"Actual" problems your car has had (so far)

[rick07bonnie]

left headlamp out at about 4000 miles; replaced both, just in case. warranty. great service at the Annapolis MD Mercedes/smart dealer.

[CWCjr]

Originally Posted by NukleoN

I've had the 7/8th fuel thing too. I noticed that it corrects itself in a few miles. Not a big deal. Now, if it messed up on 1/8th I'd be upset! Is there a fix for the 7/8th thing?

I have had 19 fillups in my 2009 Brabus and the 7/8th problem has happened three times with it self correcting after 50-70 miles. There was another thread on here a while back and one suggestion was let the gas pump shut off using the lowest setting on the handle and wait a minute or two and then attempt to fill again at the lowest setting and when it shuts off the next time it is good to go. I have been doing that and the problem has not reappeared.

[slk230]

7/8 on gauge more often than not. 09 cabrio new in Jan now with 5500 miles. Sometimes the gauge goes full after 30 to 50 miles. Dealer tried resetting the system two times and it continues to show only 7/8. More importantly it seems to be accurate at the empty end of the display.

Headlights aimed too high. (I took care of that)

Car beeping sometimes when removing the key. A quick turn on and off fixes it.

Debunking "horror" stories seen by others in emails and internet articles.

[Jeff C.]

I too have the 7/8 thing on a fill-up.Aside from that ,which seems to be a commonplace issue,I have the beep when shutting off the car.I have seen on the boards here that if you shut off the car and then wait a few seconds before you remove the key,then there is a reduced incidence of getting the beep.I have purposefully waited a few monents after shutting off the car to remove the key.I seem to get the beeping less frequently ----but still does happen sometimes.Any ideas out there?Anyone?Anyone?Beuler?

[rfernatt]

In addition to the bad AC expansion valve I reported earlier, I'm also going to have to add bad blower fan motor for the HVAC system. Everything else on the car, fortunately, has been fine, but the AC/ventilation system has had more than its share of woes. For a first year car, I guess that's not too bad and beats a really serious problem like transmission/engine issues (knock on wood)...

[Big Panda]

With over 13,000 miles on "Lil Panda" now, I happy to say that I've been pretty fortunate to not have any major problems.

I have experienced the A/C 'freezing up' on a trip in August from Indy to STL. Happened twice during that trip and that's the only time it's happened.

Also I HAVE experienced the 7/8ths fuel gauge issue, but oddly it was only during that same trip. When filling up in Indy at the same gas station (a BP in Greenwood), I've NEVER had the 7/8's issue. Probably has something to do with the pumps rather than our gauges.

The other day I noticed that when I opened my rear glass, I had some water drip in on the right corner. No biggie, since it had been raining earlier in the day. Today I opened it again and AGAIN more water dripping. It's not been outside in the rain for several days. I think there's a leak in the rear washer. I'll check it out later today when I go to wash my smart.

I'm a very happy owner and have had a blast driving it and meeting other smart owners at events through our smart center (SCI) and our club (SIN).

[jayhead000]

5600 miles, 7/8ths fuel problem (every other time i fill up!) other than scratching issues nothing else! Drove it in the rain/wind (cabrio) for a 400 mile round trip, and no leakage or instability. Felt pretty solid actually.

[caravine]

I've had my 08 Passion for 17 months and about 2 weeks after I got it home (about 250 miles & over a mountain pass from the dealership) the engine light came on. Smart sent a flatbed tow truck, took it to dealer, fixed problem [fuel valve sensor, sensor replaced, no charge] and brought it home.

Battery died after 3 days parked in 20* weather. When it was jumped to start, transmission was gone. (anybody seen the 3 lines of death in the dash where the 'P' should be?) Smart again sent tow & took it over pass to dealer, who was a little pissed because it could have been fixed here. Easy fix, even I know how to do it now!! Again, NO CHARGE.

At about a year old the engine light went on. Took it to Auto Zone & they read the code. Was a valve. Dealer mailed me the valve, I replaced it & mailed back the faulty one--no charge.

At the 1 yr service they upgraded tranny & battery so death in cold weather should not be an issue again. No charge for that part of service.

It is currently at the dealership because my panoramic roof has/had the spiderweb crazing all over it. My CD player (upgrade-6 disc changer) occasionally refused to spit out my CD's (maybe Maxie really liked the music?). Replaced the entire panoramic roof and the CD player at no charge, and gave me an 09 Brabus loaner (no charge) to drive from Thursday when I dropped it off till Monday when I can pick it up.

Some of you in this thread seem to be having some serious quality issues from your local dealerships! If it takes 3 weeks to replace a part under warranty & your dealer is refusing to give you a no charge loaner, I'd be calling Smart/Penske!

[NeWave]

Originally Posted by NeWave

As stated before, my alarm loves to go off whenever it wants. Had it fixed previously for motion sensor. Took it in twice since then. It still goes off, but less randomly. Still baffled the techs.(Case similar to Alarming Situation) Yes, I told them about the tow sensor.. They called it in to smart HQ, and apparently they said to replace every darn thing, cause a tech came to me personally on it for my input and said they ordered everything... and kindly disconnected the siren until parts come in. My compliments to Smart Center Creve Coure for staying on it.
That's the only problem I've ever had.. er still having. 6,500 mi.

Oh wait, forgot about the tail light burning out at 4k... not a big deal.
Still my favorite car.

Alarm was fixed for the final time about a week after the last post. No peep since and works perfectly! Thank God...

And I have another to add! I have an early 09, and was blesseed with a lap full of water after washing the car about a month back. Low and behold I had the roof separation problem and had to have it resealed. No problems since. 9900 mi.