Mito QV Start/ Stop feature

[AlfaQueen]

Can anyone help me with this one!
I bought myself a brand new 2011 Mito QV 6sp manual a couple of days ago. I enabled the start/stop feature to see how it works. It seems to only work when it wants to and other times it doesn't work. Sometimes it shows start/stop unavailable. I stand still with gear in N and foot on brake... I'm getting confused and It can be quite frustrating when im at a red light. If i don't look at the signal to show if its working or not. When it decides to work again without checking the signal, I have cars beeping and I stall  ... I'm hoping its not a mechanical issue cause I will be pretty mad . Has anyone else heard of this? the manual doesn't mention much about this feature. hope someone know what Im talking about.

[colcol]

Hello AlfaQueen, can you disable the feature, seeing you enabled it, if it is a hot day and you have the aircon on, you will need the compressor running, so the engine will keep running, if you are in traffic and the radiator fan is running, then the engine will keep running, so that the electrical drain doesn't run down the battery, thats why it only works under some conditions, i would hate one of these stop start gimmick things, like how much fuel can you save at the lights, i would always worry about it not starting and getting rear ended by the car behind, Colin.

[aggie57]

Have you asked the dealer about it?

[AlfaKing]

Contacted McCarroll's about this but the salesguy couldn't give us a good answer (ofcourse) but the basics how the system works. Will call them again tomorrow and ask for 1 of the service people to give us some more info on this . Untill then we disabled the feature, just too dangerous. Can't have anyone back ending the Bella coz of this.

[AlfaQueen]

Hi aggie,

Tomorrow i will be seeing the dealer about the start/stop feature.. I honestly find this a waste of time tbh, and like Colin says, how much petrol can you save at a red light...

[colcol]

An engineer from a car company that makes 4 and V-6 engines for Alfa 159's told me that modern engines use about 1 litre of fuel per hour idling at the lights, like how expensive is petrol?, Colin.

[colcol]

At the ZAGAME current model workshop night, they said there is a button on the dashboard that will turn the stop start feature off, but every time you start the car, it switches on again, there is a sensor on the battery and when the volts drop too low or you have a weak battery the motor switches on again, and if its a hot day and the aircon is flat out, when the pressure drops in the compressor the motor switches on again, some days it might not switch off at all, just depends on the conditions, Colin.

[vormamim]

I have one, had it for a year, done 40,000 in it. Start Stop is great when you get used to it. Mines an auto, but you get a feel for it. It is sensitive to angle, so it will not cut out on a hill. It also does know how hot the engine/car is, so it will do different things in the summer v the winter - in my experience.

I tend to flick it into manual in traffic at times, if I want to be sure to pull off and wake it up as it will roll back a foot or so as the clutch engages. Now I have had an issue with the box. It turned out that the shifter was stubborn when I parked it on a hill. It was (of all things) a handbrake adjustment required. (this is waht the dealer said, so I take it will a piece of salt).

If you are driving mixed traffic with it off, I get about 8.5 in Dynamic. About 7.5 with it working. In N mode and driving carefully it will do 6.8. But I tend just to boot it, else why buy it right?

Hope you get it sorted ... it's weird as hell for a while, but as I say, after 40,000ks (and recently driving a Merc Blue Efficiency for a while) my brains put the them on the 'good to have' in a car list.

[vormamim]

Besides the start up sounds good and freaks people out dozing in the traffic jam next to you.