Weeks, if not days, before the for the mandatory kontrollbesiktning (google it, I don’t know the English term) all kind of warning lights lit up (or at least a service message on the information display) on the Reff. But for once, I thought it would be an easy fix; it was only the left tail light that was out of order.

So, I got some new lights, opened up the access hatch on the inside of the trunk door and ripped the light bulbs out. None seemed broken, but it’s not always that you can see that with the naked eye. I mean, if you can’t be sure there is a current connected to the light bulb. Which I didn’t absolutely, positively new. There could be a burnt out fuse or a broken cable.

So I switched the broken light bulb for a new one. No go. I adjusted the contact springs in the faucet. No go. I twiddled the cables and gave the plastic housing a good thump (which is almost positively a sure thing). Alas, no go.

So I spent half an hour searching for my voltage meter. Gave up the search, tried some things bound to fail, got a little bit frustrated and looked some more for the voltage meter. Gave up the search again, started to wash the car instead.

When done, I ran around the house looking for some other stuff that I didn’t find, but I suddenly did find the voltage meter. A little tip, never look for the stuff you actually need. Look for something else entirely.

But, back to the car, checking the voltage. 10, 11 volts. Fine. It must be the bulbs after all, maybe I should try with the working ones on the right side. Well. No go. The continue to work on the right side, but doesn’t work on the left.

And so it went for a while. Until frustration completely got hold over me, and pushed me to frantically polish all the contact surfaces of the faucets, radically changing the little tin thingies’ that make contact to the light bulb attitude (difficult grammar there, the ’s or ’s or where the hell it should go (we don’t have ’s or s’ in Swedish, so you’ll just have to forgive me and read on)).

Well, anyway, that seemed to do it alright. Suddenly the lights worked wonderfully and no warning on the information panel.

A few things to watch out for whilst trying to rearrange all the electrics in your Saab.

1. Don’t leave the ignition on for more than 20 minutes without the engine running. It will drain the batteries and because of that stop you from driving to the local pizza restaurant for lunch.
2. Don’t muck around with your fingers in your car’s interior mysteries searching for other little lights that you think you might have to replace. The get hot and you’ll burn your fingers. I learned that the hard way.