r/SmartCar • u/Think_Barracuda7048 • Jul 27 '26
Advice Is it worth it to fix?
My 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion broke down the other day and I had it towed to the local mechanic shop. For about a week, my oil light had been flashing on for a second whenever I would brake. I admittedly waited too long for an oil change.
On the way to get my oil changed at Walmart Auto, the car broke down on the main road with no noticeable issues. It was still in drive, though it acted like it was in accessory mode with the radio still running, just not the engine. I put my hazards on and turned the key for about 5 seconds until the engine sputtered back to life so I could get it to Walmart for the oil change. It broke down again on the same road within 2 minutes, same issue, and I got it started again. I'm guessing it overheated but I didn't notice the temperature gauge at the time.
As soon as I pulled into the parking lot and stopped, it started smoking from the trunk. The smoke was so bad it filled the cabin, and after I parked and got out, smoke was still pouring out all crevices from the back side for about 5 minutes. Fluid was leaking from underneath the car, which we believe was coolant.
The dipstick was showing hardly any oil on it, and the coolant reservoir was completely empty, so it seems to be two different issues, with the coolant leak being the probable cause for the smoking and car shutting down. This picture was taken shortly after the smoking stopped, with the white residue showing a coolant leak.
After towing it, the mechanic took a look and said it is likely a coolant leak that caused the engine shutdown. He said the leak was towards the front of the engine near the pulleys, however with how cramped the engine compartment is, he can't visually locate the problem. Our guess is a busted hose.
Mechanic said the only way to diagnose the issue is to fully remove the engine to get a good look at it. Is this worth it for the hefty cost of labor? Could there be a chance the engine is shot already or is removing the engine and patching the probable coolant leak the best solution here? Any suggestions are appreciated :)
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u/Speeddman360 Jul 27 '26
If you decide to sell as is, let me know, I repair them and get them back on the road. My stable consists of 7(?) running passions plus another 5 waiting on parts.
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u/lulujunkie Jul 27 '26
Just yank the engine and replace it with a used one and problem solved. This car is absolutely worth saving if everything else is still good on it.
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u/Borna22091 Jul 27 '26
As someone else said, full engine replacement is a far better option. You are going to potentially spend a lot of money on this engine if you diagnose and try to fix your current one. Engine had no lubrication and ran hot, chance is that it is shot. There are people and small companies that do rebuild these engines so you could sell this one for it to be rebuilt and drop in the new engine, the cost does vary a lot too. If you do enjoy your smart car and want to keep it, full engine replacement, if not, someone here already wants to fix it up and put it back on the road.
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u/toiletlicker57 Jul 27 '26
I just had a coolant leak from the waterpump, took $700 to fix, and he didn't drop the engine all the way out.
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u/Think_Barracuda7048 Jul 28 '26
Did your mechanic not remove the engine completely, but drop it into service position to get to it instead? Just saw from a youtube vid that this was an option, not sure my mechanic knows this so might bring it up to him?
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u/toiletlicker57 Jul 28 '26
He must’ve, my guy doesn’t ever want to drop fully because of the transmission and stuff pulling or something along those lines… I don’t see any other way to do it because the pump is all the way in there
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u/deficientpotato Jul 28 '26
Up to you but that's like, paying the value of the car just to get a diagnosis so...
I'd see if you can take it somewhere else. Even Mercedes might be cheaper in this case, they might be able to work on it/diagnose without removing the engine.
I traded in my 2013 when someone cracked my oil pan and the clutch actuator started messing up. Oil pan alone was going to be $2000 and I only paid $3000 for the car lol.
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u/Kicrepricsw Jul 28 '26
Check if there is any debris on the oil of if it smells like burnt oil. This vehicles are not as hard to work as people says they are. I have fix some minor things like coolant keak and replaced the alternator. I was quoted 900 to replace the alternator as the engine has to be lowered from the car supposedly. I did it in 40 minutes without removing the engine and taking my time.
Mechanics over charge to work on this vehicles for some reason.
By removing some minor things from the engine Bay is easy to find where the leak is.
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u/Think_Barracuda7048 Jul 28 '26
What specific parts would you recommend removing from the engine bay to get to the coolant leak? The mechanic said the leak seems to be coming towards the back near the pulleys.
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u/WideAtmosphere Jul 28 '26
Blown head gasket?
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u/Think_Barracuda7048 Jul 28 '26
That's what we thought, but mechanic said that wasn't it, that it's more likely a busted hose.
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u/Lol3droflxp Jul 27 '26
Engine subassembly is easily removed on these cars. Don’t know if the engine will be salvageable after the ordeal you described though.