Smart Electric Drive Maintenance

[SBD 3]

Hi All,

 

i recently purchased a 2014 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive and curious if anyone else in NB has one, if so where do you get it serviced?

I called Saint John Mercedes and they mentioned they were not currently set up to perform the recommended maintenance, so I'm thinking I may need to go to Quebec if Moncton and Halifax cannot service either.. Recommendations?

 

Thanks!

[darren 192]

Impulse purchase?

[SBD 3]

Sort of - but not really.

I did test drive three different used models from a local dealer here in New Brunswick and tested them each one for about 2 weeks. I have a drive of about 80km into town each day on the highway so range anxiety was a big thing for me. I'm lucky to work in a place where they allow me to charge the car during work hours, to make winter driving with heated seats, and defrost running much easier.

I guess knowing that I can't drive more than 100km and couldn't make it to any Smart Centers on a single charge, or without taking a significant amount of time I fully expected to have to truck and trailer my car to a center for yearly maintenance anyways.

Edited December 7, 2017 by SBD

[Blaine 24]

You'll definitely have winter fade on the battery capacity.  My wife drives ours to work (54km each way) and at -10C it usually takes about 60% one way. 

 

I highly recommend installing an aftermarket heated seat kit in the car with one pad under each rubber mat.   We have OEMs.   Keeps your feet warm and that means you only need the cabin heater for defog.

 

How many km are on the car?   Regular service is almost non-existent other than at the 2 yr marks.   That requires a brake flush which can be done basically anywhere, including Saint John MB.   However you'll also need a desiccant cartridge for the battery, which is cheap and screws into the bottom of the battery.   About $35 and 10 minutes work with a large torx driver (19mm??).   MB should be able to order one for you I would think.

[SBD 3]

Yeah I've noticed a bit already, it's gone as low as -15 with the wind chill and I'm getting about 90km per charge.

The car has 26,000km but I am not 100% sure if the previous owner did the 20,000km service, and with my warranty running out at the end of May, I want to have the dealer look at it for piece of mind.

 

Heated floor mats are a great idea!!

[Blaine 24]

The dealership should be able to read out the service history on the vehicle since I think all the MB dealers are linked together.   Wouldn't hurt to ask for it for peace of mind.

 

We have 56K on ours and it is happily zipping along doing about 450km a week, mostly in commutes.    There are a couple of things I recommend you check before going in for service.

1. Check the coolant level and look in the motor compartment at the coolant pump (left side at top) to see if there's been any leaking around the seals.
2. Check the differential (underneath the car) to see if there has been any fluid leakage. 

We noticed leaks in both systems early on and we were able to get the dealer to do both repairs under warranty.  No problem since.

 

If you are comfortable with electronics and programming, or know someone who would do it for you, there is a battery diagnostics tool you can build on the cheap for the 451 ED.  https://github.com/MyLab-odyssey/ED_BMSdiag

 

Since you're not close to an ED dealer you might want to buy a desiccant cartridge at the parts counter when you're in for service.   Put it in the freezer and you'll have one handy in two years when it needs to be replaced. 

 

Hope everything goes well for you.