Graham

My brother has an E250 in another part of the world. He loves it. Real world consumption on a long highway trip was, if I recall what he said, about 5.5L/100 km.We have had our 2014 GLK250 for about a month. At just over 500km, still on first tank of fuel! I don't expect that great a mileage, but judging from reports on MBWorld, it looks like 6.5L/100km is achievable without much trouble on highway. I am still amazed that I finally found a brand new Mercedes for $45k! The C-Class diesel should also be a great buy.

Just checking in to see how the smarties are doing.One thought came to mind reading the energy consumption figures. Here in Ontario, energy costs are much higher than the 10.5c/kwh quoted for BC. Rough calculation indicates the $1.85 in BC may translate to over $3.00 in Ontario. Still better than a diesel and a lot better than a gasser. At least until they start taxing the kwh used for vehicles :(Hopefully EVs will cost less to maintain. Maybe they will get overtaken by technology before they wear out!Interesting to get first hand experience.Happy New Year smarties.Graham

The CLA looks interesting. Same price range as the B-class. But of course a different type of car. My son has a Mazda 3 hatchback. Our E-class has done over 200k km, so will eventually need replacement. Maybe by then the CLA and Mazda will have diesels.

Current c-class gasser with 4-matic has msrp of about $40k. Add delivery and a few options, and it could be in mid 40s. Diesel GLK is actually slightly less than gasser, so C-Class may be about the same. My brother owns an E250 Bluetec (in another part of the world). Loves it. I could not find a price for one on MBUSA site. Best I saw, was a guess at $55k.Just to show how experiences differ - We bought the GLK, just because of the good service we have had from our local dealer and MB Canada. Both have treated us well with goodwill service well after warranties ran out. If it hadn't been for that, we would probably be getting an Outback.

No spare tire is becoming more and more common. The smart was a leader in this trend ;)New Benzes have a new type of run flat tire that provides a smoother ride. (Stiff sidewalls on earlier runflats resulted in hard ride and not so good handling). Plus they provide a kit something like the one in the smart. Or so I am told. We have a 2014 GLK250 on order and it won't have a spare.Regarding the diesel Cruze costing $25k. A Jetta TDI with automatic is about $27k. I ran the diesel Cruze on GMs site and it came out to almost the same price. Better warranty on VW, I think. By comparison, a Mercedes C-Class diesel (coming soon) is about same size car, but it will likely cost close to $50k with similar equipment. For those who really love diesels, that makes the Cruze and Jetta worth looking at. But they ain't Mercedes!

We had our E-Test done on Friday and there was no problem with odometer. Car passed test. Also had safety done. Only issue, was that one bulb was out - must have failed since last service about a week or two ago I had to change it myself (rear side marker) because shop didn't really know how to get at it (and were about to close for weekend)! New owner tomorrow - he will be getting a good car!

I am so envious.Young, full of life and on a road trip with a pretty girl in a beautiful country!In my view, the best thread ever on CSC!Have fun dk!

[dk would have trouble doing those interesting trips in an EV!But good for commuters.

dk,Looks like you are already having a great time!Hope the weather stays sunny for the rest of your trip. Keep the pictures coming. That way, we will get to see parts of Quebec few us have visited.Your enthusiasm is contagious Graham

I received a letter in the mail today from Drive Clean's Director, Garth Napier, regarding my query. (still no reply to my email to smart.ca) To summarize, they said: - not aware of any cases where odometer was affected by DriveClean test. - they contacted Mercedes Benz dealership (?) and they were not aware of any issues of this nature. - they have been informed (by ?) that no TSBs exist related to this issue. They go on to say that they would like to be put in touch with anyone who claims to have seen this occur. If anyone has seen or had an odometer jump at Drive Clean or even a similar OBD test in another province, you could call Diana at 1-888-758-2999 or use contact at www.driveclean.ca and cite reference ENV1283MC-2013-2440. Or write Garth Napier, Director. MOE, Drive Clean Office, 40 St. Clair Ave W, 4th Floor. Toronto ON M4V 1M2. I will need an e-Test before long, so will be watching carefully!

Great - Should now be easier to find. And definitely 451 should have link too. I imagine there are a lot more 451s these days and many would now be coming off warranty.Hopefully other indies will be added to list.

That's a good start, but how did you find it? I checked the clubsmartcar.com opening page, did a "find" for anything starting with wik and nothing is found. Then opened forum page and same thing. What am I missing??Perhaps there should be a SERVICE sticky under General or Maintenance and Operation pointing to wherever that wiki is located. It would be good if the wiki or stiki was promoted, perhaps on site's first page, so others could add more shops and newcomers would find it easily.

Reading these forums, Independent smart repair shops are mentioned from time to time. But only one or two seem to have promoted their capabilities under Self Promotion. What would perhaps be useful, would be a sticky that lists all known smart repair facilities. Perhaps both official and independent. Even moonlighters who are willing to help could be added.Could be useful for new owners and for those travelling.Does such a list exist, or would someone be prepared to produce one?

Sorry if I got that wrong. I thought the B's engine was underneath somewhere (like the smart except up front!)"as easy to get at as they are in any other car" - On my E320, a couple of them are an SOB to get at A job I need to do.

First of all, my view is that the smart is a well designed "little" car. Much better than some other "little" cars, but no doubt not as bullet proof as some other larger cars. My comments on OPs beefs: 1. No oil drain plug - Any smart dealer or reputable shop has a suction device. DIY units cost about $50. I NEVER use the drain plug on any of our cars. Hard to see this as the #1 beef. 2. Tires are pricey, don't last, and very limited choice. I just replaced the original tires on our smart at 62k km, even although they still had another seasons wear left. Admittedly, snow tires were used in winter, so perhaps the summers last 40-45k km? About normal if you use Michelins on a larger car. Cost me $675 incl installation, which seems in line. 3. Busted reluctor rings I have never had that problem. The rings are exposed to salt and moisture and are bare metal. Rust protection should be part of normal maintenance, but even dealers don't do that. MB should also sell the rings separately, but don't. Fortunately aftermarket does. Legitimate beef. 4. Seized alternator, first car I ever had that required lowering engine to pull an alternator. Luckily it is relatively easy to do. I read that the B-Class requires the engine to be lowered to change rear spark plug. It would be nice to have better access to some parts, but designers likely assumed cars would be mainly dealer maintained. 5. Corroded SAM connections. Have not had that problem 6. Pull cowling to change headlight bulbs Not required, although I have trouble doing it through openings. Dealer does it free. 7. Side markers keep falling out Never had that problem And at least a dozen other reasons - It's a learning process for the public. Modern cars are more troublesome than the old cars, mainly because of the electronics. The mechanical parts are very good. Many here seem to love their little smarts. It is a neat little car and fun to drive. Junk? Definitely not!