Every 10 months or so, my 451 ED would suddenly lose power and show "Drive Sys Eng Off". Even though it would restart immediately after turning the ignition off and on again, you had to come to a complete stop in order to restart the car. Somewhat scary if you were...
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453 Wishbone Removal
My 2nd ever 453 was a forfour that I bought from Copart. It was lovingly pre-crashed for my entertainment and had 1 glaring issue. The wheel wasn't in the middle of the arch and the tracking was all over the place. Not surprising when you see the wishbone. Hmm, bendy...
evilution On YouTube
It's taken many years but I finally got over hearing my own voice on video and being in front of the camera. I have now listened to myself talking for so long, it just sounds like my brother instead of me. After watching loads of car YouTube channels, I realised that...
Brake Fluid Specs
This is going to be a short and easy page of information since, unlike oil and other fluids, all smarts use exactly the same brake fluid. Recommended Brake Fluid Smart recommend MB 331.0 brake fluid which is one of the following part numbers: 000 989 08 07 000 989 56...
453 Time Change Issue
If you have the R-Link touch-screen stereo and are having issues setting the time, you are in the correct place for a fix. It shows as -:-- on the speedo... ...and --:-- on the touch screen. When you go into the system settings to change the clock manually, you can't....
Cruise Control Wiring – Roadster
Fitting The Cruise Control Stalk Firstly you need to get a cruise control stalk from smart. Roadster stalk number 001 2540 V004 C96A 00. Look under the steering wheel cowl, you will see 4 holes. Remove the Torx10 screws. Split the upper and lower cowls and lift the...
Roadster Trip Computer Back Light
The standard Trip Computer LEDs started to fail in 2012 and it became more and more widespread. Roadster Trip Computer New ones are no longer available so if the back light fails, you have 5 options. 1 - Live with having no back lighting. 2 - Buy a working over priced...
453 Heater Resister Removal
Turn yourself upside down and throw yourself as hard as you can into the nearside footwell. Take a torch with you. Look to the centre of the car and you'll see the cabin fan. Just forward of the fan, you'll see another connector. This is the heater resistor. Squeeze...
453 Cabin Fan Removal
Post yourself under the dashboard in the nearside footwell. Look up and towards the centre console. There's the fan. Disconnect the electrical connector by squeezing the 2 tabs and pulling the plug out. Look at 2'o'clock on the fan housing and you'll see a Torx20...
451 ABS Sensors
Front ABS Sensor Removal Using an E10 socket, remove the bolt on the back of the hub. Pull the sensor out of the hub. If it gets stuck, spray it with penetrating oil and twist it back and forward to break the corrosion. Follow the cable and disconnect the electrical...
Roadster ESP Water Ingress
Imagine that, water ingress in a Roadster. Strange how an exterior controller is less likely to be affected by water ingress than a controller inside of the car. ABS Unit On the Roadster, the ABS pump is easy to access. You open the bonnet and remove the front boot...
454 Forfour Stiff Gear Change
OK, so you have removed the gear change selector because the gear change was stiffer than Ron Jeremy. Ideally, you shouldn't need a hammer to change gears. The issue is down to the pivot in the selector mechanism arm. See below, the original pivot is hollow and...
454 Forfour Gear Selector Removal
You have the 5 speed manual gear box. Don't tell me, the gear change is stiff right? Time to remove the selector mechanism and get it fixed. Disconnect both battery terminals, earth 1st. Go down between the battery and the air intake and remove the single bolt that...
450 Cabin Intake Box Removal
Remove the front panels. Remove the headlights. Remove the front crash bar. Remove the front frame. Lift the brake fluid reservoir off the clip on the side of the cabin air filter intake box. Use a long flat blade screwdriver to push in the clip as you lift it. Now...
450 Washer Bottle Removal
Remove the front panels. Remove the headlights. Remove the front crash bar. Remove the front frame. Lift the brake fluid reservoir off the clip on the side of the cabin air filter intake box. Use a long flat blade screwdriver to push in the clip as you lift it. Now...
Electric Drive Charging Fault
History In early 2022 I had an issue with my 453 forfour not charging using the proper wall charger. However, my 451 ED charged fine on the same charger. I just presumed that there was a hardware issue with the car since MB Star Diagnostics was claiming there was an...
Charge Cooler Fluid Change
This probably isn't the information you think it is. However, it's more important. How Do I Drain The Charge Cooler System? See, this is the information you thought was going to be here but really, it's not. All you have to do is take a pipe off the charge cooler...
450 ABS Water Ingress
History Of The Fault Back in early 2000's, a smart specialist posted in a forum stating that there was an issue with the 450 fortwo ABS system. They said that over time, the ABS controller would fail. It was their recommendation that owners brought their car to their...
Roadster Lower Light Removal
Remove the front panels from the car. Disconnect the indicator and side light and, if you have them, disconnect the fog lights. Unscrew the 2x Torx screws from the light units and side the unit towards the outside edge of the panel to unclip it.
Smart 453 EQ (Electric Drive) Info
The Smart 453 Fortwo & Forfour Electric Drive (EQ) I have been getting a worrying amount of messages asking why there are no specific pages, tick boxes or information about the electric drive version of the fortwo 453. I'd like to go on record with the 2 answers...