Smart Car/Merc dealers - 'Goodwill'

GaryTravers · 13th July 2006, 15:30

i own a smart car. as fantastic as it is, one of the front suspension coil springs snapped.

i have been a member of a number of smart car forums and have found out that this is a common fault in smart cars of the same age. (52 reg.)

anyway i have been told that my smart car will not pass its MOT due to this spring breakage, and therefore i cannot get my tax, and therefore not legally drive it, pain in the a

.

i had spoken to mercedes on the phone and told them that i know this is a common fault and wondering what they were willing to do about it. mercedes and smart (same thing) have a procedure for claims called 'esculab' (not quite sure on spelling)

basically i have been told that i need to bring my car to a merc dealers where they can 'assess' the damage and claim on esculab to see if smart/merc are willing to pay for it as a 'goodwill' gesture. however i have been advised that these esculab claims do not always get the go ahead, and sometimes they only contribute a percentage.

so two questions;

- what should i do about not being able to get the car there (legally)
and
- is there anyway i am more likely to get them to pay the whole lot?

sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance for replies..

Richard_K · 14th July 2006, 17:09

To get the car there legally if the MOT has expired, book it in with the dealer for an MOT.

I don't know about Smart warranty, but 52 reg is 3.5/4 years old nearly, isn't it? Assuming a normal three year warranty, you might get it all done, assuming full history. Mercedes offer a 30 year 'lifetime' warranty, but the contributions scale with the age of the car.

Worst situation is you have to buy a spring; they're not usually that expensive. I'd expect a free parts/you pay labour as the most likely outcome assuming prior cases and full history. If they can definitely pin it down to a manufacturing defect (some dealers might be that helpful), then ask for a deal to get both springs replaced.

ayeaye · 23rd July 2006, 14:02

A friend of mine had a coil break on their Smart - it's a 52 plate i think - and Smart replaced under eskulab claim. So worth getting the claim in and there would appear to be precendent (Smart of Edinburgh was the dealer involved there).

venus moonflower · 10th July 2007, 22:59

My 02 plate Pure failed its MOT on Friday "both front coil springs incomplete"

I rang a local Merc garage to get a quote for new ones (fully intending to go elsewhere once I had an idea of how much!) They said they would ring back - 2 hours later - "when can you bring the car in so we can fit the new springs - it won't cost you anything - it's on a recall" ..... puzzling but OK then....

I rang 2 other Merc garages, both took my chassis number and said my car was on the recall list for front coil springs, despite me querying the fact it is 5 years old. I asked when they were going to tell me - AHA! - as it's not a safety issue, they would assess the cars when they came in for service.... I don't get my Smart serviced by Mercedes any more as it's out of warranty and they charge far too much for half a plastic car!!

BUT the upshot being I have had the springs replaced - only cost me £5.41 for a pair of dust gators (spelling?) - but they did not give me any paperwork to say it has been done, and verbally told my partner that there is no guarantee on the parts - a point I will be raising tomorrow with someone or other to see if they can do that!

I hope this helps someone with a 'snapped Smarty' !

patdavies · 10th July 2007, 23:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Richard_K

To get the car there legally if the MOT has expired, book it in with the dealer for an MOT.

It's perfectly legal to drive it to and from a repair appointment without tax or MoT certificate.

Likewise, it will be perfectly legal to drive it untaxed and unMoT'd for the test appointment.

GaryTravers · 11th July 2007, 11:03

well this thread is a bit of a blast from the past...

anyway after all that its quite annoying to hear they class it as a 'recall' now so it would have been done FOC, not like before where its a lottery for the eskulab (having to take it in to be checked, but i couldnt with no tax mot...)

i say its annoying as i have had the work done at my home instead..

smed · 11th July 2007, 14:14

The recall is SO38, and is being carried out on most smarts pre-2003 (i.e almond shaped lights), if you had the work carried out and have a reciept etc for this maybe you could claim the costs back from Smart / Merc, it might be worth giving Milton Keynes a call - I have an e-mail address for someone in the directors office if you want to PM me for details - got to be worth a least one email to them?

freemansteve · 11th April 2008, 12:48

I have just had my *second* spring alarmingly disintegrate on my wife's 52-plate Smart City Coupe, and have just called Smart of Coventry.

The first time it was the RHS spring that broke in 2005 and Smart of Cov replaced it FOC. This time, it is the LHS spring.

Smart of Coventry have just claimed:

a) There are NO recalls for springs on this model, SO38 or otherwise.
b) There is no such thing as "esculab", but there is a programme called "Eva", but possibly misheard on the phone.
c) They will assess the damage, but are doubtful as to whether I can get a contribution towards this.

What a rubbish car, and what a rubbish outfit Mercedes/Smart are to have to deal with - they clearly make up the story as they go along! Having said that, I will wait and see what happens when I take it in next thursday to be assessed.

Has anyone got any recent news about this problem and the best way to get these jokers to pay for their defective and dangerous products?

Steve

GaryTravers · 11th April 2008, 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by freemansteve

I have just had my *second* spring alarmingly disintegrate on my wife's 52-plate Smart City Coupe, and have just called Smart of Coventry.

The first time it was the RHS spring that broke in 2005 and Smart of Cov replaced it FOC. This time, it is the LHS spring.

Smart of Coventry have just claimed:

a) There are NO recalls for springs on this model, SO38 or otherwise.
b) There is no such thing as "esculab", but there is a programme called "Eva", but possibly misheard on the phone.
c) They will assess the damage, but are doubtful as to whether I can get a contribution towards this.

What a rubbish car, and what a rubbish outfit Mercedes/Smart are to have to deal with - they clearly make up the story as they go along! Having said that, I will wait and see what happens when I take it in next thursday to be assessed.

Has anyone got any recent news about this problem and the best way to get these jokers to pay for their defective and dangerous products?

Steve

thats disappointing.

strange how they agree to change it one time but now are being hesitant..

maybe give them reference to the previous time they fixed it FOC and clear up the fact that ESKULAB claims do exist.

smartmaniacs home is a good site and a search on there for eskulab and broken springs will give you a fair few reads, also people with advice on who to speak to, what to say etc..

good luck

freemansteve · 11th April 2008, 14:09

Thanks for information.

It appears that ESKLAB *does* exist, despite the denials of Smart Coventry.

I'll see what they say on Thursday....

smed · 11th April 2008, 19:25

If you don't get any joy from Smart Coventry then get on to Smart UK at Milton Keynes

Conniff · 12th April 2008, 03:23

As Steve says, there are NO recalls on the springs of any of the smartcar range.

smed · 12th April 2008, 10:05

You're right it isn't a recall as such it's a service order SO38 whereby if your springs have snapped then they are replaced but if not they are supposed to be inspected, the problem was casued on most post 2000 and pre 2003 models (pre 2000 had a transverse axel spring) where by when fitting the springs into the upper cup the powered coating was getting scratched off and this caused the spring to rust and in some cases the top 50mm or so of the spring snapped, this is clearly a manufacturing defect (that Smart are aware of) - it was carried out on my Smart during a service and was listed on the paperwork under SO38. The way to check the springs is to:-

A: Turn the wheel full lock and listen for a Ping type noise
B: Check near the front wheels for a curved bit of metal (top of the spring)
C: Jack the car up at the front and look at the spring

freemansteve · 12th April 2008, 15:31

In my case, there was no need to test for a broken spring by turning the wheel... The first time, my wife was driving at 70 on the A46, the second time I was driving at 40 outside Warwick and both times it sounded like someone had thrown a couple of paving slabs through the window. It was extremely alarming, and although Smart seem to think it isn't a safety issue (by not having an official recall), I can vouch for the fact we were lucky not to have had an accident owing to the shock. IMHO, it may be worth looking into some kind of legal action (not necessarily just for the cost to fix the car), but to ensure these jokers at Smart, building bad cars, realize they have a duty of care and don't let this happen again. Steve

h1tor1 · 12th April 2008, 21:35

Hi - I have a 2005 Smart ForTwo Pure (I believe it is a 2004 model - bought march 1st 2005). I have just had the same problem with the breaking drivers side front spring. I am taking the car to Smart of Coventry on Monday - does anyone know of a post 2003 model fortwo having the same "breaking spring" problem?

freemansteve · 20th April 2008, 18:29

Update on my Smart's spring issue:

I took the car to Smart of Coventry and was pleasantly surprised by their action. Don't be put off by whoever you speak to first on the phone; they rarely can tell a car from a toaster anyway - find the key players when you get there.

After they inspected the car (15 mins) I spoke with a helpful guy in the warranty dept (Arun I think ?) and explained all my issues - second spring, only 28K miles on a 52 plate, known issue with lots of internet press, etc. I took the car home and got a call within an hour to book it in for next Weds, and it'll be fixed gratis, out of goodwill.

Now, although I'm still unhappy about the fact that Smarts are a bit below the quality standard that I expect, and I consider the spring issue to be a safety point that justifies a recall, I can't say much against the fact that it will get fixed for free. The dealer definitely helped me (I don't really want to phone soemone in Milton Keynes who is reading off a script!), and this will earn some loyalty from me for servicing going forward, and Mercs are back on the list of cars I'd consider buying (that'd be to replace my other car).

Steve

freemansteve · 24th April 2008, 14:03

I should add that Smart of Coventry fixed the car as promised, in fact replacing BOTH front springs and loaning me a brand-new Smart courtesy car, all gratis.

It was all done by "goodwill", with Smart of Cov doing the calling of Smart HQ. Thanks guys, job well done, it was very hassle-free for me (bar spending 2.5 hours in the A46 following a horrendous pile-up yesterday).

BTW - Isn't the new Smart a massive improvement in every important area? It was a shame to go back to driving my wife's crummy 52-plate model.

Steve

smed · 1st May 2008, 16:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by freemansteve

Update on my Smart's spring issue:
(I don't really want to phone soemone in Milton Keynes who is reading off a script

Glad you got your car sorted, just wanted to add that the people in MK Smart HQ are real people working without a script (from my experience) - the lady I dealt with (Penny) was excellent, took my details and sorted mt problem, she phoned me back with updates and when she went on a two week holiday she called the day she got back to check that what had been agreed had been carried out

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