Car Fule

Steven, an Auto Plus reader from Derval, in Loire-Atlantique (44), wanted to switch to electric mobility. In 2018, he purchased a Smart Fortwo EDthe 100% electric version of the micro-city car.

Unfortunately, since our reader has accumulated the problems with: the traction battery was replaced in 2019, then it was the charging cable that broke it at the start of 2021. Today, it’s the gearbox’s turn to put it down important problems.

A broken gearbox

Usually very reliable, this automatic gearbox mono-ratio is already showing signs of weakness: in fact, Steven has been observing for several weeks the appearance of dull hissingcoming from the transmission.

The diagnosis is clear to the dealer: the gearbox bearings are worn, and the only solution is to completely replace the transmission. A fairly hefty estimate is drawn up, amounting to 3.179 € : the dealer then makes a request for reimbursement from the manufacturer.

It’s a smart city and we love it!
? Jan captain

[#smartEQfortwocabrio | WLTP: Stromverbrauch kombiniert in kWh/100 km: 18,8-16,1 | CO2-Emissionen kombiniert in g/km: 0 | https://t.co/uhxbow9ixO]

Content provided by Mercedes-Benz AG, https://t.co/MqktbBzh9g pic.twitter.com/GQYwmVVQtn

— smart (@smart_worldwide) June 15, 2022

Smart refuses support

Smart’s answer was not long in coming: the manufacturer refuses to support repairs, because the mileage of our reader’s car is too high! The client would therefore have to pay for the entire operation.

Steven is shocked, because at 78.500 km, he did not expect to encounter such problems. He therefore decides to contact customer service, which confirms the verdict issued: according to the brand, it is normal for the gearbox bearings to fail so soon.

We like to keep things on the go.

[#smartEQfortwo | WLTP: Stromverbrauch kombiniert in kWh/100 km: 18,6-15,7 | CO2-Emissionen kombiniert in g/km: 0 | https://t.co/uhxbow9ixO]

Content provided by Mercedes-Benz AG, https://t.co/MqktbBzh9g pic.twitter.com/a701xZbKNa

— smart (@smart_worldwide) June 8, 2022

Our defense strategy

Steven is right: the life of an automatic transmission is well over 80,000 km. According to the scale of our experts, it would rather be 250,000 km or 8 years.

The brand must also fully assume its replacement, up to 5 years or 50,000 km. If Steven’s car has passed the second term, he can still demand repairs, up to 80%.

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