[Thee Grape of Wrath]

Hello again an thanks for the advice on the gear selection issue i had running great now
So today i go to see about getting a key made locksmith shop literally insulted me on my choice of car berating me until i actually got inside my car to drive away .....I left there an happened upon a Euro Car shop who was more than helpful while he explained to me he didn't have the equipment for programming a Smart he could do most all mechanical work if needed then he gave me the # to Cary NC ( i live in Wilmington ) he said they can help so ..... I made a call an found a very friendly informative and helpful person on the other end of the line ( Cary number is 919-467-4607 in case anyone needs it ) while it may be a bit expensive i got my answer so a short ride to Cary in the next few weeks to order my key/fob combo and then again to get it cut and programmed it will cast roughly $450ish but my last car just the FOB was 5 bills ....better yet is while i was on the phone he did a quick check to see if there are any current recalls or issues with my Smart finding 1 item a sound damping material for the engine bay so when we do the program they will schedule the service too ..... I know that as time goes on things will become difficult to find and i am thankful for the network of enthusiasts here who i hope will be able to keep our little cars going .... So that being said is there any kind of service manual or parts list we can obtain or a list of common failure parts an the part numbers in a list to help make thing easier to order when something fails ? Or even a list of shops who will service an repair a Smart ..... is there anyone who can obtain a Star Programming tool .... is Smart MAddness still in buisness ?? those two locations cali and texas if only they had a third on the east coast .... I know i am tossing alot out there but i really enjoy my Smart an would like to keep it running long into the future with proper maintained and serviced regularly ....... i really need to post a pick of my purple beast it is the only purple Smart in Wilmington NC so if you see it give a wave or say hey ... I have seen roughly 30 Smarts here in town

thanks for reading and for any advice an knowledge that can be given an passed around ... Matt

 

[gtdump]

So that being said is there any kind of service manual or parts list we can obtain or a list of common failure parts an the part numbers in a list to help make thing easier to order when something fails ?

Would be an interesting list, if you find or compile such please post it here. My limited experience says the usual items are the same for most models of car, rotors, calipers, tie rod ends, etc. The unique parts that are harder to get tend to be pretty reliable IMO and would cost a fortune if one decided to stock them "in case". As the years roll on it will get harder and harder to find parts, at least locally, for most of us. If you're dedicated to the car in the long run, keep an eye out for a junker - they come up in the for sale section occaionally.

is there anyone who can obtain a Star Programming tool ....

I've read reports of people using knock off ones from China and people who have acquired used official units. Any shop that works on a lot of Mercedes should be able to help there.

is Smart MAddness still in buisness ?? those two locations cali and texas if only they had a third on the east coast ....

As far as I know Art is still at it, but likely the sales on Smart stuff will eventually not be worth his time to maintain. Thankfully I believe he still has a lot of parts, so the future looks good for now.
In the long term, the 450 and 451 are dead ends as practical daily drivers and will become a niche collector car like so many others. Once the number on the road drops too far, commercial support for parts ends and all that's left is NOS (New Old Stock), salvage, and fabrication.

 

[Cane Prevost]

I used a locksmith company I found online. They drove to my house and made me a key for 150 bucks. I was skeptical it would work but it worked just fine. We did have smart dealership here in Portland back in the day and cars to go was here with a lot of smarts so there are quite a few around…