BIG BILL For My CHEAP Brabus 451 Smart Car… Was This A Mistake?!
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- So My Cheap high mileage Brabus 451 smart car is already costing me lots of money. The Bill came in for the continued restoration project and the Brabus 451 smart car cost me a fair bit. There were a few issues with the car when i bought it but when the brabus 451 smart car went for an inspection we found more than just a few problems. Was buying the Smart 451 brabus a mistake? Help me get to 100k subscribers! Join the adventure, its free! Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss an update!
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Great to see someone else loving their Brabus, I'm on my 4th smart car with the latest one being a 450 Brabus. As you've found they're quite a specialist car but being a handy mechanic with lengthy experience of them I seem to manage ok. Keep up the good work Stef.
Thank you! Yep they are super fun!
Once you remap the gearbox, it’s an another car… it’s definitely worth it, and if any of the mappers can flash a newer firmware and map on top of that… like facelift brabus 451 has different software and with remap it’s *Almost* like Dsg.. you get a kick at the gear change.. some times the ESP light flashes from the kick haha
Really can’t wait to see what the difference is like!
A slight,y faster shopping trolley.
Old small cars will suck up money, a puny stressed engine is not pleasant.
Use it as it is and then bin it off cheap when bills come in.
Get a proper car to replace it.
Καλησπέρα Δημήτρη. Θέλω να πάρω και εγω ένα brabus 451 να πάω στους rt dynamics?
@@gianniszafranas2037 SmartECUSpecialist, όχι ΡΤ
Smart 451 is the most fun car I've ever owned. Glad to see your were sorted by S2 Smarts. They are fantastic and have looked after and enhanced my Smart (including remapping) since the moment my Mercedes warranty ran out. It's 7 years old now and still runs like new.
Having purchased one of the first RHD ForTwo’s which were originally just called “Coupes” for my wife back in late 2001 I was hooked. Now, in 2021 having found a 2006 Passion (so not a Brabus) with 18k miles, FSH and excellent condition, because it lived inside a Motorhome, I get more fun from driving that than a Clio RS220 Trophy that I own. They might be a little marmite but for those who love them there is a passionate following so it is no surprise that the videos do great. Looking forward to the “It’s Joel” inspired 24 hour challenge. ATB.
Thanks mate. Yeah they are so much fun to drive for sure!
A Seriously underrated car- they are so much fun to drive, I only sold mine because of my advancing age and wanting a change after about 10 years of ownership from new.
Really fun cars!
Recently bought a (non-Brabus) 451 not long after your first video, LOVE the videos on this little car, really feels like you're one step ahead of me on a journey to get them all fixed up and perfect again! (Hopefully minus the large clutch bill on my journey)
Great content :D
Cheers Tom. They are super fun cars! Hopefully you won’t need a clutch lol!🤞
Adjustable shocks are a nice addition but the biggest effect you'll have with handling is lowered progressive springs. It takes out a lot of the rocking during acceleration and braking. I'll email you about something else that'll help.
Thank you so much mate. Have just seen the email. Will reply to you shortly 🙌🙌
Evolution.... Is there a Stock height progressive spring solution. I want stock height spring with Bilstein B14 shock
After owning a Smart 450 and getting a remap, believe me it’s worth it. Plus like yours was so much fun, I need another Smart Fortwo in my life. 👍
I love Smart Brabus 451. I drove it for 2 years before Abarth and it was so nice and cool 😜😜
They are very cool :)
I think you got a REAL GOOD MECHANIC! You should not be griping about his bill. IMO he is actually helping you compared to what other shops would charge.
Great video! I have a 2008 Smart Brabus myself, exactly the same as yours but all black. A great cheap project car. Everyone I talk to can’t believe they even exist and I’m yet to see another on the road. Bought mine 3 months ago for the same price as yours with only 40k miles on the clock. Best upgrade for me has been the ‘armster’ armrest, which I believe is only stocked currently online by a company called Smart Tune in north wales (don’t hold me to that). It’s well worth it and looks like it’s meant for the car. Much comfier on longer journeys 👍 excited to see the results of your gearbox re-map soon…
Yes I’m having serious issues I can’t even drive mine because it won’t shift into drive or reverse always and if you get it into D and drive it it tries to stall. The ‘D’ blinks in and out and wrenches show on dash. I think maybe the soldering in the fuse panels helped some,……but REMAPPING the gearbox sounds like a good idea. HOW ?
Its a 2013 451 only 23k miles
I have bought one I love mine 😄
picked 2 up a couple months ago. one is a brabus. great little car. funny we keep ending up with the same vehicles over the years
Can’t go wrong with a brabus. So much fun
Hi Stef, just watched your video because I test drove a Passion turbo last week, 2010 model, with the optional flappy paddle steering wheel, so kind of similar to the one you had. I was very impressed I have to say with the car whilst on the dual carriageway, it was more than happy to cruise along at 70 and picked up very well when overtaking. In fact I'd go so far as to say it was a really fun and engaging drive.
Slightly different in town driving though, the gearbox was OK once you got used to it and anticipated the gear changes, it didn’t have PAS and did feel a tad heavy steering it (it had the optional wider wheels/tyres), but the main problem I had with it was the brake pedal.
I know it’s hinged at the floor, but it did seem to need quite an effort to press it, to the point where the relaxed driving through town you’d expect from an auto was a bit of a pain, it was like having to push down a heavy clutch pedal every time you needed to slow down.
I therefore thought I’d ask (plus anyone else reading the comments) whether you found yours to be the same, the fact that you didn’t mention as an issue suggests to me that it may just have been a problem with the one I drove yesterday. I’m hoping so because I’m set on a Smart but couldn’t live with a heavy brake pedal if that’s the norm.
Think a heavy pedal is the norm but either way extremely fun!
I bought 451 Brabus For2 Cabrio in about same time as you did, and i absolutely love that little Hot Rod! Very hard to drive without smile on my face on a curvy roads. Liked and subbed for these Brabus videos. I'm looking forward to see your journey with the car. Especialy intrested about your thoughts after you have remapped it. Might remap mine too. Keep up the good work! Cheers from Finland.
I have had a first and second generation smart. they are so much fun to drive. it's karting on the open road.
Haha it so is!
S2 and tune4performance for your remap you have already used them, Tony’s remapping and rolling road results show what your paying for. My 450 brabus went from 84bhp to 103bhp it don’t sound a lot but it comes out a totally different drive afterwards.
Yeah Tony has retired now though. Rob at S2 was great though
Tony at Tune4Performance did a custom rolling road remap on my trusty Smart Forfour. Unfortunately he's now retired.
There aren’t that many ytbers that do smart content, so (at least for me) is an instant click, like and sub
Thank you!
It's more the ones that do put up Smart content are fairly Smart only oriented. Now you Stef puts it on a whole different level simply because you are driving so many exotic cars. The fact that you are even saying you like to drive Your Smart is a WOW moment in time. Just crazy fabulous for the long term Smart Car owners. But the newer breed of Smart Car buyers are looking to modify them and get some Sporty driving time in them ... You are in position to be our King now. Once you flash you TCU. Here in USA Smart Madness is going to sell out of TCU Flash units..
Can't wait to see the camping 🤣
🙌🙌😂
The smile on you face speaks millions. Brilliant.
It’s so much fun to drive :)
I did theClutch actuator but it looked brand new inside, and regressing did no good . I think this all started when I changed the battery to a new one. MY neighbor owned it then and drove it down the road and it died. She got it to start and drove it home, parked it in the carport and there it sat for 21/2 years until I bought it.
i loved my smart brabus soo much fun to drive i had 3 !! they sound abit like a porsche sort of well half a flat 6 its the same sort of note when your ful pelt
Had mine 6 years now, cost me 4k then, still worth easily 4k now.. Still loving it, especially when leaving bmws and mercy at lights😂👍
Feel your pain but I had a Smart and up graded to a 328. You don’t want to know what brakes cost. Love your car wish I had mine back.
Cheers mate. Yeah I really like my one. It’s loads of fun!
You know the 451 has like a level sensor and if you go to fast around a corner it cuts the power....I had the same car mapped as well...the only reason why watching your vid is I am looking 10 years later to get another one....has be a soft top ....a great vt nicely shot
They are really good fun these cars! Good luck on your search!
I used to own a 2005 Roadster Brabus Coupe, great looking cars and got a lot of attention but Smart cars are just plagued by problems (The roadster more than other models). When i had mine i only owned it for 2 weeks before the internal door handle snapped off.
Would be interested in a follow up video. I took my Roadster to S2Smart some years ago and paid a few hundred pounds to get the gearbox fixed as it wasn't going in gear at all. Problem resurfaced a few weeks later. Luckily, it happened a few days after returning from a road trip from Leicester to Berlin which the bloke said it was good for. Lol. Barely.
Been about a month since I’ve had all the work done and the car is still perfect
I love the 451 but ours (a Passion) had no power steering and was very heavy to park. The steering lock was poor too for a car that tiny. If you like this, try a 453. I did and love it. Wider but so much improved with a genuine DSG. Expensive but keeping it’s value. And heavy on fuel even leaking it easy. Smiles per mile it’s the best I’ve had and up against stiff competition. Look forward to the development!
Need to have a go in a 453! They look very cool
My Smart Roadster didnt have power steering and I never missed it. Even with 17" Runline wheels.
Most of it is relatively standard maintenance, i've done all the same on my Corolla except the transmission but i do all myself so it's cheap
I bought a Smart car when they first came out 20+ years ago (left hand drive only then). I had it 3 years and loved it inc that awful gearbox. People don’t realise how much room is in the front too. I used to drive to Devon from London a few times a year no problem. Only issue I hated was the thimble size fuel tank which would only do 120miles per tank.
Yeah they are super roomy! Very deceiving!
Smart madness in the good old USA sell a gearbox flash unit for the gearbox map upgrade
Had it mapped now ;) video soon
Did a remap on my mk2 pulse, 71 to 86bhp in minutes, transformed the gearchange times, fitted full stainless pipe, k&n and a forge dump valve same day at a smart club meet in 2006, loved the difference, love to have another one day, liked the older models over the new ones although the latest ones look sexy as but pitiful range on the electric versions, smart lost their way for me.
Bet that was awesome! The 451’s are a great shape!
Clutch change price seems good value. Rear brakes were good value too. Wish that specialist was a bit closer to me..... Just paid £460 for rear shoes and cylinders on a Smart Roadster... and an unbelievable £450 for the reluctor rings on the rear!
Ciao stef good to see progress with the brabus albeit at a cost!
Some cars have duel mass flywheels which can cost more than the clutch kit
I think if your going to do the remaps it needs a performance air filter and a aftermarket exhaust cos what's letting it down is you can really hear it , t would benefit and sound great and add a few more bhp to the party ! 😉
£70 Labour !!!! Who did the work ? a Polish man?
I just bought a Freelander 2 - love it, but paid £5k, but had to spend £1.2k on servicing, cam belt, etc… but for peace of mind, gotta be worth it.. I’m sure that your smart car is the same
Yeah great fun when you have cheap motoring :) once it’s all fixed that is lol
Oh noo I had a pressure plate replacement years ago due to a failed oil seal, quite a bill! Still like it, remap or Get back to Abarths 😉 ..... like the camping idea... 2000 likes here we go! Go to 'Grant's Car Body Repairs'
🙌🙌🙌
Grants channels 🔥🙌🏻
Looking forward great 👍 car 🚘
Gutted you got rid of this.. would have loved to see more videos.. looking to purchase one myself in the next couple of months
Wicked little cars. Much fun!
I'm still upset that we got shafted for these cars in the states. I have an 09 brabus 451 myself, and it's just a gutless wonder. Seeing the turbo cars looks so much nicer.
Yeah the brabus is a lot of fun
Enjoying a hot tea as watching this 😁
Fantastic!!
24 hours in that, you’d have to be CRAZY. Video liked ;)
With nothing in the back you lay the passenger seat forward flat, with a sleeping bag a pillow you could sleep easy. But you would probably spend 18 of the 24 hours driving it
Ouch..but done now…it is very cool..tiny lil thing but I really like it..it’s a fun project that we can all appreciate..looking forward to the 24hr ‘live in’ video..😂
Lol it’s going to happen isn’t it 😂
@@StefABtv hahah..I think so..
Hi there, i am the Smart solution in SA. Myself i love these cars.
I can feel a brabus smart coming to my garage Stef ,it will keep the polo r line company.
A great fun car thats fun!!
Only dislike, the boot lid, looking at the car or following it, the boot lid doesn't look big enough, that gap at the bottom between lid and bumper i would have to 'black' it out
Yeah it’s quite a gap lol
I Worked on smarts for 6 years ( smart Tecnic ) and always thought the 451 turbo was the best of the bunch, Brabs always seemed a bit bumpy with chocolate alloys but fun, Pretty well put together cars though 👍
An outstanding garage, and some amazingly knowledgeable people.
Nice maybe , you've got an Idea. I just noticed the roadster(45kw) I bought a month ago drinks quite a lot of Oil suddenly. The pre-owner had some very thick very used oil in it(dark black) so I guess it had to be in there for a while. Now I changed it to 5w40 and suddenly oil starts to disappear. No dripping or spilling. It's just gone after about 1000km. Just ordered this new load valve next to the turbo. Do you think this could be it?
@@olqu1352 if it’s loosing oil with no leaks and no blue smoke from the exhaust then it’s burning it in the combustion chamber, the 450s are notorious for this but the roadsters rarely get this, I’d be tempted to try an engine oil flush and change the crankcase breather pipe with the one way valve that sits against the bulkhead and see how it goes,
if it’s still burning oil at that rate then you’ll need an engine rebuild as the oil getting past the rings will eventually burn out the spark plug electrodes and/or melt an exhaust valve and worst case melt a piston and score the bore.
Hope this helps
@@jamesbarran-scott437 uhuh I actually just changed spark plugs and the one on the left (closest to turbo) had a lot of dried dirty old crusty oil on the backside (where the cable is connected). Can a service garage measure sth like this with ease? Would you recommand a complete engine replacement if the rings are done?
I take my trusty Smart Forfour to Smart-tecnic when I'm over in Birmingham for servicing etc. Had a clutch reteach done Friday just gone. Great team and knowledgeable on Smarts, happy to recommend them.
Liking so you have to sleep in that smart haha.
It’s hit 2k likes.. I have to do it now 😂😂😂
@@StefABtv Yeees
Awesome little car…😍
Very interested to know about a gear remap, it's the same on my 454, love the 6 speed box, but the gear change must be done by windows 95. You need to drive the 454 brabus that will also put a smile on your face. Mine does as I got one as the 454 AMT was so much fun. Also thumbs up for S2 smart woh keep my two going.
Would love to try a 454 brabus one day :)
@@StefABtv you can take mine for a test drive, they are so under priced these days probably as most people think they are very small.
Smart Brabus Exclusiv is the best. I have the same car but in convertible
Cute car 🚙 so much fun 👍
🙌🙌
Stef I’ve just bought a 450 fortwo as my daily . £19.39 to fill it up 😳🤷🏼♂️😂
Was putting unnecessary miles on my Abarth .
The Smarts such a fun car . Need to get mine mapped and the gearbox sorting.
Haha yes mate!! They are mega cool aren’t they!
I LOVE FREETRADE!
They are good :)
Not too bad for a car that has a character
Easy way to sleep in your smart 451 , The other front seat back will folder forwards & go flat & level to the boot floor , So your have the full length if the interior dash to tailgate. 24 hours tut you should looking at 48 hours lol
450 seats fold forward and flat on passenger side . 451 seats fold back
Always great content Stef 👌👌
I know it is terrible content, but it is ok to keep a sorted car, stock. It is a very rare trim and Merc spiffed masterpiece.
A wrap would be fun, but find a winter beater to rescue, because those can be sketchy on icy roads, and you have a few months to seek and save.
A 500x would be a cool one to run through the slush, find one that has the funny Ban-Aid color. 😂
With that length wheelbase and 135hp you better fit a wheelie bar.
Sooo.. you want to car camp‼️‼️🚗.. Yup I’ve done that myself… too funny. I slept in the front seats head on drivers seat then body laid across the passenger seat then legs on dash board. Partly, and also knees bent. However I’m only 5 61/2. You can look up on RUclips car camping in a smart car. I haven’t seen a video about that in a long time.. It’s a challenge to sleep in a smart but go for it. I know you’d rather drive it than sleep in it for sure. Fun fun fun..❤😊. You made your 2000+ views so now comes the challenge. Ps. Get yourself a lot of pillows and padding. 😊😊
I have a 2009 Brabus convertible. People stop and take pictures. I love the car. I am replacing the engine myself so I can get another 200k miles of smiles.
Now you need to get a Smart 450 to keep it company 🥸
70.83GBP for all the work! That is quite cheap.
If you had checked the engine mounts first, you would have stopped the juddering immediately. Obviously, the clutch pressure plate was faulty, but that probably didn’t cause the juddering you were noticing in 1st and reverse.
Thanks Tom. Great insight and I’m sure will be useful to many on here. Prob could have saved some money lol but I asked them to do a full check on it and fix all of it
Look like only the front mount was changed the top two mounts have yet to be mentioned although I suspect they would have been checked by the shop. But Stef... Lol... We would like you to call that wiry thing on the exhaust , the flex pipe lol. The front mount and flex pipe generally fail around the same time as both act as flexible engine mounting points. Break one and it adds stress and movement to the other
@@twcomnothingthatreallymatt4755 early 451s didnt have a flexi pipe. They have a round donut type gasket that has a metallic reinforcement within it. They are they to take up the movement of the exhaust/engine and stop leaks. Later versions have a catalyst inside the manifold and a flexi on the exhaust
I love your videos, and I really like the song at the end. Who sings it?
I just had my PVC valve changed on my Smart cost me 562.17 us dollars UGH!!!!! I had to replace the 3 spark plugs too due to them fouling out because of the damn PVC. The PVC in my Smart is under the the intake manifold. My mechanic was able to repair it without dropping the engine cradle. If the enging cradle had to be dropped I was quoted 2500 dollars, Not looking forward to that bridge By the way my mechanic gets 135 dollars an hour!
Great video stef, mechanical peace of mind got to out weigh any cost, looking forward to seeing it remapped, and other content 😀👍👌
strike me down and call me charlie
I'd love to see a comparison against an up gti or something small and hot from today to see how it matches up
1,000 for all those jobs. A bargain! I'd be very happy with that bill to get this Brabus going.
They may be small but can be expensive to repair. I'm in Australia and had a smart roadster. It needed many things doing including a new soft top. Mercedes out here wanted over $4000 to replace this tiny roof. I got one on ebay from England for $1000.
That’s a lot of money for a roof! Best to wrap it if you can get away with not having the panoramic view for about £100
@@StefABtv wrapping a soft top? Good luck. 😂
👍
I've never understood these cars, I would never even consider buying one. Each to their own of course, fingers crossed you don't get any more big bills. Judging by the list of defects that you have had to fix already, unfortunately I think it's only a matter of time before the next big bill comes along...
Read the comments: cheap to fill, fun to drive, smiles for miles. Oh, and parking, did anyone mention parking?
@@jcjames4479 No worries, will read them again .............. Comments read, still wouldn't buy one!
I pressed the like button but PLEASE!!! don't do the 24 hour challenge in it!!!
😂😂
Since your videos I’ve noticed the price of them has gone up!
Brabus models have always been collectible, especially for the Roadster as there were only like 1000 odd made in the UK so i heard when i owned one
Looking forward to that 24hrs in that car 👀
Lol that like count is creeping up 😂
actually, all things considered, it is a quite cheap car to maintain, i thought they were quite a bit more expensive. It is basically even cheaper than my fiat 500 for those engine mounts that i had to change, they were 120Eur only in parts )
but hey, still 10x times better and cheaper then all those BMW's that i had xD
Cheap car for a reason. It needed work!
Bill was perfectly reasonably for the amount of work carried out.
Yep agree
ha, 24 hour challenge
Hi everyone! I got one of this car for nice price! When I want to move and drive the car jump and jerk like super car with high horsepower is it normal or something wrong with that?
Ha ha haaaa! I just saw your first Smart video, and I thought "Boy, that exhaust sure moves a lot - probably the middle engine mount is rubbish". Writing this comment at some 2 mins into the video I also expected the next bit. Well, the exhaust flex pipe goes snap minutes after the engine mount has failed.
😂🙌😂
These cool little cars when they age and get a lot of miles on them are not practical to own if you have to take them into a shop for every tiny repair or modification. Most maintenance and fixes should be DIY making ownership practical.
High mileage cars with very little history are always cheap for a reason. They are normally a ticking time bomb with parts ready to wear out. My wife as had a Smart Pulse diesel for five years and other than regularly servicing, new tyres and battery as been very cheap to run. It was a low mileage example when I purchased it privately and is still low mileage. It's the only car she's never ever complained about its mpg.
got myself a smart roadster 3 weeks ago and am putting a lot of effort into it as well. Took me half a day to change the spark plugs + oil. Was wondering about the rear drum breaks, how do I know if they are used up?
Most telling sign is if you need to really yank the handbrake up to keep the far from moving. If you do you prob need new rear drums
Ol Qu….If you suspect shoe wear take the drums off for a proper diagnosis.
@@billwilson6096 what do you mean by shoe wear? I mean the brakes are still working fine I guess.. although hand brake is not that stiff. Car has 130.000km
How much is a remap
I’m from USA……what are you meaning by a REMAP?
Wow that labour charge was like amazing! Was it done in India ?
Why on earth did you buy a car with an automatic gearbox when you only use the flippers to do a manual gear change? I only drive automatic with the exception of the 6th gear cause I need to drive too fast to make the automatic system change to this last gear, so I do it manually.
They only offered the smart 451 in auto
Would you recommend it to a 17 year old ? Insurance?
Old cars are going to have...issues... And some things you're talking to on the bill? Maint. ALL cars are that. The clutch was a gotcha. Want a unique car...this is the price now. Now, if you were Stateside, I'd make an offer to take that Brabus off your hands... ;)
Haha cheers mate. Yep it’s now running super sweet :)
Paint it black mate. It will look 10x better
Exhaust link failed because motor mount failed. Next up main battery feed cable.
Great video…ad I’m looking to buy one of these babies. 2 questions:
How much did the wheel reconditioning cost? What is the air conditioning like? Cheers!!! Keep it up!!!
AC is great wheels diamond cut £120 a wheel
@@StefABtv many, many thanks!!!
Smart isn't the fastest shifting car, for sure...but the shift delay is more even a feeling, cause you're doing nothing then pulling a paddle...and wait.
it's the same with a smg bmw for example. In a stick shifter you're using your clutch paddle, changes gear by your self and thinking about the interaction...the time is (almost) the same, just a different feeling.
But a gearbox remap is 100% recommendable!
The breaks are really bad specially for the Nordschleife!
on a full attack round, you can't get it to Fuchsröhre...not even up to Hatzenbach with that peace of pressed metal shit......you need an upgrade!
Haha this is good info!! We may need to upgrade brakes before the ring 😂😂
Really I think once handling is nailed down should take much less breaking then the super fast cars. How many really slow coners are on the ring. Go handling Smart at it's natural top speed may take most conners with a little lift a down shift lol
@@twcomnothingthatreallymatt4755 ......but who's driving his Smart 451 turbo with a stock engine, if you're thinking about some rounds on the ring?! ...but if it's stock, you're absolutely right!
When labor price is less than 10% of the total price, you know something is wrong with the bill.
Watching the progress of your Brabus very closely. I have the Passion model with Brabus trim. Remapping the engine will be my next job.
Oh, and I have no idea how you picked that up for less than £6K. Are you sure nothing else is about to go? 😬
Its a smart car. You have to fix it yourself. they overcharge for every fix. A 50$ pair of ABS rings is 1500$ at the mercedes dealership because they just replace the whole axel. A small amount of research will show you every Smart car forum says, its a great car if your a mechanic. 500$ for an oil change, or in their works "A or B package", I would do it myself for 40$. Oil filter is 3$ and oil is 35$. If you cant do mechanic work then you shouldnt buy one.
Smarts are like drugs you get addicted to it been driving smarts for 11 years now and every time i get in it it excites me