Hi, I'm a Smart technician, your issue is: The SAM unit is drinking water by the windshield. More over they suffer of bad soldering. You can use a second hand SAM a copy they informations from your defective one and by done with your problems.

Been there, done that... walked away It's the most expensive car I have ever owned... Got fantastic mileage, drives like a go-cart and is unbeatable in the city... more expensive to keep on the road than a Mercedes... wait it is a Mercedes...

With a mower deck and rear grass catching bags, that would be an awesome riding mower!

I love the driving sequence! It's so realistic and accurate!

I love the, "test drive", especially the parked car in the back window.

Your Craigslist ad almost, *almost*, made me want to buy it. Then I realized it was a Smart For Two, and that it was broken, therefore it would be stupid of me to buy it. Mostly because it's a Smart For Two, but also because it's broken. I really enjoy your videos a lot. I hope you can at least break almost evenish with this car. Thanks for making these videos. I know I appreciate it and look forward to more good content. *:)*

The "test drive' was hilarious! Nice 1960s -70s sawing back and forth on the steering wheel, with no effect on where the car is "going". Plus, the stock footage that was part of every single "driving" scene that was on TV and the movies for decades. I was half expecting to see Jim Rockford, Malloy and Reed in Adam 12, or Ponch and John pulling you over :-)

That craigslist ad is hilarious. Let's hope it goes viral so the car will sell for $20,350...

I used to be a member of a car-sharing service in the city I lived in at the time, and they had a few Smart ForTwos. I tried one once, and summarized the experience as like being in a car with a manual transmission driven by someone who is not very good at operating a car with a manual transmission.

We had a similar issue with a nissan maxima that would freak out when driven roughly, or up or down a hill. Turns out a penny had fallen between the ECU and its connection to the wire harness causing it to short out when it would move, hopefully your fix could be that easy.

Turning the mirror around was not what we asked for, but it was the attention to detail we needed. Awesome as ever.

Lol the drive part

when the chinese knockoff version of a car is more reliable than the original

Hiya! I own two of these first buggers, a second gen, and a third gen (all in the USA). First, advice for if you do get it running reliably: Get a AAA membership. When these 450s break, they break fast and catastrophically. Second, your issue is likely the SAM. The 450 sometimes fell victim to water and moisture ingress into the SAM unit, causing corrosion, shorts, and destroyed solders. If you took yours apart, I would not be surprised if it was a bit corroded. If the corrosion isn't too bad, you can DIY fix with some soldering skills. Other than that, the issue could also be a bad ground. Bad grounds can sometimes cause cascading failures with smarts. Though, the jumping odo makes me think corrosion.

On the add it says: Size: Full-size Type: bus That made Me laugh

Love the green screen work lol

If everything is dying when it shuts off chances are it's a grounding issue. Check all the basics. Battery positive and negative all the ground straps etc.

Every video of yours is so enjoyable. Your wit is undeniable. So is your knowledge about what you’re talking about. That’s what I find the most impressive about your web site.

The ad was great! If I was going to tackle that electrical problem the first thing I check is all the grounds, especially the alternator and chassis to body grounds. You might also try swapping the battery with a known good one. My good old Jeep took to having a complete power failure at times, EVERYTHING would shut down for a few seconds. Turned out to be a bad cell in the battery was shorting, a new battery fixed the problem it hasn't returned in a couple of hundred thousand miles or so.

trick with the gearbox is to go off the throttle when changing, like a real manual, this reduces the seasickness of your passengers. also, if turning at an intersection, press the gas earlier than you normally would during a turn, this makes it feel more like a normal car as it will change gears and then as you said, after 3 seconds throttle up

Your brutally accurate description if a car is good or not for St. Louis got me

ECUs, in my experience, are generally fairly easy to get to. You might be able to replace it yourself fairly easily. Also, it may be worth taking it out of the car, opening it up, and checking the capacitors. It’s not unheard of for capacitors inside computers of all sorts to fail, and it’s not a difficult fix if you’re handy with a soldering iron.

A Mercedes-engineered car with electrical problems??? That's unpossible!

Type: bus

That's a very nice and clean full-size bus in excellent condition!

Lmao the rear window when he's driving

Would buy this in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere near MO, sadly, I'm 2000 miles away.

Your videos are always extremely interesting, and enjoyable. I don't know how or why, but it is! Keep it up!

Hayabusa Swap it.

Thank you for the great job with videos. And i love your sarcasm 😁

Know nothing about Smarts, but thumbs up for checking all grounds. In my experience fiddly electical issues that are bad enough to switch the ignition off and are otherwise impossible to troubleshoot are often bad/disconnected grounds or direct shorts. Especially if no mechanical issue exists. And it does not have to be the batt wires, the SAM/ECU could have a pinched wire, broken connection, etc. And voltage spikes from a bad connection may explain the random haywire computer resets. You also said a brake light was blown when you got it. If this issue happens only when you are stopped, maybe the brake pedal is pulling a wire harness or a short exists in the brake electrical system.

Who knew you could pull a donut with a SmartCar? That was some mighty fine driving you did there pardner. I always get such kick out these cars when I think about the fact that I could get four into my garage. (hmmmmm... I dunno how I'd open the door.) I test drove a Mini Cooper about 12 years ago and loved it.... until I looked in the rear view mirror, on the freeway, and saw an 18wheeler behind me. I got that puppy back to the dealer so fast...

I love your test drive, fantastic!!!! Thanks for the videos, cheers!

That was some nice green screen video driving :-) I was Lol with your steering motions :-D I always love your touch of humor in your videos :-)

"I bought this car as a prop!" God dammit.

This video was hilarious! Love your sense of humor!

get a dealer mech to look at it on the side, a lot of them will do it for a lot less money and know where to get cheap parts

Best video I've seen lately. I just bought a Smartcar sight unseen...will pick up tomorrow...and if ok, will drive 800 miles. Yes, I have a feeling that I might have made a mistake too.

Wow it looks a lot bigger than it actually is in this video, I saw one of these cars once it was in a hotel parking lot I have never seen a car that small before I could have easily put the entire car in the bed of my F450 and that’s not an exaggeration at all!

Mercedes Benz dealers always, always have questionable customer service. Questionable at best, irritating at worst.

“The windshield washer is so powerful it misses the windshield” 💀💀💀💀

Been there, done that with a 2002 model, fixed it and sold it to someone with a nearly identical 2002 model. Since doing that I appreciate that people love these little cars. It was fun while it lasted but driving it after a 2016 smart was an experience, especially needing to change down through the gears to help the car stop :-).

Greatest test drive ever filmed.

9:50 your driving is convincing me to purchase one of these. Yes.... _sooo_ convincing (turns wheel to the right while still driving straight)

Possible Solution check all the electrical grounds

This reminds me of the driving scene in Airplane!

Nice to see you at the St. Louis European Car Show with the Saab and Trabant. Not sure why you didn't bring this one, it clearly would've won Best In Show! Designed in Germany, built in France- a practical and reliable car for the modern man, truly.

There is two reasons, _This is four_ ...so frequently that I could get it on video. _I couldn't_

Remove all the volatiles and put it in the kid's bedroom and build the bed into it.

My grandmas 2012 Hyundai electra was driving fine most of the time, but sometimes would give us scary problems, it turned out to just be a coil, even though the check engine light wasn't going off, it made the car do crazy stuff similar to what your description, I guess the engine slowed enough to make the battery go low enough to cause issues but not a CEL.

Sounds like a probable ground issue. Wire brush connections between battery, body, engine and alternator, assemble with copper grease. When dealing with old cars it's a good and easy fix to make sure the basics are right, even if it doesn't end up solving the problem. Good baseline.

I run a Carfax on this car and it had 2 miles in 2007 when it was imported into the US and 156 miles in 2009. That might explain the odometer issue.

Absolutely LOVE this KZfaq channel!! All of us weird, oddball car freaks have found a home. And, I have owned two of these original Smarts - they can indeed be interesting.

You more likely have water damage, which means the SAM is screwed up. Unfortunately, since the SAM is tied into the dash and ECU as well as transponders in most Smart cars, it is a costly replacement. Replacing the SAM (and all the other parts) should also improve the rest of the car's driving as the engine is probably in limp mode as the ECU/SAM doesn't trust the sensors.

Lovely channel.. I could be mistaken, but i do seem to remember reading about the smart car when they where released. In safety aspects the car was really ahead of other small cars. I think that among the features was an emergency electrical cut off in case of an accident. Could that be the item/unit that causing you´r problem..? Just an idea.

I'd say you've probably got a bad ground or a loose connection somewhere

way too much play in that steering :)

These videos r great. Glad I found your channel

Had the same isue with my 2004 700cc smart car! Fixed it by my self! The problem was loose soder on relays. Took the fuse box out car, opened it and resodered every bigger an suspicious points, since some of the connectors were a bit tarnished!

First thing I would do is check all the plugin connections for corrosion. There is an aerosol solvent that can be used to clean the connections. After disconnecting, apply the solvent and re connect, disconnect than reconnect again. This repeating action will clean the corrosion from the pins. If the computer is the problem, you might be able to find one at a wrecking yard for around $100. Check out what MrKouik says below. This sounds logical as will.

Smart actually decided not to put a clutch pedal in because they wanted higher safety ratings, the clutch pedal basically lodged into crash test dummy’s legs and made them get a bad rating and that was one of the smarts selling points was good crash ratings

Not sure if it applies to this model, but the Smart Roadsters were somewhat infamous for having rainwater funnelled into its fusebox. Possibly water has accumulated in the box, and breaking causes it to run forwards and immerse the fuses?

This has to be the best test drive I've ever seen.

Consider that when the car works it works fine. This means it is most likely to be a single problem. From what you say the computer may be loosing power. It could be loosing power because it's being overloaded (something that the computer drives is pulling too much current when it gets turned on (brake light bulbs?)) or something is interfering with the power feed. It can also be 'cold solder' (look it up) on the computer board itself. From your description it may be thermally triggered. Find where the computer is powered (on the computer board) and put 2 meters on it, one for voltage and one for current and have a camera watch for the failure event. With that you can see the normal operating current and voltage and the failure event current and voltage and you'll have an idea of where to go from there. If you have the right spot (right spot because if you remove power from it the computer has no power) and no power failure then continue looking on the computer side and if there is power failure continue looking on the power side.

For the electrical issues check to see if all the ground points are tight, after that start it up and try shaking the whole damn car at a stop and see if it cuts out (probably will) if it doesn't then there is probably some kind of sensor that could be loose or loose/detoriated (I.e. cut then poorly spliced) wire. I would say if there are holes for something that was mounted, there is likely going to be spliced wires within 5 feet of those holes (which on a smart for two could be the whole damn thing)

Your videos are brilliant! Thanks!

If you end up going down the SAM replacement route, you may want to check with S.O.S. Diagnostics to see if they have a reprogrammed used unit.

I had a similar issue in my Audi and had to replace the Mass Air Flow Sensor and the spark plugs but I had codes to go off of. Is it throwing any codes?

Check on the "engine earth strap" it's a big grounding wire that grounds the motor to the body of the car, google it, it's an easy fix. Another electrical connection that is worth checking it's the transmission wiring, it sometimes gets pinched between the intercooler scoop and the transmission carter...

Thanks for making me laugh out loud several times! Really enjoyed your video.

Obviously, for you and many others, the car is appropriately named. Because, after you bought it you started "smarting", so now you are smarter after having bought it. (entertaining review 👍)

You are going to be far better off in the long run by keeping the Smart car and taking the Wheego and give it a decent burning.

About a year ago my dad bought a used 2001 Smart Fortwo. It had several issues including exacltly the electrical fault you described. Engine just shuts off randomly, display flashes oil temperature and fuel. The guy we bought the car from also told us about it being dependent on rain... He said it's fine in summer. ( However, it was not :/ ) Searching for the Symptoms on google doesn't really help. Apart from some saying "Change the Engine Control Unit" without any dignose. :S After some troubleshooting they finally decided to change the engine control unit and it worked flawlessly indeed. We didn't change it permanently right away, but insted tried to fix the old one. In the end we put in a new(used) one. The main cost comes from reprogramming your key afaik. I personally really enjoy driving it. And most of the time it's just all you need to get places and nothing more. :D

Check under the car for any loose wires hanging, it might be shorting when you drive if the wires touch the floor on different terrains. (just a guess though) as it happened to me before.

The test drive segment though 😂

I just left Missouri. It is so hot there now. I was in Wentzville and also in salisbury, which is an hour northwest of Colombia. It was fun.

Major electrical problems are normally caused by two things a windscreen has been replaced and poorly sealed that causes water to leak directly into the sam. also the rear side plastic windows can leak water at the bottom due to perishing foam seals and if left long enough this will get to the engine fuse and relay box under the seat carpet, Im not sure if its the same on a left hand drive, pull both seats forward and stick your hand under the carpet and feel around for damp/a small fuse and relay box. either way take the sam out (its not difficult) (drivers footwell) about 8 connectors and a 10mm nut with power cable take a photo of them so you dont put them back wrong). you may even find a conector not plugged in properly. sam's are generally reliable, (apart from if this happens) ps. mileage jumping the way you described suggests the sam may have already been replaced but from a scrappy/anothervehicle, as the instrument cluster and sam both keep mileages and if one is higher than the other then the i/c adopts the higher value (prevents clocking). this would suggest a poor connection from the sam to the i/c.but i'd have thought the dealer would have picked up on this as the chassis coding of the control unit would be wrong. hope this helps pps hilarious road test

That Ed Bolian comment was perfect... 😂

Love the bulletproof comment about St Louis 😂

The Craigslist ad is more realistic and sincere than most ads seen around. Lol

That is 3rd gen, a very good car actually, I had one. The motor shouldn't rattle, it revs up to 6000 like nothing and runs nice and smooth. If you keep your foot fully on the gas pedal while shifting up, the pause will be short. Downshifts take a bit, but you can double- or triple click the gearshifter to go down 2 or 3 gears in one go. Don't use automatic shift.

i have a 2008 and it is perfect. Fast, fuel efficient as hell, handles like a dream....love it and have had ZERO problems. I paid $4800 and it was worth every penny. Honestly worth twice as much. If i saw one in perfect condition for $8000 , i wouldn't even hesitate. I have driven nothing but American v8's my entire life btw....these little cars are amazing.

I am sure you have checked but it could just be a loose ground somewhere. I had a Taurus awhile back that had electrical gremlins and I found it had a loose electrical grounding strap under the trunk carpeting. A lot of the time the answer is simple.

My friend just bought a 2005 smart car he says he charged the battery and it still don't turn on do you have any solutions on why it don't turn no bro??

It makes Trabi look reliable...and that is a tremendous feat

Love your 60s driving !!!

The door issue, what part did you purchase and how did you go about installing it? Our door won’t open from the outside but will from the inside.....🤦🏼‍♀️. I need your help!

A really wild guess... The stereo is aftermarket, maybe the installation can interfere with the ECU. For example, in VW's there is something called a "K-wire" that connects to the original headunit and can cause problems with new stereos, including loss of OBDII and ECU communication functions. I guess investigating the stereo situation could be one last-ditch effort before giving up.

Love that green screen driving you did there at like 9 minutes. You know the one with the supra appearing in the background behind the front seats. XD

Check a few things for the electrical: 1) Check all of the ground points on the car. 2) Absolutely ensure the battery is ~12.7V at rest. Anything less easily causes some of the most bizarre problems. 3) Make sure the alternator is working.

Had the same issue with a different car, I was the main ground wire, the dealership told me the car needed another computer and some other bits, and then an old car guy screwed a wire from the computer to the chassis, the worked like a charm after.

last 15 years if seen about 2 smart cars on the road. I remember going to the bruxelles auto salon when it released and i sat in it with the extremely hot hostess explaining how it all worked and how intelligent design it was....while everyone around the car yawned and went back to the porsche and amg stand.

"I Bought a 2005 Smart ForTwo with Electrical Problems" Just as correct as "I Bought a 2005 Smart ForTwo with 4 wheels".

The in car driving scene was perfect

Love your work!!!

I for one wish you luck, and hope at some point you do decide to pursue the Smart car issue. After all, the car's paid for, might as well give it a shot, right?

used SAM unit in here in Poland costs around 30$. My cousin works at very reputable used Mercedes car/parts dealer and has that used (tested and fully working) unit for about 70$. I stopped using services of dealerships long time ago due to their ridiculous prices :D

You are awesome in making this video. The deer scared me as I can't imagine what the outcome would be if hitting one with a Smart car. Every car and pickup in our yard has hit a deer at some point causing from $800 to $8000 in damage.

I think the first thing I would have done after the Star machine diagnosis is check every grounding point on the car.

I've had a similar issue once with dash and engine turning off. Turned out it was a rather cheap faulty rev pulse sensor at the gearbox. It was making the computer go crazy because of wrong readings.