Rate your smart maintenance cost on a scale 1-10

[HeidiFaye]

My car is only on 6400 miles or so and it started flashing the little wrench warning me that it was about maintenance time. I thought the first big maintenance was at 10,000 miles or 1 year? That would be June for me.

[carolthompson323]

Originally Posted by rwj53

Any problems with paint chips from the road anywhere on the car?

Some paint chipping -- a couple of other people's car doors and a couple from the road. Chip in the front windshield when rock was kicked up on freeway. Bought car 1-31-09; build date 10-08. Side mirrors got scratched -- not covered under warranty per shop foreman. Sensor problem last year (ESP and ABS). Fixed under warranty. Replaced clutch a few weeks weeks. Because of early build date, probably an '08 clutch had been installed. Crazy for car and will buy new model when I'm ready (maybe in 3 years -- maybe less)... we'll see.

[noodle9]

10600 miles and no known issues. I had the dealership do the 10K service and they said the horn was not working, so they put on a new one. It worked the few times I used it. My only costs are car washes and gas.

[cinmar]

25,000 miles here in NorCal. Picked up smart in Oct. 2008.

This week, the passenger side head light died.

Also have a cracked windshield from a rock on the freeway. Called the dealership, and they said it would be about $700 to replace! Yikes. Insurance deductible is $500. Something we didn't consider when we bought it.

Also, the tire sensor light seems to come on when the seasons change between cool and hot, requiring the air pressure to be adjusted.

Have had regular maintenance checks at Niello in Sacramento. It's $500 bucks a pop. Is that normal? I never thought having the oil changed and checking the windshield wiper fluid and tires would cost so much.

[WhiteNBlack08]

Originally Posted by cinmar

Have had regular maintenance checks at Niello in Sacramento. It's $500 bucks a pop. Is that normal? I never thought having the oil changed and checking the windshield wiper fluid and tires would cost so much.

WOW, no offense, but somebody has seen you coming. Don't want to depress you, but an oil change is about $40 in oil & filter, and 15 minutes of your time. I've always done my own servicing, the service manual that comes with the car details what needs checked, everything on the 10K service is an easy DIY. The only one that even remotely scares me is the 60K, where you are supposed to check cam follower clearance. And per smart rep at Nationals, if you don't hear any tappet noise, don't worry about it. I'm at almost 64K and and it purrs like a kitten.

[padi176715]

Bought in Feb '09, built in Jan '09. 27k miles. One rear turn signal, one front parking light. Did them both myself. Windshield was hit by stone on xcountry trip, insurance paid for it, 0 deductible. Radio was acting up in AUX mode and the, apparently common, clutch. Replaced by dealer, no questions asked. Had my 10k and 20k done at a dealer. Now the car is out of warranty I will be going to a local mechanic with the list of items for each service interval. Bottom line, my out of pocket expense has been 2 light bulbs. Let the fun continuew

[cinmar]

Originally Posted by WhiteNBlack08

WOW, no offense, but somebody has seen you coming. Don't want to depress you, but an oil change is about $40 in oil & filter, and 15 minutes of your time. I've always done my own servicing, the service manual that comes with the car details what needs checked, everything on the 10K service is an easy DIY. The only one that even remotely scares me is the 60K, where you are supposed to check cam follower clearance. And per smart rep at Nationals, if you don't hear any tappet noise, don't worry about it. I'm at almost 64K and and it purrs like a kitten.

No offense taken. I didn't think it was normal, but we paid it because we didn't want to void our warranty. The warranty on our other vehicle expired, and we either pay $35, or change the oil ourselves. As we're needing our overdue 20k done, I asked other people who have their new cars serviced what they pay, and they told me they also pay around $400-500, so I thought I was just stuck with it....until reading this forum.

[jwight]

Having the service performed elsewhere, or doing it yourself, will not void the warranty. Just keep your receipts and note the dates the service was done.

[GeekGirl]

30K 217.00
20K 186.00
plus on squash air freshener 7.00

[Toolman]

Originally Posted by rwj53

Any problems with paint chips from the road anywhere on the car?

I'm at almost 4,000 miles now, 3 months into ownership so I have no maintenance costs. I took a little hit by something on the freeway that caused 3 tiny cuts, all together they fit into a 1/4" square so we're talking small, but I was SO happy to see red INSIDE the cuts. On my last car that would have been 3 small BLACK marks which stood out all too well against a yellow car. The front of my yellow car was covered in small black marks, too many to even think of taking touch up paint too. So I'm thrilled about having the color molded into the plastic panels on my smart.