Smart Fortwo 451 - Polycarbonate Roof and Headlamp Restoration
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- In this video I restore the polycarbonate roof on my 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion 84 BHP 451, along with the headlamps. These areas of my car have been badly damaged by UV light from the sun over the years and are faded and flaking. In the case of the headlamps, they are yellowed and becoming opaque. I use a Draper polisher/mop which is rechargeable, with Farecla G3 Pro F 38.2 cutting compound, as well as 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper to prepare the damage surface. It was hard work but the results were excellent.
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Disclaimer - Please be advised that my videos are not instructional and are merely footage of me, with many years of motor trade experience, carrying out vehicle repairs. Please conduct your own research, ensure you have the correct tools/necessary expertise and undertake your own due diligence before carrying out vehicle repairs. If in doubt, entrust an automotive technician.
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Great job!
It is better to use sandpaper only. 600 then 800 then 1500 then 2000 with water everytime.
And after that use antisilicone and coat with lacquer in spray. Because without lacker coat the roof and the headlights will get even worse in one next summer.
The roof is supplied with an anti-UV laquer to protect the polycarbonate. It's this which flakes off over time and which looks a mess. It needs to be replaced otherwise the polycarbonate will craze badly possibly leading to cracking. The same applies to the headlights.
Roof definitely looks better, you are steadily working through all of the same jobs I need to do on my daughters car. The Ryobi One range of battery tools are worth a look for DIY use.
When I first started looking for a Fortwo I wanted a Passion model. But a few years ago Smart cars were few and far between here in West Virginia. So I settled for a Pure. The first thing I did was buy a panoramic roof from a reseller in sunny California. It had slight sun damage, but I removed the solid roof and installed the panoramic one. I keep it heavily waxed and keep the car in the garage. But I can see I will need to do what you did in the video before too long. My headlights were about the same as yours and I found a Turtle Wax kit that did nicely on those. Thank you for a great video and greeting from the States!
I'm a retired builder/carpenter with a 2012 Passion. Your videos are extremely helpful thank you. As soon as I saw that little Draper I thought.............good luck with that mate. You are correct a corded buffing machine would have been far more efficient and far less stressful.
Great videos, I have the same car and need to do all of the same jobs.
I thought my AC was just low on gas so I bought some from Halfords and discovered when topping it up that I have a massive leak, will need to get the front bumper off to see exactly where.
Much better. Just done the same, 2 days of sanding, polishing. Went to heavy on the grit, few swirls, but much improved. Then ceramic coat. See how long it lasts until UV knackers it again. Mercedes.want some £1200 to replace and fit😳
Hi Auto Knight, thanx for your videos, i have a 2009 Passion. For the summer comming i will try to make the roof mine is alwel that bad. I live i Denmark, so its nice to have your videoes.
I have the same cordless polisher (the Sealey branded version) which is super handy for small areas, but you really need the larger 4Ah battery for any significant use.
I use a Makita DPV 300V 18V Brushless Polisher with a 5.0AH 18V Battery,
Polishing the car so easy and great results.
Good vids, I have just had an 'A Frame' fitted to my 451 and had to remove the front, also had the roof and the lights restored as it is also a Passion model.
Thanks for making this helpful video, I've got a 2004 Smart Fortwo, Luckily for me the roof is glass but the rear quarter windows in the boot area are plastic and have gone exactly like your roof did and my headlights could also do with a polish too, I've done headlights on other cars in the past and got excellent results but wasn't sure if the windows would come up the same, after watching this video I'm confident I can save them, the only thing I will do different is use "Meguiars Plastx" polish as I've heard it's very good, I will also be using my Sealey buffing mop which is mains powered.
My roof is the same. Wasn’t brave enough to test anything to fix it by myself so far. Thx for the approach of yours.
By the way: Your smart needs definitely lowering springs! Only with these does the Smart look really good..Cheers.
A bit like faded/discoloured headlamps, sadly they always want to go back to being opaque again in the sun, even when buffed. I sense at some point I will get my roof wrapped in some cool looking carbon fibre. In terms of lowering, the suspension on these is very hard and unforgiving. I’d be afraid that lowering could only exacerbate that!
@@autoknight747DON'T LOWER IT! I did for all of about 30 minutes before going back to the stock setup... The road test after lowering was like a living nightmare with trim pieces shaking loose, tooth fillings dropping out, spinal compression and various other horrid experiences. Save yourself the labour and trust me - your body and mind will thank you!
@@regan44017 Your review on lowering was amusingly descriptive 🤣
I have no intention of lowering mine, I’m a fan of keeping most things standard.
@@autoknight747haha just helping you to decide whether you want a reasonable ride (factory) or something resembling a horror theme park on steroids with a touch of Satan himself - you've been warned! 😂
Seriously, all humour aside, it was awful
3M make a complete kit for restoring headlights. Done several with it. Fantastic results and easy to use.
Also. Some one needs to make a video on how to remove those glossy black rear quarter panels. Have tried and tried, none of the verbal descriptions work, the top clips just won't release
Put vinyl wrap on it l did mine carbon fibre look. Fantastic ! 👍
I have the same roof problemon my 451 lhave brought a mains buffer but will not be attempting to start it until the weather gets warmer. Thanks for the advice.
Very informative do you think that maybe a clear coat would help preserve the roof panel.
Oh definitely. With hindsight I could have spent a lot more time on this roof, sanding it back with progressively finer abrasives and then applying UV resistant clear lacquer. I know I’ll need to revisit this but still heaps better than it was.
@autoknight747 It looks great I am enjoying all your videos as I am considering another Smart Car I had a new 2006 passion but we can't get any newer than that and still get a diesel.
i would love to change the colour of the seatbelts... have watched a few generic videos - is there a 'charge' inside a smart belt? makes me wonder how they worked for before all the fancy schmancy technology!
Perfekt erklärt weiter so. Gruß aus Deutschland
Did it get rid of all the small cracks? How good does it look from the inside?
Hi. Amazing outcome. Unless I missed it, which polishing compound are you using and pad?
Someone needs to make a frame to replace it with a webasto sunroof
Brilliant idea. It’d like that a lot!
First of all: I love your content here on UA-cam :)
Hi there from Germany, I have the EXACT same issue on my rooftop, especially at the rear. Seems a hell of a work, but whats the alternative? I know wrapping is, but then you kill your sight with the transparent roof or not!?
Hello to you in Germany. My channel stats show that I have many viewer there, so thank you. Yes indeed, a disadvantage of wrapping the roof is that it will no longer let in light but that has advantages too. These cars are like a greenhouse on a hot day and if the roof has deteriorated, the view through it is not pleasant anyway!
6:40 mark🤣
Dab it before starting bro
Do you by any chance know the part number of the polycarbonate roof?
Unfortunately I don’t and wouldn’t want to mislead you by giving you incorrect info. Best to contact the dealership to obtain the number for your specific vehicle as parts vary between different regional markets.
Yes, I do... I'll give it to you in a minute. Phone is uploading it's work at the moment.
Part number is FW02953 GTNFYG and it's called "Smart 451 panoramic roof and windshield replacement. " Hope this works.
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What cutting compound did you use ?😊
Farecla G3 Pro F 38.2
@@autoknight747 thank you 💕
Think I might stick with the wrapping Idea. To buy a buffer and all the other tackle, and spend all that time is not for me. Great video though
Thank you. I don’t think I could go through it again either to be fair!
@@autoknight747 My AC is being a nightmare also, looking forward to your take on that
@@stevealdridge9720 Probably looking at a condenser on mine. It looks pretty ropey and there is no refrigerant in the system. I will be investigating further though and there will be a video, just a case of when, as work gets in the way. I definitely don’t want to waste money on any R134a only for it to escape back to the atmosphere!
@@autoknight747 Same here, but your knowledge is prob better than mine.
Great video and I have a 2007 Passion, my roof has been painted or sprayed probably solving the uv damage problem. Subbed 👍🏻
Makita !
Good evening, please tell me the name of the black bottle? you hold it sideways and its name is not visible
G3 Pro DA cutting compound
G3 Pro DA cutting compound
@@autoknight747 ty wery much
😢😢😢Brutal job
You did a great job. Your videos help big time. Thank
Hola cómo se la esa herramienta y la marca