Pingu Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Could you explain "the CVT is just awful"? Other smart owners have had B class loaners, and I don't recall negative comments on the CVT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 The problem with it is that in the Turbo, the engine seems unusually coarse and so when it revs over about 3000 RPM it makes a racket....accelerating smartly in the Turbo with CVT holds the RPM steadily right in the coarsest range of its RPM band until the car is up to speed. For some reason the non-turbo engine in our car is a lot smoother at the same RPM. I have driven other Turbos that seemed better in this respect. This CVT is worse in the non-turbo because the transmission holds the engine at even higher RPM. Plus they're fragile, many have failed at 100,000 or fewer km. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 So, the car has its new panels and all is well, or not.....Jenn called me today when I was working on the 404C and she said the B 200 would not start..... So it got towed to TPM Nanaimo for some brain surgery (I think it needs a new SAM). Glad to have the ELW. Very glad! I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, there had been some minor no-starts recently despite the car having a nearly new starter motor in it.The delicious irony about this is my 46 year old Peugeot 404 had not been started for 6 or 7 years and it ran on the first turn of the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilgladstone Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 The delicious irony about this is my 46 year old Peugeot 404 had not been started for 6 or 7 years and it ran on the first turn of the key.My old '67 Plymouth FuryII with slant six engine was like that. Sat outdoors in our 12 acre Ontario hay field for years. New battery, check oil, chase off the mice, turn the key and away it went, first try!B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 The more I know Mercedes, the more I love my old Peugeot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bilgladstone Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 LOL! Kind of like the old saying, "The more I know about people, the better I like my dog." I have never loved a car as much as my "wee smartie!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 It's the starter motor that has apparently failed - again - after only 35,000 km this time. Thank heaven for the extended warranty I bought in 2010, so far it has saved me close to $1000 net (after deducting the cost of the warranty) with this car, and there are still 32,000 km to go before it will expire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 It was experiences like this ( and knowing the cost of maintaining the smart at a Mercedes dealer) that stopped me from looking at used b-classes when I was looking for a new used car in July ( to be the family trip car and take some milage demands off the smart until I fix up all the little things that need doing ). I read stories about the CVT needing to be replaced for $7000 + ( I guess this cars equivalent of the motor going in the smart) and just lots of little reliability issues, so even though I have liked the B since it came out, as I couldn't find a manual trans one used I skipped the experience, and went with a used Toyota Matrix instead, same concept, hopefully better reliability, but probably a bit less solid and luxurious ( can't really say since I haven't been in a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 The Matrixes have manual transaxle problems, I know two people with them at work, both of whom have had to replace the transaxles!!Wish I still had my 366,000 km Peugeot 405..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Yes the earlier Matrixes had manual tranny problems ( maybe the later ones with the smaller engine as well). I have the second Gen model with the larger engine, completely different transmission ( same as the Camery) so hopefully no problem there ( no reports that I have found online anyway, and is one reason I avoided the smaller engine, I still have the smart for ultimate fuel economy when needed after all ). I would be wary of the Matrix or Vibe with the 1.8 l engine and manual just from all the reports I have seen. Of course as with any car you really only see and hear about the cars with problems online and tend not to hear too much about the good ones, if there had been a b class with manual tranny available when I was looking I would have at least tried it out, but wasn't interested in the CVT to start with and then saw posts about problems so.... I do think the Internet tends to make us overly aware of the problem cars of any make/model and you will always have to judge how comfortable you are with the car you are buying. I did like that when researching the Mattix 09 and up that on any of the boards there were only a few pages of problems ( less than 10 on all of them, and that often included problems from the 1st gen as well) as opposed to say the 50+ pages of problems for the same time period on say the VW boards when I was looking at VW diesels, the only big problem with the Matrix was as you said the manual transmission on the 1.8 l models, so hopefully with the different transmission/ differential I will be okay, it all works fine now with 100,000 km on it so hopefully will keep going fine. Of course the idea is to drive the smart at least half the time, but I need to get busy and give it some TLC first, and of course do more driving than 400 km a month like I am at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 Who would buy a smart 450 after reading all this forum has to offer? It's all good and I still like the B and will most likely keep it until it dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I agree, I am not disputing your choice of the B and do not think you are disputing my choice of the Matrix either. As I said you. An find problems with any car, and if the B had been available used in my area and price range with a manual I would have looked at it, but sadly there wasn't. I do tend to still prefer the feel of a European car to drive. I was concerned about Mercedes possible attitude and service pricing, but that wouldn't have stopped me for the right car. I am happy with the Matrix and hopefully between the smart and it I will not need to buy another car for some time, between the two they fit all my needs for practicallity, economy and fun as I am sure your cars do for you, I wasn't trying to stir anything up, but may have worded things in a less than perfect way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 That's right. Oh yeah, the servicing on the B is dirt cheap, $250 every 20 to 25,000 km. Really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Glad to hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 LF wheel bearing was really noisy this AM. This extended Signature Class warranty is really starting to pay off big-time, I will have to take it in for another unscheduled repair. Really, this car is nowhere near as reliable as it should be....perhaps eventually the bugs will be worked out..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 21, 2012 Author Share Posted October 21, 2012 More driving in the B today makes me change my diagnosis from LF wheel bearing to a LF driveshaft, that's got to be a $1500 job at M-B. Yum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I put the winters on today, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2, good for 240 km/h (ya right in a B!!). The shitty Continental all season tires that came with the car are nearly worn out despite the fact that the winters have more km on them and are not worn half as much. Got to get new Michelin summers before next summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 The bearing is the issue and it's the RF not the LF. Dealer will probably change it next week.Got the info on the new W246 B Class. 208 HP and a 7 speed dual clutch manual/auto. Seems like decent value, if it's more reliable than my car! Funny because the B Class has a stellar reputation for reliability in Europe. Hmmm MY13_B_Class_MSRP_2012_8_22.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 The new B seems pretty reasonable as long as you watch the options, it does not seem too outrageously priced, as long ( as you said) its it is reliable. It sounds like your is having some niggling problems, have they affected your satisfaction with the car overall? It seems to me you have had more problems with it than the smarts overall, which is the opposite of what many would expect. Anyway hope it gets back to not having problems soon so you can get back to just driving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 I am usually confident in the car (the no-start when the second starter blew was definitely jaw-dropping though). The old smart was definitely more reliable though it too had a couple of little issues to deal with. But it had twice the km at its time of death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francesco Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Time of death? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Yeah, read my thread in the GD forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greeg Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) A new Mazda CX5 is OK if you can get past the looks but the Mazda 5 would probably fit the bill (both available with 6 sp manual trans) . The 2004+ Acura TL is a great car but harder for the tall folks to get into the back seat (good once you're in there through). Buy an 04 TL for about $10K and bank the residual, or buy both a TL and a 1st gen Cooper S for fun and bank the residual, or wait for the newer technologies to mature/develop over the next few years. The more cars the greater the depth of reliability in the fleet mentality. For Hybrids or perhaps a Tesla you may consider - Batteries are getting better, lighter, and less expensive every day (the one I'm considering for my Triumph bike is less than 2lbs - over 7 lbs less than the agm oem battery, is about 1/2 the size, has twice the cca and superior aH). By the way - on my way home I was listening to CBC news about a 22 year old male in Vancouver who was pulled over in Vancouver while driving his new Lambo - apparently he hadn't gotten 'round to purchasing insurance for it (reported to cost over $30K per year - simular to what you would like to pay for an auto). The driver commented that the $500 ticket was excessive. Edited October 25, 2012 by Greeg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 I'm not looking to replace this car, it is worth less than the 2005 smart that was probably written off today! No-one but me wants a manual Mercedes! We're keeping the B 200 for life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scwmcan Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Good thing you still like the car then. If I could have found a manual b I would have seriously considered it this summer, but I think that most people did buy them with the cvt and those that did buy the manual are more like you, keeping them until they die. Hope it holds up for you a bit better, ( I know with older Volvos you generally got 100-150,000 km between replacing the common failure parts, hopefully the B will be more in this mode when you run out of warranty). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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