Even the Dealer Didn’t Know!

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

I traded my cherished diesel Volvo V90 for a newer petrol XC60 on the orders of SWMBO as apparently I was starting to struggle to get in and out of the older car. I was very disappointed to find that there was now no dashboard menu option to switch off the stop/start function, a feature that I personally find incredibly annoying and completely unnecessary. So, thinking this was just particular to my car, or petrol models, I began looking at diesels only to be told by the Volvo dealership that all the newer cars (2021 onwards, sir) have this stop/start feature permanently enabled. However, during the sales patter, the salesman waxed lyrical about the enhanced voice recognition, you no longer have to learn the command script and syntax you just tell it what you want it to do in plain English and the car figures it out. OK, so leave it with me and I will get back to you if I decide to go ahead with the deal you are offering.

This morning, whilst passing time waiting in a car park, I decided to try out the enhanced voice recognition on my car, as I had still been barking command words at it as I had had to do on my old car, and it worked! So, as a bit of laugh I instructed it to turn off the stop/start function, fully expecting a negative response. But, guess what? It turned off the annoying stop/start function and what’s more it stays off, you don’t have to reset it every time I start the engine like I had to on my old car. I called the Volvo salesman and told him (he was as amazed as I was) and asked him to check if this was the same on the diesel I am considering buying. I don’t know if all this will hold good for other makes of newer cars but it’s worth trying if you find the start/stop nonsense as annoying as I do.

 

[modeng2000Participant @modeng2000]

My Mercedes always starts with the start/stop engaged but it can be turned off.

John

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Always worth a try.  If it works, bingo.

[mike TParticipant @miket56243]

My old Peugeot only has and ignition key, nothing else. Turn the key off and on and the engine stops and starts on command. Simple system, no fuss, no faff; I wonder if it will become popular and catch on?

 

Mike

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

Never had an issue with stop/start and a DSG transmission. You press the brake, the car stops the engine stops, ease off the brake the engine starts and then as you press the accelerator away you go. There is effectively no difference when the stop/start is off apart from not having reduced noise and having slightly higher petrol consumption.

Martin C

[PaulGParticipant @paulg46657]

The real benefit of stop start is that it enables the manufacturer to fit a battery which costs twice as much, lasts half as long and requires the car to be reprogrammed when you change it.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

When I had a Hyundi i20 courtesy car which was a hybrid, the first thing I asked the man handing it over was how to disable the stop-start. There was a switch to flip every time the car was started. He told me that question was number one from every person borrowing the car. Dreadful fuel consumption, 45mpg at 70 on the motorway, I get that round town and 62 at 70mph with my dirty diesel (1.7 Isusu 131hp).

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

Of our two cars, a rhd 2015 Honda Accord type S diesel tourer doesn’t have stop/start, but it does have a huge list of voice commands – which I have never bothered to use !!

Our other car, a 3 year old lhd  Dacia Duster 2 phase 2 4×4 1.5 Ad blu diesel has stop/start which can be disabled by a simple switch, but every time you drive it, but no voice command.

Dacia advertising blurb –

“Everything you need – and nothing you don’t”

 

 

 

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

My old Hi Ace has nuttin like dat, just a common old key, what you shove in when ye want to go.  Maybe the Japs dont understand Irish ??

[James AParticipant @jamesalford67616]

What is the problem with sop/start? Saves a small amount of fuel, cuts down pollution when stuck in queues and reduces the noise for people living nearby. We have it on our VW and it just works, reliably and unobtrusively. 45mpg ish around town and higher on a run from petrol.

James

[NealebParticipant @nealeb]

As James says – it just works. With my automatic, it can even declutch and stop the engine when coasting downhill, for example. No extra load on 12V battery, either. As a so-called “mild hybrid” it has a 48V lithium battery plus associated motor/alternator setup which restarts the engine quite unobtrusively so no load on normal battery or starter motor. And like the automatic gearbox, it just works and does its job giving more efficiency and lower pollution. But these things are driver aids, not driver replacements, so you need to know how to work with them and override them as required. If I’m waiting to pull into a gap in a line of traffic, a flick of the gear lever and I’m into sport mode with start/stop disabled for a not-even-momentary-delay getaway and brisk acceleration. Another flick and I’m back into powered-armchair efficiency mode. What’s not to like?

I’m sure there were the same arguments when manual advance/retard and then manual choke disappeared!

[old mart]

On old mart Said:

When I had a Hyundi i20 courtesy car which was a hybrid, the first thing I asked the man handing it over was how to disable the stop-start. There was a switch to flip every time the car was started. He told me that question was number one from every person borrowing the car. Dreadful fuel consumption, 45mpg at 70 on the motorway, I get that round town and 62 at 70mph with my dirty diesel (1.7 Isusu 131hp).

On paulg 1 Said:

The real benefit of stop start is that it enables the manufacturer to fit a battery which costs twice as much, lasts half as long and requires the car to be reprogrammed when you change it.

Tell me about it.  Not to mention the extra wear & tear to the starter motor and ring gear.  No doubt a significant cost further down the line.

[Adrian R2Participant @adrianr2]

We first had one of these in 1994, VW Golf Mk3 ecomatic, also with Saab style freewheel. Had a button on the stalk to enable/disable the function IIRC. It was for economy then but the main benefit nowadays is to pedestrians in urban areas as noted and only indirectly to driver by not appearing inconsiderate.

Most of the ones I’ve since encountered can be temporarily overridden when the circumstance requires e.g. by keeping foot on clutch pedal at tricky junctions but otherwise are harmless and save thinking about doing it manually when stuck in traffic.

I suppose eventually cars will recognise us, greet us when we get in and adjust accordingly “Good Morning Mr Crew, the usual settings today?”…followed by “Disabling start/stop, have a nice drive.”

[Graham MeekParticipant @grahammeek88282]

The voice recognition on the Hospital switch board would never get me the Head of Procurement if I said his name. If on the other hand I said “Delia Windsurfer” I was always put straight through, and no that was not his name.

Fire Tv is about the same with my Forest accent.

 

Regards

Gray,

[Martin Connelly]

 

On Martin Connelly Said:

Never had an issue with stop/start and a DSG transmission. You press the brake, the car stops the engine stops, ease off the brake the engine starts and then as you press the accelerator away you go. There is effectively no difference when the stop/start is off apart from not having reduced noise and having slightly higher petrol consumption.

Martin C

Is this why so many muppets sit in traffic queues with their stop lights illuminated for minutes on end?

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

The last thing I want is a car that talks back to me !

Bad enough having smart-arse kids doing that.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Complicated systems are fine; as long as they work, and continue to do so.

Otherwise, the designers should remember the Amateur Radio acronym, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)

An ex colleague has just told me some of the latest buses can have interesting problems.

The various systems interact, but not beneficially.

If the engine oil pressure falls, the headlights are extinguished, and the doors may open whilst in motion, or close whilst stationary and passengers are boarding.

Never happened when we had old fashioned manual controls.

Howard

[not done it yet]

On not done it yet Said:

Is this why so many muppets sit in traffic queues with their stop lights illuminated for minutes on end?

Sitting with your foot on the brake to illuminate the high-level brake light so that the car or two behind the one behind you can see it might stop an accident. In daylight, probably not too much of an issue for the car behind. At night, maybe more of one. Once there are a few cars behind you, probably doesn’t matter – as long as you then apply the handbrake. Similar argument applies to whether or not you keep indicators on while stationary in a queue. The intelligent driver considers all the options and chooses the most appropriate for the circumstances. The answer is always, “It all depends…”

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Well put Nealeb.  With auto stop/start – It all depends whether you’re happy with the likelihood of premature starter motor and/or ring gear failure.  And by the sounds of it, the battery as well.

[Bo’sun]

On Bo’sun Said:

Well put Nealeb.  With auto stop/start – It all depends whether you’re happy with the likelihood of premature starter motor and/or ring gear failure.  And by the sounds of it, the battery as well.

… Which is true if the stop/start mechanism uses the rather brutal ring gear, etc. With a more modern engine with dedicated belt-coupled motor-alternator setup plus dedicated battery, it’s a good system which can still be overridden for those occasions that justify it.

There is still the argument that more complication means more to go wrong. Certainly more complication means more difficulty for those who do their own maintenance. But for the vast majority who rely on garages for servicing, does the modern car with its much longer service intervals and longer life between major failures cost more or less over, say, 100K miles than its equivalent from 30-odd years ago? Allow for inflation, etc, of course. One problem here is that the odd exception. – “my something-or-other failed and it cost a fortune to fix” – sways the argument because we never hear of the other 99% who didn’t have the problem. Anyone know of any reliable figures on the subject?

[Author]

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