[Gregor]

Greetings all,
In response to the check engine light issue...

I picked up my new fortwo cabrio from Knauz Motors in Lake Bluff, Illinois on Saturday 04/13. On a side note, it was by far the best purchasing experience I have ever had, for a vehicle or otherwise. Excellent service.

On Sunday afternoon, with less than 100 miles on the car, the Engine Malfunction (Check Engine) light came on, so I consulted both the manual and the posts on this page to see if others had experienced the same issue. Thanks to all who've shared their issues, they were very helpful and gave a good piece of mind.

Long story short (sort of), I emailed the dealer and brought the car in to the Knauz service center for a diagnostic. Again, extremely helpful and courteous staff. Was in at 9:00, out by 10:30 with the news that the oxygen sensor was not working properly; the service tech ran tests on the vehicle, reset the sensor, and let me know that if it it turned on again I should bring it in but there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.

It came on again later that evening, I later drove it to work the next day. Called Knauz Service, they returned a call promptly saying they would arrange a loaner and I could bring it back in whenever was convenient.

After a 35 mile trip to the office with a 35 mile site visit in addition, the car sat outside the office waiting for the drive home. As I started the car, I noticed the light was out, and has remained off. Will see if it stays off; if not I know there is a good service dealer to remedy the issue.

Thanks again to those who have posted their issues and experiences, as a first time poster I wanted to mention that this is really helpful. Nice to see the internet is still useful for more than entertainment!
-Gregor

 

[Gene_SD]

Greeting All,
So last week got the check engine light and took the car to the dealer, the code read was P0410 and the dealer reported this: "performed system actuation as per SDS work path pump function correctly monitor lamada signal change within spec frezze frame values on counter # stored cleared code and performed roadtest no further faults or events stored". Well this morning the check engine light came back on, so the people who have had this what has been the fix from the dealer?

 

[Gregor]

Update on the check engine light**it came on again on the same day after being reset, took it to Knauz (dealer) who had arranged a loaner. The service tech had it back to me the next day, with an "upstream oxygen sensor" being the issue. They replaced, free of charge, and the issue hasn't resurfaced.

The printout from the dealer read as follows:
"CAUSE: FOUND FAULT CODE P0135 UPSTREAM OXYGEN SENSOR FAILED 12 EMISSIONS - 12 REPLACED OXYGEN SENSOR"

Kudos to this dealer fixing fast, professionally, and courteously. They are wonderful.

 

[dichrodave]

I haven't gotten my smart car yet but I was wondering how the Oregonian smart owners were doing with the fact that we can not pump our own gas. Any engine light problems? Are you letting the gas jockies know how to pump it and tighten the caps?

 

[thrillhill1026]

Check engine light

On 4/19 my check engine light came on and i took it to the unversal city dealer ship and i was told that they don't have tec service on saturdays so i asked was the same with other smart dealer ships he told me no. So I went to the beverly hills dealer ship near my house. They told me they could take the car in and give a loaner but they wouldn't be able to look at it until monday because there was no smart tec's in that day. I was not happy with the situation so I took my car home in hopes of solving this problem monday

 

[Gene_SD]

So after reviewing this forum and the canadian forum it looks like quite a few smart owner are getting check engine lights. It seems that some are related to the gas cap being loose and others are getting the P0410 Secondary Air injection system fault. While reviewing the threads it seems that smart owners who have the P0410 fault are having the 'combination valve for secondary air system' replaced.

 

[spdickey]

On 4/19 my check engine light came on and i took it to the unversal city dealer ship and i was told that they don't have tec service on saturdays so i asked was the same with other smart dealer ships he told me no. So I went to the beverly hills dealer ship near my house. They told me they could take the car in and give a loaner but they wouldn't be able to look at it until monday because there was no smart tec's in that day. I was not happy with the situation so I took my car home in hopes of solving this problem monday

We're so spoiled here in Los Angeles. In many places the service departments aren't even open on the weekend.

 

[SuperGeek]

Greetings, everyone. I got a call this week that my reserved Smart is ready for me to pick it up ** in Houston. I'm in Mobile, AL... about 400 miles away. So, I'm a bit nervous about committing to a purchase on a vehicle without a dealer close by, unless it's going to be pretty solid. I'm still 80% leaning towards making a trip to Houston in two weeks.

Now, I'm rather technically inclined, so I can hook up a code scanner to determine if the MIL is saying the gas cap's loose. I understand there are risks associated with a new design, and I can handle a trip to the dealer every few months to get major maintenance and recalls taken care of, especially when the dealer in Birmingham opens. But here's my question ** those of you who own your Smart, with > 2,000 miles, would you feel safe driving it 400 miles from the dealer? From your own overall experience, do you "trust" the brand and the company? i.e., Does the association with Mercedes-Benz give you a better sense of security?

From this post, I can see only a few common issues within 1,000 miles: gas cap and a couple of sensors; has anyone experienced anything more serious? On the bright side, if I'm driving this baby home, I'll go through the highest-risk period in a single day.

I'll have to ask the dealer for the official word on this, but do any of you know if the 800 # roadside assistance is of much help a few hundred miles from a dealer? I'll also have to ask how the distance issue affects my warranty. I would love for a local Mercedes dealer to step up to the plate and perform the more urgent work under guidance of the Smart team.

 

[thrillhill1026]

We're so spoiled here in Los Angeles. In many places the service departments aren't even open on the weekend.

The thing is they were working on mercedes benzs' but not the smart car they should have both mercedes and smart car mechanics working

 

[spdickey]

.

I'll have to ask the dealer for the official word on this, but do any of you know if the 800 # roadside assistance is of much help a few hundred miles from a dealer? I'll also have to ask how the distance issue affects my warranty. I would love for a local Mercedes dealer to step up to the plate and perform the more urgent work under guidance of the Smart team.

smart roadside assistance helps anywhere you are in the USA.

Warranty work can be performed at any smart dealership, no matter how far away you are, when you are at a smart dealer, you'll get warranty service.

 

[brian r]

one other code scanner question. Apparently, the current standard is OBD II, however some 2008 cars have started using the latest standard called "CAN". See this quote from a review on Amazon ...

"NOTE: Starting in 2008, a new standard called "CAN" will become mandatory for all vehicles, and some auto manufacturers are already producing CAN-compliant vehicles. OBD II code readers may or may not work with CAN vehicles ** check the product detail page to check if the scanner works with OBD II, CAN, or both"

Of course, scanners that can read both are more expensive. Anyone know which standard the smart passion uses - OBDII or CAN?

Djinn

CAN has been around for a long time. I worked for BMW Motorsport for a couple of years about '99-00. BMW road cars had CAN-bus back then; way ahead of the curve. Some of the fun facts I learned from BMW "master techs" included:

One third of the time, the MIL is triggered by the gas cap not being tightened until it clicks, or the tank is filled drop-by-drop until full to the cap. The Siemens ecu is very sensitive to this. It is doubtful that the smart/Mitzu uses Siemens hardware, but it's a common problem. Sometimes my Mini runs perfectly until a fill-up, and then it bucks and hesitates fir a few miles, sometimes with the light flashing. Then it goes away. If you remove and reseal the cap, the MIL might not go off for a few days.

Another 30-40% of the time, these guys claimed that the light triggered because of a bad sensor. The code would point to where, and it would be replaced. Reset the control unit, and the problem is gone. There are dozens of sensors today, and they're in a harsh environment, so they often fail. But sometimes they are fine and set off the light.

The rest of the time, the sensors show that there is a problem and a non-sensor part needs to be replaced.

The most important thing is to not panic. If the car starts to run badly, don't drive it, call roadside assistance. If it runs fine, it might have been a momentary disruption of voltage, and the light comes on. The thing to do is find the code, and turn the MIL off. If it happens again, then something needs to be done. It could be a vacuum line pinching or leaking, an O2 sensor, or a hundred other things.

If you throw a code, drop by an Autozone store and they will be happy to plug an appropriate code reader into your car. There really isn't any reason for the average owner to invest in one. Get the code, and have them reset the light. They don't charge a thing for doing it. If the light comes on again, then you should make an appointment with the dealer. But on a modern new car, it isn't uncommon that it doesn't come back.

What would help the community the most is to get the list of codes specific to the fortwo, and if people see them, post them on the forum so we can see what is happening. Some of them may be quirky things, and others may be things that will be cured by a running change in production, and our cars will get retrofits. Others may be nothing at all.

 

[Gene_SD]

First update on Check Engine Light(Code P0410): Dropped car off at dealer this morning @ 7am they said they will keep it for a couple of days to test it out. This is the second visit to the dealer in less than a week, I hope they see and fix the problem. I just want to be on the road with my smart having fun and saving gas.

Update after Pickup from dealer: Code P0410, verified check engine light on, performed short test found code P0410 secondary air injection performed actuation as SDS monitor 02 sensor reading failed. Test performed vaccuum system test air injection. Failed, checked all vaccuum hoses performed switchover valve actuation found malfunction in valve. Replaced and Repaired, rechecked system function with SDS secondary air injection test o2 sensor change <2 volts within spec pass test. Cleared all codes performed extended road test for customer satisfaction on cold startup no further faults or events stored made control unit log on hard copy.

So it fits into what I have found on this and other forums. "Valve Problems for smart".....

 

[renah]

Emissions Error

Got the same error one week after I got my car - 4010 - emmissions. Taking my car to the dealer monday 45 min. away in Laguna Niguel - They better fix the problem and not just clear the code - I can do that from here!

 

[vanslam]

Well after 3300 miles I just joined the Check Engine Light club. While driving to work I noticed that the orange engine light was on. I have to call the dealer and drop the car off. I know it is not the as cap because the tank only has 2 bars left and I checked it already anyway. I'll keep you all up to date on the results from the dealer.

 

[vanslam]

Well here is the update, I had the Code P0410 issue. The value was replaced and system checked. Everything is back to normal. Best part was that the service was free and I got a free car wash as well.

 

[slime]

Check lite

Had one and less than 10 min later, dealer fixed. NOT a gas cap problem, just Great service here in the GREAT state of Minnesota. :megaphone:

 

[renah]

Valve replaced

Well the valve was the problem on my smart too. Laguna Niguel gave me a nice loaner car, and had my smart ready the next day. They are a class act over there. Also - got my first wash there - it's like starting over!

 

[PMazOD]

On my second day of driving I went over a rough patch of road and the "Check Engine Light" came on. I immediately noticed a lack of power and a rough idle. I drove another mile to work and got out the manual called the dealer and left a message. I went back out to the car and looked for any visible damage and there was none. Started the car, no light, drove a few miles and it was operating fine. Dealer called back and recommended I come back in and have the car hooked up to the computer. I am still on the original tank of fuel so I don't think the fuel cap is an issue. Do you think the jolting of the car somehow confused the whole car?

 

[diegosilang]

An Epidemic?

Count me in too on this dreaded check engine light problem. I picked up my car last Friday afternoon 4/25/08, currently have 250 miles on it and now have that same P0410 secondary air emissions problem (scangauge 2). Spoke to the dealer at Walters Riverside for service and was told that the smart technician would not be in till 5/10/08. They would not even give me a loaner. I was outraged and told them the car is barely a week old with 250 miles on it and I would not even get a loaner! They said they would get back to me later and find out. It runs great though and I am loving every minute of it.

 

[vanslam]

You van always call Smart USA and they will find a dealer to fix your problem and flatbed it to be fixed if needed. They offered the option to me but I wanted to drive.