EBC Disks & Pads For Your Smart Car

EBC Disks & Pads Installed on a smart fortwo.

Over the first two issues of smartimes we have discussed and reviewed various modifications to make your smart go faster. It is essential that one of the first considerations of performance modifying is how to make the smart brake more effectively in balance to the increase in speed. [pay]

When our smart was first re-mapped we installed EBC black brake pads to ensure we up rated the stopping performance in line with the speed. Now we are going to add a sports exhaust it is time to look at further braking enhancement prior to its installation.

We chose the most common dimpled and grooved disks used by smart owners, EBC . Other makes are available but EBC are easily available and reasonably priced. Along with the disks we changed the pads to the EBC green.

The braking system on your smart or any car is not to be taken lightly. We engaged a competent mechanic to install these products at a cost of £35. If you feel confident that you can install these items yourself and have the correct tools, on line instructions are available at http://www.smartcar-owner.co.uk/turbo_groove_brake_disc.htm

Our mechanic, while installing the disks and pads kindly painted the brake calipers red with Hammerite smooth. This was a nice finishing touch complementing the combination of disks with the Khan alloy wheels.

Conclusion

After a few days the disks and pads had bedded in. During this period there had been an obvious improvement to the stopping distance. Once fully bedded I would rate this EBC combination at 20% quicker than smart originals. If you have increased your smart’s power, this is a must have safety upgrade.

Costs:

EBC disks £ 87.99

EBC green £ 34.99

Installation £ 35.00

Total £ 157.98

 

Submitted By:

S2Massive [/pay]

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Dover–France–Belgium & Back In A Day

Dover West Travel Lodge – Wednesday 8th Oct and its 07:00 and the alarm has just gone of, a very welcome sound (I don’t think so) anyway we decided to travel down from Reading the night before for our adventure to our destination of Brugge.

After a few phone calls and the tell tell signs where are you, we all finally met up at the Hoverspeed Terminal, 7 smarts and 1 roadster another chance to meet some smart owners including the winner of the Zaniest smart on the L2B (Miss Polkadot) well we have met before. [pay]

So what did every one else think, well obviously other people travelling and the Hoverspeed staff all come out to look at us have they never seen a smart before or are they envious of our machines and the fun we have in them.

Ferry crossing (£19 per car) took approximately 1 hr on the Seacat a little up and down but nothing to serious we managed to get some coffee, tea and breakfast rolls to fill the gaps Nigel (Whippet) was our guide, plan is to head towards Brugge we stopped off at Verne had a look around the square (interesting market) and then dived into one of the many restaurants for a coffee / pastry, whilst driving through the town we passed two other smarts one woman who waved and one guy who just look at us as if we were nutters.

Set off for Brugge unfortunately we encountered some indifferent weather but it wasn’t going to dampen our spirits hits the outskirts and passed a sign for a place called Wagglewater (might even rename my Smart) eventually parked up just outside the city and headed towards the cathedral, Brugge has many small roads or lanes all made from cobblestones and as you would expect many chocolate shops and lace shops, again the main square has many restaurants we which we duly made ourselves comfortable in and proceeded to look at the menu for lunch.

Sally (Sweat Pea) went for the Eels brave girl mikeythemikey’s wife (jess) went for the Flemish stew and a few of us went for the Muscles in various sources, well I have never seen a pot of muscles so big it was like the size of a large casserole pot mine were cooked in a cream source with vegetables yummy yummy, O2Cab had the same but cooked in garlic and you have never seen a mound of garlic like it, a couple of somewhat large beers to wash it all down and very large wines for the ladies…

After a relaxing lunch it was time to see the rest of Brugge we went off in our various directions and all came back with yes you’ve guessed it chocolate, the guys in the group I think wandered off and wandered back to another bar by now it was 17:45pm so time to set off to the Aucheon Supermarket not far from Calais to stock up on the Duty Free… a bit hairy coming out of Brugge even more hairy if Nigel wasn’t leading (well done whippet) made the Supermarket unfortunately not much time to do a serious shop, time was now pushing on as we were catching the last ferry back at 20:30, 3 of us mikeythemikey, sweat pea and myself ( zippiee) set off with Whippet and O2Cab catching us as we were entering the terminal but no Terry…where was he apparently he had just left the supermarket anyway I don’t know what speed he was doing but he made it (just) another 5 minutes and I think he would have had to of flown off the dock onto the Seacat because that was the only way he was going to get back.

Ferry crossing back was ok a few dicky tummies though no names mentioned Sweat Pea, and the discussion for the next trip hopefully in the spring if not sooner, so thanks must go to O2CAB for starting the post and Nigel for guiding us, thanks to all the others that came and we look forward to the next trip.

 

Submitted

By: Steve Fothergill – (aka zippieee) [/pay]

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Digi-Tec Stage 2 & 3 Smart ForTwo Remap Upgrade

In the last issue of smartimes I reviewed the smarts-R-us re map and the Digi-tec stage 1 re map, both being a software program flashed to adjust the ECU settings of the smarts engine management system. With the Digi-tec stage 1 re map resident on my smart it seemed sensible to review the stage 2 and 3 options also available.

The original turbo inlet pipe above showing how restricted the connection to the turbo is as standard

The stage 2 modification is a wider replacement turbo inlet pipe that delivers the air from the air filter box to the turbo itself, and a software program to tell the engine and turbo to use the extra air. The stage 3 modification is a software re calibration of the speedo and a replacement dial set increasing the readable range from 85 to 120 m.p.h. [pay]

The original pipe removed, the new wider metal pipe is installed along with the additional flex pipe to connect to the air intake

The work involved took one and a half hours and gave me the opportunity to see how easy it was to remove the rear panel set and access the rear section of the engine compartment. The components were installed and the software upgraded, and over the next few days as the car learnt the reprogramming, the improvements in the lower gear range were obvious. However the total rev range appeared to be restricted. I contacted JB and the programs were re flashed.

The speedo removed and calibrated by reprogramming the chip

Again allowing a week to let the ECU learn I began to see improvements.

My expectations were high but after discussing top speeds and performance with JB it was clear I was not going to be hitting the 120 m.p.h marked on the new speedo. In fact the stage 2 has not increased overall top speed from the stage 1 re map of 97 m.p.h, what it has done is slightly lower the rev point that the turbo kicks in and increased the torques then generated.

The re-calibrated speedo dial display shows a max of 120 m.p.h.

Conclusion

The stage 2 provides torque at lower rev’s providing a positive pull away from standing. A more positive and torques ride making the car feel sportier than with just the stage 1 re-map. Gear change has improved further, with smoother positive action. The delivery of the torque is refined and controlled making the driving experience very powerful but controlled. Since first drafting this article the car has had further time to adjust, we have experienced cold weather and I have added a Michalak air intake. This has improved the driving experiences to the point that I cannot wait to drive the car at any opportunity and for any distance.

I was hoping for increased top speed, but in all fairness the car is very fast already and the low and mid range performance is really the best benefit to most drivers and this is provided by the stage 2. The stage 3 simply allows you to be aware of your actual speed. With all re maps the top speed is beyond that indicated on the standard speedo. It is best if you can see your actual speed and judge for braking.

The stage 3 was tested with a GPS and found to be displaying 3.6 M.P.H. over the GPS reading. This variation is consistent with the standard smart speedo. These stage 2 and 3 modifications are relative to what you want from your smart. As a combination they are an excellent package that provide true positive benefit over the Digi-tec stage 1 re map alone.

 

Submitted By:

S2Massive [/pay]

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Bexhill Beach Party 2003

On the beach at Bexhill one Saturday afternoon in August. That is where Funkysmart, thesmartclub, Sussex Smarts and a few S2Crew members got together to have a beach party as a post “Billing” get together.

Organised by Tom Crawford, a Bexhill local, many that attended traveled from the north and east to attend, camping over night on a local campsite while one or two sort the comforts of a local B&B.

Berkshire, Sussex and Kent were represented and I myself traveled up for the day from Hampshire. The plan was simple, evening BBQ on the beach, convoy (tube) through nearby Eastbourne at 9 pm and back to the beach for further BBQ, games and a few drinks. [pay]

Well it all went well until Tom got in to a water fight and we were late for the convoy. Once he had dried off we were on our way, some 25 smarts in total, what a sight as we hit the streets of Eastbourne.

People stopped and waved or just stared. Having pasted trough Eastbourne on the sea front we parked up and got ready to turn around for the return to the beach back the way we came. This was my cue to fall to the back of the convoy (tube) and leave for home. We started back and a few of the tail enders got separated from the many convoy as I disappeared of down the A27 home.

With only two people in the convoy (tube) having walkie-talkies and one of them being me it had been difficult holding things together. Tom, leading us had not managed to get a walkie-talkie as planned.

The following day I checked on the state of play back at Bexhill. The lost smarts had been found and made it back to the beach OK. From all accounts the party continued in the small hours and a good time was had by all.

It had been a great day out for me, meeting friends and making new ones while putting faces to those that use the club message boards. A big thank you to Tom and I hope we can all do it again next year.

 

Submitted By:

Massive [/pay]

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Minty’s Roadster Diary Summer 2003

A LICKLE SMART DIARY

A lickle smart diary is a new regular feature in smartimes and will follow the life of my car and myself.  In every issue I will cover various elements of smart life ranging from modifications I carry out on my car to meetings I attend, as well as various stories related to owning and driving a smart car.

This issue I will bring you up to date with the story so far, but first let me introduce myself.  Many of the users of the UK smart message boards should know me by now, I am currently known as “humbug smoothie” because my car is black and white and features a smooth rear panel.  In the past I have posted under the user names, “humbug”, “lickle”, and “s2smooth”.  I regularly post messages on thesmartclub, s2crew, funkysmart, and “Sussex smart owners” (Despite living 200+ miles from Sussex!)

The Story So Far . . .

[pay]I first fell in love with the smart when I was on holiday in Gran Canaria in March 2000.  I saw a white and silver smart parked outside a hotel and all I said was “Wow!” I had a good look inside and from that point on I knew I wanted one, but would I be able to get one in the UK?  At the time I had recently given away my 1977 Triumph Dolomite, which was on its last legs (wheels), and I was looking into buying a Renault Clio, Ford KA, or Fiat Seicento.  Over the next few months I started looking on the Internet and in the Auto Trader and I found two companies who imported smarts, J & P Rose in Macclesfield and thesmartpartcompany in Retford.  So I had now found some UK suppliers of smart cars, the next problem was that I had a maximum of £5000 to spend, which meant that I had to find a used smart car, and at that time a used UK smart was as rare as rocking horse poo! 

I phoned thesmartpartcompany up and they had a used yellow and black pure for sale, although I was very tempted I really wanted a pulse because of the glass roof, I decided I would buy this if I could not find a pulse within my price range.  I phoned up J & P Rose and although they did not have any for sale for this price they said they would consider selling their demo car, I arranged a test drive, although I had decided to buy the car before I had stepped inside it.  During the test drive all I could do was grin!  I knew that I wanted it and I was just happy that I had managed to find one in my price range.   In the end I had to pay £5300, and decided on lite white panels.  I paid my deposit and travelled back to Macclesfield on the 27th September 2000 to pick up my car.  Since then I have carried out various modifications, details of which can be found in the ‘lickle smart’ section of my website at www.ukcult.co.uk.

Since the last issue . . .

Modifications

Michalak side skirts – I have been looking at side skirts for just over a year now and I was going to buy a set of MS Design skirts from Top One in Kingston, London last summer.  When I saw the Hofele design skirts on www.smartsrus.com, however, I decided to buy these, as they looked a lot chunkier than the MS design skirts.  I ordered a set of Hofele skirts from smarts-R-us in mid-February but due to their body shop being busy I had to wait longer than I hoped.  Impatience got the better of me and I decided to drive to Nottingham and buy a set in black to get painted in lite white by my local body shop.  I timed thing just right, smarts-R-us had just received 2 sets of the brand new Michalak side skirts and I decided to buy these as they feature a protrusion to cover the rear arch panel bolt.  I think the straight edge suits the side of the smart very well and echo the line in the door panel and the window line.  I dropped them off at my local body shop the next day, picked them up three days later and fitted them the same evening.  I’m very pleased with the look of the side of my car now, so much in fact that I keep looking at the reflection of my car as I drive past bus stops, which can be quite dangerous!  The only slight downfalls with these skirts are that you have to remove them when the rear panel needs to be removed and that spacers need to be fitted behind the front panels on pre-mk6 cars so that they line up correctly.

Mercedes badge  - I bought this during April from Gerard Mann Mercedes in Birmingham for £4, it is the badge that is fitted to the bonnet of a Mercedes Vito van.  I got this sprayed along with my skirts and I have stuck this over the tailgate lock using number plate sticky pads.  I think this finishes off the clean look of my smooth tailgate nicely.

Colour-coded tow-hole covers – Again these were sprayed along with the skirts, and finish off the clean look of the rear of my car.  For some reason the majority of people with custom sprayed smarts do not spray the tow-hole covers which I think slightly spoils the look, especially of lighter coloured cars.

Meetings

Since the last issue I have attended several of our regular meetings at the ‘Bowling Green pub’ in Lichfield, Staffordshire including John Freeman’s 50th birthday do.  This was our biggest Midlands meet so far with a total of 20 smarts attending with quite a few owners travelling quite a distance.  I also attended the officially unofficially official London to Brighton rally on the 1st June that was excellently organised by a group of smartclub members based in Sussex and Kent.  Of course by the time you read this I will have attended what looks like will be the biggest smart event this year – The Smart extravaganza organized by www.funkysmart.co.uk

Don’t miss the next issue of smartimes for the next update of a LICKLE smart diary.

Money Spent

£237 on side skirts and paintwork

£60.50 on 6 months road tax

On the clock = 69165 km

STOP THE PRESS !

What you have just read would have been the summer edition, that was it finished, done, and complete.  I e-mailed the text to Stephen at the start of June thinking that not much more was going to happen until the deadline for this issue and I could start planning the diary for the following issue.  That was until an event happened which was going to change my smart-owning future forever.  I will summarise the mad few days else I will end up filling the whole magazine!

Wednesday 04.06.03

Three quarters into a long journey from Birmingham to Newcastle with a work colleague my glass roof exploded!  My emotions went from shock, panic, fear, to laughter in minutes!  I was angry about having to get the roof repaired, but I was also lucky, very lucky because of the following reasons –

• The glass went out, instead of in.
• There were no cars behind.
• I made it to the hard shoulder without crashing.
• The sun was shining.
• I say the sun ‘was’ shining because as we entered Newcastle an hour later the rain started to fall, it started to fall heavily.  All we could do was laugh – what else can you do?

Thursday 05.06.03

I phoned smart Birmingham to get a price on a replacement roof.  They had one in stock and it cost £131 odd including VAT.  The roof needs to be fitted by a car glass company and the chap at smart estimated this to be about £80.  I phoned Direct Line to find out if my roof was covered by my glass policy with a £50 excess, after checking with various people a helpful girl confirmed that my roof was indeed covered and gave me the telephone number for Autoglass. I could now relax and forget about the whole incident.

Friday 06.06.03

As I left Newcastle I decided to phone Autoglass to book my car in, unfortunately when Autoglass phoned Direct Line they were told that I was not covered by my glass policy because the roof is structural!??!  After several phone calls to Direct Line to confirm the situation I reluctantly accepted that I had to pay to repair the roof myself.  Loads of things were streaming through my mind on the way home, what if it happens again and I’m not as lucky? How much would it cost to get an electric sunroof fitted to my car? Should I buy a cabrio?  I enjoyed the topless ride home so much that I decided to look into buying a cabrio and the used prices; a few on-line loan calculations later and I had decided to buy a £9995 roadster. (If there were any left)

Saturday 07.06.03

I Phoned Auto Windscreens in Walsall to book my car in, quoted a price of £50 + VAT but I had to transport the glass myself from smart Birmingham.  I phoned smart Birmingham to inform them that I was going to collect the glass in an hour or so.  I phoned the smart national sales line and spoke to a chap called Simon who said that there were 3 roadsters unallocated and told me to speak to smart Birmingham when I collected my roof.  I went to smart Birmingham to pick up the roof, thanks to the folks who helped squeeze the roof into the back of Carla’s Ford Ka.  While at smart Birmingham I spoke to Ian in the sales department who said that all of the £9995 roadsters destined for the UK had been sold but I could buy one of the higher spec models. (I refused)  I then drove back to Walsall and dropped my car and the glass at Auto Windscreens to be fitted on the Monday.  I phoned smart Tamworth, smarts-r-us, and the smart national sales line again in a desperate attempt to find a roadster still available.  Simon from the national sales line phoned around various branches and found the last one available at smart Chiswick.  I phoned Clare Ackerman and put a deposit on my credit card there and then.

Sunday 08.06.03

I advertised my smart for sale on the smart message boards as well as on AutoTrader.

Monday 09.06.03

Picked my smart up from Auto Windscreens to find that there was pieces of glass rattling around the inside of the roof lining and they had removed the mercedes badge from my boot to open the tailgate and stuck it back on upside down!

Tuesday 10.06.03

A chap turned up and paid the asking price in cash despite the fact that the rattling glass was still in the roof, I had lost my tax disc, the oil was running low, and I had put the basic smart radio back in.  This left me without a smart and catching the bus to work for the first time in 32 months.

Friday 13.06.03

Received a phone call from smart Chiswick to say my car had arrived! 

Thursday 19.06.03

Received a phone call from smart Chiswick to say my insurance cover note had the wrong registration number on, I quickly phoned Direct Line back to tell them to send a new note to smart, hoping that they would receive it in time for the following morning.

Friday 20.06.03

Picked up my new baby, a brand new shine yellow/black roadster, having a slight problem with the trust light and ABS light coming on, may be a problem with the steering wheel. I hope I haven’t got a Friday afternoon car!

So there you have it, a mad 16 days that I could never have imagined a couple of weeks ago.  I have a small stone and a smashed glass roof to thank for having a brand new car.  Now the fun can start all over again!  I can’t begin to predict what will be in the next issue of my diary but whatever it is, it’s bound to be eventful.  There is only one problem, having sold my number plate I need to think of a new name for this column, please e-mail suggestions to the smartimes e-mail address with the subject title “Diary Title”

Money Spent

£190 on glass roof and fitment

£9995 on a new roadster

On the clock = 267 miles

 

Submitted By:

Philip Egan

[/pay]

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The StormTrooper

I got the Smart back at the start of November in 2001.  I had no original plans to actually get the car at the time, as I had a Rover Kensington which was running fine, and, was a decent car.  It was only when I saw an advert in one of my local papers advertising a garage that was offering test drives of these ‘smart cars’ that I decided to go down and try them out.  Naturally, curiosity got the better of me too, ending up in me just having to go for a test drive! Hehe!  I arrived at the garage a couple of days later and stepped out into a ‘Formula S Smart’ – it was a ‘sporty’ model made by Andrew Moss from Colne Car Centre (who now has nothing to do with the cars). 

As I got stepped in the car and sat in the seat, I was instantly impressed with just everything, the feel of the car, the driving position, the design of the interior, the look, just everything.  It felt so comfortable – a lot more than my Rover.  There was only one thing I found strange, not the fact that it was left hand drive, but where the hell was the clutch!!!!  After a few minutes and me coming to terms with the fact that it had a sequential (‘Colin McRae’ – as I like to call it ha) gearbox, we set off down the road, taking it easy at first.  I was really enjoying myself!  I’ve only driven a few cars but this by far was the best ever!  I was soooo chuffed! Ha!  After a few minutes of driving the salesman told me to put my foot down – I certainly didn’t refuse!  So I dropped it a gear and stuck my foot down.  At first there was nothing, then “BLAAAAA” went the car giving me a kick in the process – that’s when I found out it had a turbo – which made me even more chuffed as I instantly started thinking 18 year old, turbo’d car - ‘dump valve dump valve dump valve’! [pay]

Eventually after a while we arrived back at the garage.  No more than 10 minutes later I had bought a smart.  I just had to have one I was that impressed with everything, including the way that I would be driving around in a car that is engineered by Mercedes!  Hmm, Rover or Mercedes, wonder which ones better!

So there I was a couple of days later with this fantastic (second hand) smart car, the looks I got (and still get) are so amusing.  With me being a young lad, of course modifying was the first thing I was thinking about.  After a long while my fist mod came in the form of a dump valve.  Now I was really impressed!  Tinted windows followed shortly after, then a change of panels, a K&N air filter, air scoop, custom exhaust system and a boost gauge.  This was all over a period of when I got the car to the present day.  I’d had an idea in my mind of how the car looks now in my mind for absolutely ages, and had been wanting to do that since I first thought if the idea.

I waited and waited, getting more eager to completely remake my car, but of course the money never came!  It was only until completely out of the blue I came into some money, which of course meant that finally I was going to get to transform the car!  I’d always been a big fan of Star Wars, and of course Darth’s very own army of storm troopers.  I’d always wanted one of the outfits too, I think they are one of the best suits ever! Thank the lord for George Lucas! Ha!  It was quite funny when the guys at Smart-R-Us showed me the car, and told me they had been looking at it for ages knowing that it looked like something they had seen before – but what?!  Of course I was confused too, until it came into Paul’s head – “it’s a storm trooper!” he shouted!  At that moment everyone chuckled, and I did see where he was coming from!  I was quite impressed too!  I’d made one of George Lucas’s creations without even realising!  That’s how the car got it’s nickname of being a Storm Trooper!

List Of Mods!

External

• Full respray in Opel Casablanca White
• Colour coded 15” Sportiva’s (175’s all round)
• Colour coded Hoffle side skirts
• Colour coded Michalak Eyebrows
• Colour coded Michalak Quad Lights
• Colour coded Michalak Grill
• Eibach rear lowering springs (25mm)
• Air scoop

Internal

• Smart club center console discs
• Colour coded pod, fan and speedo trims
• Boost gauge

Engine

• Brabus clone remap by Jonboy
• Dump valve
• Custom exhaust
• K&N Air filter!

 

 

Submitted By:

Richard Caesar [/pay]

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Susie Saved In Yellowperil Incident

Dear Smartimes,

Ok here goes: - I am the Manager of a high street Jewellers – H Samuel.  On the Sunday morning April 27^th about 1:00am, alarm activation at my store was reported to me. Two people have to attend & I informed my Assistant Manager off I duly went to the trusty stead – Yellowperil.  Had not got far probably 2 miles before I saw a flash and felt a bloody great bang – I can remember seeing a flash of a deer’s tail.  The journey to work is not bad, but I tend to go the old A1 road there – which is a back road and a bit bendy and has vegetation on both sides, and the A1 back.

I can tell you what I remember: - Confusion and had to get to my son, as he was home alone.  I scrambled out of a ditch and next thing I remember I was knocking on my neighbour’s house (luckily she is a nurse and her husband is an undertaker – taking no chances) and asking for help.  Apparently she cleaned me up and they took me to hospital.  I was assessed and put into a cubical (love those gowns).[pay]

I had x-rays galore to all areas that showed impact and bruising all clear – not one broken bone, the Dr’s were amazed that I had not even cracked the nose.  I had 3 tiny cuts, one to the palm of my left hand, one to the pinkie on my right hand and a small cut on my nose.  And severe bruising to the body.  I think the only thing that did not have a bruise was my left foot and shin.

My face was a mess – I wear glasses and the air bag when it inflated had pushed them to the back of my nose and caused most of the bruising.  My upper lip was bruised and inside the lip was cut.  Left and right of the jaw were bruised and swollen.

I had a full seat belt bruising mark on my body as well as bruising to the top right arm and lower left arm.  Left knee had a knock but nothing to right home about.  The right leg from the knee downwards had the worst knock as it went into the centre of the car, radio unit etc. 

One week after the accident I went to open the fridge to find I was in so much pain I was rushed to hospital – x-rays and outcome – 6 cracked ribs.  At least there was an answer for the pain and problems with the breathing.

So what is the point of this story – well?  My Husband was impressed with the safety features of this car when it was first introduced at the motor show at Earls Court.  This he decided was the car for me – I worked nights and needed a car that was economical and easy to park.  Got it in one – went for hello yellow as I though I was less likely to being run over by a truck at night.

The police who assessed me at hospital and went to the scene, were amazed at

1: - How I was alive

2: - How I got out of the car

3: - How nothing was broken

The insurance Assessor – he said the same things as above but also added if I had been driving any other small run-around car I would not be here now.   He did give me makes, but without proof I cannot name them.

The peril apparently while going around a roundabout, hit a deer; this caused her to loose control – hit a kerb which flipped the car over and into a ditch, head first and upside down, on top of a concrete waste pipe.  The roof, widows and rear window of the car were gone, as well as the windscreen.  The front of the car on the right was completely gone as well as most of the rear.  One door could not open – so I was told.  The tridon was in tact and was not bent – twisted or dented at all.

This is what saved my life – The Tridon safety cell of the Smart Car – the Police confirmed it as well as the Insurance guy. 

I owe my life to the Yellowperil, so have a new one on order, which I should have for Billing.  This has scared me, but not put me off driving and owning one of the best safety featured cars around.  The new car will not be yellow as the panels do not exist for the newer models, but the Yellowperil will live on in the heart of the new peril.

Three weeks on from the accident and I am getting there, the face has gone down and looking ok.  I still have problems with the ribs, but they will heal.  I, also have problems with the right leg, it will get better.  I count myself very lucky to have crashed in a Smart Car and walked away. Yes they may look weird, but – I love them to bits.

Thank you to all at Funkysmart, Dave, Wayne & all who sent good wishes and cards, it meant a lot.

 

Submitted By:

Susie Mills – aka Yellowperil.[/pay]

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My Smart Car WAG ‑ A Love Story

It was I999 when I first saw a Smart car. I was in a shopping centre in Germany, and at first I couldn’t even comprehend that it was a real car! A good while after that I started to see this tiny car in the UK and it wasn’t long before I was hooked … yes, I’d fallen in love!

Imagine my reaction when on Christmas Eve 200I, while pottering around my kitchen, I saw out of the window, a little black and silver number driving towards the house. My jaw dropped when it stopped outside my house and Nigel, my brother‑in-law, hopped out and handed me the keys. He’d hired it for me for two weeks as a Christmas present. Wicked or what? I was so overwhelmed I have to say I shed a tear or two. Even more tears fell though, when I had to hand it back again![pay]

I now longed to own my very own Smart car much to the disbelief of those around me (and just who’s laughing now guys?). Having spent two whole weeks driving around in the hired Smart, I was head over heels ‑ hook, line and sinker! I spent ages trying to read up about them on the Internet and wherever else I could. My partner Joolz would probably say I breathed, ate, slept and lived for Smarts ‑ sorry Jo0Izie ! I started saving hard for my dream car.

When my brother knew just how I felt he offered to help me. While he was in Belgium, he came across a little diesel version and actually bought it on my behalf. I was so excited. He had arranged to get it brought back to the UK for me ‑ it was now April 2002. But then we hit a snag ‑a BIG one. The lorry, and my Smart car, which was perched on top, was held up at Dover for some or other reason. My heart sank; I was gutted. We battled with the powers that be, and after 4‑months my brother managed to get the release documents.

I was over the moon, and just had to go to Dover with my brother to catch a first glimpse, and to bring him ‘home’ on the trailer. He was beautiful ‑ silver Tridion, true blue panels and Sportiva wheels. As we traveled back to Northampton I had to keep looking out of the back window to check he was still there. I called hirn ‘WAG’ (another long story!!) ‑ and had this put on the special number plate I had bought T6 HUD. This is my brother’s initial and the first 3 letters of my maiden name.

Then I hit another snag ‑ trying to register him in the UK. Dover customs seemed very reluctant to release his registration documents, and of course without these DVLA didn’t want to know. I did some modifications to WAG to bring him in line with Road Rules ‑ eg altering the fog lights and the headlights. He then had to go for an inspection and finally DVLA granted him a logbook. Legal at last!! What a buzz to finally drive him ‑ me and my Wag.

I have recently added a few extras after visiting Smarts‑R‑Us in Nottingham. Joolz would say we were there nearly a whole day (I’m sure it wasn’t THAT long Jooiz), mind you, I did manage to spend quite a bit of dosh. But he’s worth every penny ‑ I love him dearly and I just know we will be together for a long time to come.

 

Submitted By:

Maxine Holmes[/pay]

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MY VISIT TO SMARTVILLE 2003

On the 10th May 2003, I set off with my lady friend in my smart car towards Dover for the start of our adventure.  We made our way towards the Travel Inn where we were to stay the night in order to catch the Hoverspeed Seacat early the next morning.  Many other ‘smarties’ were going in the same direction that cheerfully waved and flashed their headlights in recognition.  On arrival at the hotel others had already booked in and were making preparations to get a meal.  Having first filled up with fuel we then booked into our room and made ourselves comfortable.  On our way to the restaurant it was evident that it would be quite a sight seeing all these ‘smart’ cars driving in convoy as there were many parked up outside.  Having enjoyed a good meal and tasty wine the organisers gave a short briefing about the drive across France.  We then retired to our rooms for the night.

Sunday morning started early without breakfast as we all had to muster at 0715hrs.  Everyone appeared to have survived the evenings drinking and was ready to go on time.  The Seacat leaves promptly at 0800hrs and we all needed to be at the check-in area by 0730hrs.  Loading the cars was a swift operation and it was interesting how they squeezed over forty ‘smart’ cars plus other vehicles in.  The trip across was very smooth with the ‘cat moving at 35 knots and a crossing time of only fifty minutes.  Barely enough time to grab something to eat, drink and look round.  As we unloaded in Calais we all met up in a large car park to ensure everyone was together and ready to move.[pay]

We left the ferry terminal and were quickly on the motorway leaving Calais behind rapidly.  It was not long before we reached the first tollbooth.  I had visions of spending my euros straight away but it was only to pick up the first ticket.  Later of course we would have to pay the rate for the distance covered.  We continued at a fair pace and settled down to cruise at 80 mph, the car seemed happy at that speed.  We all had a comfort stop with some of us topping up our non-existent breakfast.  Later we stopped for lunch and fuel but my friend did not want a baguette but something more substantial.  So we crossed over the bridge to the café the other side of the motorway.  As we indulged ourselves the rest of the convoy moved off.  I was confident that we would be able to meet up with them later.  As it turned out, we did not see any of them until we found the hotel in Saarbrucken/Germany where we were staying for the two nights.  Apart from getting hopelessly lost in city, the rest of the journey went quite well.

The hotel room was classy and had the beds up on a mezzanine floor with a small staircase leading up.  The room had the usual shower/toilet/hand basin, wardrobe, television and a large settee.  There were no tea making facilities and you rang room service for any warm drinks you wanted.  Tucked away in the wardrobe was a fridge with a large selection of alcoholic drinks if you needed them.  Downstairs the dining area was laid out nicely and was comfortable and airy.  A large selection food was set out on tables where you helped yourself to whatever you wanted.  If you wanted wine, beer or spirits you paid for it in the usual way.  All other costs being included in the package price.  When the evening was over it was off to bed.

Smartville is located near the village of Hambach/France, which is just a few miles south of Saarbrucken.  When breakfast was finished we gathered together in groups for the convoy to the smart factory.  On arrival we noticed that the whole complex is surrounded with security fencing which stretches as far as you can see.  There are numerous fields covered in smart cars of all types waiting to meet their new owners.  We got caught up with the wrong group at the factory and went off to Cubic, the company that produces the special coloured panels.  It was fascinating to watch the robots doing their thing and to see the end results.  All this work is monitored by highly trained staff and requires their intervention at certain stages.  We were given a guided tour and many of the operations were explained in some detail.  We had some time to kill so a quick trip into Hambach for some refreshments was taken.

When we arrived back at the reception area we were given a short film show explaining how the factory works then enjoyed a very tasty lunch followed by a coach trip to the production line.  This is highly organised with all the parts arriving just in time for that particular vehicle.  Each car has a bar code with all the build details coded in.  This will trigger the controller to supply each individual item, just in time, for that car.  The suppliers of parts are located around the core of the production line and get the parts to the line by conveyor belts, hooks or forklift truck.  We were watching the cars being built from some ten feet away.  Any rogue cars are taken to the centre of the building for everyone to see then the problems are sorted out by a specialist team.  Quality checks are made on a regular basis by taking a car off the line and putting it through a series of tests.  Obviously these are non-destructive tests.  Any panels that are deemed unsuitable are ground down to make the non-visible black plastic trims such as wheel arch protectors.  All the time we were walking around we had an interpreter giving a description of events as they took place.  At the end of the visit we all thought that it was worthwhile.  Most of us made our way back to the hotel although some went to ‘smart’ at Saarbrucken on the way.  There we enjoyed dinner and a very good raffle followed by a good nights sleep.

When breakfast was finished the following day, the car was packed for the return journey.  Some of the group decided to go on alone whilst others travelled in convoy.  We left on our own and made our way back to Calais.  Apart from the heavy storms with hailstones the size of marbles, the journey was enjoyable.  There was little traffic and what there was drove with more respect than most motorists do over here.   We arrived back at the ferry terminal in plenty of time.  The trip back across the channel was bumpier than going because of a force four storm.  Everyone that tried to walk about the Seacat looked like they were drunk, not true of course.  Once we landed at Dover and cleared customs we made our way home.

I had covered a total of 940 miles and about £35.00 was spent on motorway tolls. The car averaged 46 mpg but you have to remember that a lot of it was done at 80mph.

My thanks go to all those that organised the trip, they worked hard to satisfy all the needs of others.

 

Submitted By:

Brian Gutteridge

Aka Black smartie[/pay]

 

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The Theory And The Truth About Fitting The Smartronik Gear Change Mod

Theory

• Purchase parts from Germany.
• Take out front seat.
• Remove gear lever assembly.
• Add new part.
• Find brown/black wire in fuse box.
• Connect wires.
• Put everything back together.
• Drive off and enjoy.

The Truth 

• Order parts on the net.[pay]
• Go to bank to send money to Germany. (Bank not sure how to do it  “could take ten days”)
• Spend half hour online joining ‘Paypal’ in America to send money to Germany.

• Wait 3 weeks for parts to arrive. (Give every postman dirty looks for not delivering parts).
• Find out in mean time that Smartclub seem to have suddenly got supplies of parts.
• Find card in door saying postman tried to deliver but I was out, so I collect from main post office after work. (Long queues).
• Get parcel home and find parts and a bag of ‘Gummy Bears’ inside. (Nice touch).
• Can’t wait to get started, so I don’t wait.

• Horn assembly comes off quite easily. (It’s going to be a doddle!).
• Out with the Dremel, cut bar on horn into three, solder parts to bar (not forgetting to put the shrink wrap on first). Find the shrink-wrap is not big enough to fit over the bar and soldered joints.
• Refit horn assembly. Seems OK, horn only works on the right now.

• Next out with front seat. No, wrong there, only one bolt will loosen no matter what I throw at it. Give up and decide to do it with the seat in as I can see the screw I need to get at.
• Remove plastic tunnel over gear stick with Torx screwdriver. No problem. Things are looking up again.

• Cut carpet slightly to get to screws that fit the gear change on.
• My Torx drivers don’t fit so off to Halfords.
• After two trips to above shop with wrong tools purchased, it is discovered that the screw is five pointed, not six as all the tools available, and Halfords can’t even order one!
• Go home and try everything in toolbox to get screws out.
• Mole grips finally get a grip after about an hour but the last one under the seat will not budge.

• Try every thing and decide to chisel head off or break the plastic but it is so well made it won’t break.

• Big lump of metal falls out on floor.
• Try key in ignition to make sure everything is ok but nothing works engine wise.
• Go to bed annoyed and worried about huge bills for new gear change assembly.

Next Morning

• Try chisel on last screw again. Does not move.
• Try mole grips one last time and it turns – EUREKA!
• Finally take gear assembly apart, find out how it works and put parts back in that fell out.
• Instant relief as I find that the engine was dead because the main connecting lead had come off the ignition switch. Full of enthusiasm again.

• Start mod by connecting new part and hot glue in place.
• Run wires under carpet to fuse box and put everything back.
• Now we’re cooking with gas.

• Next find fuse box.
• Insert screwdriver to unclip it as per instructions. Seems to snap off, but at least I can see better now!
• Spend ages looking for brown/black wire but find it at last.
• Cut wire. Horn still works. WRONG WIRE. Solder back together again.
• Keep looking for half hour through wires.
• Just about to give up and have another coffee whilst kicking the cat, when I decide on one more look through all the brown wires I can find.
• Find the right wire after twisting the brown wires and discover the black bit was hiding behind all the time.
• Cut wire and the horn give a peep. Hit head on underside of dash in surprise.
• At least it’s the right wire this time.
• Solder on connectors, connect wires, done.

• Take car for drive.
• Left button works, but right button works horn.
• Read instructions again.
• Gear stick back, ignition on, one beep and the buttons are swapped round.
• WRONG!
• Reprogram loads of times still no joy.
• Decide to try two beeps, which is supposed to not change anything.
• IT WORKS! HAPPY DAYS! Instructions wrong.
• It works well, but you need to stop grabbing for the gear stick. Takes a bit of getting used to.

Was it worth it?

It took twelve hours with lots of swearing and passing cats leaving with spanners embedded in their rumps, but when it’s done and working its brilliant.

Back on the road and loving every minute.[/pay]

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