with their vehicles. And as it turned out, soon after I’d put some miles on the car, the SES (Service Engine Soon) light came on.
My symptoms would come and go, which made it hard to nail down problems. One problem was pretty obvious from the start: High idle RPM, and low mileage. I should be getting 32-34 MPG, but I was only seeing 22-24 MPG. So, yeah, I’d need to get some work done to her, but luckily, I could still drive the car anytime I wanted as none of the issues that cropped up prevented that. This page links to the various jobs I’ve done so far I’ve had to do. Some optional, but mostly necessary repairs and maintenance. Remember, the stuff I’ve done to the Saturn that has to do with towing is available at the above link.
So here’s the links for what I have done to the car so far:
- New tires all around
- R&R the ECTS (Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor)
- Broken passenger side mirror
- Cleaning a dirty Throttle Body
- R&R the Intake Manifold Gasket
- Transmission (Tranni) Slam issue; aka Reverse Slam
- Adding Cruise Control…
Windshield Wipers:
Note: I found that Family Dollar stores carry some automotive wipers that fit my Saturn. Both a 22″ and a 21″. And only $5 each if I need them in a hurry. Which I did recently at an RV park where the trees dripped sap and glued the wipers to the window. When I tried to operate them, they tore and since it was going to be raining the next day, needed them right then.
But although $5 isn’t bad, the cartridge is thrown away and I don’t care for that sort of waste. So on eBay there is a set of wiper inserts for only $1.99. From China so they have to be ordered in advance. 26″ Universal Wiper Inserts…