Saab 9-3 Restoration & Ceramic Coating

Saab stopped making cars. That makes every surviving 9-3 sought after by people who loved the original -- and this one came to us for a full restoration. The owner is planning to put it up for TV work, which raised the standard of finish required considerably. It took several weeks and a number of different specialists working through it.

The Assessment

The leather was split and worn on both front seats -- Alan identified which panels could be cleaned and recoloured and which needed new leather cut and fitted. The headlights were tarnished and needed six-stage polishing. There were dents across the back end and elsewhere. The convertible roof needed cleaning and reproofing with all the rubbers conditioned. The paintwork needed four-stage buffing. The windscreen had a chip. The gear gaiter was chewed up. The number plates were tired and the rear badge needed replacing. The battery was flat -- it had been sitting.

The Work

Alan handled the leather. Both front seats came out and went to him; the damaged panels had new leather stitched in using the originals as templates, then everything was recoloured to match. Gary's verdict when the seats came back: "unbelievably fantastic." All three seats done, interior trim cleaned up, rubbers conditioned by James.

Tom worked on the headlights -- six grades of polishing compound, going from coarse to ultra-fine, then Matrix Blue ceramic coating on the lenses to match the bodywork. Gary filmed two previously done ones as a reference point: they looked brand new. The Saab units came up the same way.

The dent man came and worked through all the dents on the rear and sides with paintless dent removal. Gary notes with mild frustration that he had already left by the time the camera was ready -- "you haven't been able to see him in action, unfortunately." The results were visible in the before/after.

James clayed and four-stage buffed the entire car. The wheels had already gone out for refurbishment; James cleaned them before they left so the wheel company was not working with filth. They came back looking brand new -- which, Gary notes, made the brake discs look rough by comparison. Normal: brand-new wheels next to used discs will always show the contrast until the discs wear in.

The Details

Windscreen chip repair: Gary is honest -- "visually not perfect, but it's been chipped for a long time and you don't want it to break." A repair is always better than a replacement if it holds.

New number plates arrived and were fitted. New rear badge sourced and fitted. New gear gaiter ordered -- but the postal system did not cooperate. The owner came to collect the car with the gaiter still outstanding; he is coming back when it arrives.

One operational note from the video: a tyre that had been moved from rear to front was spotted during the restoration. James flagged it. The detail of that kind of observation -- noticing something the customer may not have been aware of -- is part of what a full restoration involves.

The Result

The owner arrived to collect it and suggested filming the handover himself. The leather seats, the headlights, the paint -- all genuinely transformed. Gary: "I can't get over how lovely the paintwork looks." Matrix Blue ceramic coating on the paint, wheels and headlights to keep it that way.

This is what modern car restoration means. A mechanically sound car that looks tired does not need replacing -- it needs the right people working on it in the right order. The cheapest way to get a new car is to make the one you already love like new again. See our modern car restoration service.