Service department says TAT, TAT, TAT sound is normal

[laurierocs]

I've had my Smart for almost 1 week. I took the car in for the "Tat, tat, tat" sound to be looked at today. After driving 120 miles roundtrip to the dealer and waiting 1 1/2 hours, they told me it was a noise coming from the bleeder valve on top of the engine compartment...which is a normal noise. I explained I had heard on this forum it possibly could be the purge valve and by insulating it, the noise is better. He told me mine wasn't that bad compared to others he's heard. So apparently, even though I thought it was loud, it wasn't loud enough to fix! I was pissed! What kind of customer service is that? I'm glad I haven't filled out the smart customer survey yet, I'll have some words for them!

On a happier note...I love my car!

[mvaldes]

Congratulations on your car, and welcome to the forum. FWIW, some members have printed out the thread and taken it with them to the deal and reported better luck getting it fixed.

[mfoster]

I have two smarts, one is quiet, one makes noise. The dealer told me there is nothing wrong with the purge valve, some are louder than others. He said they have the same thing in the Mercedes but because the smart interior is so much closer to the engine it is much more noticeable. It kind of gives the one smart a different personality. I'm used to it and it hasn't affected anything.