[Carlamamoo]

2017 Smart fortwo EV. Cannot figure out why it won't open. Tried starting the car and turning it off again.
Any ideas? Anyone else ever had this problem?
HELP?!
Thanks for any advice.
Thinking I might just break it open. Car is a 3-yr lease which expires in December; I have extra insurance to cover repairs. If I break it so that it has to remain coverless, do you think I'll have any problems related to charging it afterwards? (other than it needing to be repaired when I take it back in)

 

[sokoloff]

It does lock with the doors you know, right? Have you tried unlocking with both keys or with the unlock tab on the dash?

Len

 

[vadsoom]

Yep, unlock the doors. The ICE is the same way. If the doors are not unlocked, the fuel door won’t open. I experienced this the first time when I went to a full-service gas station. Since I didn’t get out of the car, the doors were still locked (I rolled down the window to talk to the attendant). Once I opened the passenger door, the fuel door unlocked.

 

[Carlamamoo]

THANK YOU BOTH, Len & Vadsoom. I can't believe I never encountered this, after almost 3 years of driving & charging this car. I think there was an additional complication of it needing a bit of lube. In any case, it's all good: I found a local mechanic who both owns and loves Smart EVs and can repair them, so I am definitely going to buy it when the lease runs out! And yes, you are both right: I didn't realize that the door-unlock-mechanism controls the flap. How in the world did it never create a problem before this?! I can't figure out how it took me so long to learn this, or what I was doing before to avoid this problem. But you're so right. That's all it was, plus maybe a bit of sticking, which the lube fixed. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I'm so glad I found this forum. I will become a permanent member of this tribe soon. 😍

 

[Jeb Baker]

I found a local mechanic who both owns and loves Smart EVs and can repair them,

Can you share with us the mechanics name, business or location?? A Smart EV mechanic is VERY hard to find! Or find out if he is on this forum, or would like to join. PLEASE!

 

[Carlamamoo]

Hey Jeb! Sonoma County, northern CA. He is Craig Hammond in Santa Rosa, Hammond Autowerks. Hammond Autowerks - European Auto Service and Repair - Santa Rosa, CA
Hope you are within driving distance? So sorry if not. He is definitely a goldmine. SO glad I found him. The dealership I got my car from is in San Fran, and in order to return to the dealership for service, it was an all-day affair, since I had to stop halfway each direction to charge the car.