Q & A questions for Mr. Dave Schembri at the Midwest Rally

[rfernatt]

Originally Posted by zily18

Perhaps. I've filled up three times since and it's registered full. But I have noticed that it's saying I can go about 200 miles on half a tank. I typically average 300 miles a tank, so I'm not sure all the bugs have been worked out yet.

I usually go 200 plus miles on the first half. That's how I know whether the tank will be a good MPG tank or not. I've also driven 125+ miles on the first bar. Now, if all the bars lasted that long...

Gas gauges in every vehicle I've ever owned were not linear. I'm not sure why it can't be done, but no manufacturer (of an affordable vehicle anyway), seems to be able to do it, so I don't worry about it. Mine does the 7/8 thing as well, but so did my previous Nissan truck with an analog gauge. No big deal. As someone else said, as long as the empty side works, it's nothing to get worked up about, IMHO.

The cure for the common cold and a linear gas gauge will elude humanity forever.

[The Rigger]

Originally Posted by rfernatt

Gas gauges in every vehicle I've ever owned were not linear. I'm not sure why it can't be done, but no manufacturer (of an affordable vehicle anyway), seems to be able to do it, so I don't worry about it. Mine does the 7/8 thing as well, but so did my previous Nissan truck with an analog gauge. No big deal. As someone else said, as long as the empty side works, it's nothing to get worked up about, IMHO.

True... I suppose as long as the "Hey, idiot; you only have a gallon of gas left!" warning keeps working - and I have no reason to believe it won't - then I won't worry about it.

[John_H]

Hey...

The rally is done.

Any answers?

[jwight]

Maybe Jeff or sharkdog were taking notes and can chime in; here's what I remember:

1) Will Smart ever add the Yellow panels back in the lineup? Possibly as a limited run "value package" in the future.
2) Will we see better warranties that fall in line with all the other manufacturers in the industry? Not a firm "No!" but Dave S. explained the reasoning behind the pay as you go warranty but did offer to revisit the warranty issue.
3) When is the earliest we will be able to reserve the smart ED? Production EDs will be 2012 models; about 300 cars for lease in selected areas will be here in 2010.When the reservation system is opened up for the ED, current smart owners will be given priority.
4) When, if ever, will we get a diesel smart? No date; turbodiesel option is one way to do it but there would be a price and the scale would have to be profitable. Might involve getting a commitment from enough owners to justify small production runs. All of this is just discussion at this point, nothing even close to firm.
5) When, if ever, will a factory cruise control be available? How much? Funny story; question was asked, Dave S. mentioned his engineers told him there were wiring issues. Steven from SmartieParts offered to discuss it with Dave and did so. All I know - maybe someone else has more info.
6) When, if ever, will the mhd or gas turbo be available? mhd isn't coming - not enough fuel savings to justify it. Don't think gas turbo was mentioned [unless as part of a full Brabus option was talked about?]
7) Is there a final fix for the gearshift problems (stuck in P, can't find R, etc.)? Not discussed.
8) Will smart offer other wheel/tire options? No answer; Dave S. saw all the aftermarket wheels on various cars but the smart USA position is each mod to the car would require another series of safety tests. That's why smart doesn't just sell the Brabus wheels - you have to buy the whole Brabus package.
9) Not really a question, but small requested factory features/changes that would make a difference: cargo area lighting, quieter purge valve, single-handed/one control release for the tailgate, USB-port equipped Premium stereo, Premium stereo able to read WMA files, seat-back reclining control on outside of seats, seat belt height adjusters and less finicky belts (grab too easily), variably intermittent wipers and a more 'compliant' wiper stalk control, rear hatch handle. Not discussed.
10) upgraded trip computer for MPG and other measures? 2 votes Not discussed.
11) Will we get a fix for the gas gauge problem (registering 7/8 when filled)? 2 votes Not discussed.
12) A real gear shifter and clutch pedal? 1 vote Not discussed.

Hopefully others can add to this; several other questions from the crowd got asked and eventually Jeff had to cut off the discussion so Dave S. could catch a flight to Germany Saturday evening. He did mention there is an upgraded radio package from Kenwood in the works that will have three levels of radios and be integrated into production smarts at some point. They should be available to upgrade earlier year 451s also.

[chieftmc]

Thanks John

[SmartieParts]

Re: factory cruise control... the gist of it is, I'm not going to be out of business in the forseeable future. The reasoning given was a little suspect (I have a hard time believing smart engineers can't figure out what we did, considering they have all the schematics and we had to figure it out from scratch) but don't count on seeing a factory cruise option for awhile anyway.

Re: fuel gauge issue... in my case it just went away on its own. For the first few months it would always show 7/8 full even after a (no-no!) overfill... but then it started to show 8/8 sometimes and 7/8 sometimes, and by now... a good 20 months later... it always shows 8/8 after a refill to the automatic pump shutoff "click".

- Steven

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by SmartieParts

Re: factory cruise control... the gist of it is, I'm not going to be out of business in the forseeable future. The reasoning given was a little suspect (I have a hard time believing smart engineers can't figure out what we did, considering they have all the schematics and we had to figure it out from scratch) but don't count on seeing a factory cruise option for awhile anyway.

Re: fuel gauge issue... in my case it just went away on its own. For the first few months it would always show 7/8 full even after a (no-no!) overfill... but then it started to show 8/8 sometimes and 7/8 sometimes, and by now... a good 20 months later... it always shows 8/8 after a refill to the automatic pump shutoff "click".

- Steven

Must be that "adaptive" technology

[rfernatt]

Originally Posted by SmartieParts

Re: factory cruise control... the gist of it is, I'm not going to be out of business in the forseeable future. The reasoning given was a little suspect (I have a hard time believing smart engineers can't figure out what we did, considering they have all the schematics and we had to figure it out from scratch) but don't count on seeing a factory cruise option for awhile anyway.

Well, at least we know. I'm going to have to invest in a cruise if I think I can handle the install. Thanks for the update.

Originally Posted by SmartieParts

Re: fuel gauge issue... in my case it just went away on its own. For the first few months it would always show 7/8 full even after a (no-no!) overfill... but then it started to show 8/8 sometimes and 7/8 sometimes, and by now... a good 20 months later... it always shows 8/8 after a refill to the automatic pump shutoff "click".

I think that's the issue. My previous truck and the smart seem to do the 7/8 to 8/8 back to 7/8 when the tank is TOO full. The truck had an analog gauge, but exhibited the same behavior - drive for a while and it would go to full. Since I've been using Fuelly and letting the pump kick off once using the slow fill setting, I rarely see the 7/8-8/8 thing and my car has never been looked at in that regard.

[chieftmc]

Originally Posted by rfernatt

Well, at least we know. I'm going to have to invest in a cruise if I think I can handle the install. Thanks for the update.



I think that's the issue. My previous truck and the smart seem to do the 7/8 to 8/8 back to 7/8 when the tank is TOO full. The truck had an analog gauge, but exhibited the same behavior - drive for a while and it would go to full. Since I've been using Fuelly and letting the pump kick off once using the slow fill setting, I rarely see the 7/8-8/8 thing and my car has never been looked at in that regard.

Good looking racing stripe

Did you get that since the IMS meet ?

[rfernatt]

Originally Posted by chieftmc

Good looking racing stripe
Did you get that since the IMS meet ?

Long story... Got it done for the IMS meet, hated the install, took it off. The typical sign place (tried two) doesn't seem to be able to handle this to my liking, so I'm going to find an automotive place or someone else that does better work. Oh well, live and learn. I'll eventually have the design back on the car, but not currently. It sure would have made identifying my car in the track pictures easier!