450 Fortwo With A SAM And All Roadsters Plug the MB Star multiplexer box into the OBD port of the car, turn on the laptop and boot up Xentry. Press unlock on the key, place it into the ignition and turn it to position 1 to power the car up. When you get to the main...
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MB Star – Rev Counter Coding
450 Fortwo's Only Plug the MB Star multiplexer box into the OBD port of the car, turn on the laptop and boot up DAS. Press unlock on the key, place it into the ignition and turn it to position 1 to power the car up. When you get to the main screen, press F2. Press F2....
MB Star – Paddle Shift Coding
450 Fortwo's With A SAM Unit And All Roadsters Fit First Fit your paddleshift steering wheel and swap the connector over under the dash on the 450 and Roadster. There is no connector to swap for the 451. If it doesn't work after coding, check the wiring. Then Code...
451 Towbar Electrics
Once you have the towbar fitted, you need to wire it in.
450 Dash Pod Clock Fault
The dash clock pod in the 450 has a habit of suddenly losing a lot of time. Time to fix.
451 DRL Options
Pre-Facelift DRLs The first type of daytime running lights available for the 451 was this type. They consist of a pair of Hella lights and surrounds. Smart part number A 451 820 00 61. However, if you buy them from smart, they'll be ridiculously expensive. So, do a...
Roadster Rear Light Faults
The biggest cause of rear lights not working on the Roadster is water damage and corrosion (surprise surprise). So, if a bulb isn't working, obviously 1st check that the bulb filament(s) are ok. Also check to make sure they are fitted correctly. Remove the bulb that...
Fitting A Better Horn
The Horn The standard horn fitted to all smarts isn't loud enough. It doesn't draw attention like it should. In fact, it's almost laughable and many people say it's like a scooter horn. There's a reason for that. That's exactly what it is. A single low wattage disc...
HID Headlight Interference
Radio Interference After HID Installation This is a fairly normal occurrence. The radio signal is fine until you turn on the headlights. But as soon as the headlights are on, you get loads of static interference over the music. What Is It? Radio stations are...
Roadster Indicator Faults
Roadster Indicator Faults It's surprisingly normal to hear Roadster owners come up against a strange issue along the lines of: 1 or both indicators come on and stay on when I indicate. 1 or both indicators come on and stay on when I turn the car on. 1 or both sides...
Roadster Speedo Dead
The speedo in the Roadster is beginning to suffer from a new common fault. Much like the rest of the Roadster, the speedo electrics are a weak point for a few reasons. Straight After A Battery Reconnect The story usually starts the same way. After reconnecting the...
453 Relay Layout
Relay Layout Main Fuse Box (Behind Dashboard) F2 Relay Number Function Specification K1 Heated rear window & mirrors (G Cartier) 20 241 077 35 Amp max K2 Electric windows (G Cartier) 20 241 077 35 Amp max K3 Sliding roof power Not sure, should be the same as K4 I...
Glow Plug Controller Fault
Symptoms I have had the same email once or twice a year from 450 and 451 CDI owners. "My glow plug light doesn't go out" Normally I recommend replacing the glow plugs and checking the engine earth lead. Normally this fixes it. However, sometimes I get another...
PAS Controller Waterproofing
Problems Another thing that dies due to water ingress in the Roadster is the power steering controller. However, it also happens in the fortwo 450 although it's much less likely. The reason for the issue is the placement in the cars. This unit sits low in the footwell...
453 Horn Upgrade
Like all previous smart models, the horn is an embarrassment. A single unit that's far too quiet. What we need is a pair of tone matched horns (high and low frequency). Remove the front panel to access the main horn. It's just below the offside headlight... ...hidden...
Airbag Connector Maintenance
More often than not, air bag fault lights are bought on by the seat side air bags
451 Heater Blower Failure
For some unknown reason, the America cabin heater blower fan fails. I have yet to see this happen outside of the US.
451 Heated Seat Retrofit
There is an easy way and a less easy way to retrofit heatet seats to your 451. It really depends on the year your smart was made. From around 2008 to 2010, smart started to include all the wiring for the heated seats so all you have to do is plug in a few things....
Roadster Heater Fan Fault
The Roadster heater switch is a weak point in the system and can fail, here is how to fix and prevent it happening
Roadster Roof Override
The 450 fortwo had a way to manually open and close the roof using a pair of metal cranks that you got with the car, unfortunately on the Roadster, this wasn't the case.The electrics in the Roadster are temperamental at the best of times so how do you force the roof...