kdubya

Willy's, First thing to consider.... Dont purchase a smart 450 for fuel economy alone. My car doesnt burn much for fuel, sure, infact I have been burning used hydraulic oil from heavy equipment for fuel for years. So my fuel cost is $0000000 But this is the most expensive vehicle I have ever had to keep on the road. Between maintenance, costly parts, and overall unreliability, owing a smart is a hobby, not a money saving venture. My Escalade was cheaper to maintain over the 140,000+ I owned it than this car has been. I put a power steering pump into the caddy during that time. My smart...... thousands. Not intuitive to work on. Parts expensive, slow, gutless, ugly, handles like a shopping car with 3 bad casters, 2 seats, limited storage, doesnt even have enough power to get itself unstuck...need I go on? If your looking for a vehicle that will have a low cost of ownership, buy a Toyota. I never purchased a smart to save money. If you did, you'll no doubt be disappointed.

No, it mounts under the driver seat beneath the car, sort of under the fuel filter. A custom bracket needs to be made to hold it. There are a few threads about it on here. The pic is deceiving. it larger than it seems. 9"X4"X6.5" Also it needs to be plumbed into the RETURN fuel line, Not the supply line, contrary to common sense thinking. It wont pull fuel otherwise. And overkill..... Not necessarily. After about 20-30 min the engine block is 60C. It has a high temp shutoff, it will power down, then kick back in at the low temp level. It will maintain temp for 2 hours. I wouldnt suggest running it more than 1 cycle before starting as it will drain the battery. BUT if I'm parked and want to leave asap.. I dont want to have to wait 30-45 min to start the car. it will start easily after 10 minutes or less. And throw heat instantly.

OH, and if you read the specs on the webasto. It moves 2 Gal/min (smart holds about 5L with the websasto installed). Fuel consumption at FULL bore is .16Gal/hr (600ML) however, it takes about 11 minutes at -30 to bring the little car to operating temp.

Close tolsen. Have a look here https://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-9/ Best winter tire going. I have them on everything. And Willys: The front tires on my roadster rims are as wide as the back tires usually are. Back tires are even wider. I dont remember the exact sizes, they are in storage now. But no turning issues. The webasto is a TSL17, same model as used in a Kenworth.

I drive mine year round in northern Alberta. I have a set of rims from a smart roadster (much wider) and a set of studded nokian hakkapeliittas I made sure my coolant was good to -50C (frequently hits -40C here) I have a Webasto coolant heater installed, and run it while driving sometimes when its really cold. Try not to breath too much when its -40C, windshield will fog over. As Rob said, I block the exterior air intake for the cabin heater. And I have a perfectly fitted piece of waxed cardboard made to fit over my rad. The traction control is 100% a life saver, especially at highway speeds. However, I have a disabler switch incase I get the car planted. Door handles will freeze and doors wont close. If you have the option to park inside use it. If not, carry a heat gun, or hairdryer with extension cord. Wait a minute... Why do I drive this thing again!?!?!?!?

I'm in Grande Prairie, AB. It most definitely has a lift kit. LOL Snowblowers have lift kits here.

Just bought Grandestyle #099, 268423, coupe Grande Prairie, AB

And then I had to go back and buy it.

I just drove this car. Its Grandstyle #99/200 126xxx km Silver Tridion and Black panels I believe. Its been wrapped by a business. Tan heated leather. Aftermarket touchscreen deck with backup camera. New turbo. Aftermarket exhaust. Tuner. Tinted lights and windows. Sunroof. Currently for sale for $6000

I had similar issues, replaced the sensor (New from MB $225), changed absolutely nothing. How did it go for you?

Mine is still doing the same thing. Start it up, runs rough, alternator kicks in after 10 sec, if its cold it stalls the car. Running the webasto makes it go away. Or when its hot it starts fine. Leads me to think its not an oil pressure thing, but at this point I'm willing to try anything. I've changed starter, alternator, injectors, glow plugs, glow plug controller, ebox, checked/replaced all grounds, crank position sensor, nothing shows up on the Star...etc etc. My oil sprocket hasn't shown any signs of wear (no particles on magnet, no filings in filter...). I'll replace my sensor and see what happens.

What is the benefit to having a physically larger battery?

Right, so in my part of the country it would be less than useless. I didn't realize you needed such a high percentage to reach highways speeds. I would be able to have a 240 plug at home in the garage and at work, but still. That's the final nail in the coffin for me. Thanks for the post. I'll stick to good ol diesel and used oil

This is exactly what I wanted to know before considering one in northern AB. Do you think its the heater then? Or is it solely temperature related and nothing else is defective? Usually in the winter it sits around -25C and frequently hits -30, -40, or even less.

I have the new latches, and my drivers door sticks open nearly everyday. I'll have to take mine off and clean/lube it. Does anyone know if they will warranty the new ones? Mine are nearly 2 years old.