Hi, I'm a Smart technician, your issue is: The SAM unit is drinking water by the windshield. More over they suffer of bad soldering. You can use a second hand SAM a copy they informations from your defective one and by done with your problems.
Would you know why my scan tool won't communicate with ME? Engine runs, CEL bulb was burnt out but that didn't restore comm. Greatly appreciate your help
@@thesmartguy3523 We're using the Autel MaxiSys Ultra We have communication with every other module. We know it's a grey market model, but it should still have obdIi protocol. We're about to use the break out box and then check wiring to the ME
Hello Smart technician. I just bought a 2005 smart with an electrical issue with the tail lights. The passenger side tail and break light does not work. I have replaced the bulb with no luck. The driver side tail light works but no break light. Also replaced this bulb. All other lights in rear work including third break light. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Been there, done that... walked away It's the most expensive car I have ever owned... Got fantastic mileage, drives like a go-cart and is unbeatable in the city... more expensive to keep on the road than a Mercedes... wait it is a Mercedes...
Maybe Naked Gun? When they have the opening sequence with camera on top of the police car, and it looks like the police car starts driving through buildings and into public bathroom and gets in a lift and everything
Yes, but there was another one where they are driving with the rear windscreen showing various ridiculous video scenes, I seem to recall one of horses chasing them. Can't seem to google into it.
The "test drive' was hilarious! Nice 1960s -70s sawing back and forth on the steering wheel, with no effect on where the car is "going". Plus, the stock footage that was part of every single "driving" scene that was on TV and the movies for decades. I was half expecting to see Jim Rockford, Malloy and Reed in Adam 12, or Ponch and John pulling you over :-)
If you look carefully, in some of the scenes you can see through the back window to the garage. It's a little hard to notice because the greys all blend together.
Your Craigslist ad almost, *almost*, made me want to buy it. Then I realized it was a Smart For Two, and that it was broken, therefore it would be stupid of me to buy it. Mostly because it's a Smart For Two, but also because it's broken. I really enjoy your videos a lot. I hope you can at least break almost evenish with this car. Thanks for making these videos. I know I appreciate it and look forward to more good content. *:)*
I used to be a member of a car-sharing service in the city I lived in at the time, and they had a few Smart ForTwos. I tried one once, and summarized the experience as like being in a car with a manual transmission driven by someone who is not very good at operating a car with a manual transmission.
Hiya! I own two of these first buggers, a second gen, and a third gen (all in the USA). First, advice for if you do get it running reliably: Get a AAA membership. When these 450s break, they break fast and catastrophically. Second, your issue is likely the SAM. The 450 sometimes fell victim to water and moisture ingress into the SAM unit, causing corrosion, shorts, and destroyed solders. If you took yours apart, I would not be surprised if it was a bit corroded. If the corrosion isn't too bad, you can DIY fix with some soldering skills. Other than that, the issue could also be a bad ground. Bad grounds can sometimes cause cascading failures with smarts. Though, the jumping odo makes me think corrosion.
We had a similar issue with a nissan maxima that would freak out when driven roughly, or up or down a hill. Turns out a penny had fallen between the ECU and its connection to the wire harness causing it to short out when it would move, hopefully your fix could be that easy.
If everything is dying when it shuts off chances are it's a grounding issue. Check all the basics. Battery positive and negative all the ground straps etc.
Every video of yours is so enjoyable. Your wit is undeniable. So is your knowledge about what you’re talking about. That’s what I find the most impressive about your web site.
trick with the gearbox is to go off the throttle when changing, like a real manual, this reduces the seasickness of your passengers. also, if turning at an intersection, press the gas earlier than you normally would during a turn, this makes it feel more like a normal car as it will change gears and then as you said, after 3 seconds throttle up
The ad was great! If I was going to tackle that electrical problem the first thing I check is all the grounds, especially the alternator and chassis to body grounds. You might also try swapping the battery with a known good one. My good old Jeep took to having a complete power failure at times, EVERYTHING would shut down for a few seconds. Turned out to be a bad cell in the battery was shorting, a new battery fixed the problem it hasn't returned in a couple of hundred thousand miles or so.
ECUs, in my experience, are generally fairly easy to get to. You might be able to replace it yourself fairly easily. Also, it may be worth taking it out of the car, opening it up, and checking the capacitors. It’s not unheard of for capacitors inside computers of all sorts to fail, and it’s not a difficult fix if you’re handy with a soldering iron.
Car Dude for Dan McCarthy. Thought he did. That's an old jargon joke. I always thought the Smart Car was the absolutely stupidist car I'd ever seen, for the horribly inflated price. At least a Yugo only cost only a few thousand new, and it was still stupid. Loved your comic driving sequence.
Also the Mercedes repair shop failed to read the ECU, yet still charges the guy? I think the name of this botch shop should be mentioned here to warn others. Clearly the computer is working perfectly, otherwise he wouldn't have the dashboard light up, and only fail to start, so the techs don't have the right software, but offers him a new ECU, which the presumably don't have the skill to set up either? Mercedes need to weed out the bad apples in their US service departments.
Really? All the dealerships I've been to have been top-notch (especially the one in Manhattan). It's a great place to hang out while their mechanics spend a week trying to figure out why your car won't start.
Know nothing about Smarts, but thumbs up for checking all grounds. In my experience fiddly electical issues that are bad enough to switch the ignition off and are otherwise impossible to troubleshoot are often bad/disconnected grounds or direct shorts. Especially if no mechanical issue exists. And it does not have to be the batt wires, the SAM/ECU could have a pinched wire, broken connection, etc. And voltage spikes from a bad connection may explain the random haywire computer resets. You also said a brake light was blown when you got it. If this issue happens only when you are stopped, maybe the brake pedal is pulling a wire harness or a short exists in the brake electrical system.
@@gteixeira i know I'm late, but do you know how these were sold in america? Smart didn't come to america until 2008 and with the 25 year rule there must've been some system in place.
@@lucasbryant6599 It was imported as new, as such, it needed the modifications to comply with DoT and EPA regulations. That's why it looks different from the European model (the headlights had to be replaced with DoT compliant ones).
@@lucasbryant6599 It is not illegal to import any car under 25 years old, it is just that it needs to be modified to comply with all those regulations. It typically costs around $10k to do that in a single car, but if you do in several at same time you get economies of scale. Usually it is only worth to import a car to the US if there is demand enough to have a whole line in the original factory producing the cars already complying with all those rules before they even land here.
Best video I've seen lately. I just bought a Smartcar sight unseen...will pick up tomorrow...and if ok, will drive 800 miles. Yes, I have a feeling that I might have made a mistake too.
Who knew you could pull a donut with a SmartCar? That was some mighty fine driving you did there pardner. I always get such kick out these cars when I think about the fact that I could get four into my garage. (hmmmmm... I dunno how I'd open the door.) I test drove a Mini Cooper about 12 years ago and loved it.... until I looked in the rear view mirror, on the freeway, and saw an 18wheeler behind me. I got that puppy back to the dealer so fast...
Wow it looks a lot bigger than it actually is in this video, I saw one of these cars once it was in a hotel parking lot I have never seen a car that small before I could have easily put the entire car in the bed of my F450 and that’s not an exaggeration at all!
Nice to see you at the St. Louis European Car Show with the Saab and Trabant. Not sure why you didn't bring this one, it clearly would've won Best In Show! Designed in Germany, built in France- a practical and reliable car for the modern man, truly.
Sounds like a probable ground issue. Wire brush connections between battery, body, engine and alternator, assemble with copper grease. When dealing with old cars it's a good and easy fix to make sure the basics are right, even if it doesn't end up solving the problem. Good baseline.
Been there, done that with a 2002 model, fixed it and sold it to someone with a nearly identical 2002 model. Since doing that I appreciate that people love these little cars. It was fun while it lasted but driving it after a 2016 smart was an experience, especially needing to change down through the gears to help the car stop :-).
First thing I would do is check all the plugin connections for corrosion. There is an aerosol solvent that can be used to clean the connections. After disconnecting, apply the solvent and re connect, disconnect than reconnect again. This repeating action will clean the corrosion from the pins. If the computer is the problem, you might be able to find one at a wrecking yard for around $100. Check out what MrKouik says below. This sounds logical as will.
You more likely have water damage, which means the SAM is screwed up. Unfortunately, since the SAM is tied into the dash and ECU as well as transponders in most Smart cars, it is a costly replacement. Replacing the SAM (and all the other parts) should also improve the rest of the car's driving as the engine is probably in limp mode as the ECU/SAM doesn't trust the sensors.
Check a few things for the electrical: 1) Check all of the ground points on the car. 2) Absolutely ensure the battery is ~12.7V at rest. Anything less easily causes some of the most bizarre problems. 3) Make sure the alternator is working.
And when you break, the wire makes worse contact, and everything shuts down. What i find curious, a car from 2005 should still be able to have it's engine running without the main computer. Well, if the gas is controlled by the computer, and has no minimum, it might lead to it turning off.
Obviously, for you and many others, the car is appropriately named. Because, after you bought it you started "smarting", so now you are smarter after having bought it. (entertaining review 👍)
For the electrical issues check to see if all the ground points are tight, after that start it up and try shaking the whole damn car at a stop and see if it cuts out (probably will) if it doesn't then there is probably some kind of sensor that could be loose or loose/detoriated (I.e. cut then poorly spliced) wire. I would say if there are holes for something that was mounted, there is likely going to be spliced wires within 5 feet of those holes (which on a smart for two could be the whole damn thing)
i have a 2008 and it is perfect. Fast, fuel efficient as hell, handles like a dream....love it and have had ZERO problems. I paid $4800 and it was worth every penny. Honestly worth twice as much. If i saw one in perfect condition for $8000 , i wouldn't even hesitate. I have driven nothing but American v8's my entire life btw....these little cars are amazing.
Lovely channel.. I could be mistaken, but i do seem to remember reading about the smart car when they where released. In safety aspects the car was really ahead of other small cars. I think that among the features was an emergency electrical cut off in case of an accident. Could that be the item/unit that causing you´r problem..? Just an idea.
Major electrical problems are normally caused by two things a windscreen has been replaced and poorly sealed that causes water to leak directly into the sam. also the rear side plastic windows can leak water at the bottom due to perishing foam seals and if left long enough this will get to the engine fuse and relay box under the seat carpet, Im not sure if its the same on a left hand drive, pull both seats forward and stick your hand under the carpet and feel around for damp/a small fuse and relay box. either way take the sam out (its not difficult) (drivers footwell) about 8 connectors and a 10mm nut with power cable take a photo of them so you dont put them back wrong). you may even find a conector not plugged in properly. sam's are generally reliable, (apart from if this happens) ps. mileage jumping the way you described suggests the sam may have already been replaced but from a scrappy/anothervehicle, as the instrument cluster and sam both keep mileages and if one is higher than the other then the i/c adopts the higher value (prevents clocking). this would suggest a poor connection from the sam to the i/c.but i'd have thought the dealer would have picked up on this as the chassis coding of the control unit would be wrong. hope this helps pps hilarious road test
Consider that when the car works it works fine. This means it is most likely to be a single problem. From what you say the computer may be loosing power. It could be loosing power because it's being overloaded (something that the computer drives is pulling too much current when it gets turned on (brake light bulbs?)) or something is interfering with the power feed. It can also be 'cold solder' (look it up) on the computer board itself. From your description it may be thermally triggered. Find where the computer is powered (on the computer board) and put 2 meters on it, one for voltage and one for current and have a camera watch for the failure event. With that you can see the normal operating current and voltage and the failure event current and voltage and you'll have an idea of where to go from there. If you have the right spot (right spot because if you remove power from it the computer has no power) and no power failure then continue looking on the computer side and if there is power failure continue looking on the power side.
Smart actually decided not to put a clutch pedal in because they wanted higher safety ratings, the clutch pedal basically lodged into crash test dummy’s legs and made them get a bad rating and that was one of the smarts selling points was good crash ratings
That is 3rd gen, a very good car actually, I had one. The motor shouldn't rattle, it revs up to 6000 like nothing and runs nice and smooth. If you keep your foot fully on the gas pedal while shifting up, the pause will be short. Downshifts take a bit, but you can double- or triple click the gearshifter to go down 2 or 3 gears in one go. Don't use automatic shift.
I am sure you have checked but it could just be a loose ground somewhere. I had a Taurus awhile back that had electrical gremlins and I found it had a loose electrical grounding strap under the trunk carpeting. A lot of the time the answer is simple.
Absolutely LOVE this TH-cam channel!! All of us weird, oddball car freaks have found a home. And, I have owned two of these original Smarts - they can indeed be interesting.
Check on the "engine earth strap" it's a big grounding wire that grounds the motor to the body of the car, google it, it's an easy fix. Another electrical connection that is worth checking it's the transmission wiring, it sometimes gets pinched between the intercooler scoop and the transmission carter...
Luv this guy. He keeps your attention for sure. Just have to keep rewinding due to laughing and missing parts. By the way I have a 2012 Fortwo that I got for 5800$. Anyways you a good one and this experience made me think of the young man off Wonder Years.😘
Not sure if it applies to this model, but the Smart Roadsters were somewhat infamous for having rainwater funnelled into its fusebox. Possibly water has accumulated in the box, and breaking causes it to run forwards and immerse the fuses?
My grandmas 2012 Hyundai electra was driving fine most of the time, but sometimes would give us scary problems, it turned out to just be a coil, even though the check engine light wasn't going off, it made the car do crazy stuff similar to what your description, I guess the engine slowed enough to make the battery go low enough to cause issues but not a CEL.
I for one wish you luck, and hope at some point you do decide to pursue the Smart car issue. After all, the car's paid for, might as well give it a shot, right?
A really wild guess... The stereo is aftermarket, maybe the installation can interfere with the ECU. For example, in VW's there is something called a "K-wire" that connects to the original headunit and can cause problems with new stereos, including loss of OBDII and ECU communication functions. I guess investigating the stereo situation could be one last-ditch effort before giving up.
Gear changes can be greatly improved by making sure the clutch actuator is well lubricated internally (use white lithium grease from an aerosol) and setting up the actuator preload correctly. Additionally there is a recalibration procedure to teach the ECU where the bite point is for the clutch, though it requires a Mercedes Star system or one of the aftermarket diagnostic systems that supports this (e.g. Delphi). Properly set up the gear changes aren't too bad provided you use semi-auto mode i.e. change gears yourself. Fully automatic mode is a lost cause, it was shit from the factory and never got any better.
used SAM unit in here in Poland costs around 30$. My cousin works at very reputable used Mercedes car/parts dealer and has that used (tested and fully working) unit for about 70$. I stopped using services of dealerships long time ago due to their ridiculous prices :D
Bought a Smart Car with electrical problems just to compare it to a knockoff Smart Car that is an electrical problem. You have to admire the dedication to our entertainment this represents, given that Robert could have earned more than double the money the three videos that featured the Smart made through AdSense, by playing a Keytar in the streets of Saint Louis for a few hours... on Demo. Triple if he also had a dog.
I do believe it is 'beyond economic repair'. In my opinion it sounds like it may have had a problem with water getting to the electrical bits, which will not only upset the main computer part but very likely some other parts as well. Selling is the best course of action. Oh and for once I do know something about this sort of thing as I used to be an electrical engineer - retired due to color blindness.
You are awesome in making this video. The deer scared me as I can't imagine what the outcome would be if hitting one with a Smart car. Every car and pickup in our yard has hit a deer at some point causing from $800 to $8000 in damage.
About a year ago my dad bought a used 2001 Smart Fortwo. It had several issues including exacltly the electrical fault you described. Engine just shuts off randomly, display flashes oil temperature and fuel. The guy we bought the car from also told us about it being dependent on rain... He said it's fine in summer. ( However, it was not :/ ) Searching for the Symptoms on google doesn't really help. Apart from some saying "Change the Engine Control Unit" without any dignose. :S After some troubleshooting they finally decided to change the engine control unit and it worked flawlessly indeed. We didn't change it permanently right away, but insted tried to fix the old one. In the end we put in a new(used) one. The main cost comes from reprogramming your key afaik. I personally really enjoy driving it. And most of the time it's just all you need to get places and nothing more. :D
Check under the car for any loose wires hanging, it might be shorting when you drive if the wires touch the floor on different terrains. (just a guess though) as it happened to me before.
I see some comments that show a cultural difference. These cars are used in a lot of European country. You can find them in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, mostly. They are used in the case of Italy to get through narrow cities. Both for the youths as well for the elderly. They are decent cars. They drive like a golf with small turn circle. If you want to have fun in a extreme way. You can put a hyabusa motor in it.
"It won't work in Saint Louis because it's not bulletproof, but other cities it should be fine." I would have given you a sub but I already have subbed lul. I love how casually you joke around.
I know E class Mercedes is likely to rust out the electrical system's grounding lugs so my first suggestion would be to check the wiring in the engine bay. But like the others have mentioned, if the dash goes completely dark and you are just starting to move / stopping when braking I would also check the fuse box for water. If the water is sloshing around, it could explain the dash going dark. But what I would most likely do is try to find someone with the "Delphi" diagnostic tool, which is a STAR-like OBD reader device, which has many makes and models in the software, mb, wv, mitsubishi, lada etc. I think I saw Smart in the software as well. If it actually is a Mitsubishi engine because of US regulations, the software is likely able to decipher it.
As someone who has been working on cars for over a decade, hearing that there is an electrical problem cause by shorts from the plug wires would make me VERY cautious; given it runs at several thousand volts.
Hi, I'm a Smart technician, your issue is: The SAM unit is drinking water by the windshield. More over they suffer of bad soldering. You can use a second hand SAM a copy they informations from your defective one and by done with your problems.
Would you know why my scan tool won't communicate with ME?
Engine runs, CEL bulb was burnt out but that didn't restore comm.
Greatly appreciate your help
@@jessejuliano5336 what scan tool are you using ? STAR/MB original tools are better for smart
@@thesmartguy3523 We're using the Autel MaxiSys Ultra
We have communication with every other module. We know it's a grey market model, but it should still have obdIi protocol.
We're about to use the break out box and then check wiring to the ME
@@jessejuliano5336 yes probably KLINE comm to the MEG/ECU has a short or open
Hello Smart technician. I just bought a 2005 smart with an electrical issue with the tail lights. The passenger side tail and break light does not work. I have replaced the bulb with no luck. The driver side tail light works but no break light. Also replaced this bulb. All other lights in rear work including third break light. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Been there, done that... walked away
It's the most expensive car I have ever owned... Got fantastic mileage, drives like a go-cart and is unbeatable in the city... more expensive to keep on the road than a Mercedes... wait it is a Mercedes...
With a mower deck and rear grass catching bags, that would be an awesome riding mower!
It even sounds like one.
Thats about all they are good for
I love the driving sequence! It's so realistic and accurate!
It reminds me of a Leslie Nielsen movie but I cannot for the life of me remember which one.
Maybe Naked Gun? When they have the opening sequence with camera on top of the police car, and it looks like the police car starts driving through buildings and into public bathroom and gets in a lift and everything
Love those films
Yes, but there was another one where they are driving with the rear windscreen showing various ridiculous video scenes, I seem to recall one of horses chasing them. Can't seem to google into it.
I found it! It was from Airplane!
th-cam.com/video/MrktxWUgcyA/w-d-xo.html
That craigslist ad is hilarious. Let's hope it goes viral so the car will sell for $20,350...
Even if the car doesn't sell, I hope the ad goes viral so more people can have a chuckle or two.
Please mark the ad for "best of" by clicking on the heart button!
if he sell it for parts maybe worth something
Yea right it wouldn't even sell for 20350 pennies
It's archived here by the way: web.archive.org/web/*/stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/d/2005-smart-fortwo-passion/6677388966.html
I love the, "test drive", especially the parked car in the back window.
The "test drive' was hilarious! Nice 1960s -70s sawing back and forth on the steering wheel, with no effect on where the car is "going". Plus, the stock footage that was part of every single "driving" scene that was on TV and the movies for decades.
I was half expecting to see Jim Rockford, Malloy and Reed in Adam 12, or Ponch and John pulling you over :-)
If you look carefully, in some of the scenes you can see through the back window to the garage. It's a little hard to notice because the greys all blend together.
Your Craigslist ad almost, *almost*, made me want to buy it. Then I realized it was a Smart For Two, and that it was broken, therefore it would be stupid of me to buy it. Mostly because it's a Smart For Two, but also because it's broken.
I really enjoy your videos a lot. I hope you can at least break almost evenish with this car. Thanks for making these videos. I know I appreciate it and look forward to more good content. *:)*
Dsdcain smarts actually sell really good
I used to be a member of a car-sharing service in the city I lived in at the time, and they had a few Smart ForTwos. I tried one once, and summarized the experience as like being in a car with a manual transmission driven by someone who is not very good at operating a car with a manual transmission.
I used them a lot and they are just fine. Very useful and practical car, comfortable as cars go. But then, driving cars is allways a bad experience.
Hiya! I own two of these first buggers, a second gen, and a third gen (all in the USA).
First, advice for if you do get it running reliably: Get a AAA membership. When these 450s break, they break fast and catastrophically.
Second, your issue is likely the SAM. The 450 sometimes fell victim to water and moisture ingress into the SAM unit, causing corrosion, shorts, and destroyed solders. If you took yours apart, I would not be surprised if it was a bit corroded. If the corrosion isn't too bad, you can DIY fix with some soldering skills.
Other than that, the issue could also be a bad ground. Bad grounds can sometimes cause cascading failures with smarts. Though, the jumping odo makes me think corrosion.
Oof, one more thing. The windscreen washers should be able to be adjusted, however it's been a while, so I may be wrong.
Love the green screen work lol
this mans a pro at that trick
What green screen lmao
@@mmarkkozo it's a blue screen lol
@@raven4k998 yes I get it kind sir
@@mmarkkozo I was just bugging you kind sir lol
Turning the mirror around was not what we asked for, but it was the attention to detail we needed. Awesome as ever.
We had a similar issue with a nissan maxima that would freak out when driven roughly, or up or down a hill. Turns out a penny had fallen between the ECU and its connection to the wire harness causing it to short out when it would move, hopefully your fix could be that easy.
Easy fix: stab it with a forklift and throw it in a recycling dump
Most expensive penny ever haha.
when the chinese knockoff version of a car is more reliable than the original
I just hope that you are not being serious...
Haha!!
well the original is Mercedes what do you expect ;)
Lol
@@nikolanikola8543 As a Mercedes owner I find this statement highly believable.
On the add it says:
Size: Full-size
Type: bus
That made Me laugh
If everything is dying when it shuts off chances are it's a grounding issue. Check all the basics. Battery positive and negative all the ground straps etc.
Lol the drive part
Every video of yours is so enjoyable. Your wit is undeniable. So is your knowledge about what you’re talking about. That’s what I find the most impressive about your web site.
trick with the gearbox is to go off the throttle when changing, like a real manual, this reduces the seasickness of your passengers. also, if turning at an intersection, press the gas earlier than you normally would during a turn, this makes it feel more like a normal car as it will change gears and then as you said, after 3 seconds throttle up
The ad was great! If I was going to tackle that electrical problem the first thing I check is all the grounds, especially the alternator and chassis to body grounds. You might also try swapping the battery with a known good one. My good old Jeep took to having a complete power failure at times, EVERYTHING would shut down for a few seconds. Turned out to be a bad cell in the battery was shorting, a new battery fixed the problem it hasn't returned in a couple of hundred thousand miles or so.
ECUs, in my experience, are generally fairly easy to get to. You might be able to replace it yourself fairly easily. Also, it may be worth taking it out of the car, opening it up, and checking the capacitors. It’s not unheard of for capacitors inside computers of all sorts to fail, and it’s not a difficult fix if you’re handy with a soldering iron.
Type: bus
the smart bus version 3.0
Hayabusa Swap it.
thankyou, you saved me writing that
Your brutally accurate description if a car is good or not for St. Louis got me
A Mercedes-engineered car with electrical problems??? That's unpossible!
impossible*
Car Dude. Nah he probably did mean un-possible.
No, I meant it how I wrote it.
Car Dude for Dan McCarthy.
Thought he did. That's an old jargon joke.
I always thought the Smart Car was the absolutely stupidist car I'd ever seen, for the horribly inflated price. At least a Yugo only cost only a few thousand new, and it was still stupid. Loved your comic driving sequence.
Also the Mercedes repair shop failed to read the ECU, yet still charges the guy? I think the name of this botch shop should be mentioned here to warn others. Clearly the computer is working perfectly, otherwise he wouldn't have the dashboard light up, and only fail to start, so the techs don't have the right software, but offers him a new ECU, which the presumably don't have the skill to set up either? Mercedes need to weed out the bad apples in their US service departments.
Lmao the rear window when he's driving
That's a very nice and clean full-size bus in excellent condition!
Mercedes Benz dealers always, always have questionable customer service. Questionable at best, irritating at worst.
Really? All the dealerships I've been to have been top-notch (especially the one in Manhattan). It's a great place to hang out while their mechanics spend a week trying to figure out why your car won't start.
Greatest test drive ever filmed.
Possible Solution check all the electrical grounds
That was my first thought as well. no ground, no power, no computer.
Would buy this in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere near MO, sadly, I'm 2000 miles away.
Know nothing about Smarts, but thumbs up for checking all grounds. In my experience fiddly electical issues that are bad enough to switch the ignition off and are otherwise impossible to troubleshoot are often bad/disconnected grounds or direct shorts. Especially if no mechanical issue exists. And it does not have to be the batt wires, the SAM/ECU could have a pinched wire, broken connection, etc. And voltage spikes from a bad connection may explain the random haywire computer resets. You also said a brake light was blown when you got it. If this issue happens only when you are stopped, maybe the brake pedal is pulling a wire harness or a short exists in the brake electrical system.
get a dealer mech to look at it on the side, a lot of them will do it for a lot less money and know where to get cheap parts
I run a Carfax on this car and it had 2 miles in 2007 when it was imported into the US and 156 miles in 2009. That might explain the odometer issue.
So it sat on a lot for 2 years as a demo. How does that explain the odometer issue?
OMGWTFLOL Maybe the car was rolled back around 2009 and sold as a show car.
@@gteixeira i know I'm late, but do you know how these were sold in america? Smart didn't come to america until 2008 and with the 25 year rule there must've been some system in place.
@@lucasbryant6599 It was imported as new, as such, it needed the modifications to comply with DoT and EPA regulations. That's why it looks different from the European model (the headlights had to be replaced with DoT compliant ones).
@@lucasbryant6599 It is not illegal to import any car under 25 years old, it is just that it needs to be modified to comply with all those regulations. It typically costs around $10k to do that in a single car, but if you do in several at same time you get economies of scale. Usually it is only worth to import a car to the US if there is demand enough to have a whole line in the original factory producing the cars already complying with all those rules before they even land here.
Best video I've seen lately. I just bought a Smartcar sight unseen...will pick up tomorrow...and if ok, will drive 800 miles. Yes, I have a feeling that I might have made a mistake too.
That was some nice green screen video driving :-) I was Lol with your steering motions :-D
I always love your touch of humor in your videos :-)
This video was hilarious! Love your sense of humor!
9:50 your driving is convincing me to purchase one of these. Yes.... _sooo_ convincing (turns wheel to the right while still driving straight)
Who knew you could pull a donut with a SmartCar? That was some mighty fine driving you did there pardner. I always get such kick out these cars when I think about the fact that I could get four into my garage. (hmmmmm... I dunno how I'd open the door.) I test drove a Mini Cooper about 12 years ago and loved it.... until I looked in the rear view mirror, on the freeway, and saw an 18wheeler behind me. I got that puppy back to the dealer so fast...
This reminds me of the driving scene in Airplane!
Wow it looks a lot bigger than it actually is in this video, I saw one of these cars once it was in a hotel parking lot I have never seen a car that small before I could have easily put the entire car in the bed of my F450 and that’s not an exaggeration at all!
way too much play in that steering :)
Remove all the volatiles and put it in the kid's bedroom and build the bed into it.
It's way too small for that
Nice to see you at the St. Louis European Car Show with the Saab and Trabant. Not sure why you didn't bring this one, it clearly would've won Best In Show!
Designed in Germany, built in France- a practical and reliable car for the modern man, truly.
Sounds like a probable ground issue. Wire brush connections between battery, body, engine and alternator, assemble with copper grease. When dealing with old cars it's a good and easy fix to make sure the basics are right, even if it doesn't end up solving the problem. Good baseline.
Been there, done that with a 2002 model, fixed it and sold it to someone with a nearly identical 2002 model. Since doing that I appreciate that people love these little cars. It was fun while it lasted but driving it after a 2016 smart was an experience, especially needing to change down through the gears to help the car stop :-).
First thing I would do is check all the plugin connections for corrosion. There is an aerosol solvent that can be used to clean the connections. After disconnecting, apply the solvent and re connect, disconnect than reconnect again. This repeating action will clean the corrosion from the pins. If the computer is the problem, you might be able to find one at a wrecking yard for around $100. Check out what MrKouik says below. This sounds logical as will.
"I bought this car as a prop!"
God dammit.
Dimeinurear yes, he is rich but no amount of money is fixing that face.
@@manuelalvarez25 give him a break he didn't get a choice on his face
“The windshield washer is so powerful it misses the windshield” 💀💀💀💀
You more likely have water damage, which means the SAM is screwed up. Unfortunately, since the SAM is tied into the dash and ECU as well as transponders in most Smart cars, it is a costly replacement. Replacing the SAM (and all the other parts) should also improve the rest of the car's driving as the engine is probably in limp mode as the ECU/SAM doesn't trust the sensors.
Your videos are always extremely interesting, and enjoyable. I don't know how or why, but it is! Keep it up!
sir have you been to your local Wendy's as of late?
Check a few things for the electrical: 1) Check all of the ground points on the car. 2) Absolutely ensure the battery is ~12.7V at rest. Anything less easily causes some of the most bizarre problems. 3) Make sure the alternator is working.
I'd say you've probably got a bad ground or a loose connection somewhere
And when you break, the wire makes worse contact, and everything shuts down.
What i find curious, a car from 2005 should still be able to have it's engine running without the main computer. Well, if the gas is controlled by the computer, and has no minimum, it might lead to it turning off.
Leberkas Semmel In newer cars (I'd say late 90's forward) the computer controls everything- spark, fuel, air, etc. Won't run without the computer.
whut? It has indirect EFI and coilpacks, all you can do without the ECU is maybe crank the engine, but definitely not run it :P
Obviously, for you and many others, the car is appropriately named. Because, after you bought it you started "smarting", so now you are smarter after having bought it. (entertaining review 👍)
For the electrical issues check to see if all the ground points are tight, after that start it up and try shaking the whole damn car at a stop and see if it cuts out (probably will) if it doesn't then there is probably some kind of sensor that could be loose or loose/detoriated (I.e. cut then poorly spliced) wire. I would say if there are holes for something that was mounted, there is likely going to be spliced wires within 5 feet of those holes (which on a smart for two could be the whole damn thing)
i have a 2008 and it is perfect. Fast, fuel efficient as hell, handles like a dream....love it and have had ZERO problems. I paid $4800 and it was worth every penny. Honestly worth twice as much. If i saw one in perfect condition for $8000 , i wouldn't even hesitate. I have driven nothing but American v8's my entire life btw....these little cars are amazing.
Lovely channel.. I could be mistaken, but i do seem to remember reading about the smart car when they where released. In safety aspects the car was really ahead of other small cars. I think that among the features was an emergency electrical cut off in case of an accident. Could that be the item/unit that causing you´r problem..? Just an idea.
Major electrical problems are normally caused by two things a windscreen has been replaced and poorly sealed that causes water to leak directly into the sam. also the rear side plastic windows can leak water at the bottom due to perishing foam seals and if left long enough this will get to the engine fuse and relay box under the seat carpet, Im not sure if its the same on a left hand drive, pull both seats forward and stick your hand under the carpet and feel around for damp/a small fuse and relay box. either way take the sam out (its not difficult) (drivers footwell) about 8 connectors and a 10mm nut with power cable take a photo of them so you dont put them back wrong). you may even find a conector not plugged in properly. sam's are generally reliable, (apart from if this happens)
ps. mileage jumping the way you described suggests the sam may have already been replaced but from a scrappy/anothervehicle, as the instrument cluster and sam both keep mileages and if one is higher than the other then the i/c adopts the higher value (prevents clocking). this would suggest a poor connection from the sam to the i/c.but i'd have thought the dealer would have picked up on this as the chassis coding of the control unit would be wrong.
hope this helps
pps hilarious road test
Consider that when the car works it works fine. This means it is most likely to be a single problem. From what you say the computer may be loosing power. It could be loosing power because it's being overloaded (something that the computer drives is pulling too much current when it gets turned on (brake light bulbs?)) or something is interfering with the power feed. It can also be 'cold solder' (look it up) on the computer board itself. From your description it may be thermally triggered.
Find where the computer is powered (on the computer board) and put 2 meters on it, one for voltage and one for current and have a camera watch for the failure event. With that you can see the normal operating current and voltage and the failure event current and voltage and you'll have an idea of where to go from there. If you have the right spot (right spot because if you remove power from it the computer has no power) and no power failure then continue looking on the computer side and if there is power failure continue looking on the power side.
*losing (for Christ's sake)
Glad you fixed it.
@@the.way.123 ; watch his video where he fixed it. It's most probably the same issue. Cold solder.
There is two reasons, _This is four_
...so frequently that I could get it on video. _I couldn't_
Smart actually decided not to put a clutch pedal in because they wanted higher safety ratings, the clutch pedal basically lodged into crash test dummy’s legs and made them get a bad rating and that was one of the smarts selling points was good crash ratings
Love the bulletproof comment about St Louis 😂
That is 3rd gen, a very good car actually, I had one. The motor shouldn't rattle, it revs up to 6000 like nothing and runs nice and smooth. If you keep your foot fully on the gas pedal while shifting up, the pause will be short. Downshifts take a bit, but you can double- or triple click the gearshifter to go down 2 or 3 gears in one go. Don't use automatic shift.
You are going to be far better off in the long run by keeping the Smart car and taking the Wheego and give it a decent burning.
"I Bought a 2005 Smart ForTwo with Electrical Problems" Just as correct as "I Bought a 2005 Smart ForTwo with 4 wheels".
Thank you for the great job with videos. And i love your sarcasm 😁
I am sure you have checked but it could just be a loose ground somewhere. I had a Taurus awhile back that had electrical gremlins and I found it had a loose electrical grounding strap under the trunk carpeting. A lot of the time the answer is simple.
Absolutely LOVE this TH-cam channel!! All of us weird, oddball car freaks have found a home. And, I have owned two of these original Smarts - they can indeed be interesting.
It makes Trabi look reliable...and that is a tremendous feat
The test drive segment though 😂
Check on the "engine earth strap" it's a big grounding wire that grounds the motor to the body of the car, google it, it's an easy fix.
Another electrical connection that is worth checking it's the transmission wiring, it sometimes gets pinched between the intercooler scoop and the transmission carter...
Smart cars are actually good cars. Repair it and you should have a much better car than a wheego.
Luv this guy. He keeps your attention for sure. Just have to keep rewinding due to laughing and missing parts. By the way I have a 2012 Fortwo that I got for 5800$. Anyways you a good one and this experience made me think of the young man off Wonder Years.😘
Not sure if it applies to this model, but the Smart Roadsters were somewhat infamous for having rainwater funnelled into its fusebox.
Possibly water has accumulated in the box, and breaking causes it to run forwards and immerse the fuses?
That particular problem is specific to the Roadster.
That Ed Bolian comment was perfect... 😂
My grandmas 2012 Hyundai electra was driving fine most of the time, but sometimes would give us scary problems, it turned out to just be a coil, even though the check engine light wasn't going off, it made the car do crazy stuff similar to what your description, I guess the engine slowed enough to make the battery go low enough to cause issues but not a CEL.
I for one wish you luck, and hope at some point you do decide to pursue the Smart car issue. After all, the car's paid for, might as well give it a shot, right?
The craigslist ad is indeed brutaly honest.
If you end up going down the SAM replacement route, you may want to check with S.O.S. Diagnostics to see if they have a reprogrammed used unit.
A really wild guess... The stereo is aftermarket, maybe the installation can interfere with the ECU. For example, in VW's there is something called a "K-wire" that connects to the original headunit and can cause problems with new stereos, including loss of OBDII and ECU communication functions. I guess investigating the stereo situation could be one last-ditch effort before giving up.
Gear changes can be greatly improved by making sure the clutch actuator is well lubricated internally (use white lithium grease from an aerosol) and setting up the actuator preload correctly. Additionally there is a recalibration procedure to teach the ECU where the bite point is for the clutch, though it requires a Mercedes Star system or one of the aftermarket diagnostic systems that supports this (e.g. Delphi). Properly set up the gear changes aren't too bad provided you use semi-auto mode i.e. change gears yourself. Fully automatic mode is a lost cause, it was shit from the factory and never got any better.
EXACTLY RIGHT!
used SAM unit in here in Poland costs around 30$. My cousin works at very reputable used Mercedes car/parts dealer and has that used (tested and fully working) unit for about 70$. I stopped using services of dealerships long time ago due to their ridiculous prices :D
www.sklep.merc-lux.com/smart-451-modul-komputer-sterownik-a1321501879-p-1748.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwx43ZBRCeARIsANzpzb9kWpjuk7TeYwcMxi_Tgga40yketd6VlbVaQKx23kvSBVKea0b_ic4aAqnbEALw_wcB
I thought Poland used Euros? When did you start using dollars?
@@forevercomputing You thought wrong.
@@Okurka. So Poland uses Dollars?
@@forevercomputing Yes, Polish dollars.
Bought a Smart Car with electrical problems just to compare it to a knockoff Smart Car that is an electrical problem. You have to admire the dedication to our entertainment this represents, given that Robert could have earned more than double the money the three videos that featured the Smart made through AdSense, by playing a Keytar in the streets of Saint Louis for a few hours... on Demo.
Triple if he also had a dog.
I do believe it is 'beyond economic repair'. In my opinion it sounds like it may have had a problem with water getting to the electrical bits, which will not only upset the main computer part but very likely some other parts as well. Selling is the best course of action. Oh and for once I do know something about this sort of thing as I used to be an electrical engineer - retired due to color blindness.
The Craigslist ad is more realistic and sincere than most ads seen around. Lol
The in car driving scene was perfect
You are awesome in making this video. The deer scared me as I can't imagine what the outcome would be if hitting one with a Smart car. Every car and pickup in our yard has hit a deer at some point causing from $800 to $8000 in damage.
It would withstand the crash well. The front end would be damaged.
I think the first thing I would have done after the Star machine diagnosis is check every grounding point on the car.
I can't quite figure out why you purchased this car in the first place, take it you're a masochist lol :)
About a year ago my dad bought a used 2001 Smart Fortwo. It had several issues including exacltly the electrical fault you described. Engine just shuts off randomly, display flashes oil temperature and fuel. The guy we bought the car from also told us about it being dependent on rain... He said it's fine in summer. ( However, it was not :/ )
Searching for the Symptoms on google doesn't really help. Apart from some saying "Change the Engine Control Unit" without any dignose. :S
After some troubleshooting they finally decided to change the engine control unit and it worked flawlessly indeed.
We didn't change it permanently right away, but insted tried to fix the old one.
In the end we put in a new(used) one. The main cost comes from reprogramming your key afaik.
I personally really enjoy driving it. And most of the time it's just all you need to get places and nothing more. :D
LOL, love the green screen zitcom style driving scene. Even included the laughable shake the steering wheel.
Check under the car for any loose wires hanging, it might be shorting when you drive if the wires touch the floor on different terrains. (just a guess though) as it happened to me before.
I see some comments that show a cultural difference. These cars are used in a lot of European country. You can find them in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, mostly. They are used in the case of Italy to get through narrow cities. Both for the youths as well for the elderly. They are decent cars. They drive like a golf with small turn circle. If you want to have fun in a extreme way. You can put a hyabusa motor in it.
"It won't work in Saint Louis because it's not bulletproof, but other cities it should be fine."
I would have given you a sub but I already have subbed lul. I love how casually you joke around.
I know E class Mercedes is likely to rust out the electrical system's grounding lugs so my first suggestion would be to check the wiring in the engine bay.
But like the others have mentioned, if the dash goes completely dark and you are just starting to move / stopping when braking I would also check the fuse box for water. If the water is sloshing around, it could explain the dash going dark.
But what I would most likely do is try to find someone with the "Delphi" diagnostic tool, which is a STAR-like OBD reader device, which has many makes and models in the software, mb, wv, mitsubishi, lada etc. I think I saw Smart in the software as well.
If it actually is a Mitsubishi engine because of US regulations, the software is likely able to decipher it.
Love your 60s driving !!!
I love your test drive, fantastic!!!! Thanks for the videos, cheers!
As an advertisement for the proper placement of Tannerite, it might prove to be most useful and entertaining, to boot.
As someone who has been working on cars for over a decade, hearing that there is an electrical problem cause by shorts from the plug wires would make me VERY cautious; given it runs at several thousand volts.
OH MY GOD ITS A DEER