Ftao Tony

[flump1]

Hi Tony, the latest advert for the stop start technology ( good ad, can't even remember what blooming manufacturer it is ) , with the baby that starts howling as soon as the car stops...then snuggles down when the car moves off again...
Well unless the people who have developed this new technology have also evolved all the other components that go with starting, ( battery, starter motor, ) then surely they are all going to wear out super quick ? I get that all these cars are super-duper made for ease but I am wary of this one. Around London driving would wear a battery out a week , wouldn't it ?

[tonyav]

I think that when you need a new battery on a car with the stop start technology it ain't gonna be cheap !, couldn't say how long it will last though, but if I had a car with this system I would be inclined to give the battery a regular trickle charge.

[flump1]

So I'm not too far out with this one then ?
It just dawned on me ( takes a few weeks ) !

[tonyav]

A few weeks flump !, not very good is it.

[Baldric]

It's a VW ad, I believe you can cancel the Stop/Start function if you want to.

[tonyav]

Thank gawd for that then, Baldric.

[Baldric]

How it works:
Once you've stopped, you simply slide the car into neutral, release the clutch and Start/Stop technology deactivates your engine.

From VW site, just keep the clutch down and it won't cut in

[Hopkirk]

It's not a new idea, it's been around for years.

[tonyav]

Don't like that idea Balric, not good for clutch wear.

[Hopkirk]

You are right about batteries, Methyl.

I finally chickened out and replaced my Vauxhall battery at nine and a half years old recently, though it hadn't failed.

[tonyav]

Yes it does, methyl. Think I'll be steering ( pun intended ) clear of buying a second hand car with that function.

[chas2008]

as said its been around for quite a while, to my knowledge there havnt been any issues...I also believe some vehicles have a second battery in place for start stop...

'Stop-start isn’t new – VW introduced it on its ‘Umwelt’ Golf back in 1991.

But, more recently, the BMW Group has popularised such systems, selling over half a million stop-start BMWs and Minis since 2006, and many more makers are now bringing the technology to market.'

Cant be all that bad surely ?

[gingejbee]

I'm sure that the people on this thread also hated the idea of ABS, electronic stability control etc when these technologies were introduced, too!
My new car has stop-start (and also regenerative braking) and I can confirm that it IS a special battery and starter motor and also circuitry. It is also doing over 65 mpg and no road-tax to pay, either.
Also has laser-controlled "emergency braking" in which the brakes are applied automatically if the car senses an impending collision (only when travelling up to 20 mph).
Somebody has to be an early-adopter of all this high-tech stuff!
Incidentally, the car is a VW-group manufacturer.