SMART Car - disabling...

[Stonelaughter]

...Yes, that's right, it's the "Disabling Air Bags" question again.

However!

I've been given some more detail about how to fool the system into thinking there's still a Passenger AirBag there. The guy said, to disconnect the lead going to the passenger airbag, and to plug a 0.5W, 3.5Ω resistor into the "Car" end of the plug. Lovely - I can do that. I can even get a resistor. I just wanted to check that these values are accurate - I would hate to plug in a resistor, and hear a loud "POP" when the fuse went... or for the resistor to get really hot due to the high current flow... etc etc etc.

Can anyone advise please? If you can't, I'm into the scenario of measuring the resistance of the airbag itself, which means buying a multimeter, blah blah blah very boring.

p.s. the whole reason is, we're having a baby in January, and I absolutely refuse to pay the several hundred pounds for the SMART baby seat; which price includes them plugging in a laptop to disable the airbag. Utterly ridiculous. Even my 1997 Mondeo has a key-operated switch to disable the passenger airbag; what the hell's wrong with Mercedes/Daimler/Benz doing that?!?!

 

[turnipsock]

Assuming this is across 12V

V=IR

P=IV

The current would be 12/3.5=3.4A

The wattage would then be 40W

Are you sure he said 3.5 ohm? It seems a very specific value.

What is this about anyway, are you trying to kill a passenger? There must be an easier way.

 

[nicky]

IS it legal to carry a baby in a smart car,,,,or is that a pram with an engine...lol

 

[jberks]

Tom,
The only reason to buy an MB seat would be if it has a transponder fitted to disable the airbag as is the case with the normal merc cars. The laptop bit sounds odd to me as this would disable the airbag permanently and go against MB procedures and possibly EU regulations, especially without an "airbag off" light. Perhaps they get around the lack of a warning light by putting a sticker on the airbag box.
If it is right, then find yourself a proper MB Indie with the right kit and ask them to do it. Shouldn't cost more than £60 or so.

 

[MondeoMan]

Buy the Smart seat or buy another car - don't take risks like this.

 

[Stonelaughter]

IS it legal to carry a baby in a smart car,,,,or is that a pram with an engine...lol

Yes, thank you, very helpful indeed.

 

[Stonelaughter]

Buy the Smart seat or buy another car - don't take risks like this.

I don't see it as taking a risk; I see spending several hundred pounds I don't have as a risk. If the airbag goes off with the baby in the car seat, the baby dies. Ergo, I want to disable the airbag and use the perfectly good car seat I already own. The Smart seat doesn't have a transponder, it has a resistor to fool the airbag system into thinking there's an airbag present. They still charge for it, as if there were a transponder. You should see the smug look on their faces when you tell them you want to disable the airbag.

Turnipsock; that's why I asked; it seemed.... odd.

I'm going to measure the resistance of the airbag. And replicate it.

Thanks all.

 

[paulcallender]

IS it legal to carry a baby in a smart car,,,,or is that a pram with an engine...lol

Well, no its not, unless you have 'suitably restrained' it, which would include fitting a baby seat (aren't the seats in the Smart, small anyway??) AND properly disabling the airbag. So, you really have to get this right or else you could be breaking the law - or worse, looking at a squished baby in an accident/airbag situation.

If you like, I can dig out some info on fitting a non-airbag steering wheel to Mk3 Golfs which should have an airbag in the steering wheel. It involves fitting a resistor. But, you'd have to be sure its the same for the Smart. Perhaps the makers of the baby seat could advise you better than an internet.