My wife drives a smart. When it works, she loves it.
Our car is a 2008 model, I think it's called a Passion. The car has barely 11K miles on it. Last week, our dealer, Smart Center Dallas, admitted that the stock battery that came with the car was inadequate. The car had a dead battery a year or so ago, could not be jumped, had to be towed and the battery was replaced under warranty.
The warranty is expired, but my wife bought a one year extended warranty.
The second battery failed last week. She was at work, When the tow truck arrived, after 7 PM, it was too big to fit in the parking deck. She had to have them try again the next day. To make a long story short, Smart Center Dallas did not have the updated battery in stock, but she picked up the car on Friday and took it home.
This morning she could not get the car out of Park. Third time for this problem. They just can't seem to fix it.
I'm sorry, but I've had enough of this. The car is fun to drive when it works, but I'll never ride in it again.
Are we the only ones? I doubt it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brabus007 on -
Sounds like you should have bought a Tow Truck, and not a Smart...<:-((
Sounds like you have a SORRY Dealer...<:-((
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Permalink Reply by Tony on -
I've had my 2008 passion since August of 08, over 23,000 miles and knock on wood... never a major issue that cause me to need that kind of service. I hope your dealer gets it right
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That is definitely a craptastic dealership. MBSC called me about the battery, and replaced it for me as part of the "update" service I did last year. I've never had any power problems at all since. Was your battery not upgraded as part of the update service? It also included the transmission/shifting update that allows you to switch between auto and shift by tapping either paddle (as opposed to requiring the gearshift being pulled left for manual shifting).
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Permalink Reply by Jim McDonough on
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The "update" service did not include a new battery. The update did improve the shifting and performance somewhat. I learned later that when they replaced the original battery, they replaced it with a like battery, but their records indicated that they had replaced it with an upgraded battery. Consequently, they thought we already had the upgrade, and didn't call us to come in and get the upgraded battery.
The problem with the car currently is that the clutch is shot. You can move the shifter, but when the display should say 'R' it is blank, and the car beeps at you. Need reverse. It sometimes goes into Drive, sometimes not. Need drive. While we are pending replacement of the clutch, they have provided a loaner, which was nice of them. No ETA on the repair.
I sent the dealer a fairly strongly worded email describing our situation. No obscenities. It seems to have helped. I think we got their attention.
It's unfortunate. I wish they had sold the car with a manual transmission. It would have made life easier for everyone.
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Permalink Reply by Jim McDonough on
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Update: the parts came into the dealership Thursday. Car was repaired by Friday noon. She has been driving it since with no additional problems.
The car was in the shop over one week. The loaner definitely helped.
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