Engine start/stop systems.

[Retired]

Hi,

Just for a bit of interest. Bron and I have just watched this YouTube video on our TV;



We bought our new diesel 2.0L SEL Yeti last July wondering if we had done the right thing considering our low annual mileage of less the 9,000 miles? Would the exhaust choke up resulting in expensive repairs due to short journeys etc; anyway we took the gamble and the Yeti so far is absolutely brilliant. Our Yeti is the Adblue model and it's only about a month ago I topped up the Adblue reservoir for the first time the filler is under the boot floor and rather a pain to access but at every 4,500 miles its not going to be too much hassle. No problems so far with exhaust problems but at least once every week the Yeti gets a good long run of over 25 miles each way.

Being a new car our Yeti like most modern new cars has the automatic start/stop fuel saving system installed and this is set "On" by default every time the Yeti is used. I tried this system out for a couple of months after buying the Yeti and was starting to get used to it until one Saturday afternoon whilst driving through Bradford in grid lock along Manningham Lane; all went well until as usual I was stopped by an amber then red traffic light putting the Yeti at the head of the queue; the lights changed but the Yeti refused to start so panic set in; brand new car bristling with lots of new technology much of which I still don't understand and here I am blocking traffic with the hazard lights on.

After what seemed a lifetime the Yeti finally burst into life and away I went; about half a mile further along Manningham Lane exactly the same thing happened; I can't live with this kind of modern technology which removes control of the car from me the car having a life of its own making its own decisions; now every time I start the Yeti I switch on the SatNav and Dash Cam then I switch off the Start/Stop function. In order to start the Yeti I have to depress the clutch pedal before the starter motor will engage no doubt to relieve engine load but the way things are going are we to spend five minutes just doing routine cockpit checks before driving away?

I've mentioned this subject previously but this morning whilst watching this video brought it all back to life once again; due to government exhaust emission regulations the Stop/Start function is automatically "On" by default; I'd prefer it to be "Off" by default; it's not a major problem to press the button to switch it off but if I forget it lets me know soon enough.

This week the tyre pressure icon lit up on the dash board indicating a tyre pressure problem at 70 mph on a dual carriageway below Windermere on the way up? On the way back home the icon went out? Back home I waited until the following morning when it was cold and checked all the tyres to find pressures all perfect at 32 psi?

Are we becoming too dependent on modern technology?

Just a ramble before I head into the workshop; I wonder if I can find my way into the workshop without SatNav?

Kind regards, Col.

[kellys_eye]

I saw that very video Col - it comes as no surprise to discover it's disadvantages outweigh the advantages!

Just this morning the news now has information on the new driving test and the need to be able to use a GPS as part of it.... ridiculous. Cars are far too (unnecessarily) technical already, with stuff like your stop-start, without adding further complications. They need to concentrate on allowing the driver to DRIVE, understand the rules of the road and recognise potential dangers in advance.

The constant addition of technology to distract from these highly important tasks is making every modern road user a hazard to be avoided!

[dewaltdisney]

My Ford has start stop but it leaves the decision to the driver. If I want to go to standby I dip the clutch and put the gears in neutral. I tend to switch off at four way traffic signals as I think that it does save a bit of fuel and pollution but most other times I will idle. I think this half way solution works fairly well. As for wear to the starting system etc, I do not worry as the car is under three years warranty and I will change as soon as it is three years old.

Of course all this technology is being being field tested for driverless cars and the auto parking, sensors etc is all leading to a future of cars that will at least do some of the driving on auto. Quite frankly on a motorway if everyone was going at 60 on auto control it would work a lot better. I would not like it, but it is the future.

DWD

[Dave54]

Tried a car with the "self stall" feature , a small Skoda courtesy car. Nice little car. Lively and fairly comfortable, but I hated that engine stop thing.
I haven't watched all the video, but it's a dead cert that all this fiddling at the edges isn't going to save the planet.
I'd agree with k-e. A driver's concentration needs to be on the main business of driving the car, not playing with all the toys.
You put somebody in charge of ripping some timber on that big saw table you've just built Colin, and I'll bet my boots that they ain't going to want to be looking at a sat-nav, or updating Facebook at the same time. A car's a dangerous machine,modern cars just don't "feel" that way.

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks k_e; I too saw the news where SatNav is being introduced into the driving test; good or bad I don't know because I was taught the old way in a banger with bald tyres and no driving licence; road tax or insurance; it was my chums ancient car and how could he afford road tax or insurance if he couldn't afford tyres? In those days cars rusted as fast as they could be driven. I couldn't agree more though that emphasis should be on watching the road not car instruments; I have difficulty adjusting the air conditioning so I've absolutely no chance of playing with the touch screen NASA controls; I know for certain if I look down at the instruments the car in front is sure to stop unexpectedly. I rode big powerful motorcycles for over ten years which focused my attention what was happening all around me and gave me a good understanding of road conditions. You get few drink drivers or on drugs on big motorcycles because their life expectancy would be extremely limited.

Like you DWD; Bron and I tend to trade in our car at or before three years old but in a couple of years we'll not be so quick to just trade in as usual after all whatever we buy new will have lots of new taxes heaped upon it by the government; a few years ago owners of petrol engined cars were destroying the planet and diesel was the in thing now it's the other way around; in two years we might be buying cars with hydrogen bags on their roof or a wind turbine; might even be solar panels but these seem to have peaked and are something I would never want on our roof. I was watching a driver-less car on the news a couple of weeks ago; I think these were being introduced as pay as you drive obviously experimental at first but how long before vandals destroy them or idiots make a mess of them? For years we've enjoyed mile after mile of 50 mph average speed checks on the M1 motorway but strangely the traffic kept moving better than the 70mph limit where queues were the norm; many times I've driven along the M1 at 70mph then suddenly ended up in a very long queue of traffic doing the usual couple of cars length then stopping; why was this because miles further along there was no sign of a reason for this; nothing in the road and no accidents?

Thanks Dave54; was it a Skoda Citygo courtesy car you borrowed? Our neighbour Carole has one of these and its fully loaded being top of the range; she loves it. Good point about my new saw table; it commands utmost respect and I might see if I can find a fool to put the first timber through it? I've spent many hours sorting the dust extraction and at last I think I've finally got it rigged up; I've just knocked off after working on it all day; the dust extraction has been the hardest part to sort out. As you rightly say though Dave54 whether driving a car or putting timber through a machine full concentration is needed at all times; distractions cause accidents.

One thing I would like to see with modern technology is the introduction of automatic speed limiters possibly via SatNav technology limiting the speed of any vehicle to the legal side of the law then all the millions of slow down signs; traffic calming and radar traps etc could be dumped and the police then might even catch a burglar? Lots of vans have speed limiters installed but I think this could be taken further and rather than simply limiting top speed of a vehicle limit the speed to the prevailing speed limit instead. I've heard lots of excuses as to why such a thing won't work such as extra speed needed for overtaking; Bron and I have owned two Citroen 2CV's and I always drove knowing there was only a rubber band supplying power?

Whats the point of fitting cars with start/stop function when VAG got around it by fiddling the emissions; how many cars actually achieve the stated fuel consumption figures quoted in the car manufacturers glossy brochures? There is so much lying going on these days who do we believe any longer?

Bron and I visited friends a few days ago and we enjoyed a good natter; these friends know only too well that I have food intolerance in particular dairy products; normally a lovely cake is baked but using dark chocolate which I can tolerate; this time two plates one with biscuits having a big butter content the other plate Swiss roll laced with dairy; when kindly asked what we would like to drink I opted for the usual just plain tea please no milk because it makes me ill. A cake had been kindly baked as usual for us to bring home; back home later in the day I scoffed a lump of this cake enjoying it. The following morning my dermatitis flared up across my entire back and behind both knees; I settled down to the keyboard with another lump of this cake and a brew when Bron said I think that looks like milk chocolate on the cake? I pulled out a bar of dark chocolate to compare with and sure enough the chocolate on the cake certainly looked like milk chocolate so I emailed our friends to ask what chocolate had been used on the cake; apologies yes its milk chocolate. I'm hopelessly colour blind so hadn't a clue I had scoffed a big lump of milk chocolate cake and was about to scoff another lump before Bron spotted it. Our friends know I was rushed into hospital last July as an emergency and they know for certain dairy products make me extremely ill. I've now suffered for the last three days but the dermatitis is now easing on my back but the back of my knees remains a problem; I'm on the powerful ointment again. Swiss roll; biscuits and a home made cake all traps for me to fall into; who needs friends like these two?

Kind regards, Col.

[Dave54]

Yes Col it was a Citigo. I've just been looking. Not surprising I thought it was fairly "lively". Looking at the spec the engine is around 60bhp which isn't far off a Mini 1275 GT. The more powerful engine is 75 bhp which is about the same as a Cooper S.
I liked it. Bigger inside than it looked as well.

You saying about rubber bands reminds me of the brother of work mate who gave a lift to someone in his "Lotus Anglia" 105E. Basically a "Lotus Cortina" fitted into an Anglia shell.
The chap asked him what engine was in it, and he replied
"A big rubber band"
"What's special about it then?"
"It's wound up a bit tighter than standard"

[wine~o]

@ Col whenever I eat out, whether in a pub/restaurant or with "friends" I always interrogate to the "Nth" degree as to what the ingredients used were.

My allergy is to Peanuts and if eaten can quickly bring on anaphylactic shock and death.

I've still got to wait a month or so to find out if I'm Coeliac (Gluten allergy that attacks the intestine) if so will have to avoid wheat barley and rye...

[Retired]

Hi,

Thanks for replying Dave54. Citygo's are very good cars and I think they were car of the year in their range a couple of years ago. Skoda cars in general are now excellent; our neighbour Carole loves her Citygo and Bron and I love our Yeti. You mentioning Ford Anglia's brings back lots of memories of a time I owned my garage business; in those days a second hand Anglia could be bought for £10 as could many models of the time; it was common to open an Anglia's boot to find a pair of cart springs pushed through the chassis due to rust and also the "A" pillars used to rot out allowing the heavy doors to sag; I had a laugh about the rubber band being tightened more than standard; the 2CV was always loose? Our previous car the Fabia Monte Carlo was a good performer too and a pleasure to own; it was a car I really did like but the deal on the Yeti was too good to miss; the Monte in black over red was a gorgeous car; I was truly sorry to part with it.

http://www.whatcar.com/awards/best-city ... oda-citigo

Thanks wine~o; Bron and I never ever eat out at restaurants or the like and we never buy from takeaways either; the friends I mentioned are very aware of my dairy intolerance and have been aware for many years so I trusted them after all when we brought the chocolate cake home it wasn't labelled with its ingredients; Bron said she was undecided at first whether it was milk or dark chocolate until she put her glasses on; I'm not accusing our friends of doing this on purpose but how strange to be offered Swiss roll; dairy rich biscuits and to be allowed to bring home the milk chocolate cake; it sure puts a fresh face on our relationship though. Good luck wine~o with your results; as you know only those suffering from food intolerance's really appreciate how serious it can be; it just shows though that we cannot let our guard down at all even with long term friends? I hope I've caught this rash in time though because if it gets hold again I'm in deep trouble; I've applied the powerful ointment but I dislike doing this wondering if the ointment will lose it's effectiveness over time the way anti biotics do due to over use? I've worked on the new saw bench today but a lot of pleasure was lost due to the backs of my knees hurting each time I bent down and I did a lot of bending; I had only recently told Bron I was feeling better than I had felt in all my life and now this chocolate cake has knocked me back; what fun.

Kind regards, Col.

[dewaltdisney]

That brought back memories for me as my first car was a 1961 105E Anglia. It was 997cc engine and was black with a red trim. It had a bigger carburettor on it I recall that made it a bit nippier than the basic. I paid £140 for it in 1968 so it was seven years old then. My car was actually pretty good for rust and apart from a few marks it was sound. A great first car. My next car was a Cortina GT in white with red trim again. It was a really fast car for the time an nothing came close for acceleration.

A pal of mine fitted a 1500 GT lump into a 100E as well as 5 1/2 J wheels. The bloody thing was lethal as all the dynamics of the car were out of whack with the weight of the engine and the big wheels. He was driving on the way home from the pub far too fast down the lanes and he lost control and he ended up in a field after rolling a couple of times. We were following in a couple of cars, saw it happen and went to help.

The roof was bent a bit and we pulled him and a mate out from the wreck. Amazingly they were okay, a bit smacked about but okay. We all pushed the car over and righted it and pushed it back near to the road as best we could. One of the cars had a tow bar so we hooked it up and with him at the wheel he was towed home. He decided to scrap it and the engine and wheels were sold off and went into a newer car. God knows what happened to him, he had a death wish. If it happened in this day and age there would be a HEMS helicopter dispatched, neck braces etc

The irony of it is is that Mrs D's Hyundai I-10 is probably faster than the Cortina GT which had 78hp against the 83hp of the I-10. How times change

DWD

[Dave54]

I've known several people who have been in cars that rolled, in the old pre-seatbelt days. They all survived surprisingly unhurt. They didn't hit anything really solid though, most were like your mate though DWD, a bit too much of the old falling over water, and an impromptu trip into a field, ending up upside down.
One I actually saw was a Mini that had gone off the road at a place with a long fairly straight country road, with a bend at the bottom. There is/was a rough track going "straight on" that made the road tricky. This chap had missed the bend, and rolled the car up the track. Four in the Mini, they were all OK, although the one woman was understandably very upset. I stopped on the motorbike, and I helped him get the car back on it's wheels. Unfortunately on of the fronts fell off, so the car was finished. I heard later that the driver lost his licence over that one.