Permanently turning off stop/start

[ricky_s]

Is there a way to turn it off for good? Very annoying!

[nealeb]

Isn't there a switch on the dash that does this, and doesn't it get coded to the key? Can't remember whether this one falls into the "personal settings" category or not. I know that hill-assist doesn't and has to be enabled each time.

[ricky_s]

Isn't there a switch on the dash that does this, and doesn't it get coded to the key? Can't remember whether this one falls into the "personal settings" category or not. I know that hill-assist doesn't and has to be enabled each time.

There is a switch on the dash but it seems to default to on/off next time I use the car.

[Timothy Nathan]

I find that the engine doesn't stop unless I want it to.

As you draw to a halt, you keep decreasing the pressure on the brake pedal, so as not to get a jerky stop, right? Well, if you then don't press the brake (or even better have hill assist on, and remove your foot altogether) the engine will remain alive. I actually press down to make it stop.

Alternatively, stop with the small amount of pressure necessary, then remove your foot from the brake and reapply it, and the engine won't stop.

This may seem like more effort than just switch it off on the dash, mind you!

[nealeb]

I'm happy letting the stop/start happen, especially once I found that releasing brake pressure let the engine start without releasing the brake so I could make sure that the engine was running before the lights went green or whatever. But I am aware that some people don't like it, hence the switch. Sounds like something that should be coded to the key so that it auto-sets to driver preference but maybe Audi are trying to save the planet on our behalf:)

[ricky_s]

Spent some time with an Audi tech yesterday and he confirmed that it can't be switched of permanently. Oh well.

[Timothy Nathan]

Forgive me, but is it such a burden to press one button? I like to have Hill Assist (or whatever it is called) on all the time, but it doesn't bother me that I have to press the button every trip.

[ricky_s]

Forgive me, but is it such a burden to press one button? I like to have Hill Assist (or whatever it is called) on all the time, but it doesn't bother me that I have to press the button every trip.

No Tim, its not the end of the world having to push the button.

I like to have auto hold on which isn't really compatible with on/off but to have the things I want I have to push two buttons! ;-)

[Timothy Nathan]

Another incompatibility is between Stop-Start and Stop-Go.

I like Stop-Start (both for the environment and because it makes it very quiet - all diesels, even Audi A6 diesels, are noisy at idle, having the engine switch off is a boon, and it starts very quickly when required) but if you allow Stop-Go ACC to bring you to a complete standstill without the brake, Stop-Start is never invoked, but if you invoke it by applying the brake, ACC is disengaged. A massive dilemma for the gizmo lover!

I have found that the solution is to wait the three seconds after which Stop-Go is disengaged, at which point I put my foot on the brake and invoke Stop-Start. It is an effort, of course, but at least it means I remain fully engaged with the driving :p:D

[nealeb]

My personal complaint in this area is that to keep the engine stopped, you need to keep your foot on the footbrake. I prefer to use the parking brake if, say, I'm stopped at a red light for a while, just to avoid dazzling the driver behind with my brake lights. Not so bad during the day but they're quite bright at night. On balance, though, I prefer to help the environment and not the following driver, so do as everyone else does and just keep my foot on the brake. Not that there's any obvious cure for this one, though, so I can live with it!

The ACC Stop/Go works well, but I find that I tend to touch the brake and disengage ACC a little earlier than it tends to brake. I prefer to trickle a little more slowly up to the back of a car although it does depend on conditions. You can see if it is likely to start moving and the ACC can't! Not yet, anyway...

[Timothy Nathan]

I guess you could switch the engine off and on again manually?

[roundwoodgarage]

I find mine works fine. If I keep my clutch depressed SS doesn't engage. If I sit in neutral with the foot brake on it will engage.. Also if I sit in neutral with handbrake on it engages. The only thing I don't like it the SS works just after you have driven hard, everything hot and turbo spinning away at max rpm, that's when it's hard work to remember to press to disable button.

[elio2]

Ricky_s, same here, I find it quite annoying on a diesel. Did not like it on my former two gasoline Audi's, but on a diesel it just takes to long to start the engine. I've found some info on how to disable it with my RossTech vag-com cable, but this won't work on my car (out of range error if i tell it that start/stop is not installed). This seems to be working on other models, but also not on my wife's 2011 A1.
I contacted RossTech, they contacted Audi, Audi says it's illegal to disable it, since in Germany it's considered tax fraude if you disable this (I'm in the Netherlands btw, but probably since you have to pay less tax on cleaner cars).
I don't care, I'm getting frustrated on switching on hill hold and switching off start/stop everytime I start the car. I'm thinking of automating this with an Arduino microcontrollerboard, emulating the switches. Now I just have to find some time to do this...

[Timothy Nathan]

In my 3.0 Tdi it starts instantly, barely noticeable.

[fernar]

I must admit on my 3.0 TDi I dont have any problems either - engine starts quickly and no fuss in the car - i.e juddering when starting etc. I also like the fact that there is no noise in the car when stationary

[Timothy Nathan]

I must admit on my 3.0 TDi I dont have any problems either - engine starts quickly and no fuss in the car - i.e juddering when starting etc. I also like the fact that there is no noise in the car when stationary
Ditto in every respect.

[5678]

It works perfectly well in my 2.0 tdi too.

The reason I turn it off is that the stopping and starting will wake our baby if he's sleeping! That's far more important than a bit of eco nonsense ;)

[AllotmentChap]

I'd like to disable this too, as it's pretty annoying. I've only had the car 2 days, and I've already had a situation where I've been sitting at a busy junction, spied a gap, switched my foot from the brake to the throttle and because of the delay while the engine starts the car lurches forward horribly when the accelerator kicks in.

What I'd really like would be to have the start/stop disabled when I'm in 'Dynamic' mode, but enabled when I'm in 'Comfort' mode...

[johnsimcox]

I'd like to disable this too, as it's pretty annoying. I've only had the car 2 days, and I've already had a situation where I've been sitting at a busy junction, spied a gap, switched my foot from the brake to the throttle and because of the delay while the engine starts the car lurches forward horribly when the accelerator kicks in.

What I'd really like would be to have the start/stop disabled when I'm in 'Dynamic' mode, but enabled when I'm in 'Comfort' mode...
Others have said (I have a manual) that if you release some of the pressure on the brake pedal when you have come to a stop before the SS kicks in it will not activate.

[AllotmentChap]

Thanks, not really a solution though - I don't really want to have to alter the way I drive to work around this.

More searching/reading indicates that it's not possible to disable. How stupid and annoying.

[B5NUT]

Yes it can be switched off you just need to find someone with VAG CAN Pro. Disabling the Start/Stop function (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/166376-Disabling-the-Start-Stop-function)

[johnsimcox]

Thanks, not really a solution though - I don't really want to have to alter the way I drive to work around this.

More searching/reading indicates that it's not possible to disable. How stupid and annoying.
Blame EU policy makers. In order for car manufacturers to meet CO2 targets they have to fit functionality like Stop/Start and to then allow the customer to easily disable it would be counter productive.

[Splash]

To put some figures on it I've just read about a test done on a Golf spending 9% of its time in a static mode where stop/start might kick in. Urban fuel saving was 5%, but combined was just 2% with potentially increased NOX emissions due to a cooler exhaust! This compares with 5% combined on the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) with 24% static conditions. Progress?

[Splash]

I was searching "Hold Assist" and found this thread again. In about 18 months of ownership I've never used the "Hold Assist" button as I can't see any advantage it gives over activating and releasing the EPB which I do manually.

Intrigued once again, I re-read the manual and was none the wiser - hence the search.

I'd assumed that activating it worked against the "stop-start" principles. i.e. the engine remains running with the "Hold Assist" activated since the brake pedal isn't depressed.

I can see a use for it in a manual car but not an auto, but after re-reading the thread it appears you set it once (per trip) rather than for each instance that it's required. I've got to confess to having not tried it yet, but can anyone give examples of when they find it an advantage over the normal EPB. The manual isn't clear on this (and other things too) so you tend to apply your previous Audi experience to each new car. Even in a manual Skoda with "Hill Hold" I probably used it once or twice in about 3 years of ownership, so there's a few Luddite traits in me admittedly.

Have I overlooked something that does provide some benefit, or is it just another button to increase the apparent tech versus the C6 or competitors?

Hell, I might even give it a go if I know what to expect (not Anarchy anyway). ;)

[AllotmentChap]

Hold assist, or auto parking break, serves two main functions:

1. If you're in start-stop traffic, it holds the car stationary and automatically releases the parking break when you press the accelerator. That has a few advantages in an auto: it means you don't unwittingly creep forward, and don't have to keep your foot on the brake, which tires your leg out and blinds the person behind at night with your brakes constantly on. The only downside is that I've heard reports that it can prematurely wear brakes, because as you press the accelerator to move off, there's a split second where the systems are working against each other.

2. If you're on a steep hill, it engages the parking brake when you stop, making the car more secure while you wait to pull away. As you say, this may have dubious benefits in an auto, which by its nature will hold the car anyway, but I presume it reduces clutch wear a bit? Not enough of an engineer to know.

I don't think the hold assist and engine start/stop are linked though, so engaging one won't affect the other. If you have start/stop enabled, once the parking brake is engaged, the engine will cut out until you accelerate. I guess the main advantage of this is that you can stop and go in slowly moving traffic, saving fuel with the engine cut-out, but without needing to use anything except your foot?

[johnsimcox]

Hold assist, or auto parking break, serves two main functions:

1. If you're in start-stop traffic, it holds the car stationary and automatically releases the parking break when you press the accelerator. That has a few advantages in an auto: it means you don't unwittingly creep forward, and don't have to keep your foot on the brake, which tires your leg out and blinds the person behind at night with your brakes constantly on. The only downside is that I've heard reports that it can prematurely wear brakes, because as you press the accelerator to move off, there's a split second where the systems are working against each other.

2. If you're on a steep hill, it engages the parking brake when you stop, making the car more secure while you wait to pull away. As you say, this may have dubious benefits in an auto, which by its nature will hold the car anyway, but I presume it reduces clutch wear a bit? Not enough of an engineer to know.

I don't think the hold assist and engine start/stop are linked though, so engaging one won't affect the other. If you have start/stop enabled, once the parking brake is engaged, the engine will cut out until you accelerate. I guess the main advantage of this is that you can stop and go in slowly moving traffic, saving fuel with the engine cut-out, but without needing to use anything except your foot?
On autos the only way of using stop/start and not keeping your foot on the brake pedal is to put the car in park, not something many people will bother to do and once the car is in Park the whole point of the Hill Hold Assist is redundant

[AllotmentChap]

On autos the only way of using stop/start and not keeping your foot on the brake pedal is to put the car in park, not something many people will bother to do and once the car is in Park the whole point of the Hill Hold Assist is redundant

Not sure I understand. I have an auto, and with auto-park-brake enabled, I push the brake pedal, the car comes to a halt, and the parking brake engages. If start-stop is enabled, the engine will also cut out. I can then take my foot off the brake and sit without either foot on the pedals. When the traffic begins to move, i push the throttle, the car pulls away and the parking brake automatically disengages (again, if start-stop is not disabled, the engine will start when I press the throttle, at the same time the parking brake disengages).

I wouldn't bother putting it into neutral unless traffic was literally not moving for 10 minutes at a time, and I certainly wouldn't put it in park mode.

[GrolschUK]

Using both features on my auto, although when navigating town in light traffic I often turn the stop/start off as it tries to engage when slowing down approaching a junction.

At traffic lights, that let half dozen cars through each time, so a slow creep forward every so often, keeping the car in D
A light press of the break activates the auto parking brake, and stops the car moving forwards.
A heavier press will then make the stop/start kick in.
No need to set to P

Then a touch of the accelerator will restart the engine and disengage the brake.

Once hold assist/APB is enabled it stays enabled between trips.

The only time I manually have to set/release the EPB is if I need to move the car on the drive, and it won't auto-release without the seatbelt fastened... and after that I need to turn the hill hold back on.

[Splash]

Great. I'm starting to see its use and the fact that it would save me holding down the brake pedal and burning out the following driver's retinas - neither of which I like. I've developed the habit of selecting "N" if waiting a while at lights and activating the EPB manually - a habit carried over from my C6.

I'll try the APB next time I get the chance, although I generally disable the stop/start system before the first "Give Way" about 4 miles away. Perhaps if the manual was better written it would explain its use better and that it covers the journey(s) rather than each parking event.

[johnsimcox]

Not sure I understand. I have an auto, and with auto-park-brake enabled, I push the brake pedal, the car comes to a halt, and the parking brake engages. If start-stop is enabled, the engine will also cut out. I can then take my foot off the brake and sit without either foot on the pedals. When the traffic begins to move, i push the throttle, the car pulls away and the parking brake automatically disengages (again, if start-stop is not disabled, the engine will start when I press the throttle, at the same time the parking brake disengages).

I wouldn't bother putting it into neutral unless traffic was literally not moving for 10 minutes at a time, and I certainly wouldn't put it in park mode.
I stand corrected by yours and GrolschUK's comments. In my defence I have a manual but all I have ever seen about Stop/Start and auto's on here and other boards is that the engine always restarts as soons as you remove your foot from the brake pedal making it pointless and indeed it has been reported that Audi's response to being challenged about this was to put the car in Park. Seems that none of them had ever tried it with Hill-Hold activated

[Warthog21]

On C7, if you use auto stop, when parking brake is applied you can take your foot off the brake pedal. To restart press on the accelerator.

I have a more serious issue which is the engine dies whilst car is still in motion. This happens when, for example, approach a junction on a rising gradient where you need to brake significantly but way short of sharp. I have the problem on a junction where the sight line is very limited, the road is derestricted, and I would like to keep the car just rolling so I can accelerate out of the danger zone when suddenly I lose all power and steering.

[diecastsink]

OT: EPB uses parking brake in rear, auto or hill hold whatever uses front discs - not a same feature!

In C6 there was only EPB, whic was notchy to release, so they added hill hold. Now the EPB release is smooth and hill hold is notchy, that's why I do not like it. Thereare also two VCDS parameters for the release, which I have found no difference in use. With hold activated, engine will not stall [MY12].

[Family man]

I have found if it's in sport the stop start thing doesn't happen, try that.

[Splash]

I'll take that leap of faith and try that. Maybe I have already and just didn't notice it as I often switch to Sport for that extra margin of confidence at junctions. As the first one is 4 miles away the engine is at least tepid but it's not like I do "launch control" type starts to cross a high street!

[M1tchy]

Mine still works in sport mode.


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