[Vincero]

Hello Smart guys
I have problem with my 2009 Brabus and couple of repair shops can't solve the issue. They checked whole suspension few times but no luck.
It clunks over potholes, but not every time, one day is fine day after dissaster.
It can be felt around driver footwell, wheel area...sound is like ''boing'' ''boink'' like something is loose, not metal to metal sound, more like someone hits barrel with wood, but pretty annoying.

Second problem is vibration under load, in 3rd gear at above 3000 rpm...shakes seats and dash...
tyres checked 3 times, brand new Yokohamas, balanced, wheels perfect
maybe its the clutch...I am on 45,000 miles now

thanks

 

[Bob Joe]

My Brabus had the same issue. I took it in to a MB dealer and they said the motor mounts were torn and broken. The motor mounts being broken cause the engine to vibrate more than usual causing the clanking sound that you have described in your post. I'm not sure if our cars have the exact same issue or if it is a different problem with the same symptoms. If your car does infect have the same exact issue, you will need to replace the left and right shock absorber as well as the pendular support.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

These will likely be two different issues.

Your vibration issue is most likely going to be the lower engine mount. They wear out over time and miles. They cause increased noise and vibration in the cabin and increased motion of the engine.

I've heard the boink noise in almost every daily driver 451 I've been in. One way to resolve suspension noise is to lube every pivot point and joint under the car. You should get a quieter and softer ride. If not, then there may be something worn out under there.

 

[Vincero]

My Brabus had the same issue. I took it in to a MB dealer and they said the motor mounts were torn and broken. The motor mounts being broken cause the engine to vibrate more than usual causing the clanking sound that you have described in your post. I'm not sure if our cars have the exact same issue or if it is a different problem with the same symptoms. If your car does infect have the same exact issue, you will need to replace the left and right shock absorber as well as the pendular support.

all motor mounts replaced maybe year ago

 

[Vincero]

These will likely be two different issues.

Your vibration issue is most likely going to be the lower engine mount. They wear out over time and miles. They cause increased noise and vibration in the cabin and increased motion of the engine.

I've heard the boink noise in almost every daily driver 451 I've been in. One way to resolve suspension noise is to lube every pivot point and joint under the car. You should get a quieter and softer ride. If not, then there may be something worn out under there.

as I said earlier all mounts replaced year ago but will check them for sure again.
Some say clutch is on its way out, but car shifts nice and its a daily driver
To be honest I hated Smart cars and never driven one any longer than one mile so I cant tell do they really all make that sound on bad road, probably this one even worse since its lowered with 17'' on such small car.
However I still absolutely love this thing

 

[Miss Mercedes]

45k is really early for the clutch to go out, but since the mounts have been replaced I have no idea where else you would need to look. A failing muffler flex pipe will also cause more vibration, but that'll usually be accompanied with a louder exhaust note, too.

 

[Vincero]

45k is really early for a the clutch to go out, but since the mounts have been replaced I have no idea where else you would need to look. A failing muffler flex pipe will also cause more vibration, but that'll usually be accompanied with a louder exhaust note, too.

its quite strange that in second gear goes to red line in ease but jerks mainly in 3rd gear

 

[DreamCarOwner]

It may not be the case on your's but here is what happened to my Fortwo. I had jacked up the rear of the car with the shock absorber disconnected. That cause the wheel to drop way down and it pulled the axle CV joint out of socket. I didn't catch it right off. I put the car back together and when I started it I heard a lot of engine vibration noise and couldn't figure out why. It shook on the road and I knew something was definitely wrong. When I pulled it back in the garage and jacked the rear back up I saw that the passenger side axle CV joint was out of place. The CV boot was twisted so the 2 halves of the axle was not in sync like they should have been. I ended up unbolting one end of the shock to drop the tire way down from the car and the joint came apart far enough that I was able to twist it enough to get it back into the proper position. After reassembly it was back to normal. It might be a long shot for you but it is worth checking since you have already covered the most likely things for your shuddering.

Usually a failing or out of adjustment clutch will noticeably slip and shudder while taking off. If it was out of adjustment it could have glazed over the friction disk. I don't think the Fortwo has enough power to really abuse a clutch into failure. The only other possibility on the clutch would be oil on the clutch facing from a failed rear seal leaking oil from the rear main bearing of the engine, but this is very unlikely.DCO

 

[Vincero]

It may not be the case on your's but here is what happened to my Fortwo. I had jacked up the rear of the car with the shock absorber disconnected. That cause the wheel to drop way down and it pulled the axle CV joint out of socket. I didn't catch it right off. I put the car back together and when I started it I heard a lot of engine vibration noise and couldn't figure out why. It shook on the road and I knew something was definitely wrong. When I pulled it back in the garage and jacked the rear back up I saw that the passenger side axle CV joint was out of place. The CV boot was twisted so the 2 halves of the axle was not in sync like they should have been. I ended up unbolting one end of the shock to drop the tire way down from the car and the joint came apart far enough that I was able to twist it enough to get it back into the proper position. After reassembly it was back to normal. It might be a long shot for you but it is worth checking since you have already covered the most likely things for your shuddering.

Usually a failing or out of adjustment clutch will noticeably slip and shudder while taking off. If it was out of adjustment it could have glazed over the friction disk. I don't think the Fortwo has enough power to really abuse a clutch into failure. The only other possibility on the clutch would be oil on the clutch facing from a failed rear seal leaking oil from the rear main bearing of the engine, but this is very unlikely.DCO

Some shops around me says that Brabus can't do clutch more than 50.000 miles especially driven hard around town, I am not very hard driver and girl before me also but if this continues I will drop the gearbox to check the clutch

 

[Miss Mercedes]

A US spec Brabus is the same car as a passion with a few upgrades, none of which should shorten the clutch's life that dramatically. We have a guy on here well into 200k miles on their original clutch. I'm at 156k with mine and my car's well used - I regularly tow trailers and as of recent months have also started going offroad - with no sign of stopping just yet. We also have some high mileage turbo cars on here with original clutches, too.

That said, the 2008s and early 2009s had a clutch plate issue that smart fixed. It could be possible yours was never taken to the dealer for that fix?

 

[Vincero]

A US spec Brabus is the same car as a passion with a few upgrades, none of which should shorten the clutch's life that dramatically. We have a guy on here well into 200k miles on their original clutch. I'm at 156k with mine and my car's well used - I regularly tow trailers and as of recent months have also started going offroad - with no sign of stopping just yet. We also have some high mileage turbo cars on here with original clutches, too.

That said, the 2008s and early 2009s had a clutch plate issue that smart fixed. It could be possible yours was never taken to the dealer for that fix?

no US spec car, a proper devil>