Three lines on the dash indicate a 'Gearbox communication fault' or a 'Shifting system fault'.

Firstly it could just be a glitch... they do happen. Turn the car off and on again and see if the issue is resolved.

Other potential issues could be:

• Sticking clutch actuator
• Faulty or sticking gear selector motor
• Faulty gear position sensor
• Excessive clutch wear
• Loose/broken connection to the actuator/motor/sensor
• Possible damaged wiring loom where this is tightly routed around the edge of the gearbox.

For a quick fix, you can try:

• With engine off and handbrake off and in reverse, rock the car backwards and forwards to free up the gears. Lubricate the gear actuator - see the guide on this site - replace gear selector motor, replace gear position sensor (we also have a guide for this) located in the fortwo gearbox page.

All smarts that are equipped with the service indicator will display when the next service is due. This can be viewed by double tapping the display button as follows:

• fortwo 450: Double press the button on top of the dash.
• Roadster: Double press the middle button on top of the dash.
• fortwo 451: Double press the button to the left of the dash.

By default, this will display the distance the car has to travel before the service is due. The type of service will be either an 'A' or 'B' indicated by 1 or 2 spanners respectively. When service time approaches, the electronics will indicate that a service is due by displaying the distance left to go when you start the car. This screen will then revert to your previous display mode (outside temperature / trip / total distance covered).

However, the smart must also be serviced every year. So, if the distance hasn't been reached, the service counter will switch to the number of days left until the service is due. This will then count down each day.

If a service hasn't been performed by the time the counter reaches 0, the countdown will continue into negative numbers, e.g.: '-10' = Ten days overdue for service.