Buying a car?

Double.

Noodleface_sl said:

From the BMW site

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Probably would never activate here considering you run the A/C all the time in the car.

I don't see what the big deal is with the car shutting itself off when you don't need it. Is there a delay in turning back on? Hybrids have been doing this since they were created. But I guess since they have an electric motor for low speed, it doesn't really matter when you're starting from a stop.

Borzak_sl said:

Probably would never activate here considering you run the A/C all the time in the car.

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no doubt - I can't see how that would work here

Neph_sl said:

I don't see what the big deal is with the car shutting itself off when you don't need it. Is there a delay in turning back on? Hybrids have been doing this since they were created. But I guess since they have an electric motor for low speed, it doesn't really matter when you're starting from a stop.

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I am no engineer- but electrical motors are more-friendly to total off/on and able to GO almost instantly more-so than your standard internal combustion engine I would think ...and would this constant on/off cause more wear and tear starting and stopping etc etc etc over the years?

As mentioned, with all those factors for turning off I do not see it happening that often-

for example, A/C - it must have the A/C see that your cabin temperature has obtained the desired temp- I would think you have to be using the "auto" setting- or whatever BMW calls it- where your car A/C works like your house A/C - it cools to your desired temp, then turns off and back on again to maintain the temperature- my van and murano had it - its great for long trips as you are not constantly fiddeling with your fan speed or temperature setting while you drive- it will keep it at X temp and take care of the fans etc for you- however for going down the street or to work, most likely your temps on max and your fans on max then middle or whatever after you cool down a bit- but never is that enough to get your true cabin temperature down- but again I live in florida where its balls hot all the time.

Neph_sl said:

I don't see what the big deal is with the car shutting itself off when you don't need it. Is there a delay in turning back on? Hybrids have been doing this since they were created. But I guess since they have an electric motor for low speed, it doesn't really matter when you're starting from a stop.

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On the 3 series BMW I drove in London last year with this feature, as soon as you even slightly lift off the brake pedal pressure it would restart. I wouldnt even have my foot on the gas yet and it would be humming.

Again, the Stop / Start function could be turned off via the iDrive control Menu.

Right now I'm going through the paces on the A4, BMW 3 series, MB C300 and Infiniti G37 (or possibly wait for the Q50). Based on pure aesthetics I'm loving the Audi. The interior is so much better than the others... save for the G37 which I have yet to see in person.

Anyone go through this recently? I'm going to drive them all but I'm worried about the power in the A4. S4 might be a bit much though. I understand the Audi has a lot of torque and I'm sure it will be quick enough but I guess we'll see.

xadion_sl said:

I am no engineer- but electrical motors are more-friendly to total off/on and able to GO almost instantly more-so than your standard internal combustion engine I would think ...and would this constant on/off cause more wear and tear starting and stopping etc etc etc over the years?

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Yes, electrical motors are friendly to total off/on. But in a hybrid, if you're at low speed, the gas engine turns off and will turn back on once you hit a certain speed or if you accelerate quickly. As for the constant on/off and wear, in a hybrid it isn't a problem because their gas engines are usually RPM limited so that they operate at high efficiency. The gas engine is also coupled to a beefy starter motor that also acts as a generator for the battery, so there aren't really problems starting it back up.

I'd guess that these BMWs with the stop/start feature have a special starter motor and probably a special battery too.

grumblethorn_sl said:

It is fucking dumb because it is the answer to a question no one thinks is worth fucking asking. If you don't understand the frustration go drive it then come back.

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Kind of like drive by wire (electrical acceleration pedal) who the hell asked for this? same as electrical steering where 100% of the complaints are how it's fake feed back is not like traditional steering...what is this improving?!

Springbok_sl said:

On every car I've been in with start/stop, there is a noticeable delay when taking your foot off the brake. Maybe a split second, but annoying enough to me to get it turned off forever. Maybe I am a horrible "race car" driver (only ever owned trucks/SUV's, sue me), but it just seems kind of dangerous as well. I used it extensively for a week last month and noticed no change to my mpg. Multiple times during that period though, I'd be in a turn lane and it would turn off - and the delay when turning back on would cause me to "miss" a chance to turn - or more specifically, cause me to question the safety of making said turn. Idiotic feature implemented by engineers, simply to say "its on the car, gas mileage!!1111".

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That is by far the worst feature I've ever had to deal with in a car, only thing worse is automatic windshield wipers.

I'm kind of curious to try it now. I had assumed it was quite seamless.

Perhaps this isnt a "one size fits all" comparison. I really didnt mind it at all in the BMW because it was seamless and didnt feel like any delay to me getting my foot on the gas. That doesn't mean there are others having the same experience in cheaper brand cars. I can certainly see a poor implementation of this feature on a budget car getting on my nerves.

Have any of you guys had dealings with Carmax? Any good/bad experiences?

I'm in the market for a used vehicle and really don't want to deal with getting a mechanic to check the car over to avoid getting screwed. Carmax seems like a pretty safe route to go. Their prices are kinda meh, though...they say "no haggling", but is this true? Are prices firm? Quite honestly, I see some models that I could probably buy brand new for just a little more.

I got my eye on a 2007 Mazda3s manual with only 36K miles. They're asking close to 14K which is about as much as I want to spend. The thing is, I COULD buy a brand new Ford Fiesta for that price so I'm wondering what the real advantage here going used. Double conundrum here.

Jysin_sl said:

Perhaps this isnt a "one size fits all" comparison. I really didnt mind it at all in the BMW because it was seamless and didnt feel like any delay to me getting my foot on the gas. That doesn't mean there are others having the same experience in cheaper brand cars. I can certainly see a poor implementation of this feature on a budget car getting on my nerves.

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I've only ever drove the start/stop thing in BMW(I'm a tech at one of BMW's certified body shops) so I've drove easily over a hundred of them over 1-2 miles with the feature and while it's no big problem when just at a light, it's when you want to punch it to get in the suicide lane or turn out into traffic when you really feel it. It's mildly hit and miss so it might just be on the 328s with the 4 cycliner turbo cause it's got turbo lag+that bullshit but it's definitely noticeable.

I can see that it should be kinda bad when you go for a u-turn with your BMW.
But keep in mind its quite certainly not tested for that situation since there are next to zilch allowed u-turn lanes in whole lotta germany.