Stop/Start

[ChrisHooligan]

Just wondered how many people regularly manually disable stop start on their journeys. Fortunately I do quite a bit of my annual mileage doing long runs and very little stop start traffic situations. Surely over the lifetime of a vehicle it will put added stress on the starter motor etc? 

[YMe]

I normally disable it at the top of the road when start stop operates because, as damn usual, I have forgotten to disable it as soon as I start the car.

[peterhardy]

I do.  The number of times I'm about to pull out at a junction and it decides to switch off .  If it had some sort of brain it might be useful but, to me, it can be dangerous.  I read a great article a while ago which largely debunked the fuel savings argument too.

[Ootohere]

Not about fuel saving is it, rather about emissions reduction, (it can save fuel obviously, location location, location dependent.)

less emissions with cars all stopped with engines not running & not making extra emissions firing up again, 

stop /start engines do not really seem to cause any additional delay in crawling & stop / start traffic,

like taking 45 minutes to 60 minutes to get into and out of Glasgow, Edinburgh Aberdeen etc and only covering 8-10 miles.

 

Easy enough to disable if you need when starting off with a not up to temp car, or likely it will be disabled anyway with High Battery Demand, 

Rear Screen / Heated Mirrors / Lights / Radio / Heater - A/C on etc,

Or Ambient Temp / Cabin temp difference having Stop / Start doing nothing.

[threadbear]

I use the stop/start all the time unless it is stop/start in a traffic queue. But always use at traffic lights etc. Cars with stop/start have beefed up starter motors and batteries. It's all about emissions. Even if the fuel saving is minuscule. 

[wyx087]

I like to enjoy the quietness when stopping at traffic lights, I find all internal combustion engines are too noisy. Why waste fuel to pollute (both noise and emissions) when your car has the capability to automatically stop that noisy bugger?

 

Stop-start traffic though, I disable it because it's really annoying and adds to the noise, reduce smoothness. But then, DSG gearbox is also less than ideal in stop-start traffic.

 

Basically: Can't wait to switch to electric cars. ICE clutch based automatic cars suck for inner city driving.

[Ootohere]

DSG's or Auto's are perfect in stop start traffic which is why all around the world drivers chose automatics for commuting in cities, and EV's are Automatic or Automated Manuals.

'Auto Hold' obviously makes a load of difference with a DSG these days (as long as it does not have the brake lights on all the time stopped,)

when you have it, as does 'Coasting Function'.

[wyx087]

Coming from torque converter automatic and having test drove pure EV, DSG automatic is hardly any better than the automatic manuals at stop-start traffic. Clutch based automatics are only good at saving fuel when the car is moving.

 

It's not smooth from hill hold. Its 1st gear clutch engagement is too pronounced. Parking fast in a tight space is impossible due to having to wait for clutch to engage/hill hold to disengage. Creep is less predictable than torque converter automatics, and a lot less smooth. Coasting isn't used in combination with ACC, making it useless.

 

Almost all EV's are single gear, zero gear change, very smooth acceleration, instant torque from stand still and very easy for software to tweak creep behaviour (do you want constant speed on any gradient Or constant torque like torque converter auto?). Having test drove one, there's no doubt it's the future!

[Ootohere]

Each to their own.

I have driven 2 pedal cars for 4 decades, every kind of CVT, Linetronic, Servo Clutch, Automatic,. Automated Manual that there ever has been available in the UK.

I never believed that there could be worse than a SMART box until driving a Up!MiiCitigo ASG.

 

Best of the lot for me was a City Car was a Toyota iQ 1.0 3 Cylinder CVT,  or a Fiat Strada 1.5 Auto most fun ever was a Punto 1.2 Speedgear.

Easiest to make fat Hot Hatches and drivers cars look stupid Twincharger/ DSG's.

 

Having driven all the available UK EV's, they are rather good, range an issue (unless buying / renting a TESLA)

so most are just no use as a single vehicle to own if you need to do many hours travelling day after day, or all day journeys, and hopeless for Light Goods longer journeys,

Toyota / Honda hybrids nice for short town use, shopping, those just nipping out from home, work etc and not using petrol, 

and suitable to then use on journeys without hassle.

Edited 10 October, 2017 by Headinawayoffski

[S00perb]

I never turn mine off. If I don't want it to come on (say I am stopping but can see the traffic is on the move immediately), I just keep my foot on the clutch.

Very useful in city traffic, never gets in my way and I know the battery won't run out of power as it keeps an eye on that side of things for me.

[Mati]

I literally hate it and tapping on the disable button is the first thing I do after starting the car everyday.

[bhoywonder]

10 minutes ago, Mati said:

I literally hate it and tapping on the disable button is the first thing I do after starting the car everyday.

I do the same.

[BNT1985]

10 minutes ago, Mati said:

I literally hate it and tapping on the disable button is the first thing I do after starting the car everyday.

 

I hate it too.  

I really despise that I cannot permanently disable it without having to do mods to the car.

 

Stupid laws.

[Mati]

While I was discussing this with my dealer they laughed and said: "Yeah, I hate it too, fortunately you have a button for that, as I have to go through the touchscreen every start." ;-) So we are lucky a bit at least!

[WesternDuke]

Ignition key in, stop/start off every time (unless I have a senior moment)!

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

9 hours ago, bhoywonder said:

I do the same.

 

Same here - in fact I have got into such a habit of doing it now that when I drove a mate's car yeserday, I got in, started it up, and my finger instinctively went down to the centre console to press the button - which wasn't there in his car ahaha!

 

On another note though - I drive a petrol VRS, and having been involved in automotive engineering and racing, including building race engines - there's evidence to suggest that constantly turning an engine on and off like stop/start does is detrimental to the entire engine, as well as the turbo. Although I concede that the VRS has a coolant pump for the turbo, I am not convinced that it is effective enough to limit turbo bearing damage. For example, coming off a motorway when you've been tramping on a bit, down a slip-road to stop at traffic lights and the engine cuts out, there's no way in my book that a coolant pump can sufficiently cool the turbo bearings to prevent wear and damage. It's the high pressure oil feed from the engine which does most of that, which obviously stops when the engine stops.

 

Also, again I concede that modern engines are built to a high degree of technology and tolerances these days - but you still can't get away from the basic laws of metallurgy physics, which dictate that metals like those found in the parts of an engine, do not like constant heat cycles, or rapid heating and cooling. It's a fact really, and to that end, I think that stop/start systems will increase engine wear and component stress.

 

That's all just my opinion though of course!

 

 

[jcsphoto69]

Silly question as I'm still waiting for my car to be built but if you have a dsg gearbox and put it in sports mode does this turn the stop start off? as it does in my volvo v40 auto not dsg but torque converter type. 

Edited 10 October, 2017 by jcsphoto69

[dunc69]

Happy with S/S on my petrol vRS DSG. 

 

No need to turn off when it doesn’t suit (e.g. if quick getaway needed) as you can modulate with your foot on the brake:

- light brake pressure, engine keeps running

- slightly more brake pressure, engine cuts out

 

The start-up after engine off is smooth and why would I want the engine to run when I’m not moving?

 

As regards DSG being clunky at low speeds, I can’t agree. You can (should) quickly learn to drive round that with a little pedal finesse. 

 

On my third DSG car. Won’t go back to manual. 

 

 

 

[Ootohere]

If we could just trust CASTROL that would be great, thing is the lying barstewards VW Group recommend CASTROL, and will lead you to believe that Long Life Oils /Servicing is good and CASTROL have that sorted, pity about all those Euro 5 1.2,1.4,1.8, 2.0 TSI failures around the world where Long Life Oil / Variable servicing might just be a contributing factor.  Then VW Group will never admit to that, or CASTROL.  

Just VW bad sourcing of parts and consumables, as usual.

 

The next generation Hybrid Engines will have the 24volt systems, the new Spec Oils to reduce fuel consumption etc, 

as of now the oil technology has never moved on that much in truth as the 'Spin' would have Drivers /Owners believe.

Not OEM oils that VW Group use and recommend.  But then they are good at misleading and dishonesty.

 

 

Edited 11 October, 2017 by Headinawayoffski

[JohnMorr]

Any Octavia menu option to stop stop/start starting every time? Our Smart has the same default "on" which has been reported to cause problems as it has an iffy startenator. I switch it off at start on both cars on the grounds that it is irritating, unnecessary and potentially a reliability issue.

[YMe]

14 hours ago, jcsphoto69 said:

Silly question as I'm still waiting for my car to be built but if you have a dsg gearbox and put it in sports mode does this turn the stop start off? as it does in my volvo v40 auto not dsg but torque converter type. 

 

 

No it doesn't. Not in a 2.0TDi DSG.

[Keith64]

Had mine deactivated...  found it dangerous in my DSG. Cutting out the engine before the car had stopped, loosing steering etc..  On my manual I loved it as I could control it better.  They could make it better on a DSG by having to put the car in N before it would kick in.

[Ootohere]

Fault or your pressure on the brake pedal must have had the engine stopping prematurely.

Really putting in 'N'?

Things have moved on and there is Auto Hold, needing the DSG in 'D' or 'S'.

[dunc69]

1 hour ago, Keith64 said:

Had mine deactivated...  found it dangerous in my DSG. Cutting out the engine before the car had stopped, loosing steering etc..  On my manual I loved it as I could control it better.  They could make it better on a DSG by having to put the car in N before it would kick in.

Keith, I suspect yours was faulty.

 

Mine, with DSG, doesn’t do this. 

Edited 11 October, 2017 by dunc69

[simonk1969]

I've disabled it via VCDs as it keep cutting out just as I wanted to pull away!