Odd occurrence

[V5golfer]

My 15 plate 2ltr diesel Passat Estate curiously self started whilst parked on my drive, with no human interaction whatsoever! It had been parked up for around 4hrs when it started the engine and sat 'ticking over' until I was made aware of it some 10 - 15 minutes later. I'm wondering how this can happen (key fob was inside the house well away for the vehicle) and if any other owners had experienced the same occurrence please? Thanks. JJ

[UMEL]

A very very wild wild guess is that it had something to do with Stop Start but the clutch would need depressing.

How have you managed only 2 posts in 14 years

[V5golfer]

Hi UMEL, Thanks for the reply. Thought about the stop/start but, as you rightly say, the clutch needs to be depressed to start the engine - which - makes the self start even more odd - which is why I've sought the opinions and experiences of other Passat owners. Only posted twice because I moved away from VW after the V5 golf some years ago and only recently bought another VW.

[MikeBz]

The clutch doesn't have to be pressed for the Stop/start to restart the engine - e.g, if it decides the battery has dropped below a certain level it will restart, or if the steering wheel is turned. My guess is that when you parked the engine stopped (stop/start) and you forgot to press the button to turn the ignition off, so some time later it decided it needed to start itself up again - I'm assuming yours has keyless start (button on the console, nowhere to put the key in).

[V5golfer]

Hi Mike, Thanks for the reply. Your explanation does sound very plausible and the most sensible I have heard from anyone to date. Thank you for this. You are right, it is a keyless start. Thanks again. JJ

[MikeBz]

My 2019 model bongs at me if I open the door without switching off the ignition, I can't remember if the previous (2016) one did.

[V5golfer]

Can't say with any certainty whether the ignition was left on or not - my wife parked it and says she did turn it off but wouldn't swear on it!!!!! Don't know if it 'bongs' if not turned off - will have to test it. Thanks again, much appreciated. JJ

[Frank Bullitt]

Mine is 2015 but it does bong at you if you leave the ignition on with the door open.

I suspect though this is exactly what happened, came to a stop, stop-start activated and then got out the car assuming the bong was about the door being open! I’d be interested to know that without the key the car did restart

[MikeBz]

It is very easily done, especially if you come to a stop, the engine auto-stops, then you rummage around collecting things before opening the door. Not really a problem I have with the 8.5 - the auto stop only ever cuts in once in a blue moon (like not even after a 4 hour daytime drive on the motorway with no AC, no lights etc.), and even then it often restarts again a couple of seconds later for no reason. Auto-stop with DSG is a pain in the backside anyway - I thought it was brilliant when I had a manual.

I think the key only needs to be present at the initial start up from ignition-on. I've got out of the car with the key in my pocket when my wife is driving and she's been able to drive away (so as a tactic to stop her driving off and stranding me that doesn't work ).