Couple of newbie questions (key, pulling away and 'spare wheel')

[mttsmth]

Hi. Just bought my first Smart Car, a 2006 450 700cc auto (Soft Touch? It's got a button on the left hand side of the gear stick which switches it from auto to manual), and have a couple of questions if I may?

1) One of the two keys wasn't unlocking the car, I've replaced the battery but the key won't unlock the car still. I'm presuming that it'll need to be paired/learnt to the car again? The key housing itself is in a pretty crappy state, so wonder if it's just better to get a new key and get it paired? I live in East London (Stratford), any recommendations as to where to go?

2) When I first start the car it takes quite a lot of gas to pull away. To me it feels like I'm over revving the car, and then letting go of the clutch suddenly. The car does a little jerk and then starts to pull away. Same in reverse. Once it's warmed up, it's a lot better. Is that just the way the gear box tends to work, or does it point to a clutch or another issue?

3) The car didn't come with the Smart puncture repair kit, so I'm planning on getting a little scissor jack, compressor and some puncture repair spray (likely from Halfords), any recommendations there? Is a jack 100% required? I've used the spray before on bikes, and it seems like it does a pretty good job of inflating a tire.

The cars first owner had serviced it really well, the second owner (who's only done 10k miles in it) hasn't. The engine is at 47k miles, so appreciate it might need a re-build soon. I've not driven it enough yet to know what the oil consumption is. I'm planning on taking it somewhere for a service shortly - so again, any suggestions as to where would be a good place? It's service book has most of it's services down in Croydon.

Looking forward to getting to know this car a little better.
Thanks, Matt

[Ocracoke]

Hey there, welcome to the forum!

To address your questions:

1. Yes, sounds as if the key has lost its coding to the car though I wouldn't invest in an entire new key, just get a new casing for it and transplant the blade + PCB into it. You'll need to go to a STAR diagnostic machine with ALL of your keys to get them paired up again.

2. I'd possibly consider lubricating the clutch actuator and then getting the clutch actuator retaught - again a STAR machine is required.

3. Unless you are planning to carry a spare wheel, I wouldn't bother with the jack. I couldn't recommend a repair spray unfortunately - never had the need for one.

S2Smarts in Watford is my first suggestion as to where to go to have this done. Think Smart Car Specialist is in your neck of the woods as well if you are near Guildford...

[Thrumbleux]

2) When I first start the car it takes quite a lot of gas to pull away. To me it feels like I'm over revving the car, and then letting go of the clutch suddenly. The car does a little jerk and then starts to pull away. Same in reverse.

Sounds like handbrake is sticking (not uncommon)...

Once it's warmed up, it's a lot better. Is that just the way the gear box tends to work, or does it point to a clutch or another issue?

....but that only occurs on first setting off. If it persists throughout the journey then clutch may need tweaking (as suggested). My 450 has always been a touch harsh on take off if I'm anything less than very gentle giving it throttle from standstill.

[137699]

Hey there, welcome to the forum!

To address your questions:

1. Yes, sounds as if the key has lost its coding to the car though I wouldn't invest in an entire new key, just get a new casing for it and transplant the blade + PCB into it. You'll need to go to a STAR diagnostic machine with ALL of your keys to get them paired up again.

2. I'd possibly consider lubricating the clutch actuator and then getting the clutch actuator retaught - again a STAR machine is required.

3. Unless you are planning to carry a spare wheel, I wouldn't bother with the jack. I couldn't recommend a repair spray unfortunately - never had the need for one.

S2Smarts in Watford is my first suggestion as to where to go to have this done. Think Smart Car Specialist is in your neck of the woods as well if you are near Guildford...

All of the above is sage advice. Including S2Smarts which is definitely where you should take your car for key & clutch adjust.

[mikerj]

Note that the compressor originally supplied with the 450 ForTwo is a generic unit used by many different car manufacturers. Audi, VW, Seat, Skoda, Mercedes and Porsche have all used the same compressor, and possibly other manufacturers as well. This means it's easy to pick up a suitable compressor from eBay for relatively little money, and it will fit straight into the original Smart foam molding.

I bought an unused Audi compressor complete with the tyre sealant and valve removal tool for under £25. The Audi tyre sealant comes in a round bottle that won't fit into the rectangular slot in the Smart foam, but a few minutes with a drum sander fixed the problem.

You don't really need a jack unless you are also going to carry a spare wheel/tyre around with you, in which case you'll need a 15mm wheel brace as well.