Today They Came and Took Her :-(

[Lisa and Leslie]

I wrote a previous thread informing that ours was one of the "74", or so, Smarts that was being recalled on account of an alleged defect in the paint on the silver tridium cell. Well, the dealer came to my wife's work and picked up the car today. I figure that I will call them once every 2 weeks to get an update regarding "the fix". My wife already has the rental car. I'll keep folks here informed about the rest.

[BigWarpGuy]

Is the rental a Smart Fortwo?

[JIM VINYARD]

I don't understand how they can repair the paint on the tridion safety cell because it was powder coated at the factory and baked at a high temperture before assembly. I think the only way they can repair your tridion is conventional spray gun painting which is not even as strong as powder coating.

[JPaul]

Well, since the repair involves the windshield and tridion bonding, maybe it's just a matter of re-applying paint around the windshield, re-bonding the glass and wait for curing?

Originally Posted by Lisa and Leslie

I just received a telephone call from the North American representative for Smart informing me that my Passion cabriolet is 1 of 74 cars being recalled because of a paint defect in connection with the Silver Tridion Cell. According to the rep, Smart has arranged a rental car with Avis and they are going to pick-up my car and drop-off the rental at the same time. Apparently, this defect may cause the windshield to separate from the cell. Instructions from Germany are still forthcoming, so they anticipate returning the car by the end of September. Has anyone else received this news?

[Lisa and Leslie]

Regarding the repair, what I've been told by the dealer so far is that they haven't yet received instructions from Smart. That's the chief reason why I plan to telephone my dealer once every 2 weeks. I'm still impressed with Smart in connection with their customer service and for being proactive about this problem.

[Lisa and Leslie]

I spoke with the dealer today and got some information about how Smart was addressing the problem with the Tridion Cell. According to the dealer, the body panels will be taken off and the car will be sent to their paintshop where the Cell will then be repainted.

[rawlus®]

that's weird. they're repainting a powdercoated piece? if there was a mixup in a series of powdercoated parts, the replacements should be factory dipped and powdercoated. not repainted.

i don't know the specifics of what the nature of the recall is, but if it's related to the integrity of the pre-powdercoating treatment, then painting doesn't really solve that.

or is the silver tridion painted while the black is powdercoated?

[Okie Boy]

Originally Posted by rawlus®

that's weird. they're repainting a powdercoated piece? if there was a mixup in a series of powdercoated parts, the replacements should be factory dipped and powdercoated. not repainted.

i don't know the specifics of what the nature of the recall is, but if it's related to the integrity of the pre-powdercoating treatment, then painting doesn't really solve that.

or is the silver tridion painted while the black is powdercoated?

I believe the silver is painted over the black powder-coat.

[Karl Roth]

The metal frame parts are powder coated at the factory regardless of color, curious just what the problem is.
karl