Dead Battery (incl. battery charging)

[bradgarbus]

I just got back from the dealer with my brand new smart. I had 200 miles on the car and discovered that engine light popped on for no evident reason...

I went to the dealer and they have a new technical notice out for the 2009 w/comfort package experiencing a dead battery and/or engine light

There is a bypass that has to be put in that overrides the fix smart did on the heated mirrors. They removed the relay and installed this bypass fuse.

Evidently the change they made to the heated mirrors on the 2009s somehow causes the auto wipers and auto lights to drain the battery, and cause the engine light to pop on...

It was an easy fix. I was in and out in less than 30 minutes. Everything is working great now.

I just wanted to pass this along. If you are experiencing any of these issues you may want to take it in. Check with the dealer first to make sure they have the part, mine just received the bypass today from smart so call before you go...

The down side - the mirrors stay on now just like the 2008 models...

Anyone more car-technical may want to take a stab at cleaning up my broken technical jargon...

[jwight]

So, for the 09s the mirrors are not on all the time? Wonder what triggers them now? It's been great with the cold weather to start the car up and watch the mirrors deice automatically.

[bradgarbus]

Originally Posted by jwight

So, for the 09s the mirrors are not on all the time? Wonder what triggers them now? It's been great with the cold weather to start the car up and watch the mirrors deice automatically.

They connected them to the rear defroster - BUT that created this new issue which this new tech notice basically reverses... LOL Gotta love those engineers...

[Old smart]

"For lack of a (mirror switch) a (battery) was lost ...."

[chieftmc]

Looks like a switch for my 09 !

[MotoPC]

I have a question about the CAB BUS system. Does using a non-CAN BUS charger/maintainer cause any problems with the electrical system? On my 2007 BMW motorcycle (which has a CAN BUS system) if you do not disconnect the battery from the bike and using a charger it will cause problems with the ECU. Any input? Reason i ask is because i would like to put a charging outlet in the glove box so i could just plug in the charger when the car sit for a couple days.

[Blueballz]

Originally Posted by Dunerunner

I'm on vacation from retirement for two months and the smart is in the garage. To offset the problem you describe, I bought a battery minder and hard wired the pigtail to the battery. When I leave on a sanity break, I just fish out the pigtail and plug it in.

Yeah, a battery minder's the best fifty bucks I ever spent on my Sol. You have to remember, the battery's being drained by alarms, clocks, etc, (at least on my Sol); let it sit a few weeks and your battery WILL be dead.

[dennyrex]

that's all fine 'n dandy for those with electrical access to the car when it's not being used. mine's garaged and I have no access to such amenities...

my workaround? find an excuse to drive it more often. ;-)

so far ~1 month between drives is the longest; no issues yet. I guess I'll need to try to drive it more often in the winter. on the other hand, a pure w/o extras (maybe) draws less on the battery when "resting"?

[eqwalker]

I would install a battery switch that would allow you to disconnect the battery when the car is going to be stored for an extended period of time.

[Blueballz]

Or just disconnect the battery? Your garage doesn't have a power outlet?