A/C reminder...

[ianjay]

Greetings:We did run the ac during the winter last year in an attempt to maintain the system. We didn't have much of a winter snow-wise (I didn't even put the snows on until January) and apart from the 20 day cold stretch that finally prevented our car from running one morning, it was pretty mild.Fortunately, there is a good ACDelco shop nearby (they had a very tasty 600 in for some ac repairs when I was getting an emissions test done on the pickup) so when the warranty runs out, we will use them.As I've said before, I sure hope smart has addressed this obvious design weakness with the new model because Americans like air conditioning. At the very least, I hope they use blue coloured indicators - the red lights are a little too close to actual performance and are a colour usually associated with something bad happening. I wonder how many of the 770,000-odd smarts built had ac? Maybe it is like the diesels, not overwhelmingly common.Ian

[Duck]

I flipped on the A/C last night.COMPLETLY effing useless. I already had it "recharged" or whatever last spring, and it still only marginally worked after that. What the hell? What a waste of $900.I didn't even want aircon in the first place. Grr.-Iain

[ianjay]

Well, at least I don't have to wait for a week to get an appointment. Downtown M-B will take the car on Wednesday! BTW, the car has just passed the 20K mark.Still, such a cutie! How can I complain?Ian

[bilgladstone]

...I didn't even want aircon in the first place. Grr.

"Be careful what you wish for - your wish just might come true!"

[Duck]

I more meant - I wouldn't have ordered it... but was pressured into it (parents). I had it on my '85 Corolla and my '98 Tercel (Toyotas), and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I used it in both vehicles. I'm a windows-down kinda guy. But good gawdd the Tercel's aircon was icicles-on-your-nipples strong. I could have had a resident penguin in that thing.The smart aircon works well at 24 degrees, where the 2 degrees it's capable of cooling brings you back down to a comfortable 22. Anything beyond that, and it's total sack of garbage.-Iain

[spinner]

As I've said before, I sure hope smart has addressed this obvious design weakness with the new model because Americans like air conditioning.

I want them to address it here and now on the current model. I'm not going to continue with a car that has an A/C unit that is effectively dead on arrival, and requires annual servicing -- Who said these were well-built cars? Unique design is but one appeal of the car. But the more it frustrates me, the more I'm inclined to look elsewhere for a reliable (if blander) car and tell everyone I know that what they learned about European car reliability through Consumer Reports surveys has it pegged right and it applies especially well to the smart and furthermore this car will cost more in chronic servicing than it will save in fuel. Additional reading: Runaway forfour

[bilgladstone]

Additional reading: Runaway forfour

The driver neglected to follow correct procedure when she parked the blinkin' car!

That was driver negligence; not some unfortunate mystery runaway! Hope this serves as a reminder to those folks who "don't feel right" parking their smart properly with parking brake engaged and gear selector in "R".

Not to mention that, parked in "other-than-"R", your most effective theft control - the transmission interlock - is disabled.

Bil

[MikeT]

smart's 2005 and 2006 fortwo breaks down less than the Toyota Yaris.....My A/C works fine.....has done for going on three years....but then I don't have the additional heat loading of the glass roof to fight. Yes it is not as efficient as the old R-12 system in the 405 was in its heyday, which blew at 3 degrees C (it crapped out when the car turned 17) but my smart pumps out air at 5 to 7 degrees C, which is pretty cool.The cars with leaks need to be repaired competently, and at that point they should be fine, as long as they are cycled monthly at above 3 or 5 degrees C, whatever the lower limit of operation is.

[Duck]

...which isn't possible in Ontario, or anywhere in Canada outside of BC. -Iain

[ianjay]

Well, what are we to do? While the car is under warranty, continue to take it to Mercedes who are not repairing the system properly?Maybe we should all move to Vancouver Island where smart car air conditioning works to perfection. My other '05 car, a domestic, sits through the same winter my smart does, often not moving for two weeks at a time. The air works every time - no-refilling, re-flashing, re-turning to the dealer. I did have to replace a compressor on one of my Oldsmobiles when it was 14 years old, so domestics aren't foolproof. But three repairs in two years and only 20 thousand kilometres (about 12,400 miles) ? This is not some annoying little rattle or squeak - it is a major system failure. Thank goodness the ac people weren't in charge of designing wheel fasteners.Ian

[spinner]

Yeah, I'm tired of the message getting muddled through the effects of cross-region naysaying. There are five of us reporting A/C failure in S. Ontario in the last 24 hours. We go to different dealerships; It's improbable that all of us would have the same outcome. Please respond to my poll question.

We shouldn't let this go. Get it serviced. Don't let a dealership cop out with a warranty refill job just make you go away and because they're too timid to get inside the car. Send e-mail to smart Canada asking them why the A/C doesn't last a year in our area. Depending on your warranty-spending habits, you got 1 to 4 years to trial-and-error the solutions. If you just accept what's going on, smart will be off the hook in a couple years and many of us will continue paying for a potentially unfixable (and some feel an essential) component.

[mattdaddy]

I'm out of warranty, so it should be an interesting discussion this week...

[MikeT]

...which isn't possible in Ontario, or anywhere in Canada outside of BC.

Surely the weather gets above 3 or 5 degrees once a month in winter in S Ontario? It certainly does in southern Alberta.

[maxwell smart]

It was really warm a couple of weeks ago. When I switched my AC on it was just blowing hot air. I was going to take it back to the dealer but the temperature got a lot cooler so I waited for another week. My Smart is at 76 000 Km so I have to get it fixed before the warranty is over. The compressor doesn't seem to come on at all. My Smart was built in Oct 2004 and delivered in Dec 2005. The first summer the AC wasn't cold at all. I had it reflashed by the dealer and tinted the windows. It was a little better but not much. I operate the AC regularly all year to circulate the coolant but this doesn't seem to help. I don't know if the AC system is fully charged when the car was built. The should have asked the dealer to check rather than just do a reflash.

[Speedie]

The new refrigerant they use is a very small molecule - it can slip through even some hose material - even a teeny tiny leak or seal that isn't that good (i.e. flat spot from sitting) will let it out. The refrigerant also contains a lubricant that keeps seals expanded (they do shrink) - hence the importance to get the AC running in winter.It is one of the issues that the air conditioning trade is having to wrap their head around in retro-fitting cars with the older R12. Another is the fact that R13A is not as good at cooling things off - so if you are used to older air conditioning (pre 1994) then you might not find it as good.Look for a spot that has some grunge build up - typically this is from dust sticking to the escaping. Sometimes the leak is so tiny though it won't leave a mark.On the plus side - you can get it recharged with out the cost of a retro-fit and supposedly the new stuff doesn't damage the ozone.Cheers,Cameron

[rc_duffman]

I am not sure if any of you would know, but if i get the AC recharged here in town and not at the dealer, will it void any warranty? I am planning a long trip and will not have time to go up to calgary and get it fixed.

[MikeT]

Should be perfectly fine.

[rc_duffman]

Alright, sounds good. I just don't want to void anything just because it might not be some kind of Merc benz refrigerant.

[Speedie]

Any AC shop should be able to do it - as long as they follow the recommended fill amounts for refrigerant and oil there should be no issue with warranty. The connectors looked pretty standard from what I saw - they might have to pop the grill and the nose to get at it.Cheers,Cameronps. the Watzat connector is for the Fog Lamps!

[spinner]

We have R134a in our cars, as should all modern cars with A/C. It replaces R12 which had ozone-depleting properties. On the other hand, R134a has a significant Global Warming Potential, can cause asphyxiation if inhaled in quantities (it displaces air), and may cause testicular cancer. Also, its presence in the Earth's atmoshere is increasing. Wiki.

Some service tips.

[Guest kwaldron]

I'll remember to keep my crotch away from the A/C outlet.

[MikeT]

[Speedie]

Expanding Refrigerant beats a cold shower I guess....... Make sure they use the right lubricant additive as well in the right quantity.Most AC shops reclaim the refrigerant in the system - it is through leaks that most of it gets in the air. It is actually illegal to knowingly have a leaky AC system in BC and to recharge a system that is down on refrigerant with out first fixing the leak.Cheers,Cameron

[Dang]

Gang....On the 5c thing and the AC not coming on, I think the answer was earlier in this post. The evaporator temperature sensor prevents the system from engaging below 5c, but that sensor is under your dash. If you've been driving around for good while, everything should be warm enough that it will engage. Even if it's -40c, you "should" be able to cycle your AC compressor once a month. You'll just have to drive long enough to warm things up.Later! DangP.S.For the literal folks, suspect actually engaging it at -40c might do more harm than good. Personally I'd pick a somewhat warm day.

[rc_duffman]

I just got my car back from my mech here. He couldn't get the AC to work, he tried low, medium and high pressure, of r134a but nothing would work. Is there something he could be missing? He said that everything he tried, would not do anything for the air temp. Maybe something else is wrong and the dealer will have to repair it.... Arizona with no AC is going to SUCK!!!