Stop-Start on cars

[katyjay 4,983]

6 hours ago, FLY2 said:

CH 4 coverage wasn't bad, but the bleddy adverts pee me off. Especially when it's for Skodas ! 

 

We rented a Skoda Octavia 2 weeks ago. We had an estate car/mini van booked, but they offered us the Skoda instead, a bit cheaper, plus enormous boot which is what we wanted the other car for,  us being 4 folks with cases etc. First time with a Skoda and we've been well pleased with it, very zippy, diesel engine, great mileage etc. But it took a while to get used to one feature, which was disconcerting the first time it happened. When you stop in traffic etc, the engine cuts out, and lift your foot off the brake and the starter motor kicks in and restarts the engine. Not sure of the advantage to this, and surely owners get through starter motors? We take our friends to the airport today and trade in the car for something smaller, but have done over 2500 km in the Skoda and enjoyed it.

[denshaw 2,812]

I drive a Nissan and the wife has a Renault, they both have stop start feature, you can cancel it.

[radfordred 6,278]

Start stop can usually be turned off for the duration of your journey via a button on your dash.

[philmayfield 5,347]

First thing I always do is to turn off the auto stop/start. It can be very irritating if you're crawling along in a traffic queue. It's stopped functioning in my wife's car which is great but as it's still under warranty I suppose I'd better report it at the next service. The trouble is it's not a DIY fix and requires the dealership's diagnostic kit to reprogram.

[Brew 5,007]

1 hour ago, philmayfield said:

It's stopped functioning in my wife's car

 

 My car has a separate battery for things like the stop/start feature. If I do mainly short journeys  the  battery doesn't fully charge and auxiliaries like the stop/start won't come out to play. Maybe the car needs a good run?

[philmayfield 5,347]

I realise low battery voltages can cause this problem but the battery readings have always been over 12.5 volts at rest. Being out in the sticks all her journeys are of at least 10 miles. I think on her particular model there isn’t a second lithium iron battery and the boost for the restart comes from a capacitor. Certainly on my last car, also a Jag but a different model, it did have two batteries, a large main one and a much smaller lithium iron one. They were connected through a ‘gateway module’ which twice required a reprogram. I do try to buy British but I have reverted to the Germans once again.

[Cliff Ton 9,940]

My previous car (which I had for around 5 years) had Stop-Start and I never had any problems with it - or the battery.

 

The one bad side-effect was that for the first couple of years I found that in slow-moving traffic, I was often riding the clutch to prevent the S-S kicking in. So the car's current owner may find it needs a new clutch earlier than would be expected.

[nonnaB 4,752]

I think I would find that very irritating to have it stop / start in traffic. My micra went to my husband after I had a new car . His car was getting on and he didn't want to have to buy 2 new cars.  On Sunday my daughter and I went to Lidl about 1/2 hour drive away. I parked and we did the shopping . Turned on the motor and ...nothing . Tried and tried but the steering wheel was blocked. Anyone having a micra has to push the brake pedal to start with remote. It was so hot as there was no shade and we had to park in full sun. I just could not release the steering wheel so after 1/2 hr of trying I had to ring my husband. It had happened to me once before but I did manage to get it started. When my husband had travelled the greater part of between home and Lidl I managed to get the damn thing started. Relieved but so hot and frustrated and angry at not being able to move the steering wheel.

[LizzieM 9,222]

9 hours ago, radfordred said:

Start stop can usually be turned off for the duration of your journey via a button on your dash.

Our cars have that feature and I had no idea you can turn it off.  It actually doesn’t bother us, you get used to it very quickly.  What we didn’t like was in a previous car we had, think it was a Mercedes, it braked if it thought we were too close to the car in front.   A bit disconcerting when you’re in the outside lane of a motorway.  Haven’t noticed that in subsequent vehicles.  

[philmayfield 5,347]

I believe auto stop start is now a requirement on all new build cars and has been around for some time. Allegedly it’s to stop air pollution and to save fuel. I always switch it of when I get in. On my latest car an extra firm push on the brake pedal puts the car into hold with the engine off and the brakes on. It starts up again when you press the accelerator. I use this facility when I know I’m going to be stopped for more than a few seconds.

[philmayfield 5,347]

Yes, we have that in both of our cars. One of them starts beeping as well. I don’t need the facility as I never drive close to the vehicle in front but my wife activates it on occasions!

[FLY2 10,106]

I'd like to disable the air conditioning at times. Madam likes an Arctic gale blowing, whilst I prefer warmth. 

 

[philmayfield 5,347]

C'mon. How did we survive without air conditioning in cars? It was the prime thing I specified when it used to be an extra. Plus automatic of course! On our first Mini the heater was a £12 extra!

 

[Brew 5,007]

39 minutes ago, LizzieM said:

What we didn’t like was in a previous car we had, think it was a Mercedes, it braked if it thought we were too close to the car in front.

 

It's called Distronic Lizzie and yes, like stop/go, it can be turned off. The lane guidance is more disconcerting first time it happens. Let the car drift over the white line and the steering pulls you back unless you indicate you are changing lanes.

[philmayfield 5,347]

I'd like an older classic, just as toy for nice sunny days. Nobody likes gadgets more than l do but it would be great to drive a nice simple sportscar without all the toys. Having said that I've just taken delivery of an electric bicycle but with my arthritis I'm having difficulty in getting my leg over. Make of that what you will!

 

[katyjay 4,983]

Changed our car, and they gave us pretty much the same car again, same colour as well. I think it's the no-frill version of the Octavia,  called a Superb. Still cuts in and out, but now you've told me it can be swiched off, we'll look into it. 

[Brew 5,007]

3 hours ago, philmayfield said:

with my arthritis I'm having difficulty in getting my leg over

 

Take a tip from the horse brigade and make yourself a mounting step, swap it for a 'step through'  or so as I do with gadgets, put 'em in the garage and pretend not to notice they're there..  

[philmayfield 5,347]

Yes, my wife suggested a mounting block - for the bike, not for her obviously. I made one to get on the Fergie so I’ll give that a go tomorrow.

[Oztalgian 2,852]

6 hours ago, philmayfield said:

I believe auto stop start is now a requirement on all new build cars and has been around for some time.

Given that the starter motor was used once for each journey and now theoretically can be used many tens of times during a congested journey. How long is the starter motor and ring gear going to last. I think I can see a few warranty claims on the horizon

[katyjay 4,983]

Sorry to hijack your thread, Tom, I'm sure it will get back to cricket eventually! 

[philmayfield 5,347]

8 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

Given that the starter motor was used once for each journey and now theoretically can be used many tens of times during a congested journey. How long is the starter motor and ring gear going to last. I think I can see a few warranty claims on the horizon

I gather it increases the number of starts by a ratio of 50:1. Sadly I think the failures will occur after the warranty has expired. I just turn it off after starting.

[philmayfield 5,347]

Thinking further about it I guess that’s why there is an on/off switch. It’s good to turn the engine off for a longer stop (unless you need the aircon.) but only a complete idiot would keep letting it stop/start in a slow moving traffic queue.

[Ayupmeducks 1,728]

A bank Manager we know bought a new jeep, well her husband bought it her. It has an engine stop, she hates it, stop for longer than a few minutes at lights and it cuts out. There is no way to over ride it. It's the only thing she dislikes about the car.

At first she thought it had a problem, so took it back to the dealer, who told her it was a fuel saving device, she was told there was no way to over ride it without reprogramming the on board computer.

[radfordred 6,278]

I've got used to it, traffic lights seem to take longer to change nowadays anyway? Press the clutch it trips back in, off you go.

I'm less keen on the electronic handbrake that's been around for a while, but now sneaking in on most new cars, I prefer to hear a few click & have something in me hand? 

[philmayfield 5,347]

I do have reservations about electronic handbrakes. These require the action of servo motors to bring the brake pads on or off. It’s one of those gizmos that’s done just because it can be but it’s something that could fail and will be an expensive and complex repair and no doubt will fail after the car is out of warranty. Cars now are unnecessarily complex and are loaded with pointless gadgetry which we’ve managed without for years. Am I becoming a Luddite?