[AverageJoe]

We really like our 2019 limited, owned for 6 days. This is my second day after joining the forums. I will definitely use the Stop/start defeat switch after each start. I looked at about 50 of the above posts and really liked the links to "Car and Driver" and the Australian.

Thanks for a high quality introduction.

 

[Kevin]

G'day & Welcome aboard @AverageJoe.

 

[Kevin]

Posts in relation to disabling A/S/S, other than by using the provided switch, belong and have been moved here:
https://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f335/how-permanently-disable-auto-start-stop-system-788833/

Also a rules reminder:

10. Political, religious, climate change or similar topics with high potential for controversy are off-limits.

Such posts will be modified or deleted as necessary

 

[wgilbert]

Just hit 2k miles on the 2019..the stop/start seems to be smoothing out, not as jerky as before....anyone else notice this?

 

[danornan]

Mine has 2,500 but I generally disable the switch every time I get in my car. I haven't notices any reduction in the jerkiness.

 

[realityintrudes]

Mine did starting ~1,500 miles.
Now it is just mental frustration as to whether it will kick-in or not. The weather (ie, cold, ice & snow) undoubtedly contributes to not engaging. What aggravates me the most now is the engine cycling off before I can turn it off when I get home or park somewhere.

 

[Even_Stephen]

My wife is now in her 3rd week as a 2019 Forester (Limited) driver. The auto stop/start annoys her, too. I told her that so far, there isn't a good permanent fix.

Yesterday, she said, "Meh. I push one button to start the car and a second one to turn off the auto stop/start thing. It's no big deal. It's automatic for me now."

Just sayin'....

 

[Pilot1226]

I have a pretty light brake foot I guess because when I first got the car I wasn’t pushing the brake hard enough to engage the stop. But I’ve been driving with AVH when I dont use ACC and that activates the stop.

I’ve only had the car for 2 weeks and the computer suggests I’ve saved more than 1/3 gallon of fuel.

 

[higgledy]

How much does this auto start/stop feature improve a car’s economy?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[denissh]

I have a pretty light brake foot I guess because when I first got the car I wasn’t pushing the brake hard enough to engage the stop. But I’ve been driving with AVH when I dont use ACC and that activates the stop.

I’ve only had the car for 2 weeks and the computer suggests I’ve saved more than 1/3 gallon of fuel.

are you sure it is 1/3 (0.3) gal and not 0.03 ?

 

[Whitesc]

I’ve seen mine with a tad over .504 gal saved. Wife forgot to reset trip and with almost 800 miles later I was super surprised. Time was a little over 1 hour stopped according to display. Can’t remember what the final numbers were a few days later when I filled up at Costco. Should have made a note of it.

 

[Pilot1226]

Well, I'm planning on using "Trip A" for my current tank, and I'll just leave "Trip B" for the entire length I lease the car. I used to use Trip B for service intervals, but it's pretty easy at a 6,000 mile marker...
@higgledy - It's subjective to how much stopping you do, really. If you're driving through a city with constant red lights, you'll reap the benefits more. If you're a highway driver, not nearly the same payout. Kind of like a hybrid - they shine in the cities on low-speed start-stop driving. Likewise, drivers that find themselves in rush hour traffic will also gain more of a benefit.
@denissh - Confirmed. Over 1/2 gallon now at around the 3 week mark of ownership. Last week was atypical as there was a snow event or two so there was much slower moving traffic which resulted in catching more lights each way to work.

If nothing else it just brought to my attention the amount of gasoline I use typically at idle and all those emissions saved. Again this is the approach where it's a community effort for a greater good, so if you had 1000 cars all saving around 1/2 gallon of fuel per month, that's a big amount.

 

[denissh]

I'm over 500mi and ~30+MPG AVG and only .03 gal saved :frown2:

 

[Whitesc]

@denissh What’s the length of time stopped?

 

[Pilot1226]

Here you go.

 

[Whitesc]

Here you go.

That looks pretty close to what I had. So you and I have over .5 gal savings with over 1hr worth of engine stop logged. Will see how the next 1hr worth says I saved.

 

[denissh]

@denissh What’s the length of time stopped?

14min45sec
0.081
616mi

 

[denissh]

Here you go.

wow:surprise:, 600mi is only 10-15 hours (9 for me) of driving , so you stopped over 10% of your time

 

[Pilot1226]

Well, my commute is about 10 miles each way to work. Mornings start so early so I have only a few red lights, but I do catch my fair share on the way home.

The first 1 mile to the highway is all suburbs, so no stop/start there (even if I hit a random light, the engine isn't warm enough to meet the criteria for shutdown), then about 4 miles on the highway are all 55 mph, and then the next 4 miles are "very city" 35mph with lights all over. Usually it's so early they're all green, but I'll say I usually catch around 6-7 lights, for around a 4-5 minute wait. I've noticed with the timer that the lights are usually around 45 seconds from red to green. The last mile or two is again highway with a 40mph limit, and my job is right off of that road.

So, if it's a 20 minute commute, and I'm idling at a light for 5 minutes (for easy math), that's 25% of the time. Obviously this figure is skewed: the more time you spend on the highway, the less beneficial the stop/start technology is to you. If you spend more time on the city (say your commute is 15 miles through cities/suburbs with lights), then the stop/start will be even more beneficial to you.

Again if nothing else it just called attention to the idling I was doing and not realizing.

I truly hope the Forester e-Boxer is available when my lease is up! I think I'm a perfect candidate for a hybrid... my mpg on the highway portions is in the mid 30's according to the screen, not so much in the city segment!

Since I am leasing I am not concerned with the longevity of the system, I just care that it works now. And it does, flawlessly. Cars are becoming more and more computerized and complicated. I don't know if I can go back to "owning" one again. No matter how infrequently a part breaks, adding more parts into the system just increases your odds of something, sometime going tango uniform. And whether it's something as trivial as a sensor or something else, it just makes me (irrationally) mad. Leasing is my ticket out of that, even if I spend a couple bucks more a month. There's a price for my peace of mind.

 

[Peja]

Things I Didn't Know About Start/Stop

Nothing earth shattering, just observations. First, things I did know.

Standard operation when stopped and engine stops let up a bit on brake pedal and engine will restart. Duh.
You can override S/S with ac on. Outside temps can change this.
You can override S/S with rear defroster(and outside mirrors) on.
S/S does not work when pulling a trailer.

Things I didn't know.

When you stop and engine stops you can press brake pedal harder and engine will restart.
If you are stopped and engine stops with foot on brake pedal if you engage the emergency brake the engine will start.
If you are stopped and engine stops if you try to turn the steering wheel the engine will start.