Warranty

[E-SMART]

that's what my '98 VW New Beetle TDI had when it first came out ... owned it for 8 years, only thing that went wrong that I could even consider a warranty (not normal wear & tear) was a ruptured power steering hose after 3 1/2 years. VW's now have longer warranties but the trend is definitely for shorter ones with most foreign makes ... if it wasn't expensive I would go for the longer warranty as even though its been in Canada a few years, its a new model, new dealer, etc. here so could have some teething pains that won't show up in the first two years!

[Lewis]

I think the main thing for me is to see if the extended warantee can be bought at the end of the 2 year/24K cycle or if you have to buy it at the original purchase.

I would hope I could postpone the decision to see 1. how the cars are doing reliability wise, and 2. whether I like the car enough to keep it long term, and 3. whether a more desireable Smart comes out like a diesel which I would trade the original one on.

[smartie yank]

I get 2 to 3 calls a week trying to sell me extended warranty coverage on my first smart which still has 5 months left on the warranty. This extended warranty is just an insurance policy and there are lots of insurance salesmen in ths country.

[mr_Cash]

Originally Posted by DenverSmart

Dealer confirmed that the warranty will be 2 years 24K miles... will change some prospective buyers' minds!

Originally Posted by spdickey

2/24 is the standard warranty on the USA smarts. Extended smart warranties including optional roadside assistance "smart 1" powered by Penske rental, and maintenance options available. All a part of customizing your car. Don't need 3-4-5 years? Why pay for them?

dont forget, the price is full retail, not invoice.

im already concerned about an all new car, ive never worked on, have no service manual, and who knows what bugs linger in this first year vehicle.

the deal should be invoice, and a 5 year warranty, or better.

full retail, and a 2 year warranty, sounds like they know its bad, and they know people will buy a bad car in the first year since its new, so, they will go for it all. full retail, no, or mimimal warranty, to rocket the profit.

and parts, and/or service, for foreign vehicles vs american, can be double, triple or more cost.

no stats available, that i know of, that indicate the smart repair experience versus other cars. other than a mechanic that showed up at the smart event, who once he heard it was a mitsubishi engine, and immediately began to walk away, saying, they dont last long. another risk.

it it worth the bother of all that?
now, i don't know. not good.

even a pure with little on it to break/repair, would still be a big risk. lots of unknown equipment in there,

i've ordered a loaded convertible ex the comfort group. with this short warranty, i should be going the other way, with a pure, having as little as possible to repair later.

uggg.

my present smooth running, reliable, vehicle just starting looking a lot nicer.

hmm.

have to wait to see the facts, and decide then.
not looking good, for now. actually, a little frightening.

the only repair or reliablitiy reports ive seen, even related to the 08 smart, is the consumer reports comment on the former version, saying it was the worse car they have ever tested. and now, the company wants to confirm that thought, with a short 2 year warranty? are they effectively saying, "the company, we, cant afford to pay to fix this car. if you want it, your going to have to pay to have it fixed yourself."

?

ugggg.

[SmartBob]

I'm concerned, too. We'll seee when the March Reservers get theirs since I won't have mine till much later (what kind of bugs turn up). But even 3/36 isn't much of a warranty these days.

[lhoboy]

Originally Posted by spdickey

2/24 is the standard warranty on the USA smarts. Extended smart warranties including optional roadside assistance "smart 1" powered by Penske rental, and maintenance options available. All a part of customizing your car. Don't need 3-4-5 years? Why pay for them?

How do you know whether you need it or not until we see how good the reliability is?

[Fredvon4]

Mr Cash....

You said: "no stats available, that i know of, that indicate the smart repair experience versus other cars. other than a mechanic that showed up at the smart event, who once he heard it was a mitsubishi engine, and immediately began to walk away, saying, they dont last long. another risk."

re: the mechanic you mention---

I would dispute his inferance.... my experience with Japanese motors Nissan, Subaru, and Mitsubishi is extensive...... For me, with my history with these brand motors, the 2/24 warranty is not a concern at all as far as the motor is concerned

I do not know enough about the entire power train package (modular) to make any informed prediction..... the clutch and tranny and very expensive electric computer controller devices has my attention.

This is a very sophisticated car for the price..... so sophisticated that the Germans and Brits go out of their way to defeat some of the safety features to make it more "sporty"......

I would advise that until some of us motor heads get a clear understanding about how the different gadgets interact with each other it would be wise to NOT tinker with the power train package


I further advise that if you plan to heavily mod the motor to eeke out extra power or MPG then the 2/24 is just long enough to decide if the car is reliable enough to start tinkering.... paying extra for 3/36 or more would be a waste of cash IMO


For those who are never going to tinker...remember that no matter what the basic bumper to bumper (2/24) says here in USA we are covered much longer for many of the emissions components...this is NOT just limited to the catalytic converter or EGR valve but can be applied to electronic and mechanical gadgets that fail and have an adverse effect on the emissions...

[Lewis]

The Getrag is my big worry- that and the German electronics which stink even in Mercedes and BMW these days, not to mention it's assembled by recalicrant French workers. Like I've said elsewhere we smart buyers EMBRACE risk!

p.s. not to mention it's a first year new model........etc., etc.

But in the end- life is too short to not follow your Passion!

[Fredvon4]

Considering the price point for this vehicle I am appropriately ambiguous/complacent on the issue......

I am still a bit ticked that my much more expensive American made vehicles have only 3/36 warranty when several of the Japanese cars I bought came with 5/75, 6/100 factory warranties....

I am also astounded that Smart USA is not following the new warranty schedule of our current American manufacturers....seems most of them are now in the 5/75 or longer game..... of course I have a side bet in my head that several years from now, what ever minor sales bump Dodge, Ford, or Chevy got, is going to cost them dearly at the repair house....

[SmartShanna]

Perhaps we bombard Roger Penske with calls, letters, etc. requesting more out of the warranty? Word of mouth is powerful and with the launch of a new brand to the States Smart cannot afford negative publicity on a car that already has many skeptics.

For my '01 Prius, Toyota did free oil changes and any routine maintenance for 2 years (aside from the 5 year warranty)--and I have a 10-year powertrain warranty because they knew the American public would be squeamish about the technology. Now look at the success of the Prius--perhaps an uprising of the early adopters is in order.