F31 won't restart after stalling

[xxChrisxx]

Allan L said:

I think that 335d is leaving "stop-start" active and that's what I have been forced to do - but as I explained earlier I prefer to inhibit "stop-start" as its normal operation is unsettling to the (well this) older driver!

1. BMWs have idle stability/anti stall feature. When it detects load from pulling away it'll increase fueling to compensate. So they are rather difficult to stall in 1st unless one just dumps the clutch.
2. You deactivated a feature that restarts the engine for you following a stall by merely dipping the clutch.
3. It appears you are trying to pull away in 3rd.

I'd suggest either buying an auto, being more diligent about the gear you select or leaving the helpful functions activated.
If it's stalling easily in 1st gear, then something is wrong with it. Does sound a little bit like 'user error' though.

[Allan L]

xxChrisxx said:

1. BMWs have idle stability/anti stall feature. When it detects load from pulling away it'll increase fueling to compensate. So they are rather difficult to stall in 1st unless one just dumps the clutch.
2. You deactivated a feature that restarts the engine for you following a stall by merely dipping the clutch.
3. It appears you are trying to pull away in 3rd.

I'd suggest either buying an auto, being more diligent about the gear you select or leaving the helpful functions activated.
If it's stalling easily in 1st gear, then something is wrong with it. Does sound a little bit like 'user error' though.

Thankyou for this, but I have explained how what you describe as user error comes about.
To recap.:
Have you never had to grab a gear in a hurry? As I wrote, with all those gears it is quite easy to select the wrong one and stall the engine when in a hurry.
Have you never had an engine die on you at traffic lights? As I wrote, in my experience an engine that stops at traffic lights means trouble, and it's hard to change deep-rooted perceptions.

What I started this thread for was to establish whether my experience of sitting in mid-junction with a car that wouldn't obey the "start" button was a normal consequence of stalling.

[RicksAlfas]

Allan L said:

in my experience an engine that stops at traffic lights means trouble, and it's hard to change deep-rooted perceptions.

It is, but try it. I am sure you are pleased you no longer have to decoke the head, or juggle the choke on a cold morning.

If you know you are waiting for a long time e.g. a red light, go into neutral and the engine will stop. As soon as you start pushing the clutch pedal back in the engine will start.

If you know you are only going to wait a short length of time e.g. at a junction or roundabout, keep it in first gear with the clutch down. The engine will keep running.

[xxChrisxx]

Allan L said:

Thankyou for this, but I have explained how what you describe as user error comes about.
To recap.:
Have you never had to grab a gear in a hurry? As I wrote, with all those gears it is quite easy to select the wrong one and stall the engine when in a hurry.
Have you never had an engine die on you at traffic lights? As I wrote, in my experience an engine that stops at traffic lights means trouble, and it's hard to change deep-rooted perceptions.

What I started this thread for was to establish whether my experience of sitting in mid-junction with a car that wouldn't obey the "start" button was a normal consequence of stalling.

A start button will require two very deliberate presses to work. Normally it's fine, in a 'panic' situation such as a mid junction start response time becomes more obvious. However can you imagine if it was designed to be overly reactive to a push. How many 'accidental' clicks would cause issues turning the engine on and off when you don't want to.

Though BMW manual shift quality is... suspect and the shifters aren't really designed for right hand drive (reverse knock over). It's always generally obvious what gear it's in. If you are still having trouble with it but otherwise like BMW's consider the auto next time. It's generally much more pleasant than the manual is.

[Allan L]

Thanks Rick and Chris.
There are all sorts of different possibilities, but having spent more money on this BMW than I've ever spent on a modern car before I shall keep it for a bit and put up with the various snags.
As Chris wrote, the gearchange is poorly arranged and also the stowage/armrest behind the lever is so high one cannot address the lever properly (adds to the chance of getting the wrong gear!). It is part of the desperately poor ergonomics which includes many minor controls (such as heater/air conditioning) having no shape for you to feel, so you have to look at 'em when using them. Normal intrument functions such as total and trip odometers out of sight behind the steering wheel but pride of place given to a meaningless* m.p.g. meter. There's even a display that tells you which gear it "thinks" you should be in, but since it can't look out of the window it cannot be expected to be right most of the time. Of course that is the case with automatics, which is why I don't like them and never have.

As Rick points out there are a lot of things we don't have to do for modern cars that we used to spend good time on but in some cases the price is that some aspect of motoring that worked well can no longer be counted on. Obvious case is the lack of provision for a proper spare wheel, even as an option. Simply stated the manufacturer assumes that flat tyres only happen within 50 km. of an open tyre shop. I risk it for local running, but I carried a full-size spare wheel when holidaying in France - having chosen the estate body I can do that and still carry two people's luggage.

• it can't be taken seriously as with the car stationary and the engine running it goes off the scale at the "high m.p.g." end. You don't have to be more than basically numerate to understand that the engine is using some gallons/hour and no distance is being covered so the result in 0, zero, nil, zilch m.p.g.

[xxChrisxx]

Allan L said:

It is part of the desperately poor ergonomics which includes many minor controls (such as heater/air conditioning) having no shape for you to feel, so you have to look at 'em when using them. Normal intrument functions such as total and trip odometers out of sight behind the steering wheel but pride of place given to a meaningless* m.p.g. meter.

You don't like the interior layout, driver contact ergonomics or the display or that BMW have gone with run-flats and seemingly have issues pulling away. Why on earth did you buy the car?

Allan L said:

There's even a display that tells you which gear it "thinks" you should be in, but since it can't look out of the window it cannot be expected to be right most of the time. Of course that is the case with automatics, which is why I don't like them and never have.

Allan L said:

With all those gears it is quite easy to select the wrong one and stall the engine when in a hurry.

You have to admit the irony of trying to reconcile these two statements.

[Allan L]

Thanks Chris for that! I think the first sentence of my first post refers.

Just one reason why I own one of these cars: Any mass-produced car is a compromise but so many are front-drive these days - I've had several examples of several types but didn't ever like that aspect of them, so want something else.
I was prepared to put up with the Subaru equal-split four-wheel-drive for two cars and 19 years but Subaru's current offerings are all so-called SUV or "Crossover" so I left them to it. Anyway, the 40:60 split of BMW (and Ford/Jaguar) is so much better.

Anyway I think it's time to stop as we are never going to solve my problem by this sort of exchange.

[xxChrisxx]

Allan L said:

Just one reason why I own one of these cars: Any mass-produced car is a compromise but so many are front-drive these days - I've had several examples of several types but didn't ever like that aspect of them, so want something else.
I was prepared to put up with the Subaru equal-split four-wheel-drive for two cars and 19 years but Subaru's current offerings are all so-called SUV or "Crossover" so I left them to it. Anyway, the 40:60 split of BMW (and Ford/Jaguar) is so much better.

Anyway I think it's time to stop as we are never going to solve my problem by this sort of exchange.

I'm afraid there is probably nothing that can be done to solve your issue. It sounds as though the car is behaving exactly as it should, it's just the way of the world.

I don't think I can stop because you really have piqued my curiosity. Vehicle compromises and attribute balance are subjective and there is not a wrong answer. The priorities you have, and things you are willing to compromise on are just at odds with mainstream thinking.

Why is a FWD compromise unacceptable? where 'desperately poor ergonomics' in a certain RWD motor more acceptable?
Why is an auto box unacceptable, but a car that you find difficult to pull away and shift gear in acceptable?

Edited by xxChrisxx on Thursday 27th July 20:56