[psimac]

I'm selling my smart. Check my profile for a photo.

Smart does not stand behind their products. Their customer service department refuses to call me back, because our car is out of warranty. Piss poor quality has caused my fuel-pump to go out. They are refusing to even call me and discuss it.

So that's it, car's going away. I've owned many new European cars and this is by far the worst ownership experience I've had.

 

[Wdhitch]

Who did you call??

 

[psimac]

smart usa 1.800.762.7887 ... I've also emailed them. Two days after I've emailed them, the dealer called me asking what they can do. They can't do anything!!

 

[jefferios]

Why cannot the dealer do "anything" They can repair the problem with your car???

So from the gist of this post, your selling your car because a fuel pump broke, then Smart USA didn't call you back and the dealer reached out for help?

Yikes...I'd imagine its difficult to please you. :worship:

 

[Dunerunner]

You could try contacting these nice folks at smart!!

Roger Penske
Penske Automotive Group, Inc.
2555 Telegraph Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302-0954

Tel: (248) 648-2500
Fax: (248) 648-2525

Dave Schembri
smart USA
1765 Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
His direct phone line is: 248-648-2450
and his e-mail is:[email protected]

 

[psimac]

The thing is, I hate people like me who jump on a forum complaining about a product that everyone on here loves--after all, why would we all be on the forum. The car itself I like a lot, but smart/Penske's customer service is simply useless. They don't even call back!

I don't want to be "that guy," but the car's been non-running for a week and rentals are expensive. Plus, the shop it's at is going to begin charging me a storage fee.

It's back to Volkswagen for me. At least they have decent warranties and even after the warranty if it's an unusual issue, they take care of it.

 

[Wdhitch]

What do you want them to do? Wait... back to the original quesion... what do you want smartUSA to do?

 

[psimac]

Why cannot the dealer do "anything" They can repair the problem with your car???

Car's out of warranty. They can fix it and charge me for it, but they can't "pick up the tab." Before I pay $150 to tow it to the dealer, I want to be told it's going to be covered. Otherwise, I'll just have the independent shop repair it.

 

[psimac]

You could try contacting these nice folks at smart!!

Roger Penske
Penske Automotive Group, Inc.
2555 Telegraph Road
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302-0954

Tel: (248) 648-2500
Fax: (248) 648-2525

Dave Schembri
smart USA
1765 Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
His direct phone line is: 248-648-2450
and his e-mail is:[email protected]

Thank you! This is exactly the sort of contact info I've been seeking out.

 

[Wdhitch]

The thing is, I hate people like me who jump on a forum complaining about a product that everyone on here loves--after all, why would we all be on the forum. The car itself I like a lot, but smart/Penske's customer service is simply useless. They don't even call back!

I don't want to be "that guy," but the car's been non-running for a week and rentals are expensive. Plus, the shop it's at is going to begin charging me a storage fee.

It's back to Volkswagen for me. At least they have decent warranties and even after the warranty if it's an unusual issue, they take care of it.

Didn't you know the warranty terms when you bought the car? I'm confused... can't you just fix it?

The warranty is pretty straight forward... If you're out of warranty you're on your own... did you get an extended warranty?

 

[psimac]

What do you want them to do? Wait... back to the original quesion... what do you want smartUSA to do?

Repair the car at no charge. What modern car do you know of that has a fuel pump crapping out at 29,000 miles? It's unheard of!

My 1977 VW Scirocco used to go through fuel pumps every 5 years, but they've improved them 32 years later and they're reliable now. Even my dealer said, "we've never replaced one."

5,000 miles out of warranty, it should be repaired. It's a $650 repair!

 

[Wdhitch]

How much are you selling it for?

 

[Godfather]

At 29K, they should help you out, but free? Not any car I've ever owned, 5K out of warranty.

 

[smart fortimo]

You've spelled it out yourself:

O.U.T.O.F.W.A.R.R.A.N.T.Y

Warranty was not 23,999 or 24,001-- it's 24,000. And certainly not 29,000. What's not clear?

 

[Dunerunner]

Perhaps they would do a you buy the parts, we will install at no cost deal?

Talk to them....

 

[psimac]

At 29K, they should help you out, but free? Not any car I've ever owned, 5K out of warranty.

Honestly, I don't expect it to be free, but they should do something. And the reality is, I've had plenty of automakers repair things out of warranty.

My mother's Audi A6 recently received a new catalytic converter at no charge, although the car was 2 years out of warranty. Her mileage is so low, however, they made an exception.

My wife's Jetta received new brake pads and rotors with about 8,000 miles on the odometer, even though those items are not covered under warranty normally. The rotors had warped and they ruled that as abnormal and covered it 100%.

My friend's 7-series BMW had a major engine problem, just shy of 10k out of warranty--BMW replaced the engine at no charge, citing an abnormal issue with the engine.

I've never owned a domestic car, so I'm not sure if they do anything, but I must say oft-maligned Volkswagen, has always treated me well.

That being said, the issue I have with smart is not so much related to the problem itself as much as it is with smart USA completely ignoring me. No one has EVER called me back, after I've called them 3 times. #1 rule in customer service is to acknowledge your customer!

I don't want to own a car that's not backed by its manufacturer. What will I expect from them down the road if they're not doing anything for me now?

 

[psimac]

A Smart is a Enthusiasts Car, You need to have a "Experimenter Personality" to own one...
These are good cars with good warranties...
http://autos.aol.com/gallery/cheap-car-ipod-satellite-radio

Actually, it's about the worst warranty available on any car available in the USA. Certainly one of, if not the shortest. Regardless, a fuel-pump should last 100k, or at least 50k.

If Mercedes-Benz engineers a car that is in its second generation and has been built in volume, I don't expect to take on an "Experimenter Personality." The current model had been out for a couple years before it landed on these shores, so they should be rock solid.

 

[psimac]

Perhaps they would do a you buy the parts, we will install at no cost deal?

Talk to them....

If they'd call me back, I'd love to talk to them about any of the above. My issue is they don't call back.

 

[Duckhunter]

Sorry to hear of your issues. I know what the warranty is on these and I am taking a chance on not getting an extended one. I figure for the cost of the warrenty, I could pay for some repairs and most new vehicles are pretty well put together. The question I have is how low did you let the fuel level go as some of the newer pumps do use the fuel to cool the pump and running too low may cuase the pump to overheat and fail. Are you selling it with a bad fuel pump?

 

[forestacademy]

Here is your problem now.
Your car is not at the dealer and has a bad fuel pump.

How do you intent to sell it? Who will purchase a non working car?
And FYI, it's not going to be cheep.
http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f4/smart-car-faulty-fuel-pump-24864/?highlight=Fuel+Pump

Also, My Versa had two bad fuel pumps within the first 30K. But in that car it was covered and a lot easier to get to than the smarts


Best of Luck, and thanks for letting us know about another Fuel pump that went out.