You get in your car, start it up and get stabbed in the eyes with a big error message about the active brake assist being inoperative. You click OK and the message goes away. However, there's still an error light showing on the speedo. The issue is the front radar...
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453 Steering Angle Sensor Removal
Disconnect the battery and remove the steering wheel. Ensure it is straight as you do this. Lift up the top steering column cover to unclip it. Look underneath the lower steering column cover to find the 2 securing bolts. Remove them. Pull the lower cover down and the...
Roadster Side Skirt Removal
This is the standard non Brabus side skirt. It's more of a finishing panel. Grab the bottom of the skirt and pull it down all the way along to disconnect the 6 clips. The pull the top of the skirt sideways all the way along to disconnect the fixings. Too easy. These...
Fuel Pump Failure
This page covers all ICE cars. It's more generic help and some parts may not relate directly to certain models but it'll give you an idea of where to look and what to try. My Fuel Pump Stopped Working The knee-jerk reaction is to just think that the fuel pump has...
Fortwo Alloys On A Roadster
This is a bit of a divisive subject. On 1 side you have people who don't think about it and just fit them. On the other side you have people who staunchly oppose such things because it's either dangerous or blasphemous to degrade your superior Roadster with wheels...
451 Cabin Air Recirc Motor Noise
Clicketty Click Click Click Click Car's on, recirculation button pressed. Lots of plastic clicking noises and then silence. The problem is the motor that drives the recirculation flap. It sit's on top of the cabin heater box inlet pipe which is over on the right...
451 Boot Hinge Pins
The 451 is getting old and despite being hidden away, it's becoming more common for the boot hinge pins to rust and snap. Firstly we need to detach the boot from the car to get reasonable access to the hinges. Undo the boot straps on both sides by removing the Torx40...
451 Drop Link Removal
The 451 drop links are fairly easy to remove (unlike the 450 fortwo and Roadster). They look like this, see below. The silver one is standard and the black one was the replacement. You will need a 17mm ring spanner and a 5mm allen key, however, a 17mm ratchet can also...
452 Drop Link Removal
The drop link connects at both ends. One end to the anti-roll bar, the other to the wishbone. The anti-roll bar connection is generally not a problem as it can be held with a spanner (46Nm on refitting). The big problem is at the other end. The position of the fixing...
451 Boot Side Net
Did you know that a net was available for the pointless removable alcove in the boot? It was available from smart along with a boot floor net. See 150 below. The smart part number was A451 814 00 07. This is the part we are fitting. It's fairly basic, you may be able...
451 Baggy Door Pockets
My girlfriend used to borrow one of my 451s to run around in. She remarked that the door pockets were a bit loose. Well..... yeah! she was stuffing an over sized water bottle in the pocket so the net was being gaped more than a double penetrated porn star. Unlike the...
451 Airbag Controller Removal
The 451 air bag controller is a pain to get to, much like all of the other smart models I guess. You need to remove the lower dash board and the centre console cover. The air bag controller is sitting right in the middle. Since we are playing with air bags, at least...
450 Steering Tie Rod
The is the steering rack from a 450 fortwo. It's unique on this model as it has a steering damper (the shock absorber in front of the rack). However, other smart steering racks should be the same but without the steering damper. The ball joint end of the steering rack...
Roadster High Level Brake Light
Roadster 452 For some reason, many places will tell you that the bulbs in the high level brake light cannot be removed. It could be that they have had problems getting the bulbs out. Needless to say, you can get the bulbs out and I have a nice easy way to do it. The...
Hashtag Key Excessive Battery Use
There have been a small percentage of people stating that they are having to replace the battery in the Hashtag key fob regularly where really, the battery should last for 1 year at least. Firstly - Good Battery It's common sense so I thought I'd better point it out...
453 Windscreen Washer Pump
Recently I've read an increased number of people with windscreen washer problems. The pump is spinning but the flow is weak or takes too long to get going. I started having the same issue on my 2021 fortwo EQ. It was taking 5 seconds before the fluid sprayed from the...
453 Front Wheel Bearing Change
Front Wheel Grinding? If you are hearing a grinding, clicking or graunching noise, your bearing has probably failed. Special Tools You will need a: Hydraulic press (this is the one I bought but you can buy much cheaper ones). Circlip pliers. 36mm 12 point socket....
453 Rear Wheel Bearing Change
Loosen the wheel bolts, jack the car up, remove the wheel, remove the brake drum, remove the driveshaft bolt. Do yourself a favour, reinsert the driveshaft bolt a few turns and give it a tap with a hammer to help it release the driveshaft splines from the bearing....
453 Speedo Shows -:– For Time
Speedo And Stereo Not Showing The Time? If your speedo is showing -:-- instead of the time, you might also notice that you have the R-Link touchscreen stereo and that is also showing --:-- instead of the time. In which case, you should follow this link to the fix. I...
Roadster AC Condenser Removal
Air conditioning is magic. It relies on a phenomenon where gas cools down as it expands. The compressor squashes the gas which heats it up. The hot gas passes through the condenser radiator at the front of the car to help cool it down. The cool gas passes through a...