[John Plesca]

Hello Everyone! I am new to the forum and Smart! Got a used 2009 Smart Passion with 24000 KM (I live in Canada) last Thursday! Absolutely love it! After looking at the forums there isn't really decisive info on these topics and it being a few years old what are some tips on protecting the clutch maintenance wise and driving? Should I shift to neutral at lights? How long have most people gotten way with the same clutch! Any other maintenance to look at! Currently I know the car has new engine oil, air filter, cabin air filter and continental tires! Anything else I really should look at? Do you guys know how to get full service records? Thanks guys!

 

[Huronlad]

Welcome to sCOA. Do not shift to neutral when stopped, in most cases this is unsafe. The clutch should last the life of the car. Take the VIN with proof of ownership into the closest smart dealer and they should provide you with the service history, if the work was done at a smart dealer. They may provide info via email as well. At 8 years old, condition of coolant and brake fluid may need to be checked.

 

[Rustedwrench]

The clutch will last quite a long time if you do not repeatedly creep the car forward at stops.

 

[MegaChar]

Here's what you can do because if you shift it into neutral at lights. You might damage the transmission since even though its designed as a manual its a manual like how the old Ford Model Ts shifts plus the electronics.

Shifting in Automatic mode:
The gas petal is your clutch for shifting so when you need to shift gears. Rev engine to 2.5-3K RPM and let off on gas and then press gas to shift gear. Sometimes my smart car likes to shift to a higher gear or stay in one gear when on a hill so I put it in manual mode to pevent the engine from high reving for a long time unless im engine braking. Also fully press the gas to upshift a gear and you will hear it rev really high.

Shifting in Manual Mode:
Same thing as automatic but you use the gear selector to change gears instead of your gas petal. Rev up again to 2.5-3K RPM(I usually like to shift gears every 10 mph I speed up to keep engine reving low)then let off your gas and push gear sector up or down then press gas again to complete the gear shift

Note: When you are shifting gears in eather mode you will slow down slightly and basicly "roll back and forth" as the gear is being shifted to. Keep your engine reving low and your transmission and engine will love you forever.

This might not be the case with you but my gears are P N R N D 1 2 3 4 5

 

[Huronlad]

I would recommend completely ignoring post 4.

 

[MegaChar]

I would recommend completely ignoring post 4.

Im very sorry about the information I provided but that's how my smart car shifts gears. Not every smart is made equally even though they try very very hard to and its quite a learning curve for a new driver when they buy a smart car as their first car on how to drive them. I learned my lesson the hard way.

My apologys.

 

[OliverB]

The Model T transmission was nothing like the manual transmission in the smart. In fact, the Model T tranny was a precursor to modern hydraulic automatic transmissions.