New vehicle technology: engine shuts down when stopped.

January 20, 2019, 03:08 PM

ds1962

Anyone have a vehicle with this new technology in stopping your vehicle and it cuts off, and when you take your foot off brake, it starts up? Opinions and experience with this. What are your thought, pros, cons?

January 20, 2019, 03:10 PM

sigfreund

No experience, but yet another useless feature that can break.

And I was always under the impression that starting a car used more gasoline that letting it idle for some short period. Am I wrong about that?

January 20, 2019, 03:12 PM

kz1000

Yes. My previous car had it and being a stick, it was annoying as all hell. Current car is an auto & has it. Keeping them in Sport mode disables it. I don't buy BMWs for their MPG.

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-Bomber Harris

January 20, 2019, 03:19 PM

Sgt Neutron

quote:
Originally posted by sigfreund:
No experience, but yet another useless feature that can break.

And I was always under the impression that starting a car used more gasoline that letting it idle for some short period. Am I wrong about that?

From what I've heard if you idle for more than 15 seconds, it is more economical to shut down the engine. I'll shut mine down when waiting for a train, or if I'm in a long drive through line, but never at a stoplight.

I think that stopping an engine automatically can have it's disadvantages. What happens if it malfunctions, and decides to stop the engine automatically at highway speeds, or on a curvy mountain road?

Edit: I have a 2002 Escort ZX-2, that has manual everything: Transmission, windows, locks. Nothing fancy, just turned 198,000 on it. Has a small oil leak, but runs very well. 33MPG mixed city/highway. Why do they constantly fuck things up by adding shit that over complicates things. "Lane proximity warning" when changing lanes? What happened to turning your head to check the lanes next to you? I guess that turning your head would prevent you from sipping your double soy latte mocha while driving.

January 20, 2019, 03:20 PM

Redhookbklyn

Drove a rented Mercedes, while in Italy, that had this feature. I found it rather annoying.

January 20, 2019, 03:24 PM

Sucks. An online search will usually find a way to disable the system for your particular model.

January 20, 2019, 03:24 PM

tgtshuter

I don't like it.

I had a 2018 BMW loaner that had that function and it bothered the heck out of me.

I've started researching for a new vehicle -2019 - and this tech is becoming more prevalent.

Some of the vehicles you can turn it off, some you can't. For instance; I'm looking at the 2019 Acura RDX. It has the auto stop, but it's deactivated when you drive in "sport" mode.

It's all about reducing emissions, and meeting set standards for manufactures. So it reduces air pollution, but creates more wear and tear on starters, electrical systems, and other internal parts.

Great for the environment, huh? More feelgood political BS.

January 20, 2019, 03:24 PM

V-Tail

I have ridden with one of our forum members who has a new F-150. There is a button that he can press, that disables this feature for the duration of a trip.

January 20, 2019, 03:26 PM

wcb6092

Might be time to buy stock in starter manufacturing companies.

January 20, 2019, 03:27 PM

highroundcount

I drive older stuff so no experience. In my opinion though, it's a bad idea and if I went to purchase a new vehicle would make dang sure this "feature" could be disabled.

I do have a question though. How can this be good for an engine in hot weather or an engine with hot turbos. I was always told that the engine gets hotter for a bit because of the lack of coolant flow when shut off. And it's better for some turbos to get a cool down period before shutting down.

January 20, 2019, 03:29 PM

P250UA5

My 2016 F150 had it. 33k miles without a problem. Pretty seamless, and was easy to prevent while enabled.

My 2015 Mercedes has it, and it's a lot more immediate & harder to 'trick'.
There's a button on the console to disable it, also disabled in Sport+ or configurable in the personalized driving mode.

A bit shy of 33k on it, no issues.

January 20, 2019, 03:33 PM

preten2b

My next car is NOT going to have this mode, or any other auto driving technology that I cannot turn off with a button or menu selection.

January 20, 2019, 03:34 PM

RobC2

My BMW M3 manual had it but it could be switched off. My wife's Audi A6 had it and I needed to get a tool to code the switch to remember last setting. I find it super annoying. My Hellcat doesn't have it, but then again, it has a huge gas guzzler tax. My 2017 JK Wrangler has tech from like 20 years ago so it doesn't have it, but I understand the new JLs have it.

January 20, 2019, 03:36 PM

highroundcount

quote:
Originally posted by tgtshuter:
I don't like it.

I had a 2018 BMW loaner that had that function and it bothered the heck out of me.

I've started researching for a new vehicle -2019 - and this tech is becoming more prevalent.

Some of the vehicles you can turn it off, some you can't. For instance; I'm looking at the 2019 Acura RDX. It has the auto stop, but it's deactivated when you drive in "sport" mode.

It's all about reducing emissions, and meeting set standards for manufactures. So it reduces air pollution, but creates more wear and tear on starters, electrical systems, and other internal parts.

Great for the environment, huh? More feelgood political BS.

Yes. Now that .gov is involved we may start seeing new vehicles that make the Corvair seem like an seem like a reliable daily driver.

January 20, 2019, 03:36 PM

braillediver

Yes! Got a loaner at the body shop during an insurance repair.

They neglected to tell me. 1st light after leaving it shut off. I'm scrambling.....

January 20, 2019, 03:36 PM

highroundcount

quote:
Originally posted by highroundcount:
quote:
Originally posted by tgtshuter:
I don't like it.

I had a 2018 BMW loaner that had that function and it bothered the heck out of me.

I've started researching for a new vehicle -2019 - and this tech is becoming more prevalent.

Some of the vehicles you can turn it off, some you can't. For instance; I'm looking at the 2019 Acura RDX. It has the auto stop, but it's deactivated when you drive in "sport" mode.

It's all about reducing emissions, and meeting set standards for manufactures. So it reduces air pollution, but creates more wear and tear on starters, electrical systems, and other internal parts.

Great for the environment, huh? More feelgood political BS.

Yes. Now that .gov is involved we may start seeing new vehicles that make the Corvair seem like a reliable daily driver.

January 20, 2019, 03:42 PM

Tailhook 84

quote:
Originally posted by braillediver: They neglected to tell me. 1st light after leaving it shut off. I'm scrambling.....

LOL, same here when I unknowingly rented a car with this "feature". I found it incredibly annoying, but glad to have the experience to ensure I don't buy a future vehicle with it.

January 20, 2019, 03:46 PM

Orguss

It's not exactly new tech. It's been around in current form for nearly a decade.

"I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak!" - Calvin, "Calvin & Hobbes"

January 20, 2019, 03:47 PM

cas

Call me when they're 15 years old with a 180k on them... if they're still on the road.

January 20, 2019, 03:49 PM

sigmonkey

Older carbureted vehicles may use more fuel to start (heat soaking and hard starting when hot) but it is not an issue with these auto-stop/start "features".

As far as heat, the engine is heat soaked and not going to get hotter when shut off, than running.

What people perceive is the rise in the coolant temp, and this occurs as it conducts the heat from the engine (mostly heads) when the coolant stops flowing. But the engine is not producing any more heat so it is not getting hotter.

In stop and go traffic, you could have an issue of it running hotter after several stop/start cycles because the interrupted coolant and air flow means that heat that is generated is not being removed for the cooling system.

But wear and tear from the constant stop/start in heavy stop and go traffic, likely will result in more problems as well as the addition of more links in the chain of "things that break".

Another cost driving thing that should be an option only item on the purchase order.