451 smart fortwo

More On Decoding The VIN Numbers

2009-02-14T04:46:34.221Z

Are all USA smart fortwo's made in Hambach, France ?

After speculation of the the smart VIN and looking at the maps. I think the conclusions made about what the first two letters mean may be wrong. The confusing thing is, there is more then one Hambach. In fact there is more then one Hambach, Germany. But there is only one Hambach, France. This has led me to the conclusion that the first letter in the VIN "W" cannot mean Germany as previously speculated, but is only part of the first two letters "WM" meaning that smart is a World Manufacturer. So I think the USA VIN should decode as follows:

WM = World Manufacturer
E = smart
E = 451
J = coupe (pure, passion or brabus the same) ? or
K = cabriolet (passion or brabus the same) ?
31 = 70 HP N/A engine (I know there are other engine numbers but not USA)
X = passive restraints
= checksum (accuracy check) any digit 0-9 or X
9 = year (2009 example 9)
K = assembly building K, = Hambach, France (I have not seen any other letter but K in a USA VIN)
The next six numbers = the build sequence or serial number if you prefer.

Even though the smart is German designed and is a German car, and shipped from a German port, (Bremerhaven) All the USA smart fortwo's ( Including the USA Brabus) seem to be built in Hambach, France.

Any other conclusions ?

Great New Brabus Accessories but no Price List !

2008-12-18T04:21:41.129Z

My new 2009 USA Brabus will be delivered with in the next 90 days. My dealer gave me a 2009 USA Brabus accessories booklet but can't get the prices on anything. These accessories can be added to any smart fortwo, not just a Brabus. The dealer told me to call smartusa and ask them for the prices of the items I am interested in. They told me I have to get the pricing from the dealer,and to check back with them from time to time untill they do. Is there anyone that would have these prices now ?
I am trying to plan ahead. Some of the accessories I would really like to add are :

>18) Brabus sound system - Adds a 100 watt amp and another subwoofer in the pass footwell.

>16) Brabus ambient Lighting - Adds footwell lighting for driver and passenger.

>14) Brabus Light package for side skirts - Adds 3 led spot lights on each side of the car that shine on the ground. (Very Cool)

Lucky Reservation Holders get there BRABUS !

2008-11-20T02:06:36.951Z

I got the email I have been waiting for today and it reads as follows:

"Congratulations ! Your request to convert your current smart fortwo reservation to a 2009 smart fortwo BRABUS model has been accepted ! You will be one of the first customers to own this very special smart fortwo model in 2009"

"Your smart fortwo BRABUS will be delivered at smart center Bloomington.".

Has anyone else been accepted ?

BRABUS - USA on Sale Today

2008-10-24T01:48:01.689Z

BRABUS was put on the US market today and offered to reservation holders ! I have been waiting for something like this to happen, but the news gets even better. When I changed my reservation to a BRABUS they allowed me to configure today. Subject to appoval of course. But hey at least I am now configured. And for a BRABUS - what a deal !

STP Oil Treatment In the smart fortwo ?

2008-10-13T04:55:21.215Z

Since the mid 70's I have used STP Oil Treatment at every oil change with great success in all my American made cars. I have a 1992 Ford E250 work truck van with 283 thousand miles on it. Still dosn't burn any oil. My daughters 1992 GEO Prizm has 210 thousand miles on it, runs great and dosn't burn oil. Untill the smart car, I will have never had a car that spec's 100% synthetic oil. I have always used coventional motor oils in my cars. I e-mailed STP and asked them two questions.

(1) Is STP Oil Treatment compatable with 100% synthetic oils ? Answer was "It is safe to use with synthetic oils.

(2) Can I use STP Oil Treatment in a smart fortwo ? Answer was "Unfortunately, this product has not been tested in the 3 cylinder smart fortwo engine, so we can not recommend it."

My question is, has anyone added STP oil Treatment to the oil when they changed it (the red bottle for 4 cylinder engines) ? And, why would it cause a problem ? After all it's supposed to make it run smoother, cooler, quieter longer. It always has in the past. Why should the smart car be any different ?

A Passion With Panoramic Roof Delete

2008-08-19T02:59:29.611Z

If you could order the Passion without a Panoramic roof, would you do it ?

Consumer Reports "First Look" Says "Rough Ride" / "Slow,Noisy Engine"

2008-06-28T03:16:18.269Z

I don't have my smart car yet,but I did test drive one. For those of you that drive one every day. How rough do you think the ride is ? How slow is the car ? I think the ride was a little rough, but only on really bad roads. On the freeway it seemed fine. Not a Cadillac, but ok for the size. And as far as being slow, I strongly disagree. I had no problem with power at all. On my test drive, I blasted off the entrance ramp onto the freeway and passed a whole bunch of cars like they were standing still. Looked down and was going 70+ miles an hour. No Problem. What do you think ? Where does Consumer Reports get off ?

What happen's if time runs out ?

2008-03-31T02:06:34.998Z

How do they handle it when it gets to be 2009 and they have imported all the 2008 cars for year 2008 ? Would you have to be reconfermed for a 2009 or will they just keep making 2008 models untill all the orders are filled even though they are well into 2009 by this point ?