The joys of getting old haha!   Best wishes for this new adventure!

What are you asking about...?   The STAR system or the EGR cleaning?   IF the EGR, gasoline was the best way to clean out the clogged EGR.....soaking it then using picks and small brushes makes the job go far easier. As for the STAR system, my STAR stopped programing key fobs after a while but the rest works as it should. One of the best investments you can do IF you intend on keeping a Smart Car for any length of time, IMHO.   Simply because no other system works as well, if at all on Smart Cars. The best way to get answers for anything is to ask specific questions so others can help. The more we interact the longer this site will stay active.

You are unlikely to get a response. The original poster hasn’t been on the forum in over ten years.    Nigel

Just to tell you folks why I have been so quiet lately, besides having another make of car to work on.   I have had serious pain in my right hip for about a year now. I've had it x-rayed, medicated and still it is there.....it's now that painful it is keeping me up at night.  I have bone on bone contact with bone spurs and holes in the joint. So....I am not someone who shy's away from cutting out parts that aren't up to working condition and fixing things. Same mentality as I deal with vehicles, fix things before they are incapable of being fixed.  So a few days ago I get the call to see a surgeon...great!    New X-Rays, and a full consultation on this problem.  I also do not agree with waiting months, years to get things fixed etc. I have watched many people die a slow death in pain waiting for help.  I'm someone who pushes hard to get things done.  I was surprised when they asked me if I could fit in the surgery next month!!!!   I said Yes sir....I'll be there. Yes I asked all the questions someone should ask.....how many have you done? How many bad outcomes? How long in hospital? What post op will I need to do? What typically goes wrong if it goes wrong? Why does it go wrong?  What do you see happening in my case?  Answers were.....over 600 joint operations last year alone!!!! He's had 1 bad outcome where he had to redo it due to infection....???? Could go home the same day if all goes well but suggests if I want to pay for a room spent the night. A private room is $369 a night, yes sir, seems like a good deal! He simply says to get out of bed, get a glass of water/juice, sit down and drink it, get up go to the bathroom then back to bed or comfortable chair. Do this 8 times a day and he'll be happy......don't over do it. The most typical problems are in very flexible people, mostly women(don't ask me why...lol) have dislocations of the joint because they can flex further than a rigid man similar to myself, so he see's no issues this way. Infection are the main issue, either deep or shallow. Shallow are easy to resolve but deep could be an issue. Again if you keep things clean and do as you are told it rarely happens. Same for any operation. He see's me as a solid framed individual but on the taller end of the scale requiring the longest join they have possibly. But other than that a perfect candidate for this operation and a very successful result.  The wife also asked me ....did I notice where he was educated...? I said no, too busy asking the other questions......lol. Harvard !!! All positive comments imho. The other good thing is I'm getting this done at one of the newest hospitals in the Toronto area. Some of the older hospitals near me aren't places I would want a tooth pulled let alone getting this done at! Filthy, crowded halls and rooms, crowds of people everywhere! So thankfully he works out of this hospital. This issue has stopped me from working on my cars seriously as it causes so much pain afterwards.  Hopefully this will fix this problem and allow me to continue the enjoyment of having the hobby of car ownership. If this works out as expected, it will be the first of many joint replacements as I have two knees and possibly the other hip too. One knee is basically the same but doesn't create the pain that this hip does but the other hip and knee are well on their way. Time will tell.  I'll keep you informed as things go on.....fingers crossed.

How did this turn out ?