How many miles will a smart car do?

[PaulSelwood]

How many miles will a smart do, before it blow op?

[smartysteve]

I think it's reasonably small numbers that have had engine problems. Certainly not every smart and lots are on high mileages without problem.

They certainly don't have a certain mileage setting where they just self destruct afterwards!!!

Why do you ask?

[mccsmart2002]

It depends on how you treat your car and how much general knowledge you have of how engines works! <img src=icon_smile_shock.gif border=0 align=middle>

If someone didn't know they needed to check and top up the oil and let it run low and the engine siezed up - that's not the fault of the car makers is it? Similarly if someone didn't let their turbo cool down properly after a hard run and the turbo gave up after a few thousand miles, that would be the owners fault.

Don't get me wrong, faults do happen in the manufacturing process, but many smart owners have done more than 100,000 miles by now (160,000kms) Treat it well with good quality oil and petrol, get it serviced regularly and on time and have a diagnostic done once in a while to ensure a long life.

[Bat-Man]

if someone didn't let their turbo cool down properly after a hard run

How does one do this?

[philthy112]

just leave it on tick over for a few mintues once you have stopped

Edited by - philthy112 on 02 Mar 2004 16:04:08

[mccsmart2002]

If you have just come off the motorway after a long sprinted drive at re-map speeds, then you'll need to leave it for 1-2 minutes before switching off the engine. Be careful though not to just leave it idling for too long as you don’t want the heat to build up by just sitting there.

When your around town, but have given it some, I would suggest around 30 seconds, as the revs won't have been sustained long enough for the turbo to get as hot.

In the handbook, it says if you just drive normally when in town at don’t use max revs all the time, then this is enough to allow sufficient cooling time before you switch off the engine. No idling would be necessary in that situation.

[Tootheye]

I usually leave mine going for about 3 minutes after a good haul (most days I do 30 miles up the A19) to work and back. Use BP ultimate or Shell Optimax and Castrol GTX. Keep checking yer oil tho !! Doesnt use much water but seems to use oil, not a lot but more than most (new) cars. Think it might be because of the turbo but aint sure ?

[27lennie.]

On a long hard run take the last 5 mins nice and steady that will help.
27lennie.

[philthy112]

does anyone know what the largest number of miles a smart has done? without needing anything major?

[Alsmart]

In fact that's an interesting question.

There used to be (maybe still is) a man who drove his VW Beetle (old style) mainly around outer LA (California) just building up the mileage & keeping a record of the maintenance required. He had driven many hundred of thousands of miles (maybe millions) when I last heard.

Maybe someone should buy an already high mileage but otherwise original Smart & drive it to destruction to see what high mileage can be achieved.

Of course the fuel cost would be more significant in the UK than USA.

[jumpwenis]

mines on its way with 42.300 miles.... nothing major needed so far that wasnt covered by warranty

Edited by - jumpwenis on 04 Mar 2004 03:26:41

[Alsmart]

Although we might not wish to be associated with Volvo, this seems a good idea to me:

http://www.volvocars.us/VolvoOwnership/HighMileageClub/

Also on this subject, according to the 1994 Guinness Book of Records:
"The highest recorded mileage for a car was 1,442,044 authenticated miles up to 25 Jan 1993 for a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle owned by Albert Klein of Pasadena, CA.
The highest record mileage for an automobile with the original gasoline motor without an overhaul is 577,363 miles to 5 Jan 1993 by Don Champion's 1979 Cadillac Sedan de Ville."
Not bad for a pre-world war 2-designed car & a 1960-designed car respectively.
After all this time you'd think motor manufacturers in general, but DC in particular would guarantee Smart engines for 100,000 mile, subject to maintenance conditions.

[philthy112]

im sure if they poured a lot of money into it they could make a car that could go for ever.

but i still dont think the customer service would be very good

[jiveassbrabus]

what is the significance to the engine longevity if you fail to run the car in properly over the first 1500km?

[SMARTIE]

Mines done 28K so far and is still going strong!
I also usually let mine idle for a short while before turning the engine off to keep my turbo happy.