Crap Out!

[a2jack]

Our car, craped out.

Our new 3,000 mile, 01-08 build would not shift out of Park, stranding my wife while on the road working. Road service was sent out and talked through a temp fix by Bloomfield. The car was then driven to the dealers shop.

Details Later tomorrow after I chat with the Service Manager.

A2Jack.

[Steven79]

oh no, not another one.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by a2jack

Our car, craped out.

Our new 3,000 mile, 01-08 build would not shift out of Park, stranding my wife while on the road working. Road service was sent out and talked through a temp fix by Bloomfield. The car was then driven to the dealers shop.

Details Later tomorrow after I chat with the Service Manager.

A2Jack.

Insufficient lube on the shifter button cam. The fix is....
pop off the shifter and put some silicone grease on the cam and the sliding *T* bar that rubs against the cam......or.........
As a deterent to this happening to mine, I sprayed some WD-40 into the space between the top edge of the button and the shifter and along the sides of the button, into the shifter, and my button works even smoother now even though it has not bothered. Preventive maintenance....;)

John

[Old smart]

OK, now we need to publish a definitive procedure (ala Evilution or FQ101), annotated with good step-by-step photos of the process. Apparently this is a lube issue, and lubes don’t last forever, and will have to be re-done by someone.

[jonnysan]

Originally Posted by Old smart

OK, now we need to publish a definitive procedure (ala Evilution or FQ101), annotated with good step-by-step photos of the process. Apparently this is a lube issue, and lubes don’t last forever, and will have to be re-done by someone.

I have to get after Jon at latham smart center to get me some pics or illustrations of this shifter from his service dept so that I can initiate a procedure as you suggest. He has been pretty busy with deliveries lately but he will come thru for me once I get a chance to ask him about it. He's had one shifter lock up so far on sixcrows' car and that is how it was remedied. Sixcrows tells me his shifter works better than it ever has....button was sticky right from the get-go.

John

[Dave777]

Originally Posted by jonnysan

Insufficient lube on the shifter button cam. The fix is....

John

Possibly...or something else entirely. I'll wait and see what he reports back.

I know there are also issues with a couple of pieces of the internal shifter mechanism breaking off. Literally 30 cent pieces of plastic. Unfortunately, the fix is to replace the entire shifter mechanism.

There is also a possible electronic issue, which I had at 40 miles, and required the entire mechanism to be replaced.

It's also possible, just possible, that spraying WD-40 in there may damage the electronics.

His comment that a temp fix was done on the road indicates it could have been an electronic issue. The manual addresses the re-learning process that sometimes might need to be done, and can be done by the owner.

Anyway one looks at it, it's unfortunate.

[stuberman]

Is this related to the early delivery inspections (I thought that was a tension adjustment or check for shifting)? Or is this a separate issue?

[JRyan]

I have to give you all the utmost respect for your forgiving nature for the smart, as few new car owners would ever bother with pictures and illustration on how to fix a brand new car themselves. If it had been a GM or Ford, others would be talking to lemon law lawyers by now.

I saw other members who would go and buy an error code scanner/resetter to fix the check engine light. Wow! smart mentioned how much it cost to build a new dealership, and perhaps they forgot to mention how much the owners need to invest in tools to keep the car running at their homes.

I would not be surprised to see smart raise prices to cover for a 5/60 warranty in the near future to restore consumer confidence. As the car seems to be far from trouble free, and in my opinion it NEEDS a longer warranty with 0 deductible to make me feel comfortable owning one.

[stuberman]

Mine has been trouble free (almost 3 months and 1800 miles).

Oh wait - I had to put gas in it the other day... must be a design flaw

The only other car we bought brand new was a 1999 Honda Odyssey. The instrument cluster dies on the way home from the dealer and within a month we were experiencing electric door problems. Later Honda replaced the transmission (after the warranty period) for free. I was active on OdyClub.com. We still have the minivan and love it because it still serves us well.

[race911]

Originally Posted by JRyan

I have to give you all the utmost respect for your forgiving nature for the smart, as few new car owners would ever bother with pictures and illustration on how to fix a brand new car themselves. If it had been a GM or Ford, others would be talking to lemon law lawyers by now.

I saw other members who would go and buy an error code scanner/resetter to fix the check engine light. Wow! smart mentioned how much it cost to build a new dealership, and perhaps they forgot to mention how much the owners need to invest in tools to keep the car running at their homes.

I would not be surprised to see smart raise prices to cover for a 5/60 warranty in the near future to restore consumer confidence. As the car seems to be far from trouble free, and in my opinion it NEEDS a longer warranty with 0 deductible to make me feel comfortable owning one.

And these comments add to the discussion how, exactly? Don't like, don't buy.