Where is that stinking COOLANT drain plug? =)

[Karl Roth]

Perhaps reading the owners manual would save a few people a few bucks?
karl

[homeslice]

Would be nice... let me know what pages you find the type of oil and coolant required to maintain warranty. Good luck.

See:
http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/for..._owners_manual

[MPrice2984]

Due to the fact that I drive about 140 miles a day I've made a habit of changing
the hoses, belts and water pump on my cars at about 80 thousand miles just for safety's sake. I've made a habit of this for the last 20 years and have never gotten stuck on the side of the road. In the case of my smart I've received a lot of very good advice from my local Mitsubishi dealer service manager.

[homeslice]

I was driving almost 200 miles a day. In one year I put over 49,000 miles on my car. I try to make it a habit of changing the hoses at just over 100,000 miles whether they need it or not. Nothing like having a host break and have the engine overheat.

In the past 25+ years of driving, the only time I ever got stuck on the road is when I ran out of gas.

[forestacademy]

Originally Posted by homeslice

I was driving almost 200 miles a day. In one year I put over 49,000 miles on my car. I try to make it a habit of changing the hoses at just over 100,000 miles whether they need it or not. Nothing like having a host break and have the engine overheat.

In the past 25+ years of driving, the only time I ever got stuck on the road is when I ran out of gas.

Hmm - Over 25= year of driving and I never changed a hose, But I don't keep cars over 150K because they are usualy rusting out. Only time I got stuck on the side of the road was when I got a flat tire and I changed it.

[John_H]

My great "hose" joy was when I got a pinhole leak in a metal coolant hose. Because the leak was so small it would only be a problem under pressure before the thermostat opened up. The result: when the engine was warm enough for pressure at nearly the end of my 7 minute commute I'd be sitting at a stop light with the pinhole leak "peeing" onto my exhaust manifold resulting in billowing plumes of smoke rising out from under my hood even though I was losing very little antifreeze.

My Smart is so much better behaved than that old car!

[homeslice]

Originally Posted by forestacademy

Hmm - Over 25= year of driving and I never changed a hose, But I don't keep cars over 150K because they are usualy rusting out. Only time I got stuck on the side of the road was when I got a flat tire and I changed it.

I always traded cars or had repo's during job losses. I would get bored with the cars because I bought the car I could afford at the time instead of the one I really wanted. That's what I hate about not buying what you really want. I want to pay cash for the smart car and just keep it forever. I've only had 3 cars paid off in my entire life and they were all 100k+ mile S%*T boxes that were never taken care of from previous owners, plus the previous owners were smokers. That's what happens when you're 16 and 17 years old and can't afford $15,000+ for a brand new car.

I want to buy a smart car and pay cash. The thing thing I need is an SUV that gets amazing gas mileage. So far only the Saturn Vue Hybrid or the Ford Escape hybrid seem the most practical for that category.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by homeslice

I was driving almost 200 miles a day. In one year I put over 49,000 miles on my car. I try to make it a habit of changing the hoses at just over 100,000 miles whether they need it or not. Nothing like having a host break and have the engine overheat.

In the past 25+ years of driving, the only time I ever got stuck on the road is when I ran out of gas.

Keep a roll of good quality electrical tape in the glove box and carry a gallon of water in the trunk...well secured ofcourse. Almost any hose incident with these two things could get you home or to a repair station.
I drove almost that many miles (35-40K) per year for 20 years so you have to develop ways to keep maintenance costs down as low as you can without it becoming a pennywise/pound foolish practice., you know? I developed the attitude after awhile that if it wasn't broken, don't fix it. I understand this does not account for certain obvious maintenance practices like regular tuneups, oil changes, tire rotations, etc.
All I can say is that it worked well for me with that car and others in the family that I cared for (our kids cars, ie).

[John_H]

Originally Posted by jonnysan

Keep a roll of good quality electrical tape in the glove box and carry a gallon of water in the trunk...well secured ofcourse.

What's a "trunk?"

[jetfuel]

...is this it?


jetfuel