My details (linked to other tread)

[Hulababy]

Other thread requesting your information please

Clutch Life Expectancy

1. How old is your car?

At the time it was 7 months old.

1. What make is your car?

Smart For Four (diesel)

1. How many miles has your car done?

At the time it had done 10,000 miles

1. What type of driving do you do generally - motorway, town/city, rural, mixed, etc?

Mainly motorway for work, outside of rush hour with some city driving but again rarely rush hour.

1. Do you ride the clutch?

A little bit, but not loads at all. I never hold it on the clutch/bite. Just thinking of few times I have been stuck in traffic.

1. Have you had to change your clutch?

YES! And the fly wheel!

1. How old/number of miles had you done at that point?

Was 7 months old, 10k miles.

1. Where there any other reasons for the clutch going?

No.

1. If applicable, did the manufacturer cover it under your warranty? If not, why not?

No they are refusing too. States it is wear and tear. Cost us £780 to replace clutch and fly wheel. Had no choice to pay as needed car back. Now in legal proceddings. Due to go to court in next 2 or 3 months. Our legal costs are feee as DH is a solicitor, so we can take this all the way.

Put this on another thread so other thread is easier for me to work through later on.

wear and tear after 7 months and 10K miles

thread even!

iota - not just me and Dh who thinks this is NOT reasonable then?!

Aren't smart part of Mercedes? I really would have expected better from them.

have you tried googling - I have just found this about the roadster here

Thanks for that. Have sent it to DH. I have googled, but found nothing on the ForFour. Will try again.

and this

"use your handbrake as a clutch, smart clutches go badly out of adjustment if you start using clutch control"

garbox\clutch probs here

These are great. Just found another one too. Must have google wrong previosuly. Going to get all this typed up to give to our solicitior.

Have you tried writing to watchdog as well? they seem to get pretty good results.

this is also on smartmaniacs, but I couldn't access teh link (in bold)

"my 1.3 passion 44 have the same problem.
I had both the softouch SW updated and the clutch replaced but the problem is still evident (sometimes it stucks to "0" instead of going into "R")

As a workaround you can quickly step your gear from the forward "D" position to "R" without to stop in "N".
Hope it helps

Seems that this problem affects lots of 44.
Look at this link
forfourowner.jconserv.net/viewtopic.php?p=2671#2671
should be useful if all of you will join the rockjock's initiative to force Smart to find a solution"

Thank you. e and Dh will do some extra research tonight, using these links - and get more written down. Just preparing eerything for court now, as Smart are insisting on not backing down or offering us anything so far.

good luck Hula - amd for you