[ZippyD]

Hello everyone especially those who are mechanically knowledgeable on smarts.

i recently purchased (jan 2021) a used smart fortwo 2013 with 37000 miles. Last month my “littl zippe“ went in its last drive and within 18 miles died. First the battery light came on yellow. i quickly looked up what that meant and saw it was saying my battery was not get enough power. (my husband had recently (a week or so) had to jump the battery because zippe had been dead in the drive way. we assumed it was because our recently licensed son had drive it and left the interior light on over night. Anyway, I continued along my trip thinking ok Ilol call my hubby once i get to work and we can have it checked out in the next day or so. well that happen alright! within 3 miles of my final destination (less than 10 min) after the yellow battery light the engine light came on red!! I was very fustrated but again i was just around the corner from my work. As I came to the stop light at the end of the highway off ramp, zippe died! And yes this was in rush hour traffic! to add to my frustration and struggles.
I tried for a bit to get it restarted. It would crank but not turn over and eventually I had white smoke coming out the back. I finally had to have it towed to a mercedes dealership to be looked at.
Now I might be car mechanic dumb but i’m not as far as I did purchase an after market bumper to bumper warranty to protect myself from expensive issues, at least i thought so. Long story short - warranty company is refusing the repair because it doesnt cover alternator belts, which the mercedes dealer is saying broke and cause the burn out of my engine.
Here are my questions for you more mechanically experienced smarties out there -

1) my understanding is manufacturer states belts should be replaced at 60k miles. but my car has only 46k? is this correct? as far as the recommendation?

2) how can a warranty company legally refuse to fix this issue if there is no warnings visible to a driver that a belt broke?

3) considering for over 1/2 of the drive, the only warning i had was the yellow (not red) battery light, and per the manual it basically says to check the battery connection as soon as possible, and considering i’m a woman without more advanced mechanical knowledge why the heck would i think it was a broken belt? compound that reasoning with knowing even the manufacturer doesn’t think you need to check the belts until 60k miles?!?

I need to know as much as possible to help the warranty company see reason and fix my car. any honest and no sarcastic information is really appreciated

tia,
zippe’s grieving mom

 

[smark]

Is zippie’s, engine is toast now? From the accessory belt breaking. Shut down the water pump.
Burn up the engine. You never know when a accessory belt will break prematurely. Even though they need to be replaced at a certain mileage. The accessory belt operates the alternator too. That why your battery died.

So sorry!

 

[ZippyD]

well they are saying belts aren’t covered but hear me out. it’s listed as an item with window wipers. As if they are saying they won’t give you new ones. however this assumption that is applied doesn’t mean damage as a result of a broke. belt, correct?

 

[vadsoom]

Hello everyone especially those who are mechanically knowledgeable on smarts.

i recently purchased (jan 2021) a used smart fortwo 2013 with 37000 miles. Last month my “littl zippe“ went in its last drive and within 18 miles died. First the battery light came on yellow. i quickly looked up what that meant and saw it was saying my battery was not get enough power. (my husband had recently (a week or so) had to jump the battery because zippe had been dead in the drive way. we assumed it was because our recently licensed son had drive it and left the interior light on over night. Anyway, I continued along my trip thinking ok Ilol call my hubby once i get to work and we can have it checked out in the next day or so. well that happen alright! within 3 miles of my final destination (less than 10 min) after the yellow battery light the engine light came on red!! I was very fustrated but again i was just around the corner from my work. As I came to the stop light at the end of the highway off ramp, zippe died! And yes this was in rush hour traffic! to add to my frustration and struggles.
I tried for a bit to get it restarted. It would crank but not turn over and eventually I had white smoke coming out the back. I finally had to have it towed to a mercedes dealership to be looked at.
Now I might be car mechanic dumb but i’m not as far as I did purchase an after market bumper to bumper warranty to protect myself from expensive issues, at least i thought so. Long story short - warranty company is refusing the repair because it doesnt cover alternator belts, which the mercedes dealer is saying broke and cause the burn out of my engine.
Here are my questions for you more mechanically experienced smarties out there -

1) my understanding is manufacturer states belts should be replaced at 60k miles. but my car has only 46k? is this correct? as far as the recommendation?

2) how can a warranty company legally refuse to fix this issue if there is no warnings visible to a driver that a belt broke?

3) considering for over 1/2 of the drive, the only warning i had was the yellow (not red) battery light, and per the manual it basically says to check the battery connection as soon as possible, and considering i’m a woman without more advanced mechanical knowledge why the heck would i think it was a broken belt? compound that reasoning with knowing even the manufacturer doesn’t think you need to check the belts until 60k miles?!?

I need to know as much as possible to help the warranty company see reason and fix my car. any honest and no sarcastic information is really appreciated

tia,
zippe’s grieving mom

Whoa… let’s back up a minute. This might not be a dead Smart.

Is your Smart gas or electric? If it’s gas…

It might be a faulty alternator that isn’t charging the battery properly. The white smoke could be because the car was flooded because it couldn’t crank.

The combination of flaky alternator and weak battery can cause a lot of oddball issues. The first thing I would do is to have the battery load tested. Most auto parts stores will do this for free.

Next, please he alternator needs to be tested, but if you don’t have the skills, a shop will need to do this for you.

As for the warranty, read the policy carefully. There should be a list of the items that are covered and those that aren’t. Most consumable parts, including belts, would not be covered, but if you have engine or transmission problems, most extended warranties will cover that.

Unfortunately, the Smart does not have a temperature gauge and the engine can be warped quickly if it overheats due to a thrown belt. Many smart owners have added aftermarket gauges (like Ultraguage or ScanGauge) to provide an additional feedback. That being said, your description does not sound 100% like a warped block.

If the battery is low, the transmission might not shift properly and the car can die in traffic, the shift actuator malfunctions, the SAM can read bad signals and shut the car down, or another system can barf and stop the car.

Don’t panic.

 

[wahi]

I am with vadsoom. Don't panic. Just a question: what yellow battery light? DO you mean the Check Engine Light (yes, it's yellow). Battery idiot light is red and comes only in red.

DO what vadsoom suggested with regards to the engine. Check those things like he said. Good luck. (ps if you are close to Pittsburgh, let me know.)

 

[ZippyD]

thanks for responding. According to the mercedes dealership mechanic they checked the alternator and they were able to turn the alternator pulleys by hand so that it is still showing the alternator is in working order. and yes, it is gas.

Whoa… let’s back up a minute. This might not be a dead Smart.

Is your Smart gas or electric? If it’s gas…

It might be a faulty alternator that isn’t charging the battery properly. The white smoke could be because the car was flooded because it couldn’t crank.

The combination of flaky alternator and weak battery can cause a lot of oddball issues. The first thing I would do is to have the battery load tested. Most auto parts stores will do this for free.

Next, please he alternator needs to be tested, but if you don’t have the skills, a shop will need to do this for you.

As for the warranty, read the policy carefully. There should be a list of the items that are covered and those that aren’t. Most consumable parts, including belts, would not be covered, but if you have engine or transmission problems, most extended warranties will cover that.

Unfortunately, the Smart does not have a temperature gauge and the engine can be warped quickly if it overheats due to a thrown belt. Many smart owners have added aftermarket gauges (like Ultraguage or ScanGauge) to provide an additional feedback. That being said, your description does not sound 100% like a warped block.

If the battery is low, the transmission might not shift properly and the car can die in traffic, the shift actuator malfunctions, the SAM can read bad signals and shut the car down, or another system can barf and stop the car.

Don’t panic.

 

[ZippyD]

i’m in ohio. why?

I am with vadsoom. Don't panic. Just a question: what yellow battery light? DO you mean the Check Engine Light (yes, it's yellow). Battery idiot light is red and comes only in red.

DO what vadsoom suggested with regards to the engine. Check those things like he said. Good luck. (ps if you are close to Pittsburgh, let me know.)

 

[vadsoom]

I’ve been known to help a Smart owner now and again if they are not too far away. I have a Mercedes Star diagnostic, a garage full of tools and I’m not afraid to use them

 

[vadsoom]

Did the Mercedes dealer tell you any fault codes? If not, you should ask for them

 

[wahi]

Sent you a PM.

 

[cagney57]

i’m in ohio. why?

ZippyD...where in Ohio are you? I had issues with a purchase of bumper to bumper warrenty and found out there was tons not covered as well....found a fantastic place for repairs and never set foot in Mercedes dealership again, nor into the place I bought my Smart. Good luck with your Smart.

 

[2012Pure]

Hello everyone especially those who are mechanically knowledgeable on smarts.

i recently purchased (jan 2021) a used smart fortwo 2013 with 37000 miles. Last month my “littl zippe“ went in its last drive and within 18 miles died. First the battery light came on yellow. i quickly looked up what that meant and saw it was saying my battery was not get enough power. (my husband had recently (a week or so) had to jump the battery because zippe had been dead in the drive way. we assumed it was because our recently licensed son had drive it and left the interior light on over night. Anyway, I continued along my trip thinking ok Ilol call my hubby once i get to work and we can have it checked out in the next day or so. well that happen alright! within 3 miles of my final destination (less than 10 min) after the yellow battery light the engine light came on red!! I was very fustrated but again i was just around the corner from my work. As I came to the stop light at the end of the highway off ramp, zippe died! And yes this was in rush hour traffic! to add to my frustration and struggles.
I tried for a bit to get it restarted. It would crank but not turn over and eventually I had white smoke coming out the back. I finally had to have it towed to a mercedes dealership to be looked at.
Now I might be car mechanic dumb but i’m not as far as I did purchase an after market bumper to bumper warranty to protect myself from expensive issues, at least i thought so. Long story short - warranty company is refusing the repair because it doesnt cover alternator belts, which the mercedes dealer is saying broke and cause the burn out of my engine.
Here are my questions for you more mechanically experienced smarties out there -

1) my understanding is manufacturer states belts should be replaced at 60k miles. but my car has only 46k? is this correct? as far as the recommendation?

2) how can a warranty company legally refuse to fix this issue if there is no warnings visible to a driver that a belt broke?

3) considering for over 1/2 of the drive, the only warning i had was the yellow (not red) battery light, and per the manual it basically says to check the battery connection as soon as possible, and considering i’m a woman without more advanced mechanical knowledge why the heck would i think it was a broken belt? compound that reasoning with knowing even the manufacturer doesn’t think you need to check the belts until 60k miles?!?

I need to know as much as possible to help the warranty company see reason and fix my car. any honest and no sarcastic information is really appreciated

tia,
zippe’s grieving mom

As not only a mechanic and a smart owner I would check a few things first including the oil . See if it’s milky as if the head gasket blew and got water into the block. That could have been steam coming out and not smoke from the coolant burning off. It is possible to drive the smarts without a water pump but if it gets up to 245°F your engine is toast. You mentioned “rush hour traffic” which doesn’t sound good. The battery and check light would have came on if the belt broke but also the temp gauge. If it was a catastrophic engine failure the check engine light would flash meaning to shut it down right away. I would start with the oil, check that. If all looks good , then get a new belt put on and see what happens. I
Good luck and keep us posted

 

[ArthurRW]

thanks for responding. According to the mercedes dealership mechanic they checked the alternator and they were able to turn the alternator pulleys by hand so that it is still showing the alternator is in working order. and yes, it is gas.

Most alternators have regulators built in, if a diode blew you can still turn the alternator but there will be no output. The mechanic should have bench tested the alternator.