Stop/Start - Do You Use It?

Srop/start - Do you use it?

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Bristle Hound

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Stop/start - do you use it?

Is it always left on or do switch it off the first opportunity?

Personally, I hate it with a vengeance. First button I reach for, after starting, to disable stop/start in any ANY I drive with it fitted
 
Lol, its the first button I press before moving off not a big fan off it! .. I think it can be disabled in VCDS, thats something for me to look at!
 
Permanently disable it through VCDS I hate it that much!
 
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I've got a bit of tape on mine at the moment as I don't want the picture to rub off by the time I sell it. The button gets pressed straight after ignition. Hideous thing.
 
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I tried and failed to disable it with VCDS. Has anyone cracked it?
 
My S4 doesn't have it..., seems to be a bit of a conflicting feature on such cars. It's the first thing that gets turned off in the OH's Passat when I drive it. Load of old tat. Pointless feature.

My old A4/Mk4 Golf diesels always said to allow the engine (or turbo?) to warm down after a long journey, or something like that. Is that now not required?

Had an A3 Cab for a few days last week while the S4 went in for a service. That thing kicked in whenever I came to a halt, in gear/handbrake on or off. And whenever I pressed the button, it seemed to just encourage it to do it more often.

I've trawled forums looking for a way to deactivate it by default, there must be a way.
 
Sometimes use it. Gets very annoying in stop start traffic, constantly cutting in. However if I'm sat at the lights for a few mins don't mind it. Why does the car restart when you put the handbrake on?! That's just daft.
 
Try these......

[19 – CAN Gateway]

[Adaptation - 10]

Modify maximum temperature and minimum temperature from -50 to 50 degrees


Or Try:

Gateway -> adaptation -> channel 13 -> 292029


or try

[01 ENGINE] -> [Coding - 07] -> [Long Coding Helper] -> Byte 6

Bit 0 untick

[01 ENGINE] -> [Adaptation 10] ->

Channel Activation of Start/Stop function, change stored value to Not Active

[02 AUTO TRANS] -> [Adaptation 10] ->

Channel Deactivation of Start/Stop Function, change from Not Active to Active

[46 Central Conv] -> [Coding - 07] -> [Long Coding Helper] -> Byte 11

Bit 2 untick


In addition, disable switch in the center console:

[09 – Cent. Elect.] ->[Coding -> 07] -> Byte 20

Bit 2 set to 0
 
Don't touch mine to be honest, but then I have 'Hill Assist' so after a light touch on the brake pedal that kicks in so the stop/start does not, therefore I must admit I've never had to worry about it! Can understand why it would be annoying though!
 
I've found most stop/starts annoying and potentially dangerous at junctions when trying to get out they stop! However, our second car, a Mk3 Focus has stop/start and this works quite well. My new S4 has stop/start, but starts the engine again as soon as the handbrake is on, so if I want it to work I have to stop with the footbrake held on, seems to defeat the object. So far the S4 seems to restart very quickly so seems OK, whether there is really any fuel saving with repeated stopping and starting is debatable and starter wear, etc. will probably cost more than the fuel saving over the lifetime of the car, but it ticks boxes.
 
I use it. I don't find it intrusive at all....through the winter months though it doesn't activate as much because you always have the heater, heated seats, screen demist etc on, so these are one of the (many) things that inhibit its operation. Funny the other half has got a BlueMotion Golf and its Start/Stop system activates a lot more often than mine.

One thing I do notice is if you coast up to a set of traffic lights in neutral (bad driving habit I know before some smartypants draws me up about it.....) it actually cuts the engine just a fraction before you come to a complete stop and the power steering dies......which is rather disconcerting to say the least.

At the end of the day, if it annoys you....keep your foot on the clutch to stop it from activating.
 
Hate it with a passion, very annoying. I would like to turn it off but the other half likes it...:keule:
 
Got an s-tronic.....It activates when the brake is pressed and conditions right, there isn't a way to stop it with an s-tronic box unless you manually turn it off but you have to do so each time the car is started as it resets and defaults to on.
 
I love it, use it all the time. :rockwoot::rockwoot:

never been bothered by it, and it's never just came on when I didn't want it to, it's very easy to control without having "all the trouble" of turning it off everytime you get in the car.
 
I have it in my car which is a manual and I have no issues with it. Dont always understand why it works when it does and why it starts up again for no apparent reason. Haven't driven a s-tronic with it to compare but on a manual its never been an issue. Much rather find a way to keep the Hill Hold Assist on by default, I keep forgetting to put it on and then find myself rolling backwards :)
 
hmy7k said:
Much rather find a way to keep the Hill Hold Assist on by default, I keep forgetting to put it on and then find myself rolling backwards :)
Click to expand...
I reckon it must be an easy mod to do for Audi as all 8V A3's fitted with HHA as an option, have the facility to leave it permanently on. Some of the 8V A3 owners with it have only ever switched it on once!

Come on Audi, why can't us A4/S4 owners have this facility? :uhm:
 
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Plus on a long term note, you don't know what wear and tear it's having with all unecessary start/stopping all the time!!
 
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the_cueball said:
how do you know that there will be any long term wear and tear?

just assuming it, or do you have any real proof?
Click to expand...


Like i said "you don't know" as in it's a question. It's like any moving or switching part it moves, so if you use it more it's more likely to break down at some point.
 
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a question finishes with a question mark, since you didn't include one it seemed like you were making a negative statement to be honest....

every time someone has something bad to say, exactly like 'it'll break' 'it won't last' etc etc, I always ask them for their proof... and no-one to date has given me anything to suggest that moving parts are breaking quicker than normal with stop start technology...

for clarification, and so you know where I'm coming from, I run a fleet of over 20 cars with stop start, most doing about 40k a year in towns and cities... and I've not had one issue with this tech...... hence why I ask the question of the naysayers...

I'm more interested how people are just so down on it... ;)
 
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Turn it off everytime as don't fancy fitting a starter ring gear / flywheel or starter before I have to plus can't be good for the battery as I was always told that , once started a battery takes 5 miles to charge back up
 
the_cueball said:
I'm more interested how people are just so down on it... ;)
Click to expand...
@the_cueball - Because I say it is QB, alright! :p:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Seriously tho' mate, personally I find stop/start very intrusive to my style of driving

Got no evidence to prove otherwise and your knowledge of this is better than mine, but surely any mechanical part that is moving is more likely to wear out than a mechanical part that isn't moving. In it? :think: Says Professor Hound! :laugh:

Wonder what motorcyclists would think if stop/start was blanket applied to moto sickles? (& yes have a full bike licence and have done for longer than a car lic.)
 
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That's fair enough, just wrote it wrong. It's been along 36 hours....lol
All i was trying to say is that parts like starter motors, relays etc break down over time from simple starting a car once at the start of a journey and switching off at the end.
But with the newer cars with start/stop system they are switching on/off all though the journey...;)
 
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mike60eley said:
That's fair enough, just wrote it wrong. It's been along 36 hours....lol
All i was trying to say is that parts like starter motors, relays etc break down over time from simple starting a car once at the start of a journey and switching off at the end.
But with the newer cars with start/stop system they are switching on/off all though the journey...;)
Click to expand...

don't worry not having a go.... :D

I don't know how long they'll last... but so far, everything is working great in the fleet.... we have Skoda, VW, Audi, BMW, Merc, Land Rover and Range Rover all with the technology.... it's a good test bed! lol

as for you BH!!!! :p:p

Shut it!!! hahahah

funny you mention motorbikes..... depending on the length of red light I do turn mine off.... ;)
 
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hmy7k said:
Much rather find a way to keep the Hill Hold Assist on by default, I keep forgetting to put it on and then find myself rolling backwards :)
Click to expand...

Hill hold assist is always on. Well on mine it is. Turned the button on when I got the car and never had to touch it since, also means i don't have to touch the handbrake Think I've pressed the handbrake a few times in over 8 months.
 
Robbe said:
Hill hold assist is always on. Well on mine it is. Turned the button on when I got the car and never had to touch it since, also means i don't have to touch the handbrake Think I've pressed the handbrake a few times in over 8 months.
Click to expand...

On the pre-facelift cars you have to enable it each time you start the engine.
 
benjie said:
On the pre-facelift cars you have to enable it each time you start the engine.
Click to expand...
That's what I want to fix, tweak / program. If anyone has official account with vcds I'll share all my logs. Surely something can be done

Raise a support ticket with vagcom
 
Maybe it's just me, but when something 'new' comes along I'd rather have proof that it is ok for long term ownership of my car than for me to have to go and find proof that it's detrimental.

It's not up to us to prove it wrong, it up to the maurfacturers to prove it's right, as they haven't been able to do that and I'm keeping my car for 10 years, I'll keep disabling it :)


....interestingly I read a rather comprehensive article last year done by an independent engineering company on the efficiency benefits of stop-start. It was negligible. In short the batteries ability to efficiently store charge rapidly deminishes with stop-start which means that it fails to engage as often and over predetermined journeys of different types made a negligible impact on the fuel economy, but did lead to early battery failures.

Nothing done on long term effects on starter motora though.
 
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Kalashnikov said:
That's what I want to fix, tweak / program.
Click to expand...

Yes, me too. Someone on a German forum has made something you put between the switch and car and that activates it every time the door is closed/seatbelt is on, but no details on how.

Openfruit - do you think it's part of a combination of measures by car makers to play the CO2 game?
 
Here's one I read, I'll try to find the other. It's from 2011 but not much will have changed since and at best it'll only have improved for very recent cars.

"the current generation of stop-start systems lose half of their benefits after two weeks"



http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/06/the-shocking-truth-about-start-stop-systems/


And yes, no doubt a large part of it is to.show they are producing lower emissions, even though they probably arnt...lip service really, and looks better for their official figures. But on the plus side my road tax is lower because of it so can't complain too much :)
 
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Like others have said 'Hill Hold Assist' is a great way of avoiding its engagement, just the right pressure on the break will allow the car to hold at lights (e.g.) without it activating. Its handy at night also without your foot on the break you're not annoying the vehicle behind!!
However, back to the principal of the thing: I think its daft!

(If its somehow enabling me to pay less road tax though - I think its epic!)
 
I use mine all the time - never turn it off. But I am in stop/start traffic a lot so it helps my fuel consumption. I actually get annoyed when it doesn't kick in ;-)
 
surprised to see so much venom towards it, saving fuel etc is always good! must admit it became a little annoying when i went to Glasgow and got caught in the rush hour, edging forward a 1/4 car length at a time, but generally i appreciate it.
 
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wolfie138 said:
surprised to see so much venom towards it, saving fuel etc is always good! must admit it became a little annoying when i went to Glasgow and got caught in the rush hour, edging forward a 1/4 car length at a time, but generally i appreciate it.
Click to expand...

I am as well, it seems to be really hated (and not just on here), a real marmite bit of technology.

Reading through some comments, I wondering if I don't have any issues with it as my car is a manual...this means I can control it very easily...

like you say above, when I'm in annoying stop/start slow moving traffic, I just keep the clutch depressed... if I see I'll be sitting for a bit longer, pop into neutral and off the clutch... simple really.... the system works for me, when I want it to.




for the auto people:

I thought with the autos, you have to really push on the brake to get it working? i.e. you can sit in traffic, with a light brake and it won't shut the car off? so you need to press the brake right down to get the system to kick in?

also... what happens when you're at lights, leave the car in drive, put the handbrake on, and take your foot off the brake?? does that turn the car off, or hold it sitting like a normal auto car does (or should... not many auto drivers seem to do this, prefer to sit with their ****** foot on the brakes!! grrrr!!! lol )
 
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