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#278 of 491 service manual by engineer al Jun 20, 2008 (7:57 am)
The car most definetly came with an owners manual, there just isn't an overhaul/service manual per se. The owners manual is actually very good in my opinion, as far as manuals go, lots of info on how to do most minor maintenance yourself. The CD I bought was on fleabay, and has all of that info plus a little more the author gleaned from various websites etc. Of note, the UK site evilution is one of the better ones for general smart info, just be advised that it is geared toward the european models and as such is of limited usefulness to the N.A. models especially the '08 gassers. I would imagine that if the car does well in the states, eventually one of the 3rd party publishers (Haynes, Clymer) will produce a more comprehensive book on them, with any luck it'll cover the Canadian diesels as well. With regard to mmm1's comment about the lack of a service manual available from the company, they don't want you to fix it, they want you to pay them $150/hr to fix it.   Thus far, the only issue that has cropped up on my '06, is that I recently discovered that my A/C dropped the gas. Guess I didn't cycle it often enough over the winter, and luckily our summer weather has yet to materialize, so I am not that bent. I intend to recharge it sometime in the next week or two... Replies to this message: mmm1 (Jun 24, 2008 3:51 pm) mmm1 (Jun 24, 2008 3:54 pm)
#279 of 491 Looking for help in ordering and ordering right by phartney Jun 21, 2008 (9:41 am)
Last I looked a yea ago, there was a site to go in to order a Smart and pay a $99.00 deposit. Has anything changed and, can anyone help in cutting time out or simply respond to what to order. I prefer the top model with all options. Any thoughts out there? Pete Replies to this message: dennismau (Jun 21, 2008 2:30 pm) phartney (Jun 22, 2008 10:41 am)
#280 of 491 Re: Looking for help in ordering and ordering right [phartney] by dennismau Jun 21, 2008 (2:30 pm)
Replying to: phartney (Jun 21, 2008 9:41 am) Screw the ordering stuff! Just go to your nearest Smart Dealer and tell them you want an orphan. Put your name on the list for the hell of it but that doesn't do much good. Call your dealer every day and see if they have any recent orphans. If they do get your butt down there and prepare to spend about 2K over list for ADM(Front Bra, Protection Package, Upgraded Radio, Tire Protection Package, Floor Mats Extended Warranty,etc.) and buy it now! Do not hesitate. Those who snooze lose! They are jacking up the price on all the fuel efficient cars with ADM. I was at the Honda dealer and they had 6K in bullshit tacked onto the sticker price of a Civic. Even with the ADM you could still sell it on E-bay and make a profit. They are selling for 4 to 6K over list on E-bay so don't worry about it.   Dennis Replies to this message: phartney (Jun 22, 2008 10:41 am)
#281 of 491 Orphans by scottl Jun 22, 2008 (6:56 am)
Rumor has it that some dealers do actually sell orphans at MSRP without extras. They seem to be in the center of the country through. With the cost of travel and shipping these days, getting a car from another part of the country has become much more expensive.   Prices on eBay are going up. When the smart first hit the shores five months ago, before gas spiked and awareness of the car was raised, you could snag a Passion for $15-16K or about what sticker + destination + fees was. Now they are $18-19K. There have been a couple with thousands of miles on the odo go for over MSRP. I think they are going to be like the Prius/Insight/Civic Hybid, where if you can get your hands on one, the depreciation is very low. I read a post from a guy the other day who sold a Honda Insight with 50K miles on it for more than he paid for it new. Replies to this message: dennismau (Jun 22, 2008 7:36 am) sbonhartwell (Jun 22, 2008 7:44 am)
#282 of 491 Re: Orphans [scottl] by dennismau Jun 22, 2008 (7:36 am)
Replying to: scottl (Jun 22, 2008 6:56 am) All the fuel efficient cars are in demand and our commanding strong prices. The gas hogs are dropping in value faster than the stock market. When you can save $200 to $500 per month on your gas bill what's a few more thousand dollars in purchase price. I do not worry about the snow in my Smart Car because I am going to buy an H1 Hummer when they drop in price to about 5K and just in park it on the street and just use it when there is a blizzard out here!
#283 of 491 Re: Orphans [scottl] by sbonhartwell Jun 22, 2008 (7:44 am)
Replying to: scottl (Jun 22, 2008 6:56 am) I don't think ordering from far away is more expensive. In fact, it's much like buying something else over the Internet vs purchasing it locally--cheaper price, no sales tax, etc.I contacted over a hundred Toyota Dealers and told each of them what I would pay and that I would arrive with cashiers check in hand for that amount. I got several replies that they would meet my price. I saved way more than if I had purchased from my local dealer.   Sam in Anderson, SC
#284 of 491 Re: Looking for help in ordering and ordering right [dennismau] by phartney Jun 22, 2008 (10:41 am)
Replying to: dennismau (Jun 21, 2008 2:30 pm) Thanks Dennis for the reply. I did call two local deals. They both told me that they have a "secondary" waiting list in place for when the origonal party that ordered the car backs out, the "secondary" local waiting list is where they go to. One had 100 on tht list! he said it was just as easy to order the car from the web site. I did put up a $100 deposit to get on the other deal's Secondary waiting list. I'll call a few others I guess.
#285 of 491 New Smart DIESEL by phartney Jun 22, 2008 (10:46 am)
Reading up on what's new over seas as it relates to the Smart car, I see they now have developed a diesel version that gets up to 80 MPG ????? If this is true as the site stated, when will this new option show up in the USA? Has anyone ever approached Smart to inquire? Replies to this message: scottl (Jun 22, 2008 4:32 pm)
#286 of 491 Re: New Smart DIESEL [phartney] by scottl Jun 22, 2008 (4:32 pm)
Replying to: phartney (Jun 22, 2008 10:46 am) The prior model smart, the 450, had diesels in Europe and Canada. The current diesel is Europe only. As for when they might import the diesel into the US, the answer is "someday". There are no firm plans. There are emission issues.   Another problem right now is that the factory can't build any more cars. The one and only smart factory is actually in France, even though smart is a Daimler vehicle. France has very restrictive labor laws, and it is not easy to add extra shifts of workers. Since there are only 25-30,000 allotted to the US, and the waiting list of ordered cars is well over a year, I doubt they will consider importing the diesel for a couple of years until they get the dealerships sorted out and figure out how to squeeze more vehicles out of the factory. Why bother at this point?   There is also a version that shuts off the engine at stoplights and starts it when you step on the gas. We can't get that one, either.   There is also an all electric smart undergoing testing in the UK. It is supposed to be available in 2010, but the details are sketchy right now.
#287 of 491 Re: service manual [engineer al] by mmm1 Jun 24, 2008 (3:51 pm)
Replying to: engineer al (Jun 20, 2008 7:57 am) Thanks for the info. I found a web site that offers a service manual for $95 and it can be purchased from Dan E Graves hotmail.com. He lists lots of glowing endorsements and claims that he compiled the info from mostly European sources. Would this be the manual that you bought?

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