Let me answer some of the questions. The car has 500 miles on it. Second there is a fix for the gauge on the 09 . Call the president of Smart and he will also tell you there is. I have an 08 model also that does not have the gauge problem but the problem is very common.
For those complaining about swapping parts the dealer cant read any diagnostic data since the OBD port does not let it read anything even after the SAM was replaced. So they started swapping parts. i think they should take my car and the one they swapped parts with to Smart in Michigan to both learn from the problem and what the fix is. in the meantime I am going to request a new smart or my money back.
Usually swapping parts is only done as a last resort and could go either way. It could make it work, it could make another car not work any more but it will usually find the problem.
As for the donor car, well thats what a warantee is for.
[quote=mdfortwoguy;180136]
Pulling parts from a lot car is a lot more common then you would think... it happens at every dealership at some point in time.]
That still don't make it right...
Sounds like there is a great disparity in service experiences based on which dealer you're at. I wonder if there is any correlation to who actually owns the dealership (Penske vs. other large corporation vs. local independant) and whether it is co-located with a Mercedes dealer.
In another thread, people were telling the guy to INSIST the dealer swap a battery out of a new car for him. This thread, people are crucifying a dealer for doing the same thing. I worked as a lot boy at a chevy dealership years ago. Trust me, it happens alot more than you think.
A battery is one thing and I don't think I'd get bent about that... tearing the instrument cluster out or the computer? That's a little more like major surgery on both cars. Again, just because it happens alot that doesn't make it right. I would refuse delivery of a car I ORDERED (like a smart) if I knew they held back delivery because they raided it for parts to fix someone else's car.
Let me answer some of the questions. The car has 500 miles on it. Second there is a fix for the gauge on the 09 . Call the president of Smart and he will also tell you there is. I have an 08 model also that does not have the gauge problem but the problem is very common.
For those complaining about swapping parts the dealer cant read any diagnostic data since the OBD port does not let it read anything even after the SAM was replaced. So they started swapping parts. i think they should take my car and the one they swapped parts with to Smart in Michigan to both learn from the problem and what the fix is. in the meantime I am going to request a new smart or my money back.
Problem resolved. The tech started unplugging control modules one by one as it was clear the CAN was not talking to the instrument cluster. when they got to the transmission module under the drivers seat and unplugged it the instrument cluster fired up. Took a new module plugged iti in and car started up and everything was back to normal. New software just released today was loaded and the original issue with the gas gauge is fixed. There were some other problems the dealer caused this afternoon but for the most part it was resolved.
Dave Schembri the President of Smart called me this morning since I had called Smart about the problems and told me if I did not feel the car was right I could return it and get another. He also had his top tech from Michigan tech center call me to answer questions I had about how this could happen. The dealer performance was the issue. They just did not have the experience needed for this type of problem. Also did not have the correct tools like the correct scanner cable and software for an 09 model.
There are of a couple issues yet to resolve from the dealer but I wanted to update the forum.
VERY COOL!
Glad to hear that a diagnosis has been made.
That's the hardest part, in any case. Now, you can get on with getting it repaired.
Hope all comes out well and that you don't continue to have problems. If you do, though, it's good to know that smart corporate will take care of you. Keep Dave's number handy...just in case.
How many other companies with a million customers are like that? The president of the company called you to offer a swap and make sure you had resolution and they could find the break in service. Now they'll work on fixing it.
This level of service is hard as hell to maintain... I worked at a company that tried that with only 4000 customers and it cost millions per year to staff. But when Smart central gets a call like this from the dealer, I guarantee the techs said, "You...bricked...a...smart?" which sent up alerts to the engineers.
There will be problems but I believe the company does want to solve as many as possible. Anyone not happy with their dealer should definitely involve Smart corporate and politely work from that angle.
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