by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 03/01/2017 at 13:25
by "Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
Published 03/01/2017 at 13:25
Tags: smart
STARS: 8
My career in being a tech analyst has opened my mind to new ways to observe the world. As a fan of statistics, it plays perfectly into my hobbies. Instead of just reading data, I can compile it and draw fairly accurate conclusions.
I like analyzing all data, from how many Airbus crashes were blamed on fly-by-wire systems (and were later concluded to be pilot error), to fact checking claims from such people like Milo Yiannopoulos. This week, I am working on two analyses:
Not long after officially giving up on a major defect, a document gets sent to smart dealerships telling of the end of production for the petrol 453.
What is the origin of the recent “transgender people rape women in restrooms” claim, with analysis of Milo Yiannopoulos’ crime statistic claims on Real Time . I’ve finished research on this, a write-up is coming soon.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Today, let’s tackle smart.
On February 13th, 2017, a document leaked by Reuters said that smart USA will cease sales of the turbo variant of the smart fortwo in North America. Their intent? Supposedly, they would become an “urban mobility EV brand”. Production of the American 453 will cease in April, and all stock is expected to be sold by the end of September.
Smart USA has elected not to tell why they’re doing this. They’ve made many empty promises (including telling us about this move, which they yet again decided not to do) and the future of smart in the USA remains open to be challenged. It is up to us owners to figure out what’s going on here.
In late 2015, almost immediately after the C453 was released, reports began pouring in of how the fuel tank in the 453 could not be filled to capacity.
The car was released with the fuel tank being advertised as having a total size of 8.7 gallons, of which 1.3 of it was meant for reserve. The operation is officially described with “If you fill up as soon as the reserve light turns on, you should be able to fill up 7.4 gallons. But, if you drive until it says 0.0gal, then you should fill up 8.7 gallons.”
You’re not supposed to go many miles further than 8.7 gallons. There is extra space in the tank for to lubricate the fuel pump, but that amount is supposed to be so little that one shouldn’t be able to drive more than about 10 or so miles past 0.0gal.
So, with the operation of the fuel tank set, most smart owners (including myself) found out that their tank would never hold more than 5 to 7 gallons total, and proceeding to try to fill to capacity would often lead to spilling. Well, this gets even weirder because some owners are not only able to fit all 8.7 without issue, but some people have been able to pump 14 gallons, then proceed to drive nearly 800 miles on a tank.
How is that even possible? The filler neck is at best a half-gallon.
To make matters worse, many cars also came with a fuel gauge that either never read full until one drove 60 miles out of the fuel tank or a gauge that would always read full no matter what.
Faced with this disaster, smart saw the best solution was to replace the faulty fuel tank...............with the same faulty fuel tank. The fuel level sensor issues were eventually resolved after some months of hits and misses, but the fuel tank issue persisted. Some people had their tanks replaced three or more times, sometimes smart flew engineers over to America to replace the tanks...yet somehow, the issue persisted.
A year later, more and more and more and more cars are impacted, and the 2017 model year was discovered to have the issue too. My own 453 is only able to have a max amount of 7 gallons in its tank at any given moment.
Some more daring owners have tried to see how far past 0.0 gallons they could get, most of them were able to go an additional 100 or more miles after hitting the end of the reserve, suggesting that the fuel gauge is faulty. But then, others gave it a whirl and they sputtered to a stop only a few miles past 0.0 gallons. The mystery continued.
Effectively, here’s how fuel tanks in American 453 smarts work:
You can’t fill up to 8.7 gallons whatsoever, usually only 4-5 gallons, OR
You can consistently fill 9-14 gallons without issue under the same testing conditions, despite allegedly having the same tank (the largest tank smart offers is a 10 gallon tank, in another market). HOWEVER
Despite only being able to fill 5 gallons at a time, you can go 100+ miles past 0.0 gallons on the reserve tank. OR
Die out as soon as you hit 0.0 gallons.
What this would suggest is a mix between a fuel gauge issue, a fuel sender issue, and a tank size issue. However, smart somehow messed up the solutions so much that each time they tried to fix these cars, they just made the situation worse.
A year and a half after battling this issue, a smart dealership leaked the “official” solution. That solution? Giving up. Instead of fixing this issue, smart USA decided that they were just going to rewrite the manuals to say the tank is only 5.8 gallons with a 2.9 gallon reserve.
Um...okay...I mean that isn’t even a band-aid solution. The weird thing is that the dealership claims that the manuals were just written wrong all along, and that there wasn’t an issue in the first place. Right...that doesn’t really explain anything though, especially spending over a year on a printing mistake?
Less than a month after this dealer leaked the “solution”, the rest of the dealers got a second notice (this time, with an official date) that smart is no longer going to sell the petrol variants in the USA, and just sell the EV. The first letter sent a year before informed the dealers of the demise, however a date was not set. Most likely, they were going to give it one last shot with the fuel tanks and if not, drop out of the market.
The dealer solution is no longer valid (so they aren’t going to re-write the manuals), and smart will stop pursuing a fix for the fuel tank issues. Their resolution is simply to stop selling the car.
This decision comes after years of slow sales, pretty much no advertising (slow sales are partly the outcome of this), and mistreatment from dealers who aren’t even interested in smart anymore. At this point, they must feel that it is simply easier to stop selling the cars than to fix a defect that as of right now, impacts nearly 100% of all 453s sold so far.
The future for smart USA is uncertain. With the heads still silent, owners can only expect the already tiny number of dealers to decline as Mercedes-Benz dealers stop carrying the product (Mercedes-Benz dealers carry smarts buy choice, so they’re free to stop when they want). The Electric Drive really only sells on the coasts and in Chicago, so there’s a major swatch of country that may be soon without dealerships.
Their official reasoning is that they’re moving to an all electric mobility brand...yeah, okay. The Electric Drive was only a small fraction of sales for smart NA (itself only getting a fraction of sales), they have no logical reason whatsoever to cut off their nose to spite their face.
In a world where you can get a 200 mile EV that can seat a family for $35k, why would anyone want to get a sub-100 mile EV for not much cheaper?
Anyone who has owned a 453 smart knows that this decision can only be because of the fuel tank. The timing is just too, coincidental.
Regardless of what happens, I will be keeping my smarts pretty much forever and I will continue to buy smarts...However, I am disappointed with what smart USA became after being released into the hands of Mercedes-Benz USA.
"DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back" (karsonkinja)
03/01/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 2
That fuel tank issue is crazy. It makes no sense that they can’t get to the bottom of it.
I’m gonna take a wild guess and say that MBUSA doesn’t see a lot of value in the smart brand. Giving up is a really lame thing to do, but something tells me this wasn’t a new idea around the office, and this fuel tank issue must have been the straw that broke the camel’s back so to speak.
But of course I’m just a guy who is speculating on the internet...
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/01/2017 at 13:59, STARS: 6
I know you love your Smarts, and really that’s all that matters, but nobody has done more to convince me that they are piles of crap that you ;)
I look forward to reading about when you buy one with a manual trans, because I know you will one of these day.
"TorqueToYield" (torquetoyield)
03/01/2017 at 14:03, STARS: 1
That’s a really weird problem.
I wonder if there are different sized fuel tanks that could fit in the same spot and they were getting mixed up in assembly.
"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
03/01/2017 at 14:04, STARS: 2
I was thinking this same thing. I always come away thinking ‘man, she sure does love those buckets of junk’.
I guess the moral is that while they’re not for everyone, they’re definitely for Miss Mercedes.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/01/2017 at 14:06, STARS: 3
How do you fuck up a fuel tank? The tech is literally as old as cars themselves. Just saying that makes me want to strip one of those cars completely down and figure out what the hell is wrong. Fuel tanks use physical space, unless smart somehow figured out how to violate spacetime and have a bigger inside than outside.
And I feel like the issue regarding them not selling gas engines is due to market forces. TBH 14k (base!) for a smart really doesn’t make sense to the layperson, it only makes sense if you desire the smart as a specialty car. The typical customer won’t bite. The EV market fits better since there is less competition, at the same time, they are going to lose a ton of sales.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 14:17, STARS: 1
I prefer to call them buckets of bolts. :D
And uh, zip ties. ;)
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 14:18, STARS: 0
I’ll definitely have a manual some day, and I’ll add a Hayabusa to my portfolio too...tbh that’ll probably be the day I die.
"punkgoose17" (punkgoose17)
03/01/2017 at 14:19, STARS: 4
It sounds like a fuel tank venting system problem. Looking at the images below. The vent line is not at the top of the tank. If you can only fill up 5.7 gallons the fuel tank is not venting out the air in the tank. It is trapping air. If you can fill up with 14 gallons it is because the evap system is filling with fuel giving you extra volume. (Circled in orange) The vent line should be at the top of the tank and they should balance the pressure of the 2 sides with a secondary vent line so the whole tank fills (blue line).
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/01/2017 at 14:25, STARS: 2
Well put.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/01/2017 at 14:26, STARS: 1
Yeah, given your high speed driving history, I don’t expect you to survive long behind the wheel of a ‘busa swapped Smart. I do still want to see you rallycross one though.
"AMC/Renauledge" (n2skylark)
03/01/2017 at 14:33, STARS: 1
Is it possible that some cars got the big fuel tanks installed by accident from the factory?
Also, this frustrates me. I was seriously hoping for the ForFour to be sold in the US. I’d have bought one. Perfect car for me.
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
03/01/2017 at 14:45, STARS: 2
I hired a Mk 1 Smart years ago (700cc turbo, six speed automated box) and I thought it was just fine, including the notorious ‘box. It was the most economical car I had driven until I got to a Prius and even then there wasn’t much in it. Even driving on French autoroutes was fine once you got used to the fact that there was no car in front of you and to a certain bobbing feeling due to the tiny wheelbase.
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
03/01/2017 at 14:48, STARS: 0
Maybe it’s something caused by US emissions regs. The post above refers to an “evap system” which is a new one to me so maybe this has something to do with it.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 14:49, STARS: 0
Possible, though weirdly enough, even with the 10 gallon tank installed, it should start overflowing at around 11 gallons. I have no idea where some of these guys are storing 14 gallons of fuel without the evap canister taking a crap.
I agree, I would have loved a forfour...at least that would have had a chance at being competitive (assuming the price wouldn’t get jacked up).
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 14:50, STARS: 0
How about a ‘busa smart that I could take to Moab? :D
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 14:52, STARS: 0
I desperately need to drive a 450. Maybe I can bribe someone at my apartment office to let me have 3 cars.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
03/01/2017 at 15:03, STARS: 1
Looking at that picture suggests to me that if you elevate the passenger side a little by doing something like driving one rear wheel onto a block of wood, you might get more into the tank.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
03/01/2017 at 15:06, STARS: 0
I have a suggestion... take a block of wood with you and the next time you fill up, drive the passenger side rear wheel onto the block of wood.
Then see if you’re able to get more into the tank.
And I say that based on the picture of the fuel tank punkgoose posted.
By raising the passenger side, you make the side of the tank that has the air lines higher.
And for fun, also try raising the other side and see what impact that has.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 15:09, STARS: 0
Huh, basically then it’s just a really bad design that’s probably not going to get fixed?
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 15:11, STARS: 0
There are 2 or 3 tank sizes depending on which sources you want to believe, though the max size is 10 gallons. I wonder if some cars ended up with the 10 gal version too?
"punkgoose17" (punkgoose17)
03/01/2017 at 15:29, STARS: 0
That is what it sounds like. If you fill the tank at half the speed the pump is capable of it may help with filling. I think allowable max pump speed varies state to state. (Fuel pumps in IN seem faster than PA and OH. In IN I could not fill my wifes car at full speed or it would stop at 3/4 full. The 2005-2009 Mustang had a similar problem where you had to fill it slowly or it would stop at 1/2 full.)
"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
03/01/2017 at 15:36, STARS: 0
Were they ever sold there?
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 0
Not officially. You can get them through gray market import, though.
"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5)
03/01/2017 at 15:51, STARS: 1
I’ve owned five 1980s Dodge k-car variants and love them to death, so I know EXACTLY how you feel, haha.
"Mercedes Streeter" (smart)
03/01/2017 at 16:17, STARS: 0
We’re not obsessed!!! *hugs car* ;)
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/01/2017 at 16:35, STARS: 0
Maybe wait until you’re not in an apartment to jump for a third Smart, just sayin’ ;)
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
03/01/2017 at 16:36, STARS: 0
I’m really referring more to their reliability than anything.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
03/02/2017 at 05:13, STARS: 0
maybe some cars have the wrong tank?
"Tohru" (tohrurokuno)
03/12/2017 at 16:37, STARS: 0
My D21 had an issue where you’d have to fuel it up very slowly or else it would keep clicking off the pump. I just disconnected the hose that goes from the tank to the evap system and now it works fine.