Flat Towing a 453 Smart

[heavyduty]

I know we have hashed this out a little before. But my question is has anyone got any milage logged flat Towing a 453 smart and has there been any problems so far 

[wtgeodog]

It is my understanding that only the standard transmission (clutch pedal) 453 can be flat towed.

This comes from my research on the various smart4two blogs.

 

ShortyO

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Wtgeodig, actually, it's the other way around. The automated manual has the capacity to be flat towed. Smart came out with the procedure you need to follow about a year ago. When I get home, I will try to post a link to that document for you.

[heavyduty]

Thanks for your comments. Hybrid I would appreciate that towing procedure.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Take a look at this thread of smart at of America forums. The link will have a PDF file for the towing instructions. Note that ONLY the dual clutch automated manual is approved for flat towing. The manual transmission and the electric drive model are not approved.

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/f497/453-official-flat-tow-instructions-126105/

Edit: I would check and make sure this procedure is still approved as I can't find it on smart's website. That is not too unusual though as their website blows.

Edited March 20, 2018 by GeorgiaHybrid

[rdickinson]

I will try to drop by the local Service dept at Three Point Motors in Victoria, I can walk in and talk directly to The Service manager, Service writer and Sean the Parts manager, he is the gent who made my hitch.

They will have the latest info.  I'll also ask if there is a difference b/w Canadian models and US models...there could be some differences, but I don't know.  Will post what I find or links that are current.

My 17 is running fine.  They replace the drivers seat belt that wasn't retracting and a cable on the rear lower part of the hatch.  Oil change at about 10k miles, next one in another 10k miles.  Yes, I know we are metric up here but I hate metric so set instruments for miles.

We have the highest Smart car to people ratio anywhere.

[rdickinson]

451's only. Absolutely not the 453.  I recall a 453 someone towed behind their MH.  It was apart on the shop floor.  Trans was trashed.  I saw it myself when the hitch was being installed.

Greg said "no tow on" standards.

it is a $1400 operation to get the 451 towable with tow bar plus mechanical modifications.

He is not aware of any special modifications for the US market which would make a difference.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

19 hours ago, rdickinson said:

451's only. Absolutely not the 453.  I recall a 453 someone towed behind their MH.  It was apart on the shop floor.  Trans was trashed.  I saw it myself when the hitch was being installed.

Greg said "no tow on" standards.

it is a $1400 operation to get the 451 towable with tow bar plus mechanical modifications.

He is not aware of any special modifications for the US market which would make a difference.

I hate to disagree with you but I will take Mercedes Benz word over that of your dealer. With the conflicting information I have seen about this issue I though it was time to contact MB directly. The attached email chain From Mercedes Benz should put this to bed. The 453 CAN be towed 4 down. The second time around the girl emailed the file to me as the link she gave me in her first response only worked internally to MB. Please read the entire chain from the bottom to the top.

I can't attach the file to this posting (too large) but can email it to anyone that would like a copy if you PM me an email address. You can also do what I did and go to the smartusa website and submit a question there to get this response. Hopefully, this will be the last time we need to figure this out.

Subject

Miscellaneous

Response By Email (Debra A.) (03/21/2018 10:40 AM) Dear Mr. H*******,   Thank you for your additional email to smart USA.   I have sent the site as an attachment, please check to see if you can open it.   I had included the other two sites as they sell base plates and possibly tow bars for the smart as  Smart USA does not offer this equipment at the dealership.   Hope this helps. Apologize for any confusion and let me know if you cannot access the attachment.   Take care and have a great day.   Debbie A.       Customer By CSS Email (David H******) (03/21/2018 10:20 AM) To all,   I tried to follow the given in the email below:   http://mercedes-benz-agent.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/38107/0/filename/Tech+instructions+for+smart+towing.pdf   But I get a “Fatal Error: Access Denied  Reason: Client address is not authorized” every time I try despite using different browsers. Can you possibly send me a link that will work outside of MB-USA?   I also tried the other two links you provided for older cars and neither one of them is current as well.  I am not interested in them as I have a newer smart but thought you should know.   Thanks   David H******       Response By Email (Debra A.) (03/21/2018 09:13 AM) Dear Mr. H******,   Thank you for your email to smart USA.   Below is the information we have for smart cars from 2009 to the present. For 2009 to 2015 the smartfortwo is designed for flat towing with all 4 wheels on the ground only in the gas version automatic.  A base plate must be added to the vehicle. There are two manufactures that make this product that smart USA is aware of:    RoadMaster - 1-800-669-9690  http://www.roadmasterinc.com/vehicle_guide/tow_bar_brackets.php  BlueOx - 1-888-425-5382  http://blueox.com/recreational-commercial-flat-towing/baseplates/sorting/?fwp_make=smart    Customers may contact these manufactures directly, as they are not directly affiliated with smart USA. In addition, you must use tire straps to secure the vehicle to the flat-bed truck. Do not use chains around the suspension components.    We also recommend referring to the owner's manual for modifications for the battery. To locate a manual please go to the owner's section of www.smartusa.com and look up the exact model year you have or are interested in for further details.    Kindly be advised that for the 2016 and 2017 model year smarts with gasoline engines and twinamic dual clutch automatic transmissions are approved for flat towing behind a vehicle.  Here is the information available:  http://mercedes-benz-agent.custhelp.com/ci/fattach/get/38107/0/filename/Tech+instructions+for+smart+towing.pdf  We hope this information is helpful. Best wishes for many future miles of pleasant travel!  Sincerely,  Debbie A.  Mercedes-Benz USA  (800) 367-6372  Customer By CSS Email (No Reply smart USA) (03/20/2018 04:46 PM) The following person has filled out the General Requests & Comments Form on www.smartusa.com. Topic: Miscellaneous Contact Information: First Name: David Last Name: H****** Email Address: *********@******** Phone: Customer Preferred Contact Method: email Comments: I have a 2016 smart prime with the dual clutch transmission. I would like to know what the factory recommends for flat towing (4 wheels on the ground) behind a motorhome. Is this allowed for this transmission or is it not recommended? If it is allowed, do you have a procedure to follow?

Question Reference # 180320-000025

·         Date Created: 03/20/2018 04:46 PM ·         Date Last Updated: 03/21/2018 10:40 AM ·

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I will say this much about it. The instructions are the same as in the first post I linked to. They are VERY specific about what needs to be done to get the car ready to tow and get it out of tow mode. If they are not followed, you could probably screw up the transmission (just like any other car) and I suspect that is what happened to your motorhome owner.

[RickS]

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Rick,

That video mirrors the instructions that I got from Mercedes Benz as well. If you just put the transmission in Neutral or you leave the battery connected, you will really screw things up in this car. But following those instructions will allow you to tow the car without any restrictions as far as I can tell.

These comments are NOT in the video but you need to make sure you follow them. They are in the PDF file from smart:

Failure to follow the recommendations for flat towing can cause damage to your vehicle:
> Not following the battery disconnect procedure in the proper sequence may result in data loss in the
vehicle’s control units.
> Not disconnecting the battery and leaving the key in starter switch position 1 (ignition on) my result in
   > The ESP being activated. Active braking action through the ESP ® may seriously damage the brake system which is not covered by   the smart Limited Warranty.
   > In a discharged battery.

[RickS]

That's great info David!  Thank you very much.......and for the pdf that will go in my SC file.

[Jack Mayer]

Davids information is as correct as far as anyone can tell. I know people that have towed 10's of thousands of miles with a 453 (three people). I've also towed mine, but not as far. Follow the procedure and you should be OK.

[coannt]

Hello RickS and All- We bought a 2017 fortwo this spring and are trying to figure this all out.  The download from smart definitely doesn't put it in gear "6" so I'm looking forward to trying RickS' method.  (The method in the manual might work, but the display doesn't turn off as they describe, so nervous about it.)

A question to everyone- is everyone good with having the car unlocked?  It doesn't appear you can lock the car and you're towing it with the key in the ignition.  Anyone else dealt with this issue?

 

PS- The procedure worked!! Thanks much, RickS.  Now I just need to deal with the locking issue-

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by coannt
Success!

[jettel]

I've towed my (gas) 453 thousands of miles with no problem by using the towing supplemental instructions I downloaded from the smart USA web site. You can only flat tow the DCT (automatic) transmission, the manual 5 speed requires the engine to be running to keep oil circulating. Many people have ruined the drive train by not following the instructions exactly. If you put the transmission in neutral or leave the battery connected you will have issues. If the smart website no longer has the information the link provided above; https://www.smartcarofamerica.com/threads/453-official-flat-tow-instructions.126105/ has the correct instructions. Always verify that you are looking at instructions for a 453 model, the process for older smarts is completely different.

Now for my question, what supplemental braking system are people using when towing their 453 smart? I need to replace mine and I'd like to go with something different, preferably one that doesn't have to be installed in the floor every time you tow. I've been using an NSA cable system. Although etrailer states the Roadmaster InvisiBrake will work on my smart, when I contacted Roadmaster directly they said no it won't. Since it's a pretty unique car and as we've already experienced conflicting information with the can you or can't you tow question, I'd like to hear from people who have actually installed a braking system on a 453.

Thank you

Edited February 11, 2022 by jhmooney
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