i have had a little smart car for four months nearly and well pleased with it, it worked fine until i took it to a mercedes dealer for a service , they did a brake fluid change during the service when leaving their car park the brakes were squeaking, then on motorway home it didnt seem to have the umph it had before then during the week it started not going into the gear that id selected and on two occasions it wouldnt go back or forward and then it just wouldnt start at all it has auto and manual gears, the dials still showed id put it in auto or reverse but it wouldnt do anything, mercedes sent a mobile mechanic the next day who are now telling me it the clutch activator i think, and it would be 69 pound 215 pound ot 400 and something depending if it need ed adjusting or new one, i think it was very strange that this happened after the service and am not convinced if they may have knocked or moved some sensor during this service and how am i to really know if what they say is needed,i have been told that if you run a comper diagnostic test this can sometimes mess up the car can anyone help suggest something. the car had already had a service and mot before i picked it up and then mercedes service said it need brake fluid.
You may not be able to get much advice on this problem on this forum based on lack of information. You have not provided the year model of the car, how many miles are on it, exactly what these mysterious services consisted of, etc.
Based on the ocmment about “had” the car for 4 months this must mean a used vehicle.
If it’s a used car then anything on it is subject to fail at any time and my gut feeling (which I’ve had since they first came out) is that these cars are going to be problematic anyway.
Get whatever you have to fixed, and then get rid of that car. There isn’t any aspect of the smart car that is smart.
Sorry, but I feel the need to excoriate the not so smart car every chance I get. It is a poorly executed statement vehicle.
hello thanks for reply, it is a 53 plate 37k on clock went really well until the service at a mercedes, they said it also needed brake fluid changing, it was a normal a-service, which includes oil and oil filter change and other general checks, everyone keeps telling me they could have not a sensor off or it was the computer test that has messed it up, mereceds say its nothing they have done but it needs or may need a clutch activator adjustment or new one or new clutch.apperently its not like a normal clutch it has electrics along underneath connecting the lot together
“53 plate”
Since this is a US-based forum, that terminology means nothing to most of us. Additionally, you have still not provided the model year of the vehicle.
Anyway, many car manufacturers correctly specify brake fluid replacement after 36 months of service, so depending on how old this mystery Smart car is, the replacement of the brake fluid may have been very appropriate.
In regard to the other problems, it is very difficult to say, given our distance across the ocean and the relatively scarce nature of that vehicle in the US. I do know that the transmission on that car works differently from everything else on the market–and has been damned by EVERY car reviewer in the US for its very poor functioning–so it is entirely possible that repair or adjustment work is already due on that strange design.
I’m sorry if we can’t be more helpful, but between the lack of information on your part and the lack of experience on this particular vehicle on our part, not much valuable advice is likely to come from this US-based forum.
Well what may not work for you may work for someone else. I know folks who love their Smart car.
What COUNTRY are you in? The Smart car has been sold in Canada for some time now and is sold and serviced by Mercedes dealers. But it is a different model; the older ones had small diesel engines. The Canadian Mercedes dealers are reportedly generally good at servcing, but very expensive.
The only thing with 53 plates that I can think of is OP’s battery. What that has to do with the problems stated I don’t know.
Agree with other posters that this may not be the right car for OP. My dentist has one and only drives it in town. He is meticulous about the maintenance, and the local Mercedes dealer is well versed in the care and feeding of Smart cars. He resents the $100 oil changes, but he’d rather be safe than sorry, and avoids quick lubes.
This is a very expensive “economy car”.
$100 for an oil change?
How much oil does the crankcase on one of these little buggies even hold?
Perhaps 3 qts ?
I don’t think that I can afford that kind of economy.
I did a web search and came up with cars advertised for sale with license plates containing the number in question. They all seem to be British. I wonder if the plate comes with the car and refers to the age? Is there any advantage to an older plate? Here’s an example:
It’s not the oil in the crankcase you are paying for , but the black marble in the “waiting lounge” and the free cappucino.
A “53 Plate” is probably referring to a UK license plate. Plates in the UK are issued with a prefix letter or number that indicates the model year, so for someone in the UK the answer “53 plate” tells you the model year. I don’t know, offhand, what year this one refers to. (I’m sure it’s not 1953, but that’s about all I’m sure of.)
It’s a Smart car. Is it a ForTwo, or ForFour? We don’t know.