Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0
Ghost

resume: 12 month in a Smart CDI

18 posts in this topic

In August 2010 I bought my 2005 Smart CDI. Now, exactly 12 month and 48.000 kilometers later, it's time for a (final) statement. I traded the Smart in for a real car, since yesterday my "Smart-days" are over.The idea was a commuter-car, easy on gas, a second car next to our family car to take me to work. 2 weeks after I bought the car the first breakdoown, tha carwon't start. CAA towed me to a garage, another towtruck to Mercedes in Barrie. Electrical problem, needed new wires, 400 dollars repair! The next 2 month were smooth,bought winter tires to prepare for the snow. The winter was a nightmare, Smart won't start wen it dropped below minus 20 at night, bought a power-pack to boostmyself when I was not home. Bought oilpan-heater - no rweal help. driving on snow is fine, driving on slushy roads a disaster! Wheelbase won't fit in track of other cars,max. speed on highway 60 km/h, and still two 360's and almost collisions on highway 11. Car did not really heat up inside, got used to drive with gloves and hat on.April, hurray, survived the winter! Killed 3 tires and 2 rims in Muskoka-potholes, wet weather had impact on the electricval system, car did n ot lock anymore, whenever I went to Mercedes to show themit worke\d...... replaced fuel-filter for 223 dollars (what a joke) and motor of headlights for 600 dollars (r u kiddin'?). Noticed small oil leak under the car, just a few dropsover night, but constantly....... June, door-latches started to die, car doors won't latch (both). Took them apart, cleaned them, 3 days later the same, can't close my doors.Drove to Mercedes with doors tied with a rope - 240 dollars for a doorlatch and 120 dollars labour - for each door.Well, latest at that point I made my decision to get rid of it. Made the math and realized - all my savings on gas went down the drain for repairs and maintainance (80 dollar oilchanges, 270 dollar service, etc.)I am glad that the Smart is gone - what a mistake. I drove one in MUnich back in 1999 and loved it. Here in Canada - I hated it. Guess that's why these car's are built fir cities!Thanks for all of you for the good tips in the last 12 month - will post a few items for sale soon (radio, wheel-covers, rims).Ghost

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Bad luck."Real Car"? Now what would that be......

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Who buys a 5 year old car and expects it not to need repairs if an additional 48,000km are put on it in one year. Especially if it is driven hard enough to destroy 3 tires and 2 rims.The wiring M-B used in the cars is a disgrace but I think par for the course.

Edited by Huronlad

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

True - I am driving a lot - but most of it is highway. I am not blaming the Smart - it has it's purpose..... just not for me. My fault, I did the wrong pick!The tires and rims happened all within 3 weeks. The last 10 km to my workplace is a side-road, deep pot-holes in the spring. The impact is that hard thatthe rim get's damaged and ruines the rubber right away...... the low profile tires on a Smart are the problem.A "real" car is a car which I can take for an oil-change or a repair wherever I want. A car where I can buy a tire at the tire-store without "special order".A real car has wiring that lasts a lifetime, and doors that latch without a 900 dollar upgrade (Mercedes said "oh, we kn ow about the problem, we have toinstall the new ones"). And a real car starts all year long, even in the 5 month winter in Ontario.Now - the reason I am posting this is not to shoot against Smart in general. I always liked these cars, drove one of the first generation. The reason is - I dida lot of research and still picked the completely wrong car. How expensive it is to keep a Smart on the road, the fact that nobody want's to touch these cars(Mercedes, 120 dollar/hour is the only option), every single spare part is special and expensive as well....... nobody told me that before.Anyways, I agree, it IS FUN to drive them, and the look of the guy next to me at the gas station, putting 160 dollar in his F350 Super-Duty..... priceless!Ghost

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

How expensive it is to keep a Smart on the road

On average over the last 3 years and 110,000km my maintenance costs have been about $2-3k per year. In what I save in fuel it works out to be no more expensive to operate than any of the other used cars I have owned. The big difference with the smart is I can afford to drive just about anywhere I wish to go.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The smart is not an economy car - never was. It is a relatively limited production specialty car with unique and fun characteristics but equally limited availability of parts and brand-trained service techs.

For the initial price it has many high-tech safety and function features, some not found even on cars at twice the cost or more.

It is more fun than anything I have driven since my first go-cart as a kid in the 1960s. And has a very small environmental footprint - for those who care about that.

But I totally agree that it is not robust enough in many respects for reliable, "Every day I just turn the key and go" performance in many climatic regions of our "Great White North". It's built for temperate European climates and well-kept urban roadways, and qualified service centres in just about every town, and perhaps also [broad brush coming...] for people who tend to be more attuned to feeding their cars whatever is needed in the way of maintenance and care than most of us in North America.

So yep, I can see the smart not being the right choice for everyone. If you own a smart, you sort of own a lifestyle choice too ;)

So onward, Ghost! Thanks for spending the last year or so amongst us.

Happy trails,

Bil :sun:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the days of a normal DIY friendly car is a thing of the past. Too much electronics and plastic in cars these days. Just open the bonnet on any new car to confirm.You can save a lot on repairs, tyres and servicing by doing that yourself. I have spent no more than GBP 200 annually over the last 5 years. Owning or having access to a suitable diagnostics kit is obviously a great advantage.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I find it strange that some people can have such bad luck with some cars, and others can buy the exact same type of vehicle and run trouble-free for several years.

I bought "Bruised" (a 2005 Pulse) in September 2009, and up until last month, the only repairs I had to make on it was one glow plug....only weeks after buying the car. A month ago, the alternator died and a replacement was installed by Uncle Glenn. Last week, I had the A/C fixed for the magical cost of N/C. Other repairs at that time included engine drive belts, brake fluid replacement, lower ball joints and a turbo inlet seal. All of those items were, to the best of my knowledge, original parts being replaced and serviced. Bottom line cost was $813.27 including labour. Oakville MB service labour cost is $120 per hour for all MB products except smarts. The smart gets a $16 per hour break (If memory serves).

Bruised was purchased with about 94,000 kms on it and now has 142,000 on it. It is used all year round and has never given me any grief about cold weather starting. I do not use a block or oil pan heater. "Every day I just turn the key and go". The car came with winter tires, so that has not been an expense. Oil changes and cosmetic alterations were done by a local indie, known as Uncle Glenn (smart142) at a much lower cost than taking it to the local MB dealership.

Since we are about one month short of 2 years of ownership, the cost per year really isn't that high if you average it out. I forget the cost of the glow plug, but it looks like the annual cost for repairs for this vehicle is going to be under $600. Fuel cost has not been an issue since I get it free (a deal made with my employer).

We also get the "swallow-your-smart-car-whole" type of potholes around here too, but driving on unfamiliar roads or roads where you know there are potholes is done at reduced speeds to allow time to avoid those potholes. One such incident happened this past winter when a local smart driver was unable to avoid hitting a pothole and did over $1,100 damage including rims, suspension and airbag deployment. She had just pulled in behind another car and didn't have time to react to the pothole suddenly appearing from under the car ahead of her.

In the fall of 1988, I bought a "real car". A new, 1989 4-door Honda Civic. I still have it. Reliable as an anvil. Zero repairs on this car from day one. Just oil and filter changes on a regular basis. Mainly based on it's performance and reliability, we purchased another one for Spike. All that car has needed is winter tires and oil changes. We do have a North American 4WD winter beater for those days when the snow is so deep that you can't find the smart, but it's repair costs far surpass the average annual cost for the smart. That said, you can't beat the "fun factor" of the smart.

I totally agree about the tracks left by other vehicles making driving the smart in slushy conditions a handful, but it's certainly one way to keep you from falling asleep at the wheel.

Personally, I liked Bruised so much, I bought a second one, [tongue-firmly-in-cheek] for the other foot. :P

My experiences with the smarts have been very positive.

Sorry to hear that your smart experience has not been more positive Ghost, but I wish you well in your choice of new transportation, whatever it may be. Please drop in from time to time and give us an update on your new choice and how things are going.

Ron :bike:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My experience has also been more positive than Ghost'sI have now put 70,000 km on since last march when I bought my 2005 cdi. I have needed to do some repairs but have put maybe $1500 in repairs and maintenance this includes a set of used tires and ri s and a set of new tires. I had an oil pan drain plug put in so I could have the oil changed anywhere ( I know there isn't a real need for it, but I got a two year warranty that makes me unable to change the oil myself). I have saved a lot by doing the repairs that have come up by myself ( cleaning the EGR three times, replacing the front springs, and one glow plug, and repairing the ground wires in the engine compartment). To me the car has been pretty reliable considering the amount of driving I do. I have saved over $50/week compared to the Mazda3 I was driving before so still feel I am ahead of the game. The car has never failed to start in cold weather ( even down a glow plug) , but it is not as cold in southern Ontario as it is where ghost lives so that may just be a result of location. I intend to keep driving my smart for a while yet, I do have a Subaru for the really bad weather, but drive the smart year round otherwise, I do seem to have one of the ones that actually generate heat in the winter so I guess I am lucky. Good luck to ghost with his new car and happy motoring to all.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't get me wrong guys - I am not saying "all Smart's are crap".I know I had bad luck with my car - and I made the wrong choice - the Smart is not the right vehicle for me.Apologies whe I hurt feelings with my comment about "a real car"..... not my intention.For me just a bad experience - glad it's over. Oh, yesterday i passed a Smart in my "real car"... and gave signals - yes, i liked driving a Smart once in a while as well...Ghost

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So to reiterate, please tell us what you got to replace your lemon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

2008 Pontiac Vibe. Toyota base and motor, Pontiac body - lots of room (feels huge after leaving the Smart), 1.8 liter engine, drove the first 200 kilometers with just over 12 liters. Still affordable and - fingers crossed - reliable according to consumer reports and online reviews........But - who knows? I know people who bought old cars for 2.000 dollars and drove them for years, others bought brand new 40.000 dollar cars and had nothing but trouble. Who knows what's the right thing to do?Ghost

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I searched, but couldn't find an article posted on this site about a woman who bought an old car for some ridiculously low price and has been driving it daily for the past 2 decades or so (memory is failing me so some details are lost, but the essence of the article is still there). Bottom line is that you never know what kind of service you will get out of any vehicle.

As Ghost pointed out, the cost of a vehicle has nothing to do with the reliablity of it. Some cars with the reputation of being reliable do have problems. If you are one of the unlucky ones to buy that particular brand of vehicle, obviously you are not going to be happy with it and certainly are not going to recommend it to your friends.

Consumer reports only reflect the results of whatever test car they were given to test, so if they were given a lemon, they will trash the car in their article.

Even Yugos and Ladas are reliable, if you are lucky enough to get a "good one".

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hmm... how does one find out on what day of the week a smart was built?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I just owned a Jeep TJ for six years, considered by the "press" as one of the most unreliable vehicles on the road. Zero repairs and not one single warranty claim aside from a minor radio issue (a Japanese component). I changed fluids and rotated tires. That was it.

Posted Image

Conversely, a colleague bought a new BMW X5 less than a year ago and is ready to ditch it and you know that's not an inexpensive vehicle to get into. It's of course on warranty and service is even included but she's had enough of near weekly trips to Edmonton over it after six uneventful years with her Jeep Liberty.

Edited by RedDog

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Matrix/Vibe has automatic gearbox issue galore but otherwise they are not too bad. Good luck with it!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks Mike..... luck - that's what we need with vehicles.If the gear=box breaks, well then at least I have the choice where to buy the spare parts. And every mechanic "around the corner" will be able and willing to fix it.I do not have to go to Mercedes and pay the $ 120.00/hour.Talking about consumer reports.... they don't only test vehicles. The pull statistics from CAA, garages, ask owners. etc. All together is one big picture, a model that is not towed very often, not in the garage very often, where most users are happy AND it's tetsted good in the own test is considered "reliable". Well, then you buy this car, and it's a le,om! Who knows???May the force be with us!Jan

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  
Followers 0

    Chatbox
    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More