Unnerving thread on babybmw re engine starting up

[Wills2]

motco said:

Wills2 said:

smashy said:

Ok lets get this right ,genuinly, So you get in, drive where your going with the stop start on.Get to your destination turn the engine off and get out lock the door, So your saying you should also turn the stop/ start off as well ?

Firstly when the dealer took me through the car he never mentioned that,secondly ive done that dozens of times in the 6 weeks ive had my car and nothing happens my engine nere restarts.

Im not convinced,

No Smashy,

As an example, I got to the gym last night I parked up and engine goes off (on the auto start stop) I pull handbrake on and put the auto in P the engine is still off. (but it's not properly off)

So if I'm not thinking I could just jump out lock the car and walk off and the engine could/would eventually start up again.

It's user error by failing to turn the car off.

That is simply ridiculous!

It's a load of bks, sometimes I get stuck in a circle of pressing the start button not knowing whether the bloody thing is off or on. Bloody thing bonging away turning on off on off.......

[hornetrider]

Wills2 said:

No Smashy,

As an example, I got to the gym last night I parked up and engine goes off (on the auto start stop) I pull handbrake on and put the auto in P the engine is still off. (but it's not properly off)

So if I'm not thinking I could just jump out lock the car and walk off and the engine could/would eventually start up again.

It's user error by failing to turn the car off.

That may be user error according to the functionality but it's stty functionality. Stop start should deactivate on a certain action, such as undoing seat belt, opening door, locking door, etc.

[RichardM5]

hornetrider said:

That may be user error according to the functionality but it's stty functionality. Stop start should deactivate on a certain action, such as undoing seat belt, opening door, locking door, etc.

... key not in the car ....

[Wills2]

hornetrider said:

That may be user error according to the functionality but it's stty functionality. Stop start should deactivate on a certain action, such as undoing seat belt, opening door, locking door, etc.

Tell me something I don't know....

[xxChrisxx]

RichardM5 said:

You can code the stop start to remember the state of the button, so if you turn it off it will remain off until you turn it on again. Should be like that as standard IMO.

The NEDC has everything tested in its default. If you even have the option of setting the system to off, then it would be tested off.

Which kind of defeats the point for a piece of technology that is only useful on the drive cycle

Blame the stty emissions regulation system, not the manufacturers.

[RichardM5]

xxChrisxx said:

The NEDC has everything tested in its default. If you even have the option of setting the system to off, then it would be tested off.

Which kind of defeats the point for a piece of technology that is only useful on the drive cycle

Blame the stty emissions regulation system, not the manufacturers.

But the default would be on. It would only turn off it someone pressed the button to turn it off.

[JNW1]

xxChrisxx said:

The NEDC has everything tested in its default. If you even have the option of setting the system to off, then it would be tested off.

Which kind of defeats the point for a piece of technology that is only useful on the drive cycle

Blame the stty emissions regulation system, not the manufacturers.

But you do have the option to switch the system off, the issue is that there doesn't appear to be an easy way of a making "off" the default so you then have to choose to have it on rather than the other way round. As for the point of the technology, there isn't one other than improving the mpg and emissions figures for the totally artificial tests cars are put through; I accept that's the manufacturers responding to legislation but surely that doesn't stop them offering the driver the option to make "off" the default setting for stop/start?

[4rephill]

What does it state in the owners manual about parking the car and ensuring that the car is switched off properly?

(You know, the manual that owners never bother to read until something doesn't work as they think it should! )

[hantsxlg]

hornetrider said:

That may be user error according to the functionality but it's stty functionality. Stop start should deactivate on a certain action, such as undoing seat belt, opening door, locking door, etc.

That is how merc have it. Undo driver seat belt or open door and stop/start deactivates (ie engine starts up if stopped)

[xxChrisxx]

JNW1 said:

But you do have the option to switch the system off, the issue is that there doesn't appear to be an easy way of a making "off" the default so you then have to choose to have it on rather than the other way round. As for the point of the technology, there isn't one other than improving the mpg and emissions figures for the totally artificial tests cars are put through; I accept that's the manufacturers responding to legislation but surely that doesn't stop them offering the driver the option to make "off" the default setting for stop/start?

I must not have made myself clear. If there is an option to turn it off permanently (ie push to turn on), then that's the condition it must be tested in. Doesn't matter what the 'factory setting' is.

It's why you have to turn it off every time you use the car.


It's the same with flaps to make the exhausts quieter on pass by. Cars can have 'loud' buttons that open them. But they must by off by default and have no way of disabling it by default.

If you can set a default to open, effectively making a 'quiet' button for passby. Then it's viewed as being a device who's purpose is to defeat the test. Which is viewed rather dimly.


I'm sure that you can recode the car to achieve the results as its too much hassle for the average punter to bother with.

[matt666]

Apparently you can ask the dealer to permanently code it so it remembers the last setting before you turn the car off, so if you switch it off it stays off.

[eatontrifles]

hantsxlg said:

That is how merc have it. Undo driver seat belt or open door and stop/start deactivates (ie engine starts up if stopped)

...and BMW - at least that's what mine does* although if the engine is already stopped it just flashes up a warning on I drive that it has been disabled.

• Or rather did, as per my thread of a month or so ago, where after an MOT test the stop/start no longer functions. I can supply the address of the (very readonable) MOT station on request.

[heebeegeetee]

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what's the score with keys and ignition etc?

Are we saying that with ignition turned off and the car locked the car can still start itself because the stop-start function was not switched off?

[rscott]

heebeegeetee said:

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what's the score with keys and ignition etc?

Are we saying that with ignition turned off and the car locked the car can still start itself because the stop-start function was not switched off?

Not quite - the owner didn't actually switch off the ignition. The stop start did.

Does seem worrying that the car will run without the key anywhere nearby though.

[motco]

rscott said:

heebeegeetee said:

Pardon my ignorance on this, but what's the score with keys and ignition etc?

Are we saying that with ignition turned off and the car locked the car can still start itself because the stop-start function was not switched off?

Not quite - the owner didn't actually switch off the ignition. The stop start did.

Does seem worrying that the car will run without the key anywhere nearby though.

I thought I read on here about a chap who, with his wife as passenger, drove to work in their keyless entry/start car (forget marque) and stopped off at his office and left the car with his wife who swapped to the driver's seat and drove to her work. When it was time to come home she was stranded because the 'key' was still in the husband's pocket where it had been when he started the car that morning. It seems that once running, it will continue without the key anywhere near, but if stopped, won't restart.

[eatontrifles]

motco said:

I thought I read on here about a chap who, with his wife as passenger, drove to work in their keyless entry/start car (forget marque) and stopped off at his office and left the car with his wife who swapped to the driver's seat and drove to her work. When it was time to come home she was stranded because the 'key' was still in the husband's pocket where it had been when he started the car that morning. It seems that once running, it will continue without the key anywhere near, but if stopped, won't restart.

That's the case with almost all keyless ignition cars, they will continue to run even if the key is out of the car. Almost all of them show a light on the dash however warning that the key is not in the car - my OH's Swift has a big red key symbol that flashes up if the key is not in the car while the engine is on.

[chriz1]

I've set mine to be off by default, requires a bit of coding but it's easliy done

[heebeegeetee]

rscott said:

Not quite - the owner didn't actually switch off the ignition. The stop start did.

Does seem worrying that the car will run without the key anywhere nearby though.

Thanks.

So how is the ignition activated, and did the OP lock the car when he left it?

[Locknut]

Of course the simple answer (at least for manual gearboxes) is to park in gear, that way the stop/start can't work. However I'm pretty sure my E90 cancelled the stop/start when I opened the door.

[Carl_Spackler]

motco said:

I thought I read on here about a chap who, with his wife as passenger, drove to work in their keyless entry/start car (forget marque) and stopped off at his office and left the car with his wife who swapped to the driver's seat and drove to her work. When it was time to come home she was stranded because the 'key' was still in the husband's pocket where it had been when he started the car that morning. It seems that once running, it will continue without the key anywhere near, but if stopped, won't restart.

This happened to me in my wife's Hyundai ix35, she dropped me off at the gym and with the usual radio on kids shouting etc I didn't hear the warning beep.

I got a call 10 mins later from her, she had stopped in at her grandmothers, stopped the car (pushed the button) and couldn't get it to start, as the keys were in my pocket.

A 20min walk in the rain through not exactly the best part of town made sure I double check each time now.