Posted on 05/12/2025 7:07:32 AM PDT by Red Badger
This is the most idiotic government regulation of the last decade (and that's saying something). The technology shuts off the engine every time the vehicle stops in traffic or at a red light/stop sign.
The average driver might save $1,000 over a decade of using the vehicle if they live in an urban area with frequent stops, but Enhanced Flooded Batteries and heavy-duty starters also cost more, meaning maintenance swallows up much or all of their savings.
(They also have to put up with the psychological torture of having their car turn off and on every five seconds.)
Here's YouTuber Scotty Vilmar explaining in his unique style why this tech is maddening. 👇
New vehicles are not "required" to have such systems, but Swamp bureaucrats created massive incentives for automakers to create something that customers actually hate, all in the name of saving the planet [read: padding their wallets]. Two agencies are primarily responsible for this stupidity in the U.S.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration oversees Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards.
The Environmental Protection Agency oversees greenhouse gas regulations.
The logic for these regulations goes back to the scarcity scare of the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s. Even though we have more available oil than ever, back then, politicians were worried that the stupid peasants would use up all our oil reserves in a crisis, so they aimed to impose regulations on us.
If they imposed taxes and rules on the peasantry, however, the peasants would get angry.
Instead, our ruling elite decided to make it unprofitable not to follow generic rules established by faceless bureaucracies, weaponizing the system to create products that are less efficient and unwanted by customers so that government workers could justify their paychecks.
For example, in 2007, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act that tightened CAFE standards, with a target of 35 miles per gallon for the average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks by 2020. This forced automakers to figure out how to make vehicles that got that kind of mileage even if the market demand was not there.
A revolving door of such bills and regulations has made modern cars complex, expensive, buggy, and annoying: A living example of the absolute mess created by government intervention.
Yes, it can be done by dealerships through their software. It’s just not available to us.
I will never tolerate a car that does that shut off thing.
First ran into it with a rental Volvo and I thought the car was fubar.
Volvos are weird enough but the engine dying at every light was alarming.
Luckily I was in Tucson, not south central L.A.
Check to see if the car doesn’t stop with the AC on...............
The irony here is, at least on my Hilander, Toyota went to a great deal of trouble to enable ASS. There were a lot of modifications bought and paid for by the customer to make it reality. My guess after looking at it is well over a thousand dollars, for nothing.
It gets annoying, and makes you wonder, “What if it doesn’t start back up, then what?”.................
Stopping the motor when you stop your car is among the STUPIDEST ideas I’ve encountered!
The wear and tear on the starter motor, the engine, and other ignition components, as well as the introduction of yet another point of failure, is IDIOTIC!
Imagine the amount of petroleum extracts it takes to replace any and all of those components, as well as the wastage of time and ancillary resources.
Won’t do any good if it’s just put back in when the next leftist gets in office. Congress needs to repeal EPA statutes.
My wife and son both have a Honda CRV. My wife’s is about six years old. With hers you can turn that ECO drive switch so that the car does not shut off at each stop. With my son’s you have to turn it off each time you start the car.
This was a STUPID idea that some liberal came up with to help the environment. In reality it is a bad idea. Especially because the wear & tear on your Starter system.
Offer them an incentive, $$$$$$$$$$.....................
On my wife’s BMW, the dealership cancelled it. That was a 2015 model before ASS was mandated but just encouraged.
Give me a 1969 Dodge Dart with a slant 6, disc brakes and fuel injection. No electric windows or any of that other complex crap. A self contained Gps/radio/bluetooth unit not linked to the operation of the car would be nice as well. Auto or stick will be fine.
Batteries wear out rather quickly....................
I always press the button to disable it. IMO start/stop causes huge damage to engines....starters...batteries...transmissions....
Ya, and put the starter in the transmission!
Who in the hell?
Another idiotic government action is the one that has mandated the changing of EXIT NUMBERS on the highways! The new numbers will reflect the miles from the starting point.
Complete waste of time, energy and money. Yet it is already effect and signs are being changed already.
There was nothing wrong with the old exit numbers! Nothing was broken! So exit 27 will become exit 195 or some such thing.
Some idiot thought it was a good idea to reflect miles traveled in the exit numbers.
Google Maps and Next Exit can show you the distance between exits. Personally, I have never needed to know. Something I need to know is how far to the next restroom, something that highway designers have never heard of.
The highest wear and tear on an engine comes from the corrosive chemicals formed in the cylinders when your turn it off and it starts to cool a little. An engine will show little wear if run constantly.
Yep. I turn it off when in rental cars. I don’t have it in my cars.
Comically, For decades I’ve turned off my car manually when at a long light or stopped in traffic for extended periods. But the auto feature is dumb. But as you say, being able to set it to “default off” would work fine for me.
It really irritates me that it is a government regulation. I thought it was a feature manufacturers just thought people would like. Like heated seats.
I’ve been saying that for years.
A BASIC TRANSPORTATION automobile.
My first car had no radio, no carpet (rubber mat), no Air Conditioner, stick shift, no power windows, steering, brakes or anything, and it was affordable to me an E-1 in the Marines............
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