Smart Cars
29 August 2003, 08:03 AM
#1
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Hi Everybody!
So, who has got one and are they any good.
Yes I know I could go to a Smart forum but they would probably be a bit biased
Anyone go the convertible? Whats that like getting the lid open?
In particular how are they for reliability? How much and how frequently do they need servicing? Have they wised up yet and extended the warranty to 3 years or 60k miles instead of the 3 years or miseley 24K?
Whlist not so trendy, my current second car, daewoo Matiz, has been fantastic for reliability, servicing is free for three years and the economy is awesome - well next to the scoob anything would be
Not interested in the Blade or any of the new models.
Cheers!
So, who has got one and are they any good.
Yes I know I could go to a Smart forum but they would probably be a bit biased
Anyone go the convertible? Whats that like getting the lid open?
In particular how are they for reliability? How much and how frequently do they need servicing? Have they wised up yet and extended the warranty to 3 years or 60k miles instead of the 3 years or miseley 24K?
Whlist not so trendy, my current second car, daewoo Matiz, has been fantastic for reliability, servicing is free for three years and the economy is awesome - well next to the scoob anything would be
Not interested in the Blade or any of the new models.
Cheers!
29 August 2003, 09:10 AM
#2
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I had a V-plate coupe, then the sixth cabrio in the UK (on a W)
The cab is OK - it's just like a Webasto roof so you can open it at any speed. Dropping the back window is easy too but you can only do that while moving slowly IIRC. The side rails are quality but a bit of a pain - if they're in the tailgate and it starts to rain then you need to stop and get them out so the roof can go up.
The early cabs leaked a bit but I think they had a recall (I only kept it for 6 weeks - sold it for profit).
Someone was telling me this week that the early cars have started doing heads, turbos and if hey have a dump valve ECU's.
I don't know much about the RHD ones or the warranty etc.
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622196
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622191
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622228
Fen
The cab is OK - it's just like a Webasto roof so you can open it at any speed. Dropping the back window is easy too but you can only do that while moving slowly IIRC. The side rails are quality but a bit of a pain - if they're in the tailgate and it starts to rain then you need to stop and get them out so the roof can go up.
The early cabs leaked a bit but I think they had a recall (I only kept it for 6 weeks - sold it for profit).
Someone was telling me this week that the early cars have started doing heads, turbos and if hey have a dump valve ECU's.
I don't know much about the RHD ones or the warranty etc.
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622196
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622191
http://fen.fotopic.net/photo.php?id=622228
Fen
29 August 2003, 11:38 AM
#3
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Terrible customer service. Have to book a service, or a warranty fix a month in advance.
It's the standard 2 year or something miles these days like everyone else.
Mechanically pretty reliable. Clutch slippage is common and annoying. Needs tightening up often.
Build quality isn't great. Not upto Lotus standards.
Customer service is the worst you could imagine. Worse than Rover 15 years ago.
The cars themselves are great fun. Can even get the back sliding if you disable the TC.
The customer service is awful.
Oh. and did I mention the customer service?
Mark
It's the standard 2 year or something miles these days like everyone else.
Mechanically pretty reliable. Clutch slippage is common and annoying. Needs tightening up often.
Build quality isn't great. Not upto Lotus standards.
Customer service is the worst you could imagine. Worse than Rover 15 years ago.
The cars themselves are great fun. Can even get the back sliding if you disable the TC.
The customer service is awful.
Oh. and did I mention the customer service?
Mark
29 August 2003, 01:45 PM
#4
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I've driven a mk6 Pulse (remapped) for a year now (9k miles)
Smart Birmingham are good....no complaints.
Great fun for the money and built quality is better than my ex MY99 turbo, especially the interior
P.
Smart Birmingham are good....no complaints.
Great fun for the money and built quality is better than my ex MY99 turbo, especially the interior
P.
29 August 2003, 08:43 PM
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I have a friend who runs a smart tuning business.
They provide some mental artwork for them, as well as Haywood and scott stainless exhausts, dump valves (I kid you not!) and full colour coded customer interiors
See www.smartfx.biz for full details
So if you are going to get one, really get a head turner!!
They provide some mental artwork for them, as well as Haywood and scott stainless exhausts, dump valves (I kid you not!) and full colour coded customer interiors
See www.smartfx.biz for full details
So if you are going to get one, really get a head turner!!
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01 September 2003, 03:58 AM
#10
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A couple of the lads at work swear that they saw an Aston Martin version of the Smart car in the middle of London. When I asked if they meant an AMG, they were certain it was an AML.
Can anyone shed any light on this, or should I be checking their coffee for Class A drugs????? 
Can anyone shed any light on this, or should I be checking their coffee for Class A drugs?????
01 September 2003, 09:42 AM
#11
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We are on our second Smart. We imported an early LHD Passion and then had one of the first RHD coupe in the UK.
We now have a Brabus Coupe on order, so you can probably guess we like them. Not had any reliability issues to speak of with either of the cars, the second car is much better built than the first one IMHO and will be interested to see if there is an improvement when No3 arrives.
Mark is right about the customer service. If we hadn't already had one we would have told Smart Mayfair where to stuff the second one, they were SO RUDE when we went to pick it up.
Then couldn't get a test drive of the Brabus. However credit where credit is due a word with Brabus prompted a call from the MD of Smart UK who took a long time to talk through my Smart ownership experience to date and said he was aware of the problems and was trying to fix them. He suggested I go to their new showroom in Wigmore Street, London and the service there has been first rate.
We considered a Brabus Cabriolet but after playing with one reckoned that as you have to be out of the car to fully lower the rear section and as removing the rails would be a pain we would not make full use of it. Result is we have compromised and ordered the Coupe with the sliding glass sunroof.
We wouldn't be without ours now, it gets used more than our Mini Cooper (BMW one) even for longer journeys sometimes.
thecirsch - Yes there is one with Aston Martin badges on it in London I see it often, there is also one with Ferrari badges but both are just cosmetic jobs stuck on by the owners just like the ones with Mercedes stars on. Nothing to do with Aston Martin at all.
Regards
Robin
[Edited by RobinSherwood - 9/1/2003 9:46:20 AM]
[Edited by RobinSherwood - 9/1/2003 9:48:15 AM]
We now have a Brabus Coupe on order, so you can probably guess we like them. Not had any reliability issues to speak of with either of the cars, the second car is much better built than the first one IMHO and will be interested to see if there is an improvement when No3 arrives.
Mark is right about the customer service. If we hadn't already had one we would have told Smart Mayfair where to stuff the second one, they were SO RUDE when we went to pick it up.
Then couldn't get a test drive of the Brabus. However credit where credit is due a word with Brabus prompted a call from the MD of Smart UK who took a long time to talk through my Smart ownership experience to date and said he was aware of the problems and was trying to fix them. He suggested I go to their new showroom in Wigmore Street, London and the service there has been first rate.
We considered a Brabus Cabriolet but after playing with one reckoned that as you have to be out of the car to fully lower the rear section and as removing the rails would be a pain we would not make full use of it. Result is we have compromised and ordered the Coupe with the sliding glass sunroof.
We wouldn't be without ours now, it gets used more than our Mini Cooper (BMW one) even for longer journeys sometimes.
thecirsch - Yes there is one with Aston Martin badges on it in London I see it often, there is also one with Ferrari badges but both are just cosmetic jobs stuck on by the owners just like the ones with Mercedes stars on. Nothing to do with Aston Martin at all.
Regards
Robin
[Edited by RobinSherwood - 9/1/2003 9:46:20 AM]
[Edited by RobinSherwood - 9/1/2003 9:48:15 AM]
01 September 2003, 02:15 PM
#12
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I see a negative comment or two on customer servicing.
This is quite important to me because I work all day during the week and don't have time to be faffing about making sure servicing and or repairs are carried out properly (like most of us I expect).
I live in the South East - don't know where BT52b is from. I have visited the Smart Centre in Chiswick. They were grovellingly nice but at that time I was a pre-purchase customer Anyone have any comments on service and customer support in this area? Or specifically from the Chiswick centre.
And I know its been done before, but what mpg do you really get, if you drive them sensibly?
Cheers
This is quite important to me because I work all day during the week and don't have time to be faffing about making sure servicing and or repairs are carried out properly (like most of us I expect).
I live in the South East - don't know where BT52b is from. I have visited the Smart Centre in Chiswick. They were grovellingly nice but at that time I was a pre-purchase customer
Anyone have any comments on service and customer support in this area? Or specifically from the Chiswick centre.And I know its been done before, but what mpg do you really get, if you drive them sensibly?
Cheers
01 September 2003, 09:30 PM
#13
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I used to get 38-42mpg but I used them on the motorway a lot. I can get very nearly as much from my Mk2 GTi 8v tho...
BTW you can lower and raise the rear section of a cab without getting out, but I pulled something in my shoulder once so you need to be careful. The rails only take 30secs to remove.
Fen
BTW you can lower and raise the rear section of a cab without getting out, but I pulled something in my shoulder once so you need to be careful. The rails only take 30secs to remove.
Fen
02 September 2003, 12:07 PM
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It's the Chiswick centre which I had the worst experience with. That's after trying Cambridge (ignored the list of faults), Reading (unable to find right part, told me car was fixed when it wasn't, unable to provide courtesy car)
Chiswick did actually fix the part. But I asked them to post something I had left in the glovebox and the guy I spoke to said no problem.
The item never arrived, was missing when I got the car back and they denied having ever spoken to me about it, even the same guy I spoke to!
This is after Milton Keynes TWICE replaced the faulty stereo with others that had different problems (clearly other rejects). One of them even blew up my (decent) speakers as soon as I turned it on!
Then then denied that either of the replacement stereos had a problem despite an independent car stereo place insisting that they were both screwed. So they refused to replace the speakers also.
Oh and the only reason I went as far as Reading was that they were the closest to Stevenage who could do warranty work in under 4 weeks!
Not impressed really.
Chiswick did actually fix the part. But I asked them to post something I had left in the glovebox and the guy I spoke to said no problem.
The item never arrived, was missing when I got the car back and they denied having ever spoken to me about it, even the same guy I spoke to!
This is after Milton Keynes TWICE replaced the faulty stereo with others that had different problems (clearly other rejects). One of them even blew up my (decent) speakers as soon as I turned it on!
Then then denied that either of the replacement stereos had a problem despite an independent car stereo place insisting that they were both screwed. So they refused to replace the speakers also.
Oh and the only reason I went as far as Reading was that they were the closest to Stevenage who could do warranty work in under 4 weeks!
Not impressed really.
07 September 2003, 12:13 PM
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IVE GOT A SILVER PASSION 2001.no problems to date and ive never seen an old fart driving one yet.i do all servicing myself and if it breaks ill buy another one.the matiz is the ultimate old fart /misers car i.m.h.o.
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