I really appreciate your comment! Filming a job massively extends repair times, and a lot goes into such videos in terms of editing etc, so it means a lot when people like the end result. Thanks again!
Great video - thank you in my quest to locate my own problem. Our 2012 fortwo with 34K miles is experiencing some front suspension knocking that we are trying to track down. You can hear it when rocking the car stationary side to side as well but all the steering bushes look fine as do the struts with no obvious out of place movement. The dull knocks seems to be coming from the front centre rather than any one side & started quietly about 4 weeks ago & got steadily worse but it passed its MOT last week & they could not locate any MOT type suspension or steering wear after I advised them of the sound. All very odd & strange. Looks like a MERC / Smart dealership needs to be consulted for a diagnosis (ouch on costs). Thanks again.
Thank you! There really isn’t much to these in terms of suspension. I’ve known a number of them to need anti-roll bar inner bushes but that is more of a groan over speed bumps. Drop links tend to knock over bumpy surfaces. I did once have a steering rack with an internal knock too on one of mine. Need to get it up on the air and go over it all very thoroughly, including lower arm bushes, lower ball joints and all subframe bolts & steering rack mounting bolts. Be interested to know the outcome!
Watching again Xmas '22. A recent MoT gave me an advisory on 'McPherson strut upper mountings corroded', so I shall investigate as soon as this eternal rain stops.
With having to lift the front panel over the top of the antenna. I found that when you first pull the panel out you have access to the antenna mounting bolt. After removing the mounting bolt you can simply undo the antenna cable from the antenna base and thread the whole antenna assembly out the hole. Easy.
You can change the strut without removing the front end ,it’s just like any other car with these type of struts . Also the top nut can be undone with a socket that allows a Torx bit to go through to hold the shock absorber.
Indeed but due to the mess a previous mechanic (butcher) had made of this assembly, it was easier in the instance to get better access and remove the front section, which in itself is very easy and quick to do!
Hello. I made for my 450 a device for holding the shock absorger. It is a cube with a hole in the middle that is spit in 2 halfs and i assemble it with 4 M6 screws on the shock absorber and hold it with a 36mm wrench.
I "googled" how to replace my struts and the first video that popped up showed a guy driving the smart fortwo and making fun of how slow it was as he "had his foot to the floor" so to speak. He showed putting the bearing on first after putting on the spring and then the cup (spring stop cup) and then the rest. I did this and then of course on a hard impact the shaft went threw the bearing and into the interior under the plastic front cover (bonnet) making one side flop about uselessly. I did a temporary fix and parked the car. I will have to order new bearings and put them on correctly. I still get a clunking sound no matter how tight I turn the nut.
The coil spring has to be compressed in order to remove the top mounting components, so you would need sufficient access to achieve that. It might be theoretically possible to leave the strut mounted in the hub and simply swing the whole assembly down but everything else would likely need to be disconnected to reach that point.
Just did it today. Front off, drop link and tie rod end off and push down/out the strut, but leave it in the spindle/hub. Vice grip over a rag high on the shock and use an air wrench to loosen it, after compressing it of course
Cheers Mate! Everyone should take this amount of care of their car. Any recommendation for a spring compressor? I do not own one thus far but have to replace the shock absorbers of my 451 soon as well..
Thank you. I like everything to be in order on my cars! I can’t recommend any specific brand but I always feel safer with spring compressors that support the spring at each end over a reasonable area, unlike the old types that had a single claw/hook at each end. I’ve seen those both slip round to one side before and there’s a lot of energy stored in those springs when compressed. Older technicians tell stories of them going out through the workshop roof if they break free!
Great video! It seems like you have also changed the fixing (a metal rund fixing with a rubber edge), that it fixed from above. Do you know what that is called / item number? Finally, You also placed a protective cap on top where did you get that? I find that often there is humidity captured in the top around the bolt which causes rust. Thanks for a great instruction video.
The metal ring with rubber surround is A4513200229 - End stop £11.40. The protective cap is A4513230038 - Dust cap £0.25 Both from MB/Smart dealer and cheaper than eBay! Yes the build up of water corroded the nut and shock absorber threads. The cap removes this issue. Prices exclude tax which will vary depending on region (20% here in UK)
Hi again . Another question. I've just ordered new shocks, but they don't seem to include the myriad other components. I want to renew everything. Could you help with an idiots guide to parts list please?
Hello! Have a look through the comments below and you will see a few people have asked, so it should be in at least one of the replies. I should probably add the part numbers to the video description as it’s a frequent request!
I think this is the best "how to" video that I've ever seen and I've seen a ton. Great job! Thank you.
I really appreciate your comment! Filming a job massively extends repair times, and a lot goes into such videos in terms of editing etc, so it means a lot when people like the end result. Thanks again!
Great video - thank you in my quest to locate my own problem. Our 2012 fortwo with 34K miles is experiencing some front suspension knocking that we are trying to track down. You can hear it when rocking the car stationary side to side as well but all the steering bushes look fine as do the struts with no obvious out of place movement. The dull knocks seems to be coming from the front centre rather than any one side & started quietly about 4 weeks ago & got steadily worse but it passed its MOT last week & they could not locate any MOT type suspension or steering wear after I advised them of the sound. All very odd & strange. Looks like a MERC / Smart dealership needs to be consulted for a diagnosis (ouch on costs). Thanks again.
Thank you! There really isn’t much to these in terms of suspension. I’ve known a number of them to need anti-roll bar inner bushes but that is more of a groan over speed bumps. Drop links tend to knock over bumpy surfaces. I did once have a steering rack with an internal knock too on one of mine. Need to get it up on the air and go over it all very thoroughly, including lower arm bushes, lower ball joints and all subframe bolts & steering rack mounting bolts. Be interested to know the outcome!
Watching again Xmas '22. A recent MoT gave me an advisory on 'McPherson strut upper mountings corroded', so I shall investigate as soon as this eternal rain stops.
With having to lift the front panel over the top of the antenna. I found that when you first pull the panel out you have access to the antenna mounting bolt. After removing the mounting bolt you can simply undo the antenna cable from the antenna base and thread the whole antenna assembly out the hole. Easy.
A masterclass in video production. Consider me subscribed.
Incredibly kind - thank you!
You can change the strut without removing the front end ,it’s just like any other car with these type of struts . Also the top nut can be undone with a socket that allows a Torx bit to go through to hold the shock absorber.
Indeed but due to the mess a previous mechanic (butcher) had made of this assembly, it was easier in the instance to get better access and remove the front section, which in itself is very easy and quick to do!
I flexed out the shock.
The Inbus on top was totally rotten.
I changed everything.
Great vidéo very informant and clear. Helped me a great deal cheers
Hello. I made for my 450 a device for holding the shock absorger. It is a cube with a hole in the middle that is spit in 2 halfs and i assemble it with 4 M6 screws on the shock absorber and hold it with a 36mm wrench.
I "googled" how to replace my struts and the first video that popped up showed a guy driving the smart fortwo and making fun of how slow it was as he "had his foot to the floor" so to speak. He showed putting the bearing on first after putting on the spring and then the cup (spring stop cup) and then the rest. I did this and then of course on a hard impact the shaft went threw the bearing and into the interior under the plastic front cover (bonnet) making one side flop about uselessly. I did a temporary fix and parked the car. I will have to order new bearings and put them on correctly. I still get a clunking sound no matter how tight I turn the nut.
Oh no, what nightmare! The correct reassembly sequence is pretty crucial. Hope you manage to make it great again!
Change the sway bar bushes and the noise will disappear....
Do you think it is possible to replace the strut top parts without fully removing the strut from the car?
Thanks.
The coil spring has to be compressed in order to remove the top mounting components, so you would need sufficient access to achieve that. It might be theoretically possible to leave the strut mounted in the hub and simply swing the whole assembly down but everything else would likely need to be disconnected to reach that point.
@@autoknight747 Thanks, wish me luck. Even Merc have a special tool... W451589006300
Just did it today. Front off, drop link and tie rod end off and push down/out the strut, but leave it in the spindle/hub. Vice grip over a rag high on the shock and use an air wrench to loosen it, after compressing it of course
@@asbjrnhamre5873 Well done! Mine was easy with the special tool to hold the struts, there's no need to take the front off.
@@kellyh2349 AH, the special clamp? :-)
thank you for this one from germany!
Cheers Mate! Everyone should take this amount of care of their car.
Any recommendation for a spring compressor? I do not own one thus far but have to replace the shock absorbers of my 451 soon as well..
Thank you. I like everything to be in order on my cars! I can’t recommend any specific brand but I always feel safer with spring compressors that support the spring at each end over a reasonable area, unlike the old types that had a single claw/hook at each end. I’ve seen those both slip round to one side before and there’s a lot of energy stored in those springs when compressed. Older technicians tell stories of them going out through the workshop roof if they break free!
Great video! It seems like you have also changed the fixing (a metal rund fixing with a rubber edge), that it fixed from above. Do you know what that is called / item number? Finally, You also placed a protective cap on top where did you get that? I find that often there is humidity captured in the top around the bolt which causes rust. Thanks for a great instruction video.
The metal ring with rubber surround is A4513200229 - End stop £11.40.
The protective cap is A4513230038 - Dust cap £0.25
Both from MB/Smart dealer and cheaper than eBay!
Yes the build up of water corroded the nut and shock absorber threads. The cap removes this issue. Prices exclude tax which will vary depending on region (20% here in UK)
@@autoknight747 Many thanks for quick and thorough explanation.
Hi again . Another question. I've just ordered new shocks, but they don't seem to include the myriad other components. I want to renew everything. Could you help with an idiots guide to parts list please?
Hello! Have a look through the comments below and you will see a few people have asked, so it should be in at least one of the replies. I should probably add the part numbers to the video description as it’s a frequent request!
Indeed so. Thanks.@@autoknight747
Great instructions ❤
Thank you - most helpful.
Me gusta ver todo de lo que hacen del SMART YO tengo uno del 2013 para aprender saludos amigo de MÉXICO
Muchas gracias!
Where did you find the strut caps?
From MB/Smart dealer. Part number A4513230038. They are only about 25p each.
Thank you for the part number and video! Mine is making the same clunking so it’s time to tear into it and this video will really help!
Thank you for the part number and video! Mine is making the same clunking so it’s time to tear into it and this video will really help!
8:51 I bought the same. Now, my SMART lives for ever 😂
Is it worth lifting the front suspension when its out
Personally I wouldn’t mess with the ride height. I’m a strong advocate for keeping things original.
Well it’s me again😆 Do you have a part number for the upper most cap that’s also rubber coated. Can’t for the life of me find that.
A4513200229 It should be around £11 at the dealer.