MikeT

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Posts posted by MikeT


  1. image.thumb.png.7009d2847c33ed32a0673f9fcb764a9e.png

     

    Driving this puppy around Europe this month and early November. Delivered new with 2 km on the clock, in my name until November 8th....then I have to give it back. We were 4 up at one point with our daughter Julia and her husband but they're heading to Iceland on the 23rd so from now on it's just Sandy and me. In Nîmes tonight, heading deep into Spain in 2 days.

     

    Autobahn A96 today.....traffic was too heavy for a proper opening up of the car to its 240 km/h top end, so this will have to do.
    image.png.d34a149b579955841402f2db3a8b0a97.png

    I'll post a review about the car once I'm back. Pretty positive overall - plug in hybrid rather like a new Prius. Economical and fun to drive.

     


  2. Oh all right then, we're doing photos......

     

    The first one that we factory specced in early 2004: 

    Duffy Lake.jpg 

    The BRABUS Canada 1 we bought in Toronto in 2010 off lease with 380 km on the odometer, here photographed at speed on the local racetrack in 2022:

    smart side 1 25 Apr 2022.png

    1 person likes this

  3.  

    5 hours ago, FlyingTigerDevelopment said:

    I can still remember the waiting list for the first couple of years in Canada.

    It's the circle of life of all cars with character.

     

    The first buyers were keeners....I for example was on a waiting list between summer 2002 and the very start of 2005 before mine came in. We were all doing road trips together, it was great.

     

    We are now in the "malaise" era of the use car cycle, where the typical buyer of a smart diesel (especially) doesn't see it as anything other than a cheap POS to be run into the ground and then scrapped.

     

    The few survivors that make it to 25 years and beyond - I'm going to guess at most 2000 cars in decent running condition, of the over 10,000 sold - may be rediscovered by collectors of oddball vehicles and some will be cherished. As they approach age 30, they may actually begin to gain in collector value. In 2031 mine will become eligible for collector plates and that's what I'm going to do. It will have well over 250,000 km by then.

     

    Eddy, if you still have a good stock of BRABUS and other good parts for them, your place will be even more of a smart-Mecca than it was in the old days!


  4. Back when ClubsmartCar made a bunch of T-shirts around 2006, I ordered a few of them for the kids, but they were never tried on or worn. So I'd like to get rid of them.

     

    Description and sample photos below:

    • 1x Men's Medium Hemp shirt - heavier material - $15 OBO plus postage
    • 1x Men's Medium 70% Bamboo / 30% Organic Cotton shirt - light silky material - $15 OBO plus postage
    • 2x Woman's Medium 70% Bamboo / 30% Organic Cotton fitted shirt with shorter sleeves - light silky material - $15 each OBO plus postage

     

    They have to go, so please don't be shy and make an offer, though free would be a stretch! small logo on front, later one on the rear.

     

    Men's (this is the Hemp shirt but both look the same)

    T1MM-2.jpegT1MM-1.jpeg

     

    Women's shirt

    T2FM-2.jpegT2FM-1.jpeg

     

    PayPal OK. Contact me at tippett -at- s h a w dot ca (using the usual syntax)

     


  5. My Canada 1 has had a bit of a minor buzzing whine on the over-run that at first I attributed to drivetrain wear, when I first noticed it about 3 years ago.

     

    Now that it's getting louder, I have listened more carefully and it is not a drivetrain noise. The noise is directly proportional to engine RPM and in fact it happens when the car's in neutral and it's revved to 2000+ RPM.

     

    It sounds a bit like a loud mechanical supercharger, sort of a buzzy lower frequency whine.

     

    Engine performance is not affected at all and it still pulls as hard as ever up the local "benchmark hill".

     

    My first though is a failed diode in the alternator, because they can get noisy in such a case but the charging is fine. It could also be a bad alternator bearing. But it's a newer unit from around 2017....so maybe an unlikely source.

     

    It could also be the vacuum pump or water pump....but anything else?

     

    Has anyone had a symptom like this before and found the cause? Thanks 


  6. My first smart made it to 247,274 km when it was rear-ended into oblivion; it was likely to make it to 300+. Not remapped. EGR was always fine. It was driven year-round and rust was just starting, for example, surface rust on the plug on the rear wheel well.

     

    The one I have now is never driven in the salt and has just over 175,000 km (remapped) and I expect this will shorten the drivetrain life somewhat. We shall see. For now, the engine's still strong.

     

    I think a well cared for, not winter driven cdi should last 350,000+ km without a major failure.

     


  7. At 174,000 km, my remapped 2006 450 cdi has developed a hum in the right rear when the power unit is under drive. At first I suspected the wheel bearing but on the recent trip to and from the Okanagan - mostly on the way back because the top was up part of the time - I got the distinct impression that it's more likely a driveshaft or something else, maybe even inside the transaxle (I suspect not, but the thought crossed my mind).

     

    So to describe it, it is more or less quiet if the car is coasting or under light load, but under high load the hum becomes quite loud and it varies proportionally to the degree to which the engine is pulling hard. If you've ever had cupped tires, that is what it sounds like. It's somewhat sensitive to the side-to-side swaying that one does when checking out suspected bearing noises, but more sensitive to high load of the engine.

     

    I have to do a bunch of work to this car soonish as the BRABUS sports suspension is worn out after 145,000 km on it and I have a set of new engine mounts and original front A-arms, put the original springs and shock absorbers back in. I even wonder if the worn engine mounts could have something to do with it.

     

    I'll investigate it when I get a chance but if anyone has experienced something similar and found the cause, I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks.

     

    The car on July 10th, Cypress Bowl lookout, West Vancouver.

    smart 2023-07-10.jpeg