Smart Roadster/Coupe gearbox

[AndyT77]

On my everchanging shortlist of potential next cars, is the above. Preferably in Brabus guise. However i have heard from people in the trade (i used to work P/T at a MB dealership), that the gearbox can fail, resulting in a hefty repair bill.

Can anyone shed any light on this, for example what the issue is, how likely is it to happen and how much is the repair likely to cost? Thanks

[MondeoMan1981]

Main thing I have heard about the g/box is the slow changes.

I will watch this post with interest, as I think these cars look brilliant !

[mike9009]

Hi

I used to own one of these several years ago. I don't believe there are any reliability issues with the gearbox (in my time on roadster.net) but the gearchange is awfully slow. In gear, the car is great. I believe a remap or the map on the brabus version does reduce the lag on the gear change - but it is still ever present.

Other items to watch out for are wet carpets - leaks - and then this damaging the SAM unit which can make the electrics go funny. (expensive to fix) I never had any problems with mine leaking. The 'B' service is also fairly expensive as all six spark plugs need changing which means removal of the back of the car.

On the plus side you can realistically achieve over 50 mpg, the handling/ damping is excellent, the looks are special. The three cylinder engine sounds pretty good (for what it is). Mine had lots of toys (auto lights/ wipers / heated seats/ leather etc etc. ) I would have another - but my priorities have changed (kids!!) and so my 'fun' car is now a £1000 mx5. (Very PH!)

Mike

[ottiian]

The gearbox itself is not prone to failure and is rarely cited as a problem on forums. The failures tend to occur with the clutch actuator (the transmission is an automated manual, not a full automatic). This is a weak design, which is usually the cause of any gearbox errors. It tends to come out of alignment and can only be realigned via Merc's (or equivalent) software (why it can't teach itself the bite points I don't know) or simply fails. Replacement is around £200 + 1.5 hour's labour, or simply lubing it can bring it back to life.

This is also often the cause of slow gear changes and probably why many test driven cars aren't performing as well as they should when changing gears, as a lot of garages neglect to do clutch adjustments at services.

The remaining components - the gearbox and the gear selector motor - tend not to fail and should last the life of the car.

I'm a current roadster owner, btw. Get one, they are a good alternative to the expense of an Elise.

[Ozzie Osmond]

These cars are a real tragedy. "So close" but didn't quite hit the target. The plug was then pulled just before the recession hit, leaving everyone in search of fun, economy motoring.

IMO it would have been a real success if fitted with a "normal" manual transmission and kept in production. No prizes for being wise after the event though.

[AndyT77]

Hmm, so maybe my mind is put to rest regarding the gearbox, but what about this 'B' service? How often is that, and how much are you looking at?

[andrew186]

the gearbox on the smart roadster is utter bull***t

it takes ages to change and on full acceleration its so jerky that if you relax, your head will hit the steering wheel on every gear change

all those people who own the car and say "there is a way to change it to make it smooth bla bla bla" you know it isn't true. all you are doing is releasing the accelerator to soften the "knock back" that the slow lumpy gearbox produces

the missus had the car for a year all i can say is that it was quirky, uncomfortable and only thing it had going for it was its fuel economy (55mpg) and it held its value well (did not lose a cent 1 year on - smart roadster brabus)

[ottiian]

andrew186 said:

all those people who own the car and say "there is a way to change it to make it smooth bla bla bla" you know it isn't true. all you are doing is releasing the accelerator to soften the "knock back" that the slow lumpy gearbox produces

Actually, the best thing to do is maintain accelerator pressure as this helps it match engine revs. Also, did you ever get your clutch adjusted in the year that you had it? Never let the facts get in the way of a rant, though.

Installing a lightened clutch and remapping the car improves it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewh5iNcGr9M. The gearbox will never be its best feature, but it doesn't ruin the car at all.

Edited by ottiian on Wednesday 26th January 22:44

[mike9009]

I eventually found it quite satisfying getting the gearchange as smooth and accurate as possible. There was an element of skill to it. Still not great though - however I wouldnt let it put me off buying another.....

There were some good independent specialists around, who would adjust the clutch for you. The'B' service cost about £320 from memory and was every 20,000 miles (also from memory - might be someone else about who currently owns and has the service schedule to hand. (in fact that might be entirely wrong except for the cost ... keep getting mixed up between the various cars I have owned!)


Mike

[Megaflow]

ottiian said:

The gearbox itself is not prone to failure and is rarely cited as a problem on forums. The failures tend to occur with the clutch actuator (the transmission is an automated manual, not a full automatic).

Which has always made me wonder, could it be converted to a normal manual...



I had for for about 6 months. Not practical enough for day to day. I would like another to play with though. Bin the hateful electric power steering, decent front brakes, take a bit of weight out (I couldn't believe how much the seat weighed) and convert to a proper 3 pedal. Could be an epic car.

[mcflurry]

IMHO it's the leaks that were the main issue, not the gearbox..

[Slinky]

mike9009 said:

I eventually found it quite satisfying getting the gearchange as smooth and accurate as possible. There was an element of skill to it. Still not great though - however I wouldnt let it put me off buying another.....

Absolutely, learning left foot braking as well for smoothing out the downshifts was most enjoyable

mike9009 said:

There were some good independent specialists around, who would adjust the clutch for you. The'B' service cost about £320 from memory and was every 20,000 miles (also from memory - might be someone else about who currently owns and has the service schedule to hand. (in fact that might be entirely wrong except for the cost ... keep getting mixed up between the various cars I have owned!)


Mike

The B service will be every 15,000, 7.5k service intervals (that's a bit of a ball ache!)

Also, worth noting that the engines are rumoured to get a bit tricky past 60k miles, exhaust manifold cracking/corrosion is also worth keeping an eye out for, the exhaust housing for the turbo is part of the cast exhaust manifold meaning that the part costs over £800.. (I've seen exhaust housings with holes blown in them on standard cars)

That said, mine was great, had it for 34k miles, drove it all over the country, thrashed it around Cornish lanes (scaring the bejesus out of my mother for giggles) and ran it down the runway at Bruntingthorpe (proving how WILDLY inaccurate the speedo is over 100)..

[moribund]

Slinky said:

Also, worth noting that the engines are rumoured to get a bit tricky past 60k miles

This is the earlier 600cc Smart engine, all RHD roadsters are the later 698cc engine which seems good for well over 100k even with mapping.

[Slinky]

moribund said:

Slinky said:

Also, worth noting that the engines are rumoured to get a bit tricky past 60k miles

This is the earlier 600cc Smart engine, all RHD roadsters are the later 698cc engine which seems good for well over 100k even with mapping.

Ahh, I see, glad I noted that it was a rumour..

[Smart roadster]

I've had my roadster form new and it now has 81,000 miles on the clock. The gearchange is slow but it is improved with a remap. The noddy who said you get jerked all over the place on gearchahges is talking ste (or can't drive). I just leave my right foot alone when up shifting.
I had a new clutch and actuator at 77.000 miles as both were well worn. It cost just over a grand including a B service and a few other bits and bobs that needed doing.
Taking the back of the car off isn't as bad as it sounds, it is a plastic shell that can be removed in about 10 minutes by my independant service guys.
I have only ever had leaks from the door mirrors not the roof so I haven't suffered from SAM failures.
I rarely see more than 45 to the gallon but then the good lady and I thrape it everywhere.
The car still puts a smile on my face everytime I drive it.

[Rich_W]

I drove a new (roadster not Brabus) one years ago. Loved it. Priced up one on the website and it came to £18K! Not convinced on that price. Samea s the For2. Wanted to hate it for being stupid. But that's good fun too.

Seems the AC project died a death years ago. If they'd bunged a proper manual in they'd have saved the company!

[audioslave]

Hi guys and girls, new here.. i bought a 57 reg passion less than 3 months ago and have had nothing but issues with it. Has anyone experienced a cluncking under the left foot area followed by what sounds like bursts of revving from the engine. I must also point out this car has failed to select a gear on 2 separate occasions, they say they looked at it but i think they stuck it on a diagnostic and was happy with that regardless of the obvious signs something is wrong. this car had to go in for the air con twice in the end it turned out it needed heating motors and such replaced they sold me the car clearly they hadn't done any checks as they weren't even aware the air con didn't work. thy don't want to pay out to repair this car but i know they have to repair replace or refund by law if the car isn't satisfactory, does anyone have any idea what i can tell them to look into when i take it back again for the 4th time on thurs... thanks any help appreciated as im going stir crazy with this now

[zebra]

I would own one over a TVR any day as they represent the ultimate B road weapon.

[MintSprint]

ottiian said:

Get one, they are a good alternative to the expense of an Elise.

zebra said:

I would own one over a TVR any day as they represent the ultimate B road weapon.

Let's not get carried away, chaps! (Especially you, Mr Zebra, since your profile suggests that you've owned several Lotuses)

I owned a Brabus Roadster Coupe for a bit, and have owned both Elises and a Griffith previously.

While the Brabus handled very nicely, it didn't come close to being the 'ultimate B road weapon'. It certainly couldn't bear comparison with the Elise in that respect, and there are better B-road cars than the Elise, if you look hard enough..

The gearbox is every bit as woeful as its reputation suggests, the brakes are lousy and it really isn't very quick. Don't get me wrong - I actually quite enjoyed it (apart from the gearbox), but it isn't even a match for the Mk.1 MX5 as a driver's car, let alone the Elise.

I'm perfectly willing to admit that it outhandles a TVR, mind you, but then so will a shopping trolley with a wobbly castor.

[zebra]

MintSprint said:

Let's not get carried away, chaps! (Especially you, Mr Zebra, since your profile suggests that you've owned several Lotuses)

I owned a Brabus Roadster Coupe for a bit, and have owned both Elises and a Griffith previously.

.

You've not been here long enough have you.......

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...