smart Car
Hi to all that have had trans. problems. One big question has the problem been fixed and how long did it take. And how many miles have you gone without the problem happening again?
Shaken but not stirred by trans. problem
Replies to This Discussion
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Andrew,
I'm curious which component is causing the most grief; aka:
1) the USA shift lever, programming and associated electronics?
2) the clutch mechanism - servo failure, clutch plate failure?
3) mechanical innards - inside the gearbox?
4) Auto or manual shift driver habits?
Australia only imports the fortwo pulse which is manual shift by default. Auto program is an optional cost item... I paid for it in the package... money I never see benefit from. I find the auto shift too jerky, unpredictable and too frequently it does a lot of slurring. I suspect that a smart driven in Auto all the time, may suffer more clutch shifting and wear than one driven exclusively in manual mode. Typical example: drive slowly around a parking lot and in Auto, the smart will shift up and down with a lot of clutch slurring as speed varies. In manual: leave it in second and it reduces clutch wear (I believe).
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I have been dealing with #1 problem
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Permalink Reply by mixalis moutafis on -
hello i have a smart for two model 2000 i have a problem with the key i can open my car. when i push the button on the key i heard the rele on my car tuk and the alarm doit a sign but i can open the car who i can make a new key if it is the problem please help me
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The following is a question about the transmission and what I received from Smartmods in the UK.
Hi John
Sorry to bother you about this but I don't know of anyone else to ask.
There has been an ongoing transmission issue with the gearboxes on the Smart 451 in the States. People are having problems with putting the car into gear as well as sometimes losing the drive gear. At times, turning off the car and restarting it solves the problem and other times they have had to have the car towed to the Dealer. Some people believe it is a software issue and others believe it is mechanical. Some have had their clutches replaced and others have had the shifter lubed and later replaced. Some have had both. However, the problem continues.
I understand the US models are a little different than the European ones due to US Federal regulations. I have not had any problems with mine but I am concerned. The car is a European model which we purchased in Guadalajara in late 2007. It has less than 7000Km but is out of warranty. We were going to drive the car to Las Vegas late this year to visit my Mother (about 2700Km one-way) but now I'm not sure. I would hate to break-down on some lonely section of Autopista in Sonora or Sinoloa. Have the European Smarts had any transmission issues?
Thanks
Doug
Hi Doug,
generally people go to www.evilution.co.uk for technical questions but I can answer.
The USA transmission setup is terrible, terrible shifting mechanism and fake automatic creep built into the clutch software that causes excessive wear and clutch positioning problems.
The Euro model doesn't have these problems but sometimes they do refuse to select reverse.
Smart have been replacing clutches in Europe to sort it but it's not a terrible problem.
I get it every now and then and I find that selecting 1 and driving a few inches forwards before reselecting R always works.
Cheers,
Kane.
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Doug
This does not make one warm and fuzzy feeling. I wonder what mother Smart USA is going to do about it???? The dealer replaced my shift Twice to fix it 275 miles later and it is still working ,My fingers and toes are crossed
Andy
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Andy,
It seems that the smart USA 451 gear shift lever and programming are a kluge... a variant pasted together for the US market. The shift lever is different to the Euro / World shift which only has N and R on the right and push to the left for 1 to 5 gears. An option is the Auto program and a button on the side of the knob to turn Auto on/off.
My pulse has the steering wheel "floppy paddles" shift; which I use exclusively. Auto is rarely used. Gear shiting by the stick is only from R to N then to the side for 1st gear. The rest is by paddle. As a result, the shift lever does not get much use. The shift is always placed in R before turning off the engine. This is the immobiliser position. My 451 is approaching 2 years old with over 25k km. No shift or transmission problems at all. It does demand that the brake pedal be pushed in when first starting and the shift is moved from R to N... as per owners manual.
I very much doubt that the Euro / World / Australian smarts suffer the same faults as the USA shifter.
If you have the floppy paddles; try using them instead of the Auto... it may be more reliable.
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Fortunately, Mexico receives the European models of Mercedes, Porsche, etc. however, when we ordered our Smart in 2007, we did so with the stipulation it would not be accepted if the car were US spec.
We wanted to make absolutely certain we did not get a car with degraded exterior lighting, mirrors, tire pressure sensors and who knows how many warning stickers plastered all over it. The fact that the gearbox is also a steaming pile of manure just goes to show; if a vehicle is not exactly the same as the one sold in Europe, don't buy it.
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I have never driven my Smart 451 in the auto mode (NEVER) and it still had problems. The only time I use the shifter is to get to D or R or P. I got the car so my wife could also drive it in auto, not once in over 20,000 miles has she driven it.
Andy
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Permalink Reply by Tony on -
I am crossing my fingers that I never have this problem... so far in over 24,000 miles mine shifts just fine both Auto and with the paddles. I do not baby my smart at all. 5K+ rpm is not uncommon. I thought that the 451 was a world production model... that the Mitus engine and the tranny were the same world wide. Unless you got a diesel or the 'real' Brabus.
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I went to the Smart Center today and asked about problems with the 451 gearbox. I was told they have had only one 451 since 2007 which had to have its clutch replaced. They have had to replace a few actuators which send a signal to select Reverse gear but, for customers who do not want to pay the ca. 200€ for repair, they suggest simply selecting First gear and then move the shifter back to Reverse.
All Smart enigines and transmissions are the same however, the Gear Selector Box is different for the US (possibly Canadian) models. I am guessing this is because of US DOT regulations requiring stardardised shift patterns.
Never the less, it seems if you want no more problems with your US Spec. Smart, the only answer is to replace your US style Gear Selector mechanism with a European one and change whatever programming (if any) to make it work.
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