[drf30]

Just posting this to find out what other people think of AS/S...

When I first got my F30, I absolutely despised AS/S and even went as far to get BimmerCode to code it out on startup. But now as I've settled into the car more, it feels like the engineers really thought the feature out and it's starting to become more useful, especially in backed-up bumper to bumper traffic on my commute. I find myself turning it on sometimes when I see traffic ahead and it helps my fuel economy and peace of mind that im not wasting fuel idling in traffic.

What do you think about AS/S and do you think it comes in handy when needed?

[Billfitz]

I can see using it in bumper to bumper stop and go traffic, or when you have a stoplight every block. I don't have those conditions, so I never use it.

[Tommy D]

I never liked it in any of my vehicles and don't have it activated and or deactivate.
My thoughts with it on, you maybe you are saving a fraction of some fuel, but to me wear and tear on the starter and battery out weight it. Plus I don't like sitting in traffic with the engine off in the middle of traffic. Guess I am conditioned to hear and feel the engine idling.
Everyone is different.

[drf30]

Originally Posted by Tommy D

I never liked it in any of my vehicles and don't have it activated and or deactivate.
My thoughts with it on, you maybe you are saving a fraction of some fuel, but to me wear and tear on the starter and battery out weight it. Plus I don't like sitting in traffic with the engine off in the middle of traffic. Guess I am conditioned to hear and feel the engine idling.
Everyone is different.

Fair. Although you mentioned wear and tear on the starter and battery, is that really a possible effect? If so, then I'll probably stop using it as the benefits are outweighed by the cons, as you said.

[CopyRunStart]

Originally Posted by drf30

Fair. Although you mentioned wear and tear on the starter and battery, is that really a possible effect? If so, then I'll probably stop using it as the benefits are outweighed by the cons, as you said.

The starter motor is different from a traditional, non-start/stop starter. It's more robust and uses tweaked methods and systems to make starting more efficient. The engineers thought of wear to these systems when designing these features, so that's why you don't hear about massive problems in F30 starters and batteries.

I personally don't enjoy the feature so I just keep it off, but it's not because of any wear concerns, just more of a general driveability thing.

[freakystyly]

More robust parts plus it takes less effort to start a warm engine.

I noticed I use it at longer traffic lights and that's about it (I only have it coded on in ECO). I don't see the point if it's off less than 10 seconds. There's a certain criteria the car has to meet for it to actually work as well...

[drf30]

Thanks for the replies CopyRunStart and freakystyly.

I agree. I think it's a massive PITA when you're trying to get going from a stop, only to find out the car is taking a second to start once you take your foot off the brake. Massive bummer

And yeah, these cars are extremely smart to know when to and not to activate a certain component. Like if you have MAX AC on, the AS/S won't activate. Pretty cool if I do say so myself

[bimmer456]

Mine doesn’t have to be coded off it remembers last setting from the factory

[fe7565]

I like the idea...people used to turn off the car at longer waits (red light, bumper to bumper traffic) back in the days in Europe. But I turned off mine Auto Start/Stop from the first month I had my car, rightly or wrongly thinking...for this reason:

- starter motor/gears wear
- incomplete combustion leaves more deposits
- (and lately since I heard about this N20/26 problem) cannot be good for the timing chain the sudden yanking, if it happens to have a severe slack due to a weak tensioner

I may be completely wrong in these reasons, but rationale tells me that in ten years of owning my car, driving in the city for 1 hour a day on average, it probably would have started up my car (conservatively) 20 times in that one hour vs one time (without enabling the feature). That's 3652 days x 20 times/day= 73000 starts vs 3652 starts normally.

May be I am over-thinking it...and the German engineers are that good. I have not heard of any systemic issues with starter motors, etc...so maybe it's a worthy feature to have...

[eff32fl]

Even with potential starter wear aside, having to wait for your car to start while at a red light etc is no bueno imo

[Billfitz]

I keep seeing these complaints about waiting for the car to start. I've yet to experience it on those rare occasions when I inadvertently activate the ASS. But I don't treat every light turning green like I'm Don Garlits.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by Billfitz

I keep seeing these complaints about waiting for the car to start. I've yet to experience it on those rare occasions when I inadvertently activate the ASS. But I don't treat every light turning green like I'm Don Garlits.

Hilarious! In my area here by DC, if you do not step on the gas within 1/4 second after it turned green, they will honk at you. That's due to the recent "import" of "drivers" from places where the status quo is constant traffic chaos and horns.

Let me tell you, if you can drive in any Middle Eastern, North African, Southeast Asian city (NYC used to be like that too...is it still?)...then you can drive anywhere...

[Billfitz]

In NYC the time between when the light turns green and someone starts honking is measured in milliseconds. That's what happens when drivers have single digit IQ scores.

[paul e]

My switch “broke”….I cannot turn it on in any mode other than ECO, where it is on and cannot be turned off.
I don’t drive in ECO and so the system is off…I keep everything on the car up to snuff and working, with the exception of this switch.

[RobotDoctor]

I don't like the AS/S and mine is shut off. My F36 remembers the last settings when it is turned off so I don't have to shut off AS/S before I drive. I am probably going to code the feature to be off. My concern would be with regard to the spark plugs. Does the frequent stop/start affect the life of spark plugs? I am not sure on that but it makes sense.

[drf30]

Originally Posted by eff32fl

Even with potential starter wear aside, having to wait for your car to start while at a red light etc is no bueno imo

+1

[drf30]

Originally Posted by fe7565

Hilarious! In my area here by DC, if you do not step on the gas within 1/4 second after it turned green, they will honk at you. That's due to the recent "import" of "drivers" from places where the status quo is constant traffic chaos and horns.

Let me tell you, if you can drive in any Middle Eastern, North African, Southeast Asian city (NYC used to be like that too...is it still?)...then you can drive anywhere...

Haha… Atlanta, on the other hand… tell me about it. The light will turn green and it will still take people 5 seconds to start moving. It’s such a pain. Half the time people are on their phones it’s crazy 🙄

[drf30]

Originally Posted by RobotDoctor

I don't like the AS/S and mine is shut off. My F36 remembers the last settings when it is turned off so I don't have to shut off AS/S before I drive. I am probably going to code the feature to be off. My concern would be with regard to the spark plugs. Does the frequent stop/start affect the life of spark plugs? I am not sure on that but it makes sense.

Not sure how much of an effect it has on the spark plug life but the engine is technically stopped when you have the feature enabled, so the plugs won’t be firing. Whereas if you had kept the engine running, the plugs would be firing at idle speed. So theoretically, leaving it at idle would do more “damage,” so to say, to your plugs than the As/S would.

But I still prefer to let it idle and hear the drone of my MPE at lights. 😌

[RobotDoctor]

Originally Posted by drf30

Not sure how much of an effect it has on the spark plug life but the engine is technically stopped when you have the feature enabled, so the plugs won’t be firing. Whereas if you had kept the engine running, the plugs would be firing at idle speed. So theoretically, leaving it at idle would do more “damage,” so to say, to your plugs than the As/S would.

But I still prefer to let it idle and hear the drone of my MPE at lights. 😌

That's true. I really never thought of that in this perspective. Thanks for the point of view. That said, I still don't prefer AS/S.

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by drf30

Haha… Atlanta, on the other hand… tell me about it. The light will turn green and it will still take people 5 seconds to start moving. It’s such a pain. Half the time people are on their phones it’s crazy ��

You gotta be more patient...it's not easy to hold a phone by your ear with 4-inch painted curly nails...

[eff32fl]

Originally Posted by fe7565

You gotta be more patient...it's not easy to hold a phone by your ear with 4-inch painted curly nails...

4 inches? That's rookie numbers! We have some ratchet hoes in these here parts!

[fe7565]

Originally Posted by eff32fl

4 inches? That's rookie numbers! We have some ratchet hoes in these here parts!