Common Questions

This will be updated as and when I get questions.

General

Your site is invaluable and has saved me money, how can I support the site?
Consider joining up, and if you have already joined and wish to thank me some more you can always donate to the beer fund.

Do smarts have spare wheels?
The fortwo and Roadster do not have spare wheels.

How do I reset the service light?
Did you search for the words “service light”? (I guess not) Look here.

Where can I get original parts and panels for my smart car?
From smart.

Where can I get aftermarket and performance parts for my smart car?
Look at the companies in the links section.

Smart only sell panels that require painting, what can I do?
Find someone on the forums who will sell you a panel or get one painted.

Is my car remapped?
If you can drive it at 100mph then yes (autobahn, rolling road or private test track only).

My electrical thing isn’t working.
Check all of the fuses are OK.

My car suddenly loses power and won’t do more than 40mph.
Type the words “safe mode” into the search for more details.

Fortwo 450

The gear change is really slow, can I speed it up?
Not really. A remap may help a bit. You get used to the gearbox eventually.
It makes you a better driver as you have to read the road to anticipate the gear change.

Can I safely put rear wheels on the front?
No.

Does the fortwo have a spare wheel?
No.

How do I activate the steering lock?
You don’t, it doesn’t have one.
The 453 does have a steering lock. It activates when you remove the key.

I get 3 lines appear on the speedo display.
Take a look here.

I get 1 line appear on the speedo display.
Take a look here.

I get a rubber burning smell from the back of my car.
It’s bits of rubber from the tyres, tar, salt and mud from the road.

My indicators flash 9 times when I lock and unlock.
Take a look here.

My car pulses when I accelerate.
Check the turbo manifold, it is probably cracked.

I need my engine reconditioning, who is the best in the UK?
www.fudgesmart.co.uk

I need my engine reconditioning, who is the best outside the UK?
I don’t know. Despite popular belief, I’m not a God and therefore not all knowing and omnipresent.

The site doesn’t have options for the diesel fortwo.
Correct, that’s because there are so few diesel engine specific mods. The few bits of diesel info we have has been packaged with the other fortwos. Do a search for CDI for your diesel specific info.

Fortwo 451

Can I safely put rear wheels on the front?
Yes.

Does the fortwo have a spare wheel?
No.

How do I activate the steering lock?
You don’t, it doesn’t have one.

The front suspension makes terrible noises when I go over bumps.
The front bushes are prone to water ingress, see here.

I have a 54bhp CDI and it keeps breaking down.
Keep taking it back to smart and complaining. It’s either an EGR or DPF fault.

I get a rubber burning smell from the back of my car.
It’s bits of rubber from the tyres, tar, salt and mud from the road.

Are there any remappers who can remap the 451?
Yes, check this link.

The 451 gear change was supposed to be faster than the 450, bit it’s not.
Correct although you can have the gearbox controller remapped by BIG Performance.
It is supposed to speed up the gear change by 25%.

Forfour

Why isn’t there more stuff on your website regarding the Forfour?
Because I don’t own one. Go and look at my new forfour forum.

Roadster

My (insert electrical thingy) isn’t working.
The Roadster is prone to water ingress and the water gets into the fuse box.
Check under the carpets for water then use the site search box for the word LEAK.

The gear change is really slow, can I speed it up?
Not really. A remap may help a bit. You get used to the gearbox eventually.
It makes you a better driver as you have to read the road to anticipate the gear change.

Can I safely put rear wheels on the front?
No.

Does the Roadster have a spare wheel?
No.

How do I activate the steering lock?
You don’t, it doesn’t have one.

I need my engine reconditioning, who is the best in the UK?
www.fudgesmart.co.uk

I get a rubber burning smell from the back of my car.
It’s bits of rubber from the tyres, tar, salt and mud from the road.

I get 3 lines appear on the speedo display.
Take a look here.

I get 1 line appear on the speedo display.
Take a look here.

My indicators flash 9 times when I lock and unlock.
Take a look here.