Tag: Mechanical Issues and Challenges
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Test equipment for Smart cars
With the right test equipment, you can hook up to your Smarts computer. Here you can see live information, read/erase error codes and in some instances program and change the cars parameters. Simple OBDII testers With these you can read error messages, sometimes erase them, and see live data like RPM and turbo boost levels.…
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Biltema’s Lithium Grease – 400 ml spray
I have a Biltema’s Lithium Grease Art. 36-4578 spray can in my garage. It’s my go to product, for a series of tasks, and I so far it’s the best product I’ve found for lubricating the cabriolets side rails, which is an essential task on a Fortwo cabrio.
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Lubricating the Fortwo cabriolets side rails – soft top maintenance
I noticed that it was time to lubricate the cabriolets side rails, when I raised the soft top yesterday. It’s time for maintenance. This is a well known issue on the Smart Fortwo Cabriolet. The soft top frame slide in the removable side rails, on plastic blocks. If the plastic blocks had a Teflon lining,…
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New front suspension arms, new car
My Smart Fortwo has yet again, visited the Smartcars garage. This time after failing the vehicle inspection (as expected). It needed two new front suspension arms, and at the same time one of the engine mounts was in need of replacement. It felt like a dream when I got it back. The new rubber bushes…
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Visiting the vehicle inspection centre
I’ve been at the vehicle inspection centre today, or “Synshal” as they are called in Denmark It’s always “interesting” to get a new car inspected, without fully knowing it’s history. I didn’t expect it to pass, because the last few weeks, I have had a suspicion, that one of the joints on the sway-bar needed…
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Unresponsive throttle and low RPM
As mentioned at my last trip to the smartcars garage, it still had a few issues with cold starts. I was hoping that it would get better, and that it only was coke deposits, that needed to be burnt clean, after they fixed the other issue I had with it regularly going into limp mode.…
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When the gearbox forgets what it’s job is
Left the highway the other day, via the off-ramp, to mount the side rails, and close the soft-top. When I reached the red lights, at the end the off-ramp, it seamed like the transmission didn’t change down from second gear to first, and the engine stalled. It started up without any problems, and I had…
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Original and utterly useless cupholder
If you want to have a cupholder in your Smart Fortwo, you will have to buy one, and the original dual cupholder, wins the competition for Most useless, and Worst designed cupholder ever! The cupholder consists of two 8,5 cm wide, and only 5 cm deep holders, and a rubber “ring”, that can be swivelled…
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My Smart Fortwo Cabrio visits Sørby Autocenter
Originally I had planned to go to “Smartcars” when needed, but unfortunately they are 30-40 minutes away, each way. And the last time I tried to get in contact with them, by mail, they never replied. By chance I saw that “Sørby Autocenter” is on the list over companies where smartclubdenmark members get a discount.They…