I've had my bright red 2004 Copen for a matter of weeks now and I am totally smitten. I wanted a small around the town car for the city. It was a toss up between a Copen and a Smart Car... I made the right choice. Totally love Clara the Copen as she is affectionately known. As a new owner, are there any issues I should know about? Any advice would be great. cheers Peedee
Knowing issures ,rust, often near back wheels fender , water in boot, rust at exhaust backpipes. Turbocar needs oel change every 5000 km or gets problems with the loader (very expensive)...check tips in forum... Often rusty front brakes, take care of it..
I assume you have the 659cc since you say its a 2004 model. This means oil changes every 3000 miles and an oil filter change every 6000 miles. I also recommend letting the engine idle a while after long or spirited drives to let the turbo cool down. Keep an eye on any rust as it spreads fast on their thin metal bodies.
Resources | Copenworld Here you can download service manuals.. dont be afraid to ask, if you have problems...
Thanks welz and AFRON1 for your replies. I already have the engine warning light coming on and have checked on here to see what I can do. I got an OBD reader and it's a misfire so need to check out the spark plugs and cables. Also the boot is leaking a bit when it rains. Ive just looked that up and it seems from the comments on here it is the rear break light. There is a little bit of rust on the rear wheel arches so will be getting that sorted in the near future. I do want to replace the headlights as the casing is slightly misty. Have you had the same or similar issues?
yepp, misty headlights. These are cleancoated and sun an washing get them misty with the time.. you can try polish..
Wise to seriously think about under body rust prevention. Lots of great solutions out there with modern solutions.
I'll second what William says. First thing I did when I got my Copen was get her rustproofed, as that was what killed my beloved mk1 MX5. Dinitrol/Waxoyl treatment should be pretty widely available. Get it done in the summer as the car needs to be dry before they can do it, and you'll want the roof down as the wax burns off the exhaust pipe for the next few days and boy does it stink....
Nip down to Halfords and get a bottle of Plastrx and some masking tape if you haven’t already got some. It brought my MX5 headlights back to shining and didn’t take long habout 10-15 mins each) to fettle and they’re still gleaming 6 months after. You need to mask around the areas where the lights meet the metal to avoid thinning the paint. I’ve heard people use old playing cards on wheel rims so that may offer more protection.
