[SmartKaden]

I am amazed at how well the Smart Car performed in an almost head on crash with an SUV.
There is damage to the left front fender, the headlight is hanging and the brackets that hold same in place are bent or gone. The driver's door does not shut properly. The post that separates the windshield from the driver's window has visible damage.

No doubt, the SUV was totaled.

I took the Smart Car to get it aligned before bidding on a salvaged yellow 2008 I was wanting to purchase at auction for parts. Couldn't believe how much that car sold for.
I wasn't the buyer.
I'm going to look for parts.

Any suggestions on where I might find parts?

I really want to have this vehicle as an around town vehicle.

In case you're interested, the other driver got cited for doing an illegal U-turn in front of oncoming traffic. My daughter was driving in the lane closest to the sidewalk and was far enough behind the car in the next lane that she could not see the lady doing the U-turn. The driver going in the same direction in the adjacent lane saw the careless driver in time to slam on her brakes and avoid the accident. My daughter was not so lucky, no time to brake.

The SUV rode up that post I mentioned earlier, bending the metal way above the antennae but not breaking either windshield or driver's window.

I am thoroughly sold on the safety of the Smart Car. Think I'll piece this one back together and drive it for another ten years. I can probably make the bent and torn left front plastic fender look okay with a hot glue gun!

 

[SmartKaden]

The alignment people showed me the motor mount at the front of the engine needed to be replaced. That is the cause of a noise when going over a bump.
I wish there was a qualified mechanic in the El Paso area.

Do you think a novice can replace this if the part was available?

I am confident I can get the door to open properly with hammer. There is a small dent that is rubbing the door. It does work, just not as smoothly as before.

 

[jwight]

This video shows how to do it, pretty simple (ignore the part about the BMS mount - that's not available any more):

 

[rbrtryn]

Any suggestions on where I might find parts?

I haven't personally needed to buy from them yet, but these guys seem like a good resource:

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www.autobahnsmart.com

 

[Igor Barbaros]

No frame/tridion damage?

 

[jimvw57]

If the door doesn't work, my guess is the trideon is damaged. Once those are bent, it is expensive to fix and most likely be totaled.If the headlight mounts are gone, chances are the front end header is damaged and it requires the whole front end to come apart. not a tough or expensive job, but it does take some time. fenders are relatively inexpensive to replace, easier than trying to piece it back together.

Look for another car. It did it's job to protect her.

 

[smark]

Photos of the damaged car?

 

[SmartKaden]

This video shows how to do it, pretty simple (ignore the part about the BMS mount - that's not available any more):

Thank you!

 

[SmartKaden]

No frame/tridion damage?

Not that I can see.
I took it in to check the alignment. The camber was off a bit, but there is no adjustment on the 2008 model, according to the alignment center.
The door looks perfect, but the frame above the rear side view mirror has a small dent that is preventing it from closing. I'm sure I can pound that out easily. The whole frame is not bent, just a little hickey that points down. Cosmetically it won't be perfect, but the fun factor will outweigh that little blemish.