[Piglet97]

Just bought a 2017 Smart Fortwo w 17,000 miles. Second day of driving the check engine light came on. It’s now att he second mechanic who is sending it to a third mechanic to have the catalyst replaced. Getting this car was a huge mistake. The part may be covered under warranty but it doesn’t cover the previous expense the other shops have charged. The shop it’s being sent to is hours away I really don’t have time or money like this. Just want to warn ppl.

 

[smark]

I would have taken it to a MB/smart dealership, in the first place. The converters/labor covered under warranty. How’s the cars a lemon?

 

[1983JZR3W]

Just bought a 2017 Smart Fortwo w 17,000 miles. Second day of driving the check engine light came on. It’s now att he second mechanic who is sending it to a third mechanic to have the catalyst replaced. Getting this car was a huge mistake. The part may be covered under warranty but it doesn’t cover the previous expense the other shops have charged. The shop it’s being sent to is hours away I really don’t have time or money like this. Just want to warn ppl.

It's a car, not a miracle from Heaven. Everything mechanical thing can break down now and again. If the warranty is still in place, the dealer can repair the car like new. I am sorry for your problems, but you will have a hard time discouraging owners on this forum that have owned smarts for more than ten years and many with over 100,000 miles. But anyway, welcome to the forum.

 

[jzchen]

Sad to read a shop would take money and not just say it's under warranty or ask to check for warranty. Good shops would verify right away and send you to the dealer.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[Miss Mercedes]

The part may be covered under warranty but it doesn’t cover the previous expense the other shops have charged. The shop it’s being sent to is hours away I really don’t have time or money like this. Just want to warn ppl.

Even cars with a warranty may need a repair. That does not necessarily mean it's a lemon. It more or less just sounds like you experienced incompetent mechanics.

The real warning here is not to take a car with a warranty to any regular auto shop. If you have a warranty, take it to the dealership. From what I can tell, you have a dealership within a 30 minute drive of you that still does service.

 

[MB DNA]

Just bought a 2017 Smart Fortwo w 17,000 miles. Second day of driving the check engine light came on. It’s now att he second mechanic who is sending it to a third mechanic to have the catalyst replaced. Getting this car was a huge mistake. The part may be covered under warranty but it doesn’t cover the previous expense the other shops have charged. The shop it’s being sent to is hours away I really don’t have time or money like this. Just want to warn ppl.

Welcome to SCoA.

LEMON not...

A "lemon" is generally defined as a new car, truck, or van that's been back to the dealer at least four times for the same repair or has been off the road for service a total of 30 days during the first 12-24 months/12,000-18,000 miles after delivery. Repetitive defect has to substantially impair the value, safety, and/or reliability of the vehicle.

So at four years and 17,000 miles you have a newly purchased pre-owned MY17 smart with a potential Catalytic Converter failure and likely no Lemon Law protection? Does your state require emissions testing? Was the purchase "As-is?"

Components typically covered under the 8/80 Federal Emission Warranty include emission parts which must perform for an extended period of time without performance issues. These components include a vehicle's Catalytic Converter, Transmission Control Module, and Powertrain Control Module and/or Engine Control Unit (PCM or ECU).

Unfortunately, unlike the M-B/smart Center "Warranty" your local repair shop WILL charge you for diagnostics and parts as you are outside the manufacturers network.

No warning required as this used car purchase came with all the UNKNOWNS, warts and pimples of four years and 17,000 miles!

 

[vadsoom]

Depending on the state you are in, it may not matter if you are the first owner. Some states require the dealer to warranty the car for the duration of the warranty period even if it has changed hands. They can't sell a car "as-is" and sent you of your warranty rights.

It might be worth a carefully worded call to the dealer to explain the problem calmly and rationally and asking if there is something they are willing to do to help you.

 

[MB DNA]

My response was aimed at the LEMON “title.”

A MY17 smart with 17,000 miles is likely still covered by the Factory Warranty if taken to a M-B/smart Center?

 

[jwight]

A warranty is on the car, not the owner...

 

[smark]

Emissions control items, have longer warranty period, such as the Catalytic converter Then the basic cars warranty. I believe 7-8 years, 80K miles.

 

[OliverB]

Emissions control items, have longer warranty period, such as the Catalytic converter Then the basic cars warranty. I believe 7-8 years, 80K miles.

View attachment 65229

Emissions control items, have longer warranty period, such as the Catalytic converter Then the basic cars warranty. I believe 7-8 years, 80K miles.

View attachment 65229

Looks like warranty info from a Penske era smart. After MB brought smart in-house, limited warranty was 4 years or 50k miles. Don’t know if any of the other info changed.

 

[smark]

 

[Miss Mercedes]

I don't have my 453's warranty handbook on hand, but I don't recall the warranty having any changes for the 453 ICE models. Here's the ICE warranty circa 2015:

Emissions warranty duration varies depending on state and what's wrong.

 

[1983JZR3W]

Looks like Piglet97 made only one post, maybe just to complain, don't know. He is missing out on all this helpful info.

 

[kducheneaux]

Just bought a 2017 Smart Fortwo w 17,000 miles. Second day of driving the check engine light came on. It’s now att he second mechanic who is sending it to a third mechanic to have the catalyst replaced. Getting this car was a huge mistake. The part may be covered under warranty but it doesn’t cover the previous expense the other shops have charged. The shop it’s being sent to is hours away I really don’t have time or money like this. Just want to warn ppl.

I was told by mechanic that you need to change oil every 5000 miles not 10000 miles and add additive to gas and oil, i would advise to get 3 to 6 warranty because, owners can buy a cheap diagnostic reader and reset engine light so problem doesn't show. I love my smarty but I've been in your shoes, I've put alot of money into my smarty. They are so fun to drive, I do uber eats with it,

 

[sokoloff]

So a mechanic knows more than the engineers who developed the engine? Ask five more mechanics and you will get five more answers. Some who have been mechanics for a hundred years will tell you to change the oil at 3,000 miles like was recommended in the 1960''s. IMO if you follow the manufacturer's recommendations using the proper fluids, you can easily go at what the owners manual says. If you want to verify that your oil is still good at 5000 miles or even at 10,000 miles, have a $14 oil analysis done and chances are excellent that going with 10,000 mile oil changes will be just fine.

BTW, I've owned my three Smarts for over five years in some cases and have never changed the oil.

Len
2014 EV Coupe 22,000 miles
2014 EV Cabriolet 22,500 miles
2015 EV Coupe 20,000 miles

 

[Jo e Lefors]

On the advice of an old late family friend and mechanic Henry "Smokey "Yunick Mr. Yunick to me. He advised,
When using synthetic oils Only.
To change my oil every 10,000 miles and spin on a new filter every 5,000. So that's what I do to this day. Living in the dry desert I don't worry about condensation from hot and cold cycles. Like I did in the midwest. Here in the desert it's just hot and less hot.
This was when amsoil and Mobile 1 were about the only ones around in 1989.
In in all fairness mechanics see the results of people not following a proper oil change schedule. So their recommendations are based on the problems they see in real life.
Instead of the theoretical so they tend to be conservative.
Example GM Engineers told Chevy it's silicone lined cylinder walls would stand up just as good as steel sleeves in the Vega engine. The big claim to fame was, silicone was so hard it took diamond-tipped cylinder hones to cut the walls. Real world results was much different than theoretical.