[palgt1]

I know that the auto stop start has been discussed on various threads already, but I thought I'd share my experiences so far. I've had my car about 3 mths now and following a few juddery starts and stalls, generally disable this function.
However, on three occasions now,I have come very close to being shunted from behind ( there must be a joke in there somewhere !!)). This happens when you are approaching a junction or roundabout and slow down ready to stop if needed. However, if you stop momentarily but then continue because the road is clear, if the auto stop has already activated the car stalls, unfortunately you have already moved forward expecting to pull away and you find yourself with no power.
As I say this has happened to me three times already - the first time I put down to driver error and not being fully used to this function - the second time made me very wary and the third time scarred the life out of me .
Anyone else with a similar experience ??

 

[MintMark]

Ummm, I pressed "Like" because it's an informative post... but I don't like it, if you see what I mean :/

It almost sounds like we need a way to set the sensitivity of it... Does the driving mode affect it I wonder? Maybe it won't be so aggressive in modes other than green?

 

[andyross37]

I've never used stop/start.

The JCW R56's weren't fitted with it until 2012.

I think I will probably switch the system off, but it's interesting to hear of your experiences.

I don't think it should switch the car off until you've selected neutral and taken your foot off the clutch.....just my personal view

 

[GoKart7]

Sorry mate can't help you there - I'm sure everyone else will chip in - but my wife has similar problems on our older Mini - I don't know why - whereas I don't - I'm just wondering as was mentioned some time ago if that engine - and now a lot more quieter - has anything to do with it? I'm saying that because this morning it happened to me - it did cut off and I judged the stop start to be completely out of sync with the engine sound - first time that's happened...

 

[palgt1]

Ummm, I pressed "Like" because it's an informative post... but I don't like it, if you see what I mean :/

It almost sounds like we need a way to set the sensitivity of it... Does the driving mode affect it I wonder? Maybe it won't be so aggressive in modes other than green?

Don't drive in green mode but this has occurred when I've been in mid mode. Only just posted this thread because it only happened a couple of hours ago and if it wasn't for the reactions of the bloke behind (who wasn't best pleased - understandably) I could well have been looking at some substantial damage !!

 

[palgt1]

I've never used stop/start.

The JCW R56's weren't fitted with it until 2012.

I think I will probably switch the system off, but it's interesting to hear of your experiences.

I don't think it should switch the car off until you've selected neutral and taken your foot off the clutch.....just my personal view

You know something Andy I can't remember the sequence of events but I'm sure I was only coasting up to the roundabout, with the car still in gear and the clutch depressed but before I could re engage the gear the car had cut out and that's what caused it to stall - (I had to restart the engine in the normal way using the red button ). Will have to reproduce the circumstances (on a traffic free road) and see if it happens again !!

 

[Matt]

i cant see how this is happening to you all?

my engine doesnt stop unless im stationary, in neutral and foot off clutch...

having played a little bit with this after seeing it posted.. the only way i can get the engine to cut out sooner is by approaching a junction in neutral, foot off clutch... under 3mph the engine seems to cut out... so you dont need to actually be stationary as such.

but at the same time my engine came back on line with the clutch being depressed, with enough time to slip it into 2nd gear and pull away.

in most situations i control if the engine stops or not... traffic drives me nuts, so its off unless i can see ill be sitting there for a while. If ive approached a set of lights knowing they take a while to change, again ill kill the engine... apart from that, this start stop feature is a pain in the botty....

do remember its the drivers fault if they hit you from behind... however i can see the down side of having a car off the road and in for repairs... so best avoid at all costs regardless of whos to blame!

 

[MintMark]

The manual says "Neutral is engaged and the clutch pedal is not pressed"... which I guess they only expect if you are not moving... but I do sometimes coast like this to a stop.

 

[olires]

It should only stop the engine if you're in neutral and your foot is off the clutch pedal.

If you stall the engine by letting the revs drop too much while approaching a junction (as I've done because the car's so quiet and I'm not fully used to it) then pressing the clutch pedal in will start the car up again. This could lead a driver to think it's the auto start/stop function.

I do find it irritating, though. I try not to keep the car in gear with the clutch pedal in while I'm waiting at junctions.

It seems like each time you start the car from cold, the auto stop/start function turns itself back on.

Oli

 

[palgt1]

i cant see how this is happening to you all?

my engine doesnt stop unless im stationary, in neutral and foot off clutch...

having played a little bit with this after seeing it posted.. the only way i can get the engine to cut out sooner is by approaching a junction in neutral, foot off clutch... under 3mph the engine seems to cut out... so you dont need to actually be stationary as such.

but at the same time my engine came back on line with the clutch being depressed, with enough time to slip it into 2nd gear and pull away.

in most situations i control if the engine stops or not... traffic drives me nuts, so its off unless i can see ill be sitting there for a while. If ive approached a set of lights knowing they take a while to change, again ill kill the engine... apart from that, this start stop feature is a pain in the botty....

do remember its the drivers fault if they hit you from behind... however i can see the down side of having a car off the road and in for repairs... so best avoid at all costs regardless of whos to blame!

The thing is Matt , I haven't changed my style of driving - so in 3 mths it's happened to me three times, so there must be a blip somewhere or it would happen every time. The scary thing is not knowing what set of circumstances actually triggers it !!

 

[MintMark]

Well I can't wait to try this now...

 

[JJH]

I know that the auto stop start has been discussed on various threads already, but I thought I'd share my experiences so far. I've had my car about 3 mths now and following a few juddery starts and stalls, generally disable this function.
However, on three occasions now,I have come very close to being shunted from behind ( there must be a joke in there somewhere !!)). This happens when you are approaching a junction or roundabout and slow down ready to stop if needed. However, if you stop momentarily but then continue because the road is clear, if the auto stop has already activated the car stalls, unfortunately you have already moved forward expecting to pull away and you find yourself with no power.
As I say this has happened to me three times already - the first time I put down to driver error and not being fully used to this function - the second time made me very wary and the third time scarred the life out of me .
Anyone else with a similar experience ??

Hello... I've read this topic with interest as my last R56 MINI was the first stop/start enabled car I've owned, and my new F56 MINI has really IMPRESSED me with the way the system has improved!

From my experience, stop/start on both my R56 & F56 MINI cars (manual gearboxes) only operates (as others have noted) when the car has stopped, in neutral & with the clutch pedal released.

Granted, there is a moment's delay as the engine starts so, at a busy junction or roundabout, I will keep the clutch pedal pressed - ready to move forward - so as to avoid any issues with the cars behind me. The simple alternative is, of course, to use the toggle switch to turn the function off while driving in heavy traffic.

The reason I'm so impressed by the latest implementation is that the restarts (Cooper D) are faster & smoother than they were with my old Cooper, and I really like the 'ready' position on the tacho & warning indicator on the small info screen when the system is not available.

For me, this is a good fuel-saving function that I enjoy using where traffic conditions allow.

I hope this helps to take the discussion forward....

 

[Matt]

The thing is Matt , I haven't changed my style of driving - so in 3 mths it's happened to me three times, so there must be a blip somewhere or it would happen every time. The scary thing is not knowing what set of circumstances actually triggers it !!

if i was unsure id turn it off... as not being confident with it will end up with someone rear ending you... and that might not be your idea of fun lol

 

[baldyspoon]

I have this on my fiesta and love it, it only turns off in neutral and clutch fully out. And when it restarts it's instant no delay, hoping when I test drive a mini it's as good as the fiesta stop start

 

[CO2slave]

Yes it is a big pain in the botty to say the least , basically this has been foisted on us by the manufacturers because of the Co2 rules !!

I do think that BMW/Mini have put a considerable amount of thought into the system and it can be made to work to your advantage.

It normal operating conditions with the Stop/Start on the car has to be virtually stationary , in neutral , with the clutch in the up position. There are lots of other parameters such as temperature , electrical demand ( this includes steering as well) and battery charge . So providing the engine is warm enough , and the electrical demands on the system are not too high and the battery has enough charge then the engine will stop.

Then the engine will restart when you depress the clutch or if the battery charge drops ( because of power drain from ancillary components air con , fan , steering , light etc.) to the point where the engine needs to start . Not really sure why people worry about this because even if it stops unexpectedly the engine starts straight away when you press the clutch down. In fact if you stall the engine will restart the same way so you don't need to press the start/stop button - just a quick redip of the clutch will get the engine going again (I have not tried this on my mini as I haven't stalled it yet but all the other stop/start systems I have tried work the same way)

Sometimes if you are stopped for a while the battery while run down enough to need to restart the engine , this can be a bit disconcerting but once you know it does it then I think most people are OK with it.

The best way to use it in my experience is to allow the system to work when you know you have a reasonable time stationary ( over 30 secs or so) otherwise the blooming thing is on/off all the time , otherwise if you are crawling in traffic the system is best to stay off.

 

[Steve07]

Hi,
My wife has a Cooper auto and the stop/start function does cause her a few issues.
However, we worked out that it is disabled if you choose Sport mode.

Not sure if this is the same on a manual?

I am reading your posts with interest as my new F56 Cooper S is due in August......

 

[palgt1]

Thanks guys for all your input and suggestions. The problem is that you tend to drive automatically, on instinct, so to try and retrace your steps to fathom out what may have gone wrong is an impossible task. Just thought it was worth while mentioning so everyone else can be aware so that it doesn't come as a bad surprise and bite you on the bum !!
Cheers everyone .

 

[palgt1]

if i was unsure id turn it off... as not being confident with it will end up with someone rear ending you... and that might not be your idea of fun lol

I do invariably turn it off but each time you start the car it reverts back to default and activates the bleeding thing !! I normally realise at the first set of traffic lights so no drama but this morning the first thing I reached, before being able to do anything about it was a roundabout !! Anyway no harm done, just concentrates the mind somewhat !!

 

[MaskedAnkle]

I had the start/stop in my R56 Cooper. It took a little getting used to, but generally worked ok.

I think the version in the F56 has moved on, and is even better than before.

The trick for me, in any driving mode, is to keep the clutch down if you think you're only going to be stopped for a moment. Generally, it won't turn the engine off unless you've stopped, the clutch is up, and no gear is selected.

Where I had the odd annoying moment in the older car, so far, I have not seen any issues in the new car.

 

[donnaj1dlh]

The manual says "Neutral is engaged and the clutch pedal is not pressed"... which I guess they only expect if you are not moving... but I do sometimes coast like this to a stop.

Yep...I think the car knows when you wheels stop rotating doesn't it?? At least that's what I've found. (Perhaps another benefit of TPS?).

I think it might be best to contact your service dept, like you say, it sounds dangerous. Perhaps its a one-off driver error but its best to flag it up incase this starts happening to more of us.

.......and the driver behind you shouldn't have been so bloomin' close. If he did hit you, it'd be his fault!