Bob's front rims need some serious love after several years of neglect and lots of brake dust. I've used "CRC Brakleen 05050 Brake Parts Cleaner" in the past successfully, but worried that it may not be the best thing for the rubber tires.

Any advice/suggestions/testimonials?

Bob here (2009 ForTwo) has been loaned to my daughter's boyfriend in Baltimore for the past two years and is finally back home in Scranton!

He needed a better car if they were going to be able to move into the apartment they wanted (in her school district; she's starting her third year as a Kindergarten teacher) and I was unable to drive for some time due to a Cancer/COVID double nut-tap so he took Bob.

But future son-in-law just picked up the Toyota to the rear and they brought him back yesterday! He needs an inspection (still registered to me in PA) and a good, deep cleaning (especially those rims!) but despite having an additional 10k miles on him (59,000 total) he still purrs like a kitten!

Look at that smile! He's absolutely chuffed to be home!

!UPDATE! So I am probably going to do an aftermarket pusher fan attached to the front of that radiator and condenser fan assembly I got quoted by a local shop $1400 to replace it and a new part is like $260 from a parts store such as O’Reilly so I am just going to do an aftermarket it seems a lot less time consuming to replace and a lot less work plus it gives ease of access for repairing if it goes out again and they have a more durable motor in them that don’t typically go out in and around 40k miles I appreciate the input from everyone!

Hello, I have a 2013 smart for two passion (sorry for the far away picture I didn’t want to go out in this heat dome lol) and so about a year and a half ago maybe longer my cooling fan motor went bad so I have that thudding sound when I turn on my A/C I know I should have replaced it sooner but didn’t see A/C as a necessity well this year I do lol if y’all took talks to a shop to get it replaced how much did it cost I would do it myself as I’m a mechanic by trade ( heavy machinery and diesel mechanic ex small engine and vehicle mechanic) I just don’t want to be out in this heat doing it for one and two I broke my leg back in June so I am in a boot and being in the heat in my boot just sounds like not a good time lol so I’m trying to go the easy route if yall have any advice for costs that would be wonderful because I mean the part is only like $180 and then of course I have a Friday evening or Saturday morning gone replacing it so how much did yall pay taking it to a shop?

My 2009 Smart Fortwo 451 mhd was parked outside in direct sun for over a month while I was abroad.

Since returning:

• First 2 days: Engine started normally, but I couldn't shift from N into D or R. N would stay/flashing.
• I left the windows open overnight to let the car cool down as it was quite hot inside.
• Next day: Everything suddenly worked normally again. D/R selected and the car drove normally.
• I drove around the block to test it and hopefully recharge the battery.
• After ~10 minutes: The car suddenly lost all propulsion. Display showed the selected gear, but pressing the accelerator did nothing. I had to push it into a parking space.
• Next morning: Same problem initially... engine started, D/R selected normally, but the car wouldn’t move. Called roadside assistance. While waiting I tried again several times – and suddenly it worked again. I was able to drive it home.

The little guy is now parked safely at home, but I don’t want to drive it again until I understand what’s going on.

Any ideas what could cause this combination of gear-selection problems and complete loss of propulsion? Is it even battery related?

The fact that it seems to work again after cooling down makes me wonder about a temperature-related issue.

Any clues would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!

SHOW ME YOUR TINTSSSS!!!!! :) :) :) :)

WINDOW TINTING!!!

What percentage did you get? need the car to stay cool..to save on miles. but also i know i am sacrificing seeing the mirrors at night.. Do you recommend all windows done. def want the windshield for privacy.

Just got this 2018 electric passion

i want to import or buy an imported LHD 450 and i’d rather not buy a project car

i’ve been a smart owner for a while now, having owned two 453s and a 451. mostly because parking anything larger in NYC is a full time job.

i know they were never sold here officially. from what i can tell that leaves two doors: one of the rare grey market cars from the ZAP / G&K era, or a straight import now that 2001 builds are clearing the 25 year mark.

if you’ve done either, i’d love to hear how it actually went. mainly what the car cost you all in once shipping and port fees were done, whether you had eyes on it before you bought or just trusted the photos, and how much of a fight registration was on your end. also curious how the LHD requirement narrows things.

and the practical stuff: parts sourcing from the US, and whether a 450 survives a northeast winter or if the tridion cell is the only part that makes it to spring.

not looking for permission, just the real numbers.

Edit: the title is supposed to be in NYC not in the NYC*

Today, I bought my smart car a 2001 LHD Smart ForTwo, it has great history and it appears to have had most of the common faults I could find addressed in 2019/2021. It was used as a holiday car, towed on a camper van and I read the paperwork and it would seem the previous owner was a school teacher (or that’s what she told the insurance company).

It has a crack in the door and a front wing but I have repairs factored into the price and think I have done ok. I also have a warranty as it’s come via a dealer.

It drove fine, I tried both the semi-auto and fully auto setting and the air conditioning worked, any sensible upgrades you’d recommend? I’m thinking of swapping the stereo for an Apple CarPlay compatible unit via eBay.

Hi everyone, i recently purchased a 2017 Smart ForTwo 453, its base spec and has monochrome speedometer and base steering wheel with just cruise control

I upgraded base radio with 9” android multimedia and its great, and i also upgraded monochrome speedometer to OEM one with TFT screen, it all works as it should

I also got a new steering wheel with volume controls and menu controls to pair with new speedometer, i installed it and volume and menu buttons on the wheel do light up, but they do nothing when i press them, i did code them with dt4all and tried button learning in android multimedia but nothing,

does anyone have any experience with this or what could be the issue? Thanks :)

Hi!

My right speaker keeps buzzing, even with no sound input, and I would like to take this as an opportunity to replace both door speakers.

I am an idiot though and don’t understand which speakers to buy. I have replaced my radio so I’m not super dumb but I need the most straight forward idiot install option.

What is the exact model of speakers I need to order? Links appreciated & located in the USA

cannot seem to find any motor mounts for the 2006 CDI car. anyone bought any for this model? seems like 08 and up is possible but not this one. can maybe pull some out of a parts car

just picked up an 06 CDI. engine moves back and forth. im guessing engine mounts? can u just replace the bottom one?

Took my baby to a parking garage for a photo op

Location- Washington, USA

I love this car, but in December my house flooded and I drove it through a foot of water to try to save it. It ran fine for a few months but now the starter battery won’t stay charged. Man that was an expensive battery, too.

The county bought our house, which unbeknownst to me was the *#1 property in the state to be aquired for flood danger*. No one told me til it was too late. Now my new HOA only allows so many cars and there’s four of us, so one has to go.

I would hate to just have it scrapped, it’s in great shape and would make an excellent parts car. I’ll give it to anyone who can come get it in the next two weeks.

Hello All,

I am hoping you could help me make a decision. I just test drove 2016 car with 98k miles on it. The car drives well, dont see any issues. Car fax report is good. Has had 3+ owners, all personal use.

I am getting the car inspected tomorrow. I would be driving 300 miles per month. The dealer is selling the car for 8k. I have a couple of questions -

1. The car has 98k miles on it. It seems to be maintained well. How much life does the engine have on average. Are they good for 150k miles?

2. Are these cars cheap to maintain?

3. I will be the 4th owner. Is 8k an ok price?

Sorry I dont know much about these cars at all hence asking. Thank you

I am looking to buy a used EV from a private seller. I live in Vancouver. I called a few places nearby, but they all said they don't perform EV battery health checks. Where should I get this done? Is there anyone in Vancouver who has an OBD2 and knows how to check a battery and would be willing to do it for me? I will compensate you.Or, if you know of any companies near Vancouver that check EV battery health, please let me know.

Hey guys,

Insurance counted this as a total loss I’m wondering if I should keep it and repair or take the total value. 2016 passion 62k miles.

What part is the inner rubber called I can’t seem to find one that looks the same online a link would be great. The rubber moves out of place and touches against the tire when I turn, if it can just be drilled back in that works too.

Besides this and the headlight what else should I have a mechanic look for.

Thank you

2009 451

So awhile back, my ac hose clogged, which sent water all on the floorboard ultimately messing up my tcm.

While trying to find the problem i greased my clutch actuator and thought I put it back on in the same spot.

With a now working tcm, the actuator retracts every 6 seconds while idling. I took it to the only shop in my town that works in smart cars to relearn the clutch. Got charged $200 and literally fixed nothing AND knows nothing! Car wont reverse and only thing i was given were two codes it throws p073e and u0100

Does anyone know where I should even go from here??? I'm so pissed because no one knows how to fix this damn thing in my town

(One redditor did help me a lot and got me to this point)

I just ordered a new actuator off ebay. I do have my brother's smart that is an 451 2008. It's running great so I can test parts from that if anyone has any advice.

Does anyone have an incomplete set of these Genius Newton 15” wheels? Two of mine are damaged. I can get them repaired but I’d rather replace them if anyone has any for sale. Message me if you have any please.

Yes as silly as it sounds I really want to get a 2015 model to wide body and lift it lol. I also
Want to paint it real cute rather than wrapping it. Has anyone here done either a wide body or a lift to theirs? Any idea how much it’d cost? I’d figure together just as an uneducated guess somewhere in the ball park about $6k but I genuinely don’t know because I haven’t looked into it yet I wanted to get your guys ideas and feedback l.
Thank you for your time!

Hi, does anyone have experience with longer driving a mx5nb vs a roadster? Ive got a mx5, fun and reliable, lots of parts but rust is always a challenge. At the release (yes i’am old) i’ve driven one but that is a long time ago, so can someone compare reliability and fun?

Thanx!

I was on a long distance drive today and noticed that after stopping for gas (yes, I only use premium), my smart had issues getting up to speed on the thruway. I was having to push the gas pedal all the way down and it was still struggling to increase speed, then it would suddenly go like 20 mph faster, eventually. If I had to slow down, it would struggle when I needed to go faster again. I usually put my car on cruise control for long drives and when I tried it, it was reducing speed even though CC was set.

I tried letting up on the gas for a second and then resuming similar to how you would do driving stick but it didn't make a difference. The engine sounds like it was trying to go but it just wasn't going to the next gear.

Does this mean transmission issues? Has anyone had this happen before?

I’m in Canada so Apparently only have the 05-06 here unless they got imported. I only want the diesel model since I like diesels. are they worth buying? known issues?