[rinn]

so I got my 2008 smart car maybe almost a year ago and when I took it for an oil change at Mercedes they told me i shouldn't take it on long drives because they overheat easily? After having to pay 300$ for an oil change idk if i can really say i trust them. I only ever drive my smart car around to and from work which is 30 minutes away. But I wanna take it on longer trips for when I go to conventions, these are usually 2-4 hours away.
My smart car has 60k miles, it runs smoothly and I havent had any issues with it.

 

[OliverB]

I would never darken the door of that shop again!

 

[Jo e Lefors]

If you don't know the full history of your car and past problems if any.
About the only one who can determine whether your car is up to a long trip would be a trusted mechanic familiar with smarts.

 

[rinn]

I would never darken the door of that shop again!

Yea i definitely don't plan on going back.

 

[jetfuel]

... a fellow member went "around " the USA ...and then back home...he started in Canada...

Jetfuel... only you can make that decision...

 

[Shalmaneser64]

So take some progressively longer trips and see how it goes. 1 hour, 2 hour. Get a scanner that lets you monitor actual temperatures. Consider some of the mods - side air scoop, silicone air tube to replace monster air intake “thing”. Declutter the engine compartment.

 

[1stiski]

I’m sure the R &D on the motor alone would debunk that .

 

[phillysmart]

Local MB dealer (Sarasota) charges $100 for oil/filter change and is currently having 25% off service (both parts and labor) sale.

Schedule on their website - the service writers have different (higher) prices but will quickly change to web price when shown the site.

Oil/coolant/brake fluids all for $250 total. AutoNation dealership.

-Barry-

 

[WhiteNBlack08]

so I got my 2008 smart car maybe almost a year ago and when I took it for an oil change at Mercedes they told me i shouldn't take it on long drives because they overheat easily? After having to pay 300$ for an oil change idk if i can really say i trust them. I only ever drive my smart car around to and from work which is 30 minutes away. But I wanna take it on longer trips for when I go to conventions, these are usually 2-4 hours away.
My smart car has 60k miles, it runs smoothly and I havent had any issues with it.

Having just passed 207K miles on my smart, I will say that is B.S. and $300 for 3 1/2 qts of oil? Somebody saw you coming!

Of course the MB dealer in Indy wanted to charge me $50 to change the third brake light bulb when I was down there a couple weeks ago for a safety recall on my 08. I politely told then no thanks, I'll buy the $3 bulb on the way home and change it myself.... So I could see over $100 for an oil change... Go to Walmart, and pick up a 5 qt jug of 0W-40 Mobil 1 oil, and a filter, and do it yourself. Not that hard.

By the way, my smart has been on lots of long trips over it's lifetime. 600 miles to Kansas City in 2010 for the smart car Nationals, been to Tail of the Dragon, plus I drove it 90 miles a day for 7 years back and forth to work. I used to put 28-30K miles a year on it...

Still runs like a champ. Never been inside the motor or transmission. It runs 178° F all day long running down the highway...

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk

 

[Falcon WIng]

Easiest car I've ever had to change the oil, maybe a 15 minute job start to finish including cleanup.
As far as long trips, I took mine on a ~1800 mile RT from Colorado to Smartmadness in Texas to have some custom work done. It was really nice to have the new cruise control for the drive back!

 

[darrelplant]

so I got my 2008 smart car maybe almost a year ago and when I took it for an oil change at Mercedes

This is the first problem. MB dealers in general will rake you over the coals for any service, and—at least the one here in Portland—has always treated me like some sort of fourth-class citizen, presumably because I'm driving a smart. Find a shop that does third-party MB/Euro repairs and ask if they can do service.

That said, the idea that the smart can't do long trips is ridiculous. Ours has made any number of trips to the beach (~100 miles depending on the route, but including a climb through coastal mountain passes), Seattle (~170 miles), and Las Vegas (~1000 miles). Drove it 500 miles home the day after we hit a deer on the Northern California coast after testing it to see if any of the cooling system had been damaged.

So, in general, I would say they don't really know what they're talking about.

 

[vadsoom]

Wow. That’s a load of bunk! I’ve taken multiple non-stop (except for fuel, food, and bathroom breaks) round-trips from upstairs NY to South Carolina in my ‘08 passion.

 

[rfstjo]

I've driven my '09 Passion Cab. from Phoenix AZ to Portland OR and Phoenix to Monterey CA and back several times and never had a problem.

 

[Kim Bridges]

Don't do long distance trips? Rubbish! I've done 4 coast-to-coast round trips with my 2010 Smart, including driving across Canada. No problems. I found it to be a great road car.

I usually limited my daily drive to about 350 miles. Sometimes, when pushed, I'd go up to 600 miles. As a solo driver, that made for a long day on the road.

I didn't carry a spare tire except for the trip across Alaska and up to the Arctic Circle. Never had a flat in about 75K miles.

 

[The GMan]

That is a load of hogwash. I loaded up my smart cabriolet to the brim and drove it over a 1000 miles (each way) in July for a week long camping trip. No problem!

 

[zxsq_]

$100 is about what it cost me to do my oil and filter and cabin filter myself with a premium oil (royal purple). $300 is ridiculous for a 10 minute tops job.

Also, I definitely was perfectly comfortable driving mine 400+mi in 1 day. As for overheating, for a minute I had my fan unplugged. I only had the oil light pop on when idling for like 30+mins or driving on a 90f+ day for awhile.

 

[RDMaysJr]

Not capable of long trips? I drove mine from Cincinnati to Tampa in 2 days, coming home from Tampa it was one day, most of it spent going between 85 and 90 mph. They're completely capable, if not necessarily comfortable, for long trips. I have to admit, though, that it was more comfortable than my wife's Escape for that trip, as I found out a few months later. I really only have enough room to be comfortable for a trip of that length in something the size of my F250 crew cab.

 

[AlMar]

I have driven both my 2008 and 2013 SMART cars many times from San Francisco to Los Angeles round trips non stop, except for refueling, eating, and using bathroom. They run like a champ. I service my cars myself. Best deal on Mobil 1 Synthetic oil is at Costco, when Costco has the special pricing. Oil Filter and other parts I buy from AutoZone. My preferred oil filter is K&G. Stay away from MB dealers. They are a bunch of thief.

 

[Sal marinosci]

I’ve had my smart car towed behind my motorhome for years and have driven it all over the country as well and only had hood problems, lost my third one three weeks ago

 

[wahi]

I’ve had my smart car towed behind my motorhome for years and have driven it all over the country as well and only had hood problems, lost my third one three weeks ago

You were in the wrong 'hood...