Smart Car of America Forum banner
1 - 20 of 21 Posts

· Registered
Joined
·
54 Posts
Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hi! I got my first Smart For two a couple weeks ago...a 2016 with about 24,000 miles. Before I got it the dealer sent me a screenshot of the service display that said “next service in 8200 miles”. Now, 2 weeks later, a message pops up on my display that says service in 29 days! What’s up? Does it default to days instead of miles at some point? I don’t think it was driven much with the low miles on an almost 5 year old car.I looked at the Carfax report but there are no service records on it. I wrote to the dealership to see if they can find out service history but can someone explain the conflicting messages and tell me if there’s any other way to find out the service history? Thanks.
PS. I had it inspected at my local Mercedes dealership when I got it and everything checked out ok.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,459 Posts
If it isn't driven much it will still ask in 1 yr for a service to be done. Unfortunately for low mileage it will start the warning about a month from the year end. Just what you're getting.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

· Registered
Joined
·
54 Posts
Discussion Starter · #3 ·
If it isn't driven much it will still ask in 1 yr for a service to be done. Unfortunately for low mileage it will start the warning about a month from the year end. Just what you're getting.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
Well darn! Thanks for the answer. I wonder what “service” will be for 25000 miles? Oil change I’m sure but I hope not much else.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
320 Posts
That's the 'yearly' oil change reminder.

Suzdot wrote: "2016 with about 24,000 miles. Before I got it the dealer sent me a screenshot of the service display that said “next service in 8200 miles”. "

The 'mileage' service reminder can only be reset by the MB Star and MB's recommended oil interval is 10,000 Miles...
The screen shot of the service display is a good thing; it says the 20,000 mile service (ie.last oil change) was done when the car had 21,800 miles.

Personally, I don't agree with the oil change being 10,000 miles (too long in my honest opinion) OR every year.
When the 'Service in XX days' comes up, I just reset it.
Put the key in, turn to position 1 (with the message up), hold the 'OK' button for 30+ seconds.
It will reset for another year :)

That being said, I would do an oil change on my own at 5,000 miles when your car hits 26,800 miles.
Maybe even at 25,000 - so you have knowledge that the car needs an oil change at the 30,000 mile service.

I just had the 20,000 mile service done on my 2016 at 19,000 miles - it was $450 for an oil change, oil filter, air cabin filter and brake fluid flush.
So basically $50 in parts, $400 labor / profit to have the database updated that the 20k service was done.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,459 Posts
Usually it is yearly from in service date, not manufacture date, but there are times when dealers fail to reset the service computer during PDI (pre-delivery inspection).

Here's the link to the smart website for service info, it would be for 4 yr or 5 yr depending on what you find. Mercedes has a poor inter-dealer service record system from past experience, unfortunately.


Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,459 Posts
@Mailman regarding the 10k mi. The factory fill Mobil 1 has a very high TBN, somewhere in the range of Amsoil, a company that backs 25k mi range intervals. (229.5 oil is the spec I recommend. I know there was a discrepancy in the manual which said 229.51. I hope that is resolved by now). That combined with volume of oil detemine ability to last 10k mi with ease.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,459 Posts
Right now Mobil has a rebate of $10 per 5 qt maximum 10 qts. I checked where I usually buy, at Walmart (via walmart.com) and 5 qt jug is $22.38. That makes for $12.38 for 5 quarts. I can't imagine dino oil for much cheaper. (There's also oil change special at AutoZone should qualify but I haven't bought there in a while to confirm).


Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

· Registered
Joined
·
496 Posts
Well darn! Thanks for the answer. I wonder what “service” will be for 25000 miles? Oil change I’m sure but I hope not much else.
Under "Gas Vehicles" are links to PDFs which cover the required service checks and maintenance.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
54 Posts
Discussion Starter · #11 ·
I just got the history from the dealer and it looks like last service was last October but only driven under 2000 miles since. Guess I need to take it in.
I also noticed the previous owner purchased the extended warranty for almost $2000! I wasn’t told this and purchased one on my own! Wouldn’t it have transferred and why wasn’t I told?! I’m pretty mad right now.
 

· Super Moderator
Joined
·
18,158 Posts
Some of the information being given here is confusing or incorrect for our new member here.

How the service counter works:
It counts in days and miles. Every service is to occur every 365 days or 10,000 miles, whatever happens first.

In all cars, it counts miles/kilometers in 100s and days in 1s. So if you see (for example) "-25" it means you're 25 days overdue for a service. A "-100" would either mean 100 miles overdue or 100 days overdue...but if it were days you would have seen it counting before anyway.

In your situation, the car feels 29 days will happen sooner than 8,200 miles.

These cars have a service schedule consisting of an "A" service and a "B" service, usually based on when the car was put into service. An older smart will use a single or double wrench to denote which service is coming up. A "B" service usually includes more work such as brake fluid and coolant flushes, and thus cost more money. Assuming your car was brought into service in 2016, you are looking at a B service. This service is roughly $450 at a dealership.

Check this for what the dealership would be looking at:

You do not need a MB STAR machine to reset the service counter in any smart. The 450, 452, 454, and 451 require an intricate button/ignition sequence while the 453 requires holding the select button on a screen for about 10 seconds or so.

There's no reason to change your smart's oil every 3k-5k as some do. Many of our members have submitted oil samples to laboratories and the result is usually the same: The manufacturer recommendation of 10,000 miles is more than fine.

So unless you're doing something really crazy with your smart that puts extra wear on it, stick with the 10,000 miles. I suppose that's a controversial opinion to some who do things the old school way...but engines and oils are far more advanced than even a few decades ago.

Check the fine print (if available) and state laws to see if that extended warranty transfers. The factory warranty should follow the car, but extended warranties can be a different ball game.

Hope that helps! :)
 

· Registered
Joined
·
54 Posts
Discussion Starter · #13 ·
Miss Mercedes, thank you for all that useful information! I got a service history of my car and this is actually the 5 year/50k mile service coming up. The brake fluid was flushed last year and it looks like according to the schedule it therefore should be just the oil and oil filler and A/C carbon filter? I have an appointment scheduled for this week. How much does the A service usually cost? Wow maintenance is expensive!
I checked on the warranty and it does not transfer. I had bought an extended warranty at Mercedes myself but it would have been nice to get a credit!
 

· Registered
Joined
·
11 Posts
Cool bit of info: I just recently switched from 10W-30 to 5W-30 (Mobile1, because that's what all of my other cars run) and my fuel mileage went up over 3 miles per gallon!! I know it was my first tank of fuel since the switch so it's not exactly scientific, but wow!

And if you're going to ask why I wasn't running 5W to begin with well, I'm lazy and I have cases of 10W in stock
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3,459 Posts
If you have a Mercedes warranty it's a good idea to suck it up and take the car to the dealer for service. Don't give them any excuse to void it. They usually sell service by package otherwise I would recommend trying to change the cabin air filter yourself. It's been a long time since I've had my smart and a very long time since I had it serviced at the dealer. I would guess be prepared for $200 to $250 range. (The Mercedes exclusive dealer near me (no smarts) was up to $175/hr and that was a few years ago now). Most of the cost if they break everything down would be labor.

Sent from my moto g(7) power using Tapatalk
 

· Registered
Joined
·
799 Posts
Still have 7500mi left on "winter weight" oil. 0W-20 Mobil 1. I posted pix before of the drain slot on the 6 o'clock posn on the filter can. I treasure how long it takes to cancel the 🔧 🔧 for the next service.
 

· Registered
2009 451 Rally Red, Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W-40, Wix XP 51356, 185/55R15 tires, 44 psl
Joined
·
1,155 Posts
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top