Auto Stop/Start function....please explain!

proflex957 · 04-27-2015, 01:28 PM

I've been driving a 2004 manual ZHP for 11 years and just bought a 2015 m235i 8sp so forgive me of the confusion/hatred for the stop/start function.

So I asked the girl that goes over the features of my car on how to turn off stop/start functionality after not liking it on a loaner car I drove a couple years ago. She said just press the button above the engine stop/start button. I could see on the feature on the display show a line thru it. Oh that doesn't seem to difficult....on to the next car feature.

We leave the car.

Then I get in my car to leave the dealership and get to a red light and the engine cuts out. I press the button she showed me and see the line thru the feature on the dash...it's turned off. Then I get another red light and it shuts off again.....why!!!!

Then I get to a parking lot, press the P button, and press the engine stop/start button. Engine is off and stereo is still going. And I'm going thru some of GPS settings. At this point I don't know if my foot is still on the brake or not. But the car starts......why!!!!

Thank god the car was in park.

This stop/start is a dangerous feature IMO. I'll probably go to the dealer and get it disabled. Unless I get clear explanations on what the heck is happening.

BarryJI · 04-27-2015, 01:31 PM

What driving mode were you in?

Liquidpaper · 04-27-2015, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryJI

What driving mode were you in?

Couple of things. First, the best way to determine if the feature is OFF is if the light above the start/stop button is on. If it's lit up, the Auto on/off is disabled.

Second, just so you know, driving the car in sport (with engine/drivetrain turned into sport) or Sport + automatically disables auto on/off. Also, driving in ECO automatically enables auto on/off.

Lastly, the car turned back on because it ran out of battery. If you have the radio, AC on when the car is auto "off", before it runs out of juice it will kick the engine back on to charge the battery.

Hope this helps. FWIW I just keep it auto on/off turned off all the time.

proflex957 · 04-27-2015, 01:55 PM

Thanks for replies so far.

When the girl was going over the car I told her I wanted the car in Sport mode. I think the car engine was off when she was going over the car....not sure though. After she went over everything I left the car for about 30 min. before leaving the lot. When I left the lot it was raining hard...never rains in San Diego...go figure. I just wanted to get the car home without getting it into an accident. So I didn't check if the car stayed in Sport mode when I left the dealership. But even if it wasn't, why after pressing button to disable it did it still cut off the engine at the following red lights.

Regarding my second issue. My car was on the showroom floor and maybe, as you stated, the car started because the battery was low. I did notice the cars in the showroom floor had jumper cables under the front bumpers.

Now I just need clarification why the disabling stop/start didn't seem to work. I'm back driving my ZHP now.

Cyberdemon · 04-27-2015, 02:02 PM

I think you are confusing 2 things.

When you look on the dash and see "Auto start stop" with a line through it - that does NOT mean the ASS is disabled. That means the car has CHOSEN on it's own power not to activate it. This is either due to a condition like aggressive braking, low battery power, AC or heat needing to stay on, etc.

When you see the button above the start stop button, press it. The orange LED will light. This orange LED being ON means ASS is DISABLED permanently not just temporarily. The engine will not shut off.

The EXCEPTION to this is if you put your car in Eco Pro. Putting the car in Eco Pro automatically re-enables ASS. If you accidentally hit Eco pro while scrolling through the modes even for a second you will need to hit the button again to turn it off.

As long as you see that orange LED lit you should be fine.

proflex957 · 04-27-2015, 02:57 PM

Thanks Cyberdeamon.

"When you look on the dash and see "Auto start stop" with a line through it - that does NOT mean the ASS is disabled. That means the car has CHOSEN on it's own power not to activate it. This is either due to a condition like aggressive braking, low battery power, ...."

I assumed when she pressed the button and I saw the line thru 'Auto start stop' that it was being disabled. Seems the line thru it was was probably because a low battery. I'll have to check the light the next time.

I better leave work early and do some driving so the battery gets charged.

Thanks for the info.

jonney2069 · 04-15-2019, 06:52 PM

Hey all, this feature has been annoying me lately as well. Your comments confirm my suspicions but I still can't figure out why the car chooses to disable ASS every time I stop. In the months I've owned it, it's not automatically turned off once (with the system activated). Is there anyway to verify what specific reason it's choosing not to turn off?

overcoil · 04-15-2019, 07:11 PM

I don't think the dealer will disable the START/STOP feature - it's probably related to emission and mpg and can't be disturbed by the dealer.

On my 235 the tachometer needle has two OFF settings, When the cars START/STOP feature is engaged the tach needle drops to 'READY' when the car ignition is turned off the tach needle drops to 'OFF'.

I do occasionally use ECOPRO Mode and STOP/START and my fuel consumption takes a significant drop.

Multi21_Seb · 04-16-2019, 01:37 PM

I drive a 6MT, so car turns back on once you push the clutch in again.

I assume the car starts again once you let go of the brake? Atleast from my experience from other cars with similar feature... Or do you have to manually press the start button?

DaleHeinz · 04-16-2019, 05:58 PM

I was a little confused about this function when I took delivery of my car as well, but have since just kept ASS off at all times.

Any way to just code out/disable this function altogether? Every once in a while it seems to get turned back on. Maybe I'm just fat fingering the starter button occasionally.

hwntime · 04-16-2019, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleHeinz

I was a little confused about this function when I took delivery of my car as well, but have since just kept ASS off at all times.

Any way to just code out/disable this function altogether? Every once in a while it seems to get turned back on. Maybe I'm just fat fingering the starter button occasionally.

Bimmercode. You can code it to no ASS while in ECO too.

harma24 · 04-16-2019, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonney2069

Hey all, this feature has been annoying me lately as well. Your comments confirm my suspicions but I still can't figure out why the car chooses to disable ASS every time I stop. In the months I've owned it, it's not automatically turned off once (with the system activated). Is there anyway to verify what specific reason it's choosing not to turn off?

Read up on what modes you can be in to allow auto stop to figure out what you're doing to keep it from shutting off. A few hints:
- You must be in "D", not "S" or "M".
- Make sure the "A Off" button is not on (the LED indicator light indicates that "A Off" is enabled, the indicator light needs to be off for the auto stop system to work).

keylime503 · 04-17-2019, 12:52 PM

I drive in Sport when I'm by myself and Comfort when having passengers. Despite driving in Comfort a good amount of the time I don't think I've had the ASS turn the engine off for me a single time in the 18 months I've had the car. When I picked it up in Europe the first thing I did was press the ASS OFF button above the Start/Stop button. To do this day I have not touched it.

Hpirx · 04-17-2019, 01:49 PM

Bimmercode is a good investment in reliably customizing these complex creatures, to the next deeper level.
I coded off the ASS function, the fake exhaust noises and made some lighting preferences, all fairly easily. I did not diddle with every last option available through the Bimmercode app, as it can get over obsessive. But for those few things, totally worth it.

Sportstick · 04-17-2019, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keylime503

I drive in Sport when I'm by myself and Comfort when having passengers. Despite driving in Comfort a good amount of the time I don't think I've had the ASS turn the engine off for me a single time in the 18 months I've had the car. When I picked it up in Europe the first thing I did was press the ASS OFF button above the Start/Stop button. To do this day I have not touched it.

Same experience here with my 2015MY. Turned ASS off, and as long as I don't use ECO, it stays off restart after restart.

Rocky58 · 04-17-2019, 10:27 PM

I just laugh my ASS off.

DaleHeinz · 04-19-2019, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hwntime

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleHeinz

I was a little confused about this function when I took delivery of my car as well, but have since just kept ASS off at all times.

Any way to just code out/disable this function altogether? Every once in a while it seems to get turned back on. Maybe I'm just fat fingering the starter button occasionally.

Bimmercode. You can code it to no ASS while in ECO too.

Thanks!

nikijack · 04-19-2019, 09:15 AM

Hi: In the Great White North, below a certain temperature outside, the engine stays on.
Jack

jonney2069 · 05-01-2019, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by harma24

Read up on what modes you can be in to allow auto stop to figure out what you're doing to keep it from shutting off. A few hints:
- You must be in "D", not "S" or "M".
- Make sure the "A Off" button is not on (the LED indicator light indicates that "A Off" is enabled, the indicator light needs to be off for the auto stop system to work).

I drive a MT and the LED indicator has been off this entire time. I tried stopping with the clutch both depressed and not without luck as well.

I thought it might have been the cooler temperatures outside the last couple of months but even at 70 today it still didn't shut off. I'm hoping something isn't actually wrong with the system.

EstorilM240 · 05-02-2019, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonney2069

I drive a MT and the LED indicator has been off this entire time. I tried stopping with the clutch both depressed and not without luck as well.

I thought it might have been the cooler temperatures outside the last couple of months but even at 70 today it still didn't shut off. I'm hoping something isn't actually wrong with the system.

Just as a sanity check, you have to be in neutral with the clutch released for the start-stop to work on MT (it won't do it in gear). If you look at the shift indicator is in the speedometer area, it will tell you >N when the engine is warmed-up enough to indeed start-stop. If you don't get the >N indicator or you get an auto-start-stop "temporarily disabled" indicator it means the conditions aren't right. If you get that >N indicator but it still isn't working, it's possible that the gear detection isn't working - do you have auto-rev match downshifts, and do they work too?

If you're in eco pro mode, it will also have a more obvious blue gear stick indicator. I notice under 50-60 degree conditions it usually takes about 3 minutes of driving until it will auto stop.

Aspen235 · 05-02-2019, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonney2069

I drive a MT and the LED indicator has been off this entire time. I tried stopping with the clutch both depressed and not without luck as well.

I thought it might have been the cooler temperatures outside the last couple of months but even at 70 today it still didn't shut off. I'm hoping something isn't actually wrong with the system.

You have to be stopped, in neutral and clutch out, not in sport or sport+. The battery has to be well charged. Car has to be warm with not too many electric things on. There could be a problem or it has been disabled by coding.

jonney2069 · 05-02-2019, 10:03 PM

Thank you for the information! The car does not rev match like I've seen in other 2 series before (or its not working). I have seen the blue shifter in eco mode but never knew what it was indicating.

This might be too technical of a request, but is there anyway to see if it was coded off or see what condition isn't being met through ODBC?

04-27-2015, 01:28 PM	#1
proflex957 Private 29 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 330ci ZHP, M235 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Auto Stop/Start function....please explain! I've been driving a 2004 manual ZHP for 11 years and just bought a 2015 m235i 8sp so forgive me of the confusion/hatred for the stop/start function. So I asked the girl that goes over the features of my car on how to turn off stop/start functionality after not liking it on a loaner car I drove a couple years ago. She said just press the button above the engine stop/start button. I could see on the feature on the display show a line thru it. Oh that doesn't seem to difficult....on to the next car feature. We leave the car. Then I get in my car to leave the dealership and get to a red light and the engine cuts out. I press the button she showed me and see the line thru the feature on the dash...it's turned off. Then I get another red light and it shuts off again.....why!!!! Then I get to a parking lot, press the P button, and press the engine stop/start button. Engine is off and stereo is still going. And I'm going thru some of GPS settings. At this point I don't know if my foot is still on the brake or not. But the car starts......why!!!! Thank god the car was in park. This stop/start is a dangerous feature IMO. I'll probably go to the dealer and get it disabled. Unless I get clear explanations on what the heck is happening.
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04-27-2015, 01:31 PM	#2
BarryJI Captain 424 Rep 980 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: United States iTrader: (0)	What driving mode were you in?
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04-27-2015, 01:55 PM	#4
proflex957 Private 29 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 330ci ZHP, M235 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Thanks for replies so far. When the girl was going over the car I told her I wanted the car in Sport mode. I think the car engine was off when she was going over the car....not sure though. After she went over everything I left the car for about 30 min. before leaving the lot. When I left the lot it was raining hard...never rains in San Diego...go figure. I just wanted to get the car home without getting it into an accident. So I didn't check if the car stayed in Sport mode when I left the dealership. But even if it wasn't, why after pressing button to disable it did it still cut off the engine at the following red lights. Regarding my second issue. My car was on the showroom floor and maybe, as you stated, the car started because the battery was low. I did notice the cars in the showroom floor had jumper cables under the front bumpers. Now I just need clarification why the disabling stop/start didn't seem to work. I'm back driving my ZHP now.
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04-27-2015, 02:02 PM	#5
Cyberdemon Brigadier General 1538 Rep 3,331 Posts Drives: 2020 X5 40i, 2018 M3 Comp Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Long Island NY iTrader: (3)	I think you are confusing 2 things. When you look on the dash and see "Auto start stop" with a line through it - that does NOT mean the ASS is disabled. That means the car has CHOSEN on it's own power not to activate it. This is either due to a condition like aggressive braking, low battery power, AC or heat needing to stay on, etc. When you see the button above the start stop button, press it. The orange LED will light. This orange LED being ON means ASS is DISABLED permanently not just temporarily. The engine will not shut off. The EXCEPTION to this is if you put your car in Eco Pro. Putting the car in Eco Pro automatically re-enables ASS. If you accidentally hit Eco pro while scrolling through the modes even for a second you will need to hit the button again to turn it off. As long as you see that orange LED lit you should be fine. __________________ Current: '20 X5, '18 M3 ZCP Previous: '11 E90 335i, '11 E90 M3, '16 VW GTI, '15 M235i, '13 335i, '08 TL-S, '00 Corvette
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04-27-2015, 02:57 PM	#6
proflex957 Private 29 Rep 77 Posts Drives: 330ci ZHP, M235 Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Thanks Cyberdeamon. "When you look on the dash and see "Auto start stop" with a line through it - that does NOT mean the ASS is disabled. That means the car has CHOSEN on it's own power not to activate it. This is either due to a condition like aggressive braking, low battery power, ...." I assumed when she pressed the button and I saw the line thru 'Auto start stop' that it was being disabled. Seems the line thru it was was probably because a low battery. I'll have to check the light the next time. I better leave work early and do some driving so the battery gets charged. Thanks for the info.
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04-15-2019, 06:52 PM	#7
jonney2069 New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: BMW M235i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: New York iTrader: (0)	Hey all, this feature has been annoying me lately as well. Your comments confirm my suspicions but I still can't figure out why the car chooses to disable ASS every time I stop. In the months I've owned it, it's not automatically turned off once (with the system activated). Is there anyway to verify what specific reason it's choosing not to turn off?
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04-15-2019, 07:11 PM	#8
overcoil Major General 3074 Rep 5,577 Posts Drives: M235i 6spd Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Mid-Atlantic iTrader: (0)	I don't think the dealer will disable the START/STOP feature - it's probably related to emission and mpg and can't be disturbed by the dealer. On my 235 the tachometer needle has two OFF settings, When the cars START/STOP feature is engaged the tach needle drops to 'READY' when the car ignition is turned off the tach needle drops to 'OFF'. I do occasionally use ECOPRO Mode and STOP/START and my fuel consumption takes a significant drop.
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04-16-2019, 01:37 PM	#9
Multi21_Seb New Member 16 Rep 18 Posts Drives: BMW M235i Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Santa Barbara, CA iTrader: (0)	I drive a 6MT, so car turns back on once you push the clutch in again. I assume the car starts again once you let go of the brake? Atleast from my experience from other cars with similar feature... Or do you have to manually press the start button?
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04-16-2019, 05:58 PM	#10
DaleHeinz First Lieutenant 221 Rep 314 Posts Drives: M240Xi Estoril Blue Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Washington DC area iTrader: (1)	I was a little confused about this function when I took delivery of my car as well, but have since just kept ASS off at all times. Any way to just code out/disable this function altogether? Every once in a while it seems to get turned back on. Maybe I'm just fat fingering the starter button occasionally.
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04-17-2019, 12:52 PM	#13
keylime503 Major 630 Rep 1,227 Posts Drives: M2C 6MT, Audi A4 Avant Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (0)	I drive in Sport when I'm by myself and Comfort when having passengers. Despite driving in Comfort a good amount of the time I don't think I've had the ASS turn the engine off for me a single time in the 18 months I've had the car. When I picked it up in Europe the first thing I did was press the ASS OFF button above the Start/Stop button. To do this day I have not touched it. __________________ 2017 M240i European Delivery Trip Report
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04-17-2019, 01:49 PM	#14
Hpirx First Lieutenant 255 Rep 326 Posts Drives: 2022 M240 xDrive, BGM Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Long Island iTrader: (0)	Bimmercode is a good investment in reliably customizing these complex creatures, to the next deeper level. I coded off the ASS function, the fake exhaust noises and made some lighting preferences, all fairly easily. I did not diddle with every last option available through the Bimmercode app, as it can get over obsessive. But for those few things, totally worth it. __________________ Retired: '08 335xi E90. "Long may you run." Retired: '19 M240xi "You also"
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04-17-2019, 10:27 PM	#16
Rocky58 Second Lieutenant 123 Rep 203 Posts Drives: m240xi Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: UT iTrader: (0)	I just laugh my ASS off.
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04-19-2019, 09:15 AM	#18
nikijack Second Lieutenant 37 Rep 246 Posts Drives: 2016 M235i, Grey, manual Join Date: May 2010 Location: Markdale, On, Canada iTrader: (0)	Hi: In the Great White North, below a certain temperature outside, the engine stays on. Jack
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05-02-2019, 10:03 PM	#22
jonney2069 New Member 0 Rep 5 Posts Drives: BMW M235i Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: New York iTrader: (0)	Thank you for the information! The car does not rev match like I've seen in other 2 series before (or its not working). I have seen the blue shifter in eco mode but never knew what it was indicating. This might be too technical of a request, but is there anyway to see if it was coded off or see what condition isn't being met through ODBC?
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