Smart Cars

atrixblue.-MFR-.

but the repair bills outway any eco costs saved because the parts are so expensive, and when owning one it not IF an engine fails its WHEN will the engine fail, for some reason the piston rings stick gouge hell outa the cylinder liners allow the oil to pass and cake up the cylinder head and combustion chamber, this is when a rebuild is needed then when rebuilt you have that when will it go again question after spending about £3k already on recon replacement engine. its all good owning one you must be able to afford to keep it maintained is the next battle. as you can tell im not a fan of the smart, and i'd encourage anyone who is wanting one to have cash saved up for repairs by main dealer or specialist most indy garages will do remdial services etc but when it comes to electrical and majour mecanicles no one will touch it.

knightstyle

We had a Smart For Two Grandstyle, top of range with everything, fantastic car and great fun to drive, if you can get one at a decent price make sure you don't get the basic model, uncomfortable seats etc.
I also helped a friend, not car savy, to look for a new small 4 seater car. In the end after trying lots it was a tossup between a Suzuki Swift and a Hyundai i10 in the end the i10 won due to dealer reputation and quick delivery. That was 18 months ago and she is still very happy and the dealer is great as well, she drove into her gate after having it for two days, dealer collected car, gave her an i10 loan car and did the repair well at a good price. So ask around and look for a good dealer as this is as important as the choosing between several almost identical small cars.

lil.smartie

The piston rings stick IN the pistons not out so don't scrape the bores at all!! The head only gets coked up if the oil burns for ages and nothing is done about it. A full rebuild is more like £800-1500 depending on what needs changed, the higher end of that scale would be turbo too!! And one I missed from you list earlier - steering racks - only had to change them on accident damaged cars not a common fault at all, steering columns can seize though.

Kate

atrixblue.-MFR-.

lil.smartie wrote: »

The piston rings stick IN the pistons not out so don't scrape the bores at all!! The head only gets coked up if the oil burns for ages and nothing is done about it. A full rebuild is more like £800-1500 depending on what needs changed, the higher end of that scale would be turbo too!! And one I missed from you list earlier - steering racks - only had to change them on accident damaged cars not a common fault at all, steering columns can seize though.

Kate

not one to argue with anyone, and i appreciate your background knowladge, but do research that piston stick they do nick and gouge the bores if faulty ive seen a few when replacing valves requiring a hone and rebore with oversized pistons new shells new rings.

and also in the smart with power stearing (most 42 44 havent got it) the electric power stearing motor or rack themselfs have been know to !!!!!! up due to road gunk. you are correct the columns do sieze due to road grime getting to the universal joint at the bottom of the column.

next things to look for when buying a smart with flappy paddles is the stearing wheel angle sensor, when faulty causes gearchange problems, esp problems, new stearing wheel needs fitting if this is the case and needs to go on a merc/smart diagnosis machine to pinpoint problem or smart specialist.

if you have access to autodata, these faults are all listed.

lil.smartie

Ah that 'bible' of junk!

Does it still say to use semi-synthetic oil too when MB specify fully-synthetic??!!

Kate

atrixblue.-MFR-.

lil.smartie wrote: »

Ah that 'bible' of junk!

Does it still say to use semi-synthetic oil too when MB specify fully-synthetic??!!

Kate

no actually says to use fully synthetic-if semi synthetic used engine must be flushed.

i have access to the online portal subscription where updates are made when manufacturers update their end. also noted the susepnsion failures to the front require the new revised top mounts to be fitted with new springs when replacing the worn /snapped suspension and or springs where applicable.

almillar

Power Steering? When did they start fitting that?!

atrixblue.-MFR-.

almillar wrote: »

Power Steering? When did they start fitting that?!

in the roadster. and some 44 models have it. 42 wasnt fitted but the universal joint suffers the same