Stop-start and auto-handbrake, rear wiper

[mjwells]

Hi all,

I have a couple of quiz questions for firmware experts! This relates to an Audi S6 Avant, 2013 but probably applies to all the C7 cars.

First up: I find that I don't generally want to use stop-start. Traffic light sequences are rarely long enough to benefit. It tends to stop the engine when I would prefer it didn't. While I recognise that I could train myself out of this with a lighter foot on the brake, I turn it off when I get in the car most days. It's always struck me as a bit gimmicky and ineffectual to stop-stop a V8 engine for less than 60 seconds, although I am sure the intentions are all good!

On a very similar line of thinking, I very much like the auto-handbrake feature (I think they call it hill assist, but I use it at traffic lights) as it means I can just squeeze the main brake to activate the handbrake, and then lift off completely. Pulling away is smooth and you'd hardly know the car was on the brakes when you put your foot back on the accelerator. That suits me, but I have to enable it every time I start the car.

Is anyone aware of a way to keep these settings between starts?

My other question is really basic. The rear wiper on my Avant is bouncy and noisy. It's been like that since new, always seeming to judder across the glass (even when fairly wet). I was thinking of getting the blade changed, but before I do, does anyone else have this problem? I wondered if it might be a coating on the glass that causes it, for example.

Best wishes,
Michael

[Guest 2]

Stop start can be disabled completely with VCDS but Audi will not adivse this and if any software updates are done on the car then factory settings will be re-enabled.

No idea about the handbrake as I drive a C6 but you may still have some transport film on the rear screen, put some tar and glue remover on the glass and blade and the judder should go away.

[johnsimcox]

I believe that MY14 cars (those built since May 2013) remember the setting for the Hill Assist. Note it is not activating the handbrake it is simply retaining the pressure in the braking system when you take your foot off the pedal. My rear wiper often also judders on the first wipe, think it is just a build up of traffic film between uses. Was the same on my C6 Avant

[M1tchy]

Cover all your external glass and mirrors in rain away and the wipers won't judder (mainly because you don't need them!)


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[retired99]

I guess the Stop-Start in configured 'on' because it helped to achieve the emission / fuel consumption figures and the production cars need to conform to spec of the test cars.

When I first got my car I used to turn Stop-Start off nearly all the time. I now tend to leave it activated most of the time and have become quite practiced at using brake pressure to control its behaviour. Still gets turned off sometimes but I've learned to live with it. Does it make an appreciable difference to fuel consumption? Don't really know,stopping for a few seconds can't make much difference but not moving for a few minutes I can see the average fuel consumption change for the worse. Depends very much on the car usage. A long non stop motorway journey followed by 10 minutes idling isn't going to make much of a difference. A journey through stop / start London traffic spending as much time stationary as moving would, I suspect, produce a different result.

My car , MY14, remembers the auto handbrake setting between starts. A bizarre feature of auto handbrake is that it disables stop-start. Sitting in a queue of mostly stationary traffic which moves a few metres every few minutes is , it would seem to me, an ideal situation to use auto brake AND stop start. But no, select auto handbrake and the stop-start stops working. Genius.

[rickerby]

I believe that MY14 cars (those built since May 2013) remember the setting for the Hill Assist. Note it is not activating the handbrake it is simply retaining the pressure in the braking system when you take your foot off the pedal. My rear wiper often also judders on the first wipe, think it is just a build up of traffic film between uses. Was the same on my C6 Avant

That's right, my 2012 TDi needed Hill Start enabled after every start but my 2014 Ultra maintains the on setting all the time.

[ukgroucho]

OK so hill assist 'memory' seems to have become persistent around MY 2014 - my allroad has it. Maybe this implies that a VCDS tweak would enable it but I'm not sure.. my full VCDS scan has been posted elsewhere.

With regards to Start/Stop ... I find this as annoying as a bunch of others and wanted it t remember I had set it to OFF. Based on my desire to tweak this Splash took a swag at doing this in VCDS and had mixed results (many thanks to Splash for taking the time to try and tweak this). As I understand it he managed to affect it in some way (disabled or made it save status) but got a nagging error code that flashed up in the DIS frequently and basically made it a non starter. It;s possible that further refinement of the VCDS tweaks might kick this into line.

Rear wiper. ahh dunno mine has been fione from the get go although I'm not sure it cleans the outside part of the arc as well as my C6 did

[neil s]

My car , MY14, remembers the auto handbrake setting between starts. A bizarre feature of auto handbrake is that it disables stop-start. Sitting in a queue of mostly stationary traffic which moves a few metres every few minutes is , it would seem to me, an ideal situation to use auto brake AND stop start. But no, select auto handbrake and the stop-start stops working. Genius.

I don't think that can be a general arrangement. The stop-start and auto-brake work quite happily together on my car (manual MY14).

Neil.

[johnsimcox]

I don't think that can be a general arrangement. The stop-start and auto-brake work quite happily together on my car (manual MY14).

Neil.

As does my manual. Retired99 has an Allroad so therefore has an auto box. My understanding is that on cars with auto boxes the brake pedal pressure has an effect on when the stop/start kicks in. If you brake very gently then it does not activate, so as to prevent it activating when it is not wanted, such as when you come up to a junction and need to pull away again immediately. Not driven an auto so cannot comment based on experience. Audi (and others) held off offering S/S on cars with auto boxes as it proved a challenge to make them work in away that would sensible for the driver. From everything I have read it would seem that there is still work to do!

[retired99]

As does my manual. Retired99 has an Allroad so therefore has an auto box. My understanding is that on cars with auto boxes the brake pedal pressure has an effect on when the stop/start kicks in. If you brake very gently then it does not activate, so as to prevent it activating when it is not wanted, such as when you come up to a junction and need to pull away again immediately. Not driven an auto so cannot comment based on experience. Audi (and others) held off offering S/S on cars with auto boxes as it proved a challenge to make them work in away that would sensible for the driver. From everything I have read it would seem that there is still work to do!

Didn't make myself very clear. Yes, its an auto. Can affect stop / start with brake pressure. V light pressure will prevent the engine stopping, once the engine has stopped it can be restarted by backing off the brake pedal until the engine starts but keeping enough pressure on the pedal to prevent the car moving. Sounds clumsy but soon get used to it. Useful when, e.g. waiting to join traffic at a roundabout. See the gap coming and get the engine going so ready to move off.

Stop Start interaction with auto handbrake goes like this. Engage auto handbrake and the stop start function. Come to a stop in a queue of traffic and the engine stops. So far so good. Decide it's going to be a longish stop so take foot off brake pedal, engine starts and auto handbrake keeps the car still. Now stationary in a queue with engine running and stop start engaged.

Previous car, BMW F11 (current 5 series), coped with this scenario perfectly, it started the engine when I needed to move, i.e. when I touched the accelerator.