Check Engine Light - Page 5

Gregor · 04-15-2008, 10:01 PM

Greetings all,
In response to the check engine light issue...

I picked up my new fortwo cabrio from Knauz Motors in Lake Bluff, Illinois on Saturday 04/13. On a side note, it was by far the best purchasing experience I have ever had, for a vehicle or otherwise. Excellent service.

On Sunday afternoon, with less than 100 miles on the car, the Engine Malfunction (Check Engine) light came on, so I consulted both the manual and the posts on this page to see if others had experienced the same issue. Thanks to all who've shared their issues, they were very helpful and gave a good piece of mind.

Long story short (sort of), I emailed the dealer and brought the car in to the Knauz service center for a diagnostic. Again, extremely helpful and courteous staff. Was in at 9:00, out by 10:30 with the news that the oxygen sensor was not working properly; the service tech ran tests on the vehicle, reset the sensor, and let me know that if it it turned on again I should bring it in but there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.

It came on again later that evening, I later drove it to work the next day. Called Knauz Service, they returned a call promptly saying they would arrange a loaner and I could bring it back in whenever was convenient.

After a 35 mile trip to the office with a 35 mile site visit in addition, the car sat outside the office waiting for the drive home. As I started the car, I noticed the light was out, and has remained off. Will see if it stays off; if not I know there is a good service dealer to remedy the issue.

Thanks again to those who have posted their issues and experiences, as a first time poster I wanted to mention that this is really helpful. Nice to see the internet is still useful for more than entertainment!
-Gregor

Gene_SD · 04-20-2008, 01:01 PM

Greeting All,
So last week got the check engine light and took the car to the dealer, the code read was P0410 and the dealer reported this: "performed system actuation as per SDS work path pump function correctly monitor lamada signal change within spec frezze frame values on counter # stored cleared code and performed roadtest no further faults or events stored". Well this morning the check engine light came back on, so the people who have had this what has been the fix from the dealer?

Gregor · 04-20-2008, 02:07 PM

Update on the check engine light**it came on again on the same day after being reset, took it to Knauz (dealer) who had arranged a loaner. The service tech had it back to me the next day, with an "upstream oxygen sensor" being the issue. They replaced, free of charge, and the issue hasn't resurfaced.

The printout from the dealer read as follows:
"CAUSE: FOUND FAULT CODE P0135 UPSTREAM OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED 12 EMISSIONS - 12 REPLACED OXYGEN SENSOR"

Kudos to this dealer fixing fast, professionally, and courteously. They are wonderful.

dichrodave · 04-20-2008, 02:42 PM

I haven't gotten my smart car yet but I was wondering how the Oregonian smart owners were doing with the fact that we can not pump our own gas. Any engine light problems? Are you letting the gas jockies know how to pump it and tighten the caps?

thrillhill1026 · 04-20-2008, 03:02 PM

On 4/19 my check engine light came on and i took it to the unversal city dealer ship and i was told that they don't have tec service on saturdays so i asked was the same with other smart dealer ships he told me no. So I went to the beverly hills dealer ship near my house. They told me they could take the car in and give a loaner but they wouldn't be able to look at it until monday because there was no smart tec's in that day. I was not happy with the situation so I took my car home in hopes of solving this problem monday

Gene_SD · 04-20-2008, 05:43 PM

So after reviewing this forum and the canadian forum it looks like quite a few smart owner are getting check engine lights. It seems that some are related to the gas cap being loose and others are getting the P0410 Secondary Air injection system fault. While reviewing the threads it seems that smart owners who have the P0410 fault are having the 'combination valve for secondary air system' replaced.

spdickey · 04-20-2008, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thrillhill1026

On 4/19 my check engine light came on and i took it to the unversal city dealer ship and i was told that they don't have tec service on saturdays so i asked was the same with other smart dealer ships he told me no. So I went to the beverly hills dealer ship near my house. They told me they could take the car in and give a loaner but they wouldn't be able to look at it until monday because there was no smart tec's in that day. I was not happy with the situation so I took my car home in hopes of solving this problem monday

We're so spoiled here in Los Angeles. In many places the service departments aren't even open on the weekend.

SuperGeek · 04-20-2008, 07:22 PM

Greetings, everyone. I got a call this week that my reserved Smart is ready for me to pick it up ** in Houston. I'm in Mobile, AL... about 400 miles away. So, I'm a bit nervous about committing to a purchase on a vehicle without a dealer close by, unless it's going to be pretty solid. I'm still 80% leaning towards making a trip to Houston in two weeks.

Now, I'm rather technically inclined, so I can hook up a code scanner to determine if the MIL is saying the gas cap's loose. I understand there are risks associated with a new design, and I can handle a trip to the dealer every few months to get major maintenance and recalls taken care of, especially when the dealer in Birmingham opens. But here's my question ** those of you who own your Smart, with > 2,000 miles, would you feel safe driving it 400 miles from the dealer? From your own overall experience, do you "trust" the brand and the company? i.e., Does the association with Mercedes-Benz give you a better sense of security?

From this post, I can see only a few common issues within 1,000 miles: gas cap and a couple of sensors; has anyone experienced anything more serious? On the bright side, if I'm driving this baby home, I'll go through the highest-risk period in a single day.

I'll have to ask the dealer for the official word on this, but do any of you know if the 800 # roadside assistance is of much help a few hundred miles from a dealer? I'll also have to ask how the distance issue affects my warranty. I would love for a local Mercedes dealer to step up to the plate and perform the more urgent work under guidance of the Smart team.

thrillhill1026 · 04-20-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spdickey

We're so spoiled here in Los Angeles. In many places the service departments aren't even open on the weekend.

The thing is they were working on mercedes benzs' but not the smart car they should have both mercedes and smart car mechanics working

spdickey · 04-20-2008, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

.

I'll have to ask the dealer for the official word on this, but do any of you know if the 800 # roadside assistance is of much help a few hundred miles from a dealer? I'll also have to ask how the distance issue affects my warranty. I would love for a local Mercedes dealer to step up to the plate and perform the more urgent work under guidance of the Smart team.

smart roadside assistance helps anywhere you are in the USA.

Warranty work can be performed at any smart dealership, no matter how far away you are, when you are at a smart dealer, you'll get warranty service.