[LucasLand]

As long as the paperwork goes through this weekend, i should be a new first time owner of a smartie. I found a trade in sitting at a local dealer for good price. Its a mint condition 2008 Cabrio, with 7300 miles. Apparently it was a corporate car and rarely used. The vehicle looks like its never been driven its so nice.

Is there anything i should know about these 2008 models?

Once thing i noticed the battery seems to be a little difficult to get to.

there are no locking lug nuts on it. do any of you add them?

The aux port is in the glove compartment which seems kind of weird. Any of you ever upgrade the radios?

I knew beforehand the ride might be rough when hitting bumps. Do any of you do any type of upgrade to soften the ride?

do you get oil changes and routine mainatencence at mercedes dealerships or do you prefer to go elsewhere?

 

[Niteshooter]

Hey congrats nice find. I guess depending on where you live you may or may not want locking lug nuts. I have them on mine but it came that way.

That is very low mileage for a 2008, not sure where you are but if you live in an area that gets road salt I would check carefully for corrosion, even with such low mileage. If you are somewhere that doesn't get winter, major bonus!

Yes the battery is in a rather unusual spot though handy if you are adding accessories. In terms of the radio I still have the stock radio, sounds fine and I have the sub and what are supposed to be tweeters in the dash. I suppose it could use a bit more volume but at the risk of damaging my already damaged hearing (high frequency loss). I think our electrical systems are not exactly robust especially the alternators so going too wild with audio systems drawing a lot of power might not be a great idea.

In terms of ride, I have the Brabus suspension and up here our roads are really terrible due to the wacky weather. But then it is known for a much stiffer ride. Not sure if there are many options to soften ride as the bulk of upgrades seem to want to go the opposite direction..... At least you have higher profile tires which helps a lot with bad roads, I have to be on constant lookout for pot holes as my rims are very susceptible to damage. (really low profile rear tires).

For service I go to a local shop and not the dealer, I pick up my oil and filters ahead of time and they do all the labour. Mine isn't the only smart they work on so that helps but oil changes are not that difficult actually as everything is easily accessible so it can be a DIY project. I also bought the service manual DVD though frankly compared to the old Haynes manuals this digital one isn't the most user friendly actually better information can be found here or on the evilution website.

 

[10470]

Welcome, LucasLand. And congratulations on your nice new find! Many of us here started with the 2008s, and have love them for years, quirks and all. One of the best smart features is having access to a bunch of really nice and very people right here!

Locking lug nuts can be a PITA... how many people really want to steal 3-lug wheels?? Is your smart going to be garaged?

You'll quickly become used to the car's oddities, including its suspension and transmission. It's part of the car's inherent personality.

When you come across issues – as you will – do a topic search here in the forum, and you'll discover a treasure trove of information already discussed. Having a model with a long track record has an advantage... its demons have all been identified and discussed ad nauseum!

 

[Blackbelt]

Being a 2008, i would spend a few bucks to make sure all of the software updates have been taken care of. There were multiple updates for the transmission control software on the 2008's.
Other than that, routine maintenance is simple and straightforward. Use Mobil one 0W40 synthetic oil, and change it every 10K miles. Otherwise, just enjoy your car!.
If you want something that will improve the drive-ability, then consider upgrading the front wheels to the same size as the rears and using the larger tires. Most that have done that have been happy with the improvement.

 

[jimvw57]

The DVD with the maintenance stuff was most likely pirated from the Evilution site, which is why I refuse to buy it. I would much rather subscribe to the site so the money goes to the right person.

If you are in auto mode (D on the dash display) and tap the paddle shifter, it should go into manual mode. holding the paddle down should make it go back to Auto mode. if it does, the software is the right version.

Changing to larger tires, and wider front rims will help on rough roads and side winds. Another option is (if you can find it) add cruise control with the pedal remapping feature, or the Go Pedal unit. It makes the shifting a bit smoother.

 

[LucasLand]

Being a 2008, i would spend a few bucks to make sure all of the software updates have been taken care of. There were multiple updates for the transmission control software on the 2008's.
Other than that, routine maintenance is simple and straightforward. Use Mobil one 0W40 synthetic oil, and change it every 10K miles. Otherwise, just enjoy your car!.
If you want something that will improve the drive-ability, then consider upgrading the front wheels to the same size as the rears and using the larger tires. Most that have done that have been happy with the improvement.

do you have to go to a mercedes dealership for those software updates?

 

[jimvw57]

Yes unless you find someone with a STARR computer that will connect to MB main frame