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| spudfan Member Since: 10 Sep 2007 Location: Co Donegal Posts: 4704  
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My work van is a Renault Kangaroo (alright it's a "Kanga") and this current one has been on lease since 2018. It is a diesel which is fitted with stop/start technology. When you stop, the engine switches off. Last Friday after the engine switched off it would not restart. I had to get assistance. Anyway the battery has been changed. This is the second replacement battery that has been fitted to the vehicle. So since 2018 it has had THREE batteries.
Makes you wonder how sensible these so called "green initiatives" are. Batteries take a lot of time and effort to make, from mining through to finished product. That is a lot of emissions. So long as the emissions are not coming out of the exhaust pipe some people think that is great. The Puma battery lasted 12 years. It seems the "Kangaroos" are fitted with a cancellation switch for the stop/start facility but this has been removed by my employer in their infinite wisdom. 1982 88" 2.25 diesel 1992 110 200tdi csw -Zikali 2008 110 2.4 tdci csw-Zulu 2011 110 2.4 tdci csw-Masai |
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6th Oct 2020 10:34pm |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17443  
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It also seems to me that batteries and starter motors are also getting much smaller, which seems odd since they now have to work so much harder.
When I started driving it was the era of the old banger with the dodgy carburettor and wonky coil-and-points ignition, and stop-start was not unusual at all (neither was intermittent wipe, for that matter). Generally you'd pull up at a junction, the engine would die, and you'd pucker up because there was no certainty at all that it would ever restart. I still find that I get a moment of panic in a modern car for this reason, the instinct is there after all these years, and I would never buy a vehicle with s/s unless I knew I could turn it off. |
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7th Oct 2020 8:50am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753 
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I thought you could switch it off in every car with it, my last 6 cars have had it (5 Land Rovers and a Mini) and I could disable it in them all, but it did default back to on after switching off the engine then restarting it again, but only one car did it give any problems - my 2nd Evoque- where the special battery for S/S seemed to discharge itself quickly if the car wasn’t used for a couple of weeks and then I got countless warnings on the dash “low battery start engine” until the battery management software had diverted enough energy to recharge it. I never had that on any car before or after that had auto S/S. These days I don’t bother to inhibit it and put up with the slightly prolonged start up at my one set of traffic lights going into town.
New Defender also has the auto Stop/Start disable button.  Click image to enlarge Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come 2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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7th Oct 2020 9:09am |
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| Rashers Member Since: 21 Jun 2015 Location: Norfolk Posts: 3511 
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Apart from spudfan's Boss removing the switch from the Van he drives, I don't think the issue is that it cannot be switched off, I think the question was whether the stop/start technology actually saves as much energy / CO2 / Carbon (however you want to measure your pollutant) set against the need for replacement batteries at sooner intervals.
My mate has a Renault something or other. He does regular short trips and his battery died on him after only a few years. As blackwolf says, the batteries and starter motors on new cars seem to be getting smaller and smaller. Is this a design feature or is it that the car manufacturers are just 'value engineering' and saving the pennies (or euros or dollars!!) |
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7th Oct 2020 10:01am |
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| blackwolf Member Since: 03 Nov 2009 Location: South West England Posts: 17443
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I suspect that there are several factors:
1. Battery technology has improved beyond recognition so that today's small battery can outperform yesterday's large battery, 2. the green imperative says that cars should be as light as possible, 3. manufacturers have to build the car as cheaply as possible. I don't think starter motor technology has advanced significantly from old. Add these together and I think the result is neither green nor good. |
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7th Oct 2020 10:35am |
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| AT1963 Member Since: 08 Jul 2020 Location: Leicestershire Posts: 148 
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Well said spudfan
its all a big con the focus on vehicles. Isn't it interesting the biggest polluter is plastics but there is little significant focus on this and here is the irony the reason there is focus on vehicles is that we pay mega bucks for them and pollution becomes our issue whereas the reduction in plastics is more to do with production by companies and therefore their issue. Also, how much emphasis has been placed on planting trees and eating less meat?? Both of these will reduce co2 significantly. So back to EVs...jo public is to pay for countries pollution and line the pockets of manufacturers at the same time 
come the revolution..... |
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7th Oct 2020 3:52pm |
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| ARC99 Member Since: 19 Feb 2013 Location: North Yorkshire Posts: 1831 
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I remember the first time I drove a stop start thing, following a car across a busy traffic light junction the driver stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross in front
I stopped, engine cut out car in front drives away ,traffic light change and I'm stranded with cars coming from the nearside while waiting for vehicle to restart . Not a pleasant feeling I want to have again, when I have the displeasure of having to drive another eco vehicle I always look for the disarm switch.
I did read somewhere that the EU were going to make it illegal to switch off the stop start so I can see a lot of delivery vans being parked up awaiting new batteries, hopefully not in the country. Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to  us off.
Richard |
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8th Oct 2020 7:25am |
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| 90 Dreamer Member Since: 13 Jul 2019 Location: Oop North Posts: 2166 
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its another sticking plaster to make the politico's feel good.............
similar to Electric vehicles and the 'sugar tax' they don't really do anything to address the actual problems |
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8th Oct 2020 7:33am |
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| discomog Member Since: 09 May 2015 Location: Notts/Lincs Border Posts: 2529 
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Totally agree with 90 Dreamer.
The good news is that for some reason the Auto Stop/Start has stopped working on my Discovery Sport so I don't have to keep switching it off. The bad news is that this is yet another electronic fault that has developed in recent months. It's time for it to go which is a shame as it has been trouble free for just over three years. Defender 90XS SW Mini Countryman Cooper S Morgan Plus 8 |
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8th Oct 2020 9:58am |
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| HK07 Member Since: 15 Dec 2016 Location: Hampshire Posts: 746  
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Not saying I would, of course not, but could you simply pop the switch out, short the connection to close the circuit and then refit the switch for good?
There fore never needing to use the switch again. Just a hypothetical question of course 2007 90 Puma - Love it - Best car I have ever owned. 1989 Ninety 200tdi - Love it - Second best car I have ever owned. 1951 80" Series 1 - Love it - Third best car I have ever owned. |
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8th Oct 2020 11:13am |
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