[Gobonilla]

Hello, I just joined a few days ago. I've owned a 2013 pure for 3 years in February. I've gotten it up to 60k miles, what maintenance is recommended to do on it other than oil and plugs? I've just installed a new battery in it and will get a new starter later this week. I like to do all maintenance myself to save some money and I do want to keep this car as long as possible.

 

[jwight]

Welcome to SCoA!

You can find maintenance schedules here.

 

[Gobonilla]

Thanks man.

 

[DreamCarOwner]

The 60,000 mile service recommends having the valves checked for clearance. The shim buckets are sized to maintain the proper clearance on the valve to cam clearance. It is very involved to get this done. The valve cover must come off and the front of the engine needs to come off to remove the timing chain in order to remove the cams to get at the shim buckets. I figure most people don't get it done because it is a huge undertaking to do. A shim bucket that is out of spec either has to be milled at a machine shop or replaced and milled to the proper size.DCO

 

[Gobonilla]

That does sound complicated dreamcarowner, I'll pass on that as well. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[Mister_smart_LA]

Nothing significantly different about valve lash adjustments on a smart vs numerous other common (and popular) engines from other makes, i.e. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc. Just thought I'd throw this into the discussion, for smart car newbies.


Edit: Well, okay, the smart is a larger pain in the rear due to access and clearance issues getting to the engine itself. But that's a microcar issue due to tiny size of the engine bay making access to components challenging. Hint: Learn how to drop the engine cradle.

 

[Gobonilla]

Thanks Mister Smart... Is it hard to drop the engine? What's the main tools you'll need for that job? I am thinking of getting an extended warranty on it to be able to keep the car another 3 years, but I was reading the fine print, they wouldn't cover anything that goes over the value of the car. Lol. These cars have no resell value so they are charging me 2000 and won't cover a 2000 repair job....

 

[Mister_smart_LA]

Thanks Mister Smart... Is it hard to drop the engine? What's the main tools you'll need for that job? I am thinking of getting an extended warranty on it to be able to keep the car another 3 years, but I was reading the fine print, they wouldn't cover anything that goes over the value of the car. Lol. These cars have no resell value so they are charging me 2000 and won't cover a 2000 repair job....

In theory it is supposed to be easy. I believe your issue at home is going to be keeping the vehicle elevated while also having a separate support for the engine cradle, while still also being able to get under the vehicle to do your work. I recommend you dig through the resources at evilution.com.uk, and/or also gain access to WIS information by setting up a temporary account.


I'd read through the procedures first before registering a paid subscription to WIS information. See if you're confident to tackle the task on your own.