how do you permanently disable it - instruction manual is useless so I just do manually every trip which is daft
shame car is great otherwise
shame car is great otherwise
audi s3 start stop feature
- Thread starter royalsteve68
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I think its stupid - why should I be forced to have a feature I don't want
I actually think its dangerous - come to a split second stop on a roundabout - moronic s/s cuts in, car behind stoves into the back of your car, brilliant!
when I test drove the manual and pull out of a side road, it cut in and I was sat across the road waiting to be t-boned
I actually think its dangerous - come to a split second stop on a roundabout - moronic s/s cuts in, car behind stoves into the back of your car, brilliant!
when I test drove the manual and pull out of a side road, it cut in and I was sat across the road waiting to be t-boned
It's because your car tax is based on the emissions which is dependant upon the start/stop. If you disable it permanently technically you will be running the engine more and therefore increase your emissions, which would affect your tax.
I found it fine in the manual form (as you can just leave the clutch down to stop it cutting out), but the automatic gearbox took a bit of getting used to.
I found it fine in the manual form (as you can just leave the clutch down to stop it cutting out), but the automatic gearbox took a bit of getting used to.
i personally dont see what people have against it, i love it on mine, and it only activates when not in gear anyway, useful when sat at traffic lights.
The OP has an S-tronic though. Surely the solution is... don't stop if you don't want the engine to cut out? Noone (sensible) is going to drive into the back of you because you stopped at a roundabout any more than they would drive into the back of you in any other situation.
Apart from deactivating it with the button manually in the car every trip (not exactly a hardship) -
With careful application of the brake pedal - you can finely determine whether the S/S cuts in or not on s-tronic.
Come to a halt - press hard on brake pedal - S/S activates
Come to a halt - use only gentle pressure in the last 6 inches of rolling to a halt, and hold the car with only gentle brake pressure - S/S will not activate
As stated above, it's fitted and activated as standard on every ignition cycle to reduce emissions in the urban cycle, thus you pay less in Vehicle Excise Duty. This is now standard behaviour in the majority of new cars.
With careful application of the brake pedal - you can finely determine whether the S/S cuts in or not on s-tronic.
Come to a halt - press hard on brake pedal - S/S activates
Come to a halt - use only gentle pressure in the last 6 inches of rolling to a halt, and hold the car with only gentle brake pressure - S/S will not activate
As stated above, it's fitted and activated as standard on every ignition cycle to reduce emissions in the urban cycle, thus you pay less in Vehicle Excise Duty. This is now standard behaviour in the majority of new cars.
Are you driving a manual? If you are I don't know how you are activating the stop start without having coming to a standstill, neutral and letting go of the clutch? I love to switch mine off every time if I could but because the weather or car is not warm enough I can't do it at every opportunity.
The other trick you can employ while waiting at junctions and roundabouts -
If you're at a junction or roundabout and want to prepare for a quick getaway, but the S/S has already stopped the engine:
Simply "tug" the steering wheel (sharp turn either direction) briefly - the car will restart, leaving you with a running engine, ready for a quick getaway!
If you're at a junction or roundabout and want to prepare for a quick getaway, but the S/S has already stopped the engine:
Simply "tug" the steering wheel (sharp turn either direction) briefly - the car will restart, leaving you with a running engine, ready for a quick getaway!
Itguy
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The the s-tronic you can contol if the start stop kicks in with how sensitive you are on the brake pedal when coming to a stop.
The car can apply the auto brake first but does require a little further pressure on the brake pedal to get the start stop to kick in. Just try experimenting a bit.
It's actually quite well setup IMHO.
When using ACC the car will go into start stop mode after 3 seconds of sitting stationary but will restart automatically when the car in front pulls away, then you just pull the ACC lever to resume and it pulls away
The car can apply the auto brake first but does require a little further pressure on the brake pedal to get the start stop to kick in. Just try experimenting a bit.
It's actually quite well setup IMHO.
When using ACC the car will go into start stop mode after 3 seconds of sitting stationary but will restart automatically when the car in front pulls away, then you just pull the ACC lever to resume and it pulls away
Mike071288
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I just turn it off when i start the car, if i hit some serious traffic on the m25 i might turn it back on again just for the fuel saving. But generally its off.
Don't really like the idea of the engine being started and stopped multiple times in a journey. Cant been too healthy for the turbo.
Pushing the off button is a small price to pay for £30 tax a year, given the option of no start stop or £200 tax, id choose the start stop.
Don't really like the idea of the engine being started and stopped multiple times in a journey. Cant been too healthy for the turbo.
Pushing the off button is a small price to pay for £30 tax a year, given the option of no start stop or £200 tax, id choose the start stop.
As I have already said in several posts on this forum, if it bothers you that much there is a way it can be deactivated using VCDS or you can buy a small module from Kufatec for £30 that plugs in to the OBD port the will switch it off permanently. The later method is good because I'm sure eventually it will become part of the MOT as it is one of the ways manufacturers get a lower CO2 rating for the car and why you pay less road tax. Here is a link to the Kufatec module:
Coding interface disable start / stop MQB-40019
I have it on my existing 8P 2.0TDI-170 s-tronic and it works OK. As someone has already said, with the s-tronic, if you press the brake pedal and then release it just before the car actually stops and then apply just enough pressure to stop the car moving, stop/start will not activate.
I wonder if the damn S/S can result in a damage to the engine and its component. My thoughts:
1) The battery: every time the engine is cut off, all other accessories remain on. So the battery is drained and every time the engine is restarted there is a peak of power demand to the battery. I suspect the battery is over-stressed.
2) The starter motor: When I was a child my grandma Mini Cooper (the original one) suffered several time from starter motor failures. Hope the technology advanced a lot for being reliable with so much starts during the life of the car.
3) The sparking plugs, the catalytic converter : Every time the engine is restarted I suppose that uncombusted fuel goes on the sparking plugs and in the catalytic converter. How these devices are affected by the S/S?
4) The turbocharger: Some years ago a friend of mine with a Golf IV GTI diesel, before cutting of the engine kept it revving at minimum for one minute to allow the cooling of the turbocharger. With the S/S how the turbocharger could be cooled? Maybe, having the S3 an electric engine coolant pump, it remains on during S/S sessions?
I suspect that a economic/ecologic directive could affect the life and reliability of the car and its components. I would like to know the opinion of a car expert...
1) The battery: every time the engine is cut off, all other accessories remain on. So the battery is drained and every time the engine is restarted there is a peak of power demand to the battery. I suspect the battery is over-stressed.
2) The starter motor: When I was a child my grandma Mini Cooper (the original one) suffered several time from starter motor failures. Hope the technology advanced a lot for being reliable with so much starts during the life of the car.
3) The sparking plugs, the catalytic converter : Every time the engine is restarted I suppose that uncombusted fuel goes on the sparking plugs and in the catalytic converter. How these devices are affected by the S/S?
4) The turbocharger: Some years ago a friend of mine with a Golf IV GTI diesel, before cutting of the engine kept it revving at minimum for one minute to allow the cooling of the turbocharger. With the S/S how the turbocharger could be cooled? Maybe, having the S3 an electric engine coolant pump, it remains on during S/S sessions?
I suspect that a economic/ecologic directive could affect the life and reliability of the car and its components. I would like to know the opinion of a car expert...
It's fine - what in specific are you thinking of that would make it so different from a petrol one?
The other trick you can employ while waiting at junctions and roundabouts -
If you're at a junction or roundabout and want to prepare for a quick getaway, but the S/S has already stopped the engine:
Simply "tug" the steering wheel (sharp turn either direction) briefly - the car will restart, leaving you with a running engine, ready for a quick getaway!
You can even press the 'start/stop deactivate' button while the car has stopped, and the engine will immediately restart. Press it again while still stopped and the engine will stop again!
ACC sounds really awesome in combination with the s-tronic - it's perhaps the one thing I wish I had gone for now! Not so easy to retrofit as some options unfortunately
I wonder if the damn S/S can result in a damage to the engine and its component. My thoughts:
1) The battery: every time the engine is cut off, all other accessories remain on. So the battery is drained and every time the engine is restarted there is a peak of power demand to the battery. I suspect the battery is over-stressed.
2) The starter motor: When I was a child my grandma Mini Cooper (the original one) suffered several time from starter motor failures. Hope the technology advanced a lot for being reliable with so much starts during the life of the car.
3) The sparking plugs, the catalytic converter : Every time the engine is restarted I suppose that uncombusted fuel goes on the sparking plugs and in the catalytic converter. How these devices are affected by the S/S?
4) The turbocharger: Some years ago a friend of mine with a Golf IV GTI diesel, before cutting of the engine kept it revving at minimum for one minute to allow the cooling of the turbocharger. With the S/S how the turbocharger could be cooled? Maybe, having the S3 an electric engine coolant pump, it remains on during S/S sessions?
I suspect that a economic/ecologic directive could affect the life and reliability of the car and its components. I would like to know the opinion of a car expert...
Most of the affected components are 'beefed up' to cope with the extra load. Battery use and drain is monitored and is part of the car's decision to use stop/start or not, as are temperatures. Do you think they just whacked the electronics in without upgrading other bits? Why compare it to cars that weren't designed the same way?
Mike071288
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If the engine stops, surely this will stop oil circulating, which will stop any lubrication of the turbo. So every time the engine restarts, the turbo is running dry, causing excess wear.
Probably not something to worry about for the first few years, but if you plan to keep your car for more than 4 years i would expect a turbo rebuild would be needed sometime.
Something audi probably welcomes as its money in there pocket.
Nothing in particular. I just read a review on top gear once, presumably when s/s was in it's early days and they said it ruined the tdi experience. I just wondered what it was like to be honest. I was initially buying a 1.4cod and test drove it and didn't even notice the s/s.... However, I opted for the 184PS diesel after ordering instead but haven't tried it.
I wonder if the damn S/S can result in a damage to the engine and its component. My thoughts:
1) The battery: every time the engine is cut off, all other accessories remain on. So the battery is drained and every time the engine is restarted there is a peak of power demand to the battery. I suspect the battery is over-stressed.
2) The starter motor: When I was a child my grandma Mini Cooper (the original one) suffered several time from starter motor failures. Hope the technology advanced a lot for being reliable with so much starts during the life of the car.
3) The sparking plugs, the catalytic converter : Every time the engine is restarted I suppose that uncombusted fuel goes on the sparking plugs and in the catalytic converter. How these devices are affected by the S/S?
4) The turbocharger: Some years ago a friend of mine with a Golf IV GTI diesel, before cutting of the engine kept it revving at minimum for one minute to allow the cooling of the turbocharger. With the S/S how the turbocharger could be cooled? Maybe, having the S3 an electric engine coolant pump, it remains on during S/S sessions?
I suspect that a economic/ecologic directive could affect the life and reliability of the car and its components. I would like to know the opinion of a car expert...
1. S/S will not activate unless certain parameters are met. Engine temp, Outside temp, inside cabin temp, state of charge of battery, electric seats, air con etc. etc. So if there is heavy call for battery duty because you've put the electric seats on, it won't activate. If you're in a traffic jam and your cabin is overcooling or overheating, it won't activate. If you're in heavy traffic and the electrical load is calling for more battery, it will restart the engine and leave it running. It is a very intelligent system, and designed not to leave the any of the cars systems in deficit. There are also other things going on like the KERS system in the car that disconnects and changes the alternator charge voltages etc to utilise braking energy.
2. The starter motor is a vastly upgraded unit with increased duty cycle. In the near future we will see combined starter/alternator units incorporated into the flywheel, as opposed to discreet components. We were working on these in 2002.
3. Due to very tight EU6 emission regulations there is no unmetered fuel in the cylinders or cat, during startup or shutdown. This really isn't a worry.
4. You are correct, there is an electrical coolant pump in circuit when the engine is switched off. Also, part of the oil system is also governed by an electric oil pump, though this is more in the piston cooling oil spray nozzles. HOWEVER - with my personal car - after a high speed run, or a very energetic drive, I do a "cool down" drive of about 3 to 4 mins just to calm everything down, then switch off S/S especially if I'm idling immediately after the run, just to let the engine tick over for a minute or so.
Not a problem for me.
I think the OP has a problem with people crashing into him though (each event entirely blamelessly I should add), so understand his fear.................
I think the OP has a problem with people crashing into him though (each event entirely blamelessly I should add), so understand his fear.................
You notice it, as in you hear it stopping and starting (and feel it to some extent), but I don't really consider that an issue personally. Some people might get annoyed by it but I can't understand why myself!
I never had any problem with it when I drove the 184 demonstrator. I found it slightly easier that my existing 8P to not get it to cut in when I was waiting at a junction using only slight pressure on the brake pedal.
Does anyone know if the Kufatec device has to remain attached, or is it, plug in, disable, remove.
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I believe it has to remain attached. If you take it off, the next time the ignition is turned on Start/Stop will be enabled again.
I think that is the case as well because the website says that as soon as it is removed the car returns to the normal start/stop setup.
If the engine is stopped, the turbo is also stopped and so doesn't need oil circulation to prevent wear. When you start the engine the turbo doesn't spool until after oil circulation has begun.
The normal reason for leaving the engine running on turbo cars is for cooling purposes. AFAIK the S3 has a water cooled turbo so assuming the water pump is still running (as veeeight suggests) then the turbo is still being cooled even while the engine is off.
Mike071288
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I stand corrected, good to know, although i think ill still be turning the start stop off unless im in heavy traffic.
I have just received an email from Kufatec to say that, with their Start/Stop module that plugs in to the OBD port, the module can be removed once the coding has completed. If you want to go back to the standard system the module is once again plugged in to the OBD port.
I just compared the starter motor from a 8V 1.4SE, to a 8P S3.
The starter motor on the 1.4SE with S/S is twice as big as the S3, the engine on the 1.4 being a third of the size of the CDLA unit !!
The starter motor on the 1.4SE with S/S is twice as big as the S3, the engine on the 1.4 being a third of the size of the CDLA unit !!
I think all cars with start/stop and turbos will have a supplementary electric water pump to cool the turbo bearings when the engine has stopped. The engineers do think, usually, about these things and test engines to destruction..
