Quote:
Originally Posted by sarsmay
I just got my Passion Coupe on April 8th. Today, my check engine light came on when I was on my way home from work and I was worried only because it's a brand new car. I live almost 1 hour away from the dealership. Did you have to drive your car all the way to the dealership or get it towed? i'm gonna have to call them tomorrow. I'd hate to spend money on towing it all the way to sacramento.
I really couldn't tell if there was anything wrong with it driving home. I think the acceleration part you mentioned is similar and I smelt something funny, but then again, it could be the exhaust from the car in front of me.
*sigh* sux to have issues on a brand new car. I just hope it's nothing serious. I'm glad I came upon your post.
OH! and I just realized that when I accelerate (more recent), i feel like it starts out slow and then bursts almost like a hiccup..or could it just be my acceleration. I know it hesitates, but this wasn't hesitation, more like a burst or pop of acceleration (sorry, I don't know how else to describe it =/). I'm still getting to know my Smart...does that 'pop' sound normal?
Thanks for the post, cuz I'm the one that needs some help right now.
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If you've got misfire-related acceleration, you'll have no doubt when it happens... because there are only three cylinders, if one's misfiring, the other two will go completely mental.
The acceleration burst is normal: Push accelerator down 3/4 of the way; you'll feel it pick up slowly for the first second, and once RPMs get above 1500 you'll start getting some weak acceleration, but at 3,000 RPMs or so you'll feel a surge that's almost out of control. Again, the nature of 3 cylinders - they need high RPMs to move and have very little low-end torque.
If your CEL is on and the car's driveable, most dealers will make you drive it in nowadays. A year ago they'd tow it in and back for the slightest sneeze because of the new-model status; early problems can be solved for later models in the design, hence the gas cap warning light in 2009's. If the car's immobilized or unsafe to drive (even marginally) you can probably get a call in to 1-800-smart-usa to get it towed, but most likely you'll need to pick it up. Keep driving it a bit; take it to Autozone and have them scan for codes, then call the dealer with that information. If you still smell something that wan't there a month ago, tell the dealer that too... the CEL is usually emissions related, and if you're smelling something related, you'll need it repaired asap. You really don't want to damage the catalytic converter by ignoring an emissions problem.
My dealer's 5 hours away. When I bought the car my only dealer was 12 hours away. I'm fortunate to not have any major issues or questions.
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