# Eliminate The Auto-Stop "Feature" From Your Car



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Does your new car's engine cut off, whenever you sit for a minute at a stop light? My 2020 Subaru does that, and it's most annoying, not to mention that it will lead to premature starter failure and battery-life issues.

So I've just installed an Autostop Eliminator ($99.00, including tax and shipping) in my 2020 Subaru Forester.
The installation was pretty quickly accomplished, and would've been easier were I somewhat younger and less arthritic. I think that the entire job took about 3/4 of an hour, including a couple of rest-my-back breaks.

There are clear and comprehensive installation instructions on YouTube, and, once you've watched the show, you should have little trouble doing the job.
As a friend said, "If you can change your car's oil, you're overqualified."

And, miracle of rare devise, the thing works from the get-go. No fuss, no muss, no bother.

There are two Subaru versions: One for the trim-level which includes the automatic backing-up stop, and one for everything else. Make sure that you order the correct one.
There are also versions for almost every other make of car which has the silly autostop "feature."

I recommend it.


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

What an asinine feature that serves no useful purpose. Just more crap to go wrong.


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## Philco (Apr 17, 2012)

My 2020 Ford F-150 has an over ride button you can employ if you don't want to utilize the start-stop feature. Granted you do have to push it each time you start the vehicle but that's not too difficult to do.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Philco said:


> My 2020 Ford F-150 has an over ride button you can employ if you don't want to utilize the start-stop feature. Granted you do have to push it each time you start the vehicle but that's not too difficult to do.


Yeah. My Subaru has that also.
It's a PITA to remember to push the button, and a _Serious_ PITA when you forget.
And the 2021 Subarus don't have such a button. They require the driver to go through layers of touch screens, to turn off the unwanted "feature."


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Yeah. My Subaru has that also.
> It's a PITA to remember to push the button, and a _Serious_ PITA when you forget.
> And the 2021 Subarus don't have such a button. They require the driver to go through layers of touch screens, to turn off the unwanted "feature."


Once you get through the touchscreen menu to stop it, does it stop it just for that trip, or does it turn it off forever?
If it turned it off from that point on, I'd be fine with that trade-off.
If I had to do the menu dance to turn it off before every trip? Nope, they just lost a sale.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

My wife's 2020 Ford Escape Titanium has this "feature" and a week after we bought the car I ordered a start/stop eliminator from 4dtech. Works like a charm.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

Stuff like that is why I love my old trucks


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## desertman (Aug 29, 2013)

It's a shame that all of these climate change activists have had such an influence on our everyday lives. They're able to ram their agenda down our throats before we can do anything about it. It's one thing to have that as an option quite another than to force it on you. 

After 2035 California will stop the sale of gasoline powered cars and trucks within the state. How long will it be for other states to follow suit? If so how long will it be before gas stations will become obsolete and replaced with charging stations? Then what happens to the tens of millions of fossil fuel powered vehicles still on the road? People will then be forced to get rid of their perfectly good vehicles and replace them with electric vehicles. What if you can't afford to buy a new vehicle? Inquiring minds would like to know.

They're gonna' need more power plants to supply enough power for all of these electric vehicles. Not too mention all of the toxic chemicals used to make batteries and to properly dispose of them. As usual all of these idiots with their grand ideas end up doing more harm than good. As they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 

*Recycling Batteries and The Toxic Hazards of Battery Disposal*
www.azocleantech.com › article
Nov 06, 2008 · Toxic Heavy Metals Batteries are made from a number of different materials. These materials include acid, lead, nickel, lithium, cadmium, alkaline, mercury and nickel metal hydride. When batteries are not properly disposed of the casing can disintegrate and the toxic chemicals within can leach into the surrounding environment.



*(PDF) Hazardous chemical present in Batteries and their ...*
www.researchgate.net › publication › 274636169
Batteries are made from a variety of chemicals to power their reactions. Some of these chemicals, such as nickel and cadmium, are extremely toxic and can cause damage to humans and the environment. 
*Lithium-ion batteries found to produce toxic gases | E&T Magazine*
eandt.theiet.org › content › articles
Oct 24, 2016 · The batteries, which are found in billions of consumer devices like smartphones and tablets, were found to leak more than 100 toxic gases including carbon monoxide. The gases, which are potentially fatal, can cause strong irritation to the skin, eyes and nasal passages, and harm the wider environment. The researchers behind the study say many people may be unaware of the dangers of overheating, damaging or using a disreputable charger for their rechargeable devices. 

*Governor Newsom Announces California Will Phase Out Gasoline ...*
www.gov.ca.gov › 2020/09/23 › governor-newsom

Sep 23, 2020 · Following the order, the California Air Resources Board will develop regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035 – a target which would achieve more than a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent improvement in oxides of nitrogen emissions from cars statewide.


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## chip2 (Apr 8, 2015)

It's another one of those "save us from ourselves" features. Kind of like the brake interlock that makes it so you have to step on the brake before you can put the transmission in gear. It probably came about because some mom left her kid in the car while she ran into 7-11 and he put the car in gear and ran into the front window. There was already a cost-free, low-tech solution to that problem: turn the car off and take the keys, or else don't leave your kid in the car.

These kinds of "safety" and environmental add ons just serve to drive up the cost of a new car to the point that the average person can't afford one. Maybe that was the intention all along.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

I'd always heard that this was done for a single reason: Improving gas mileage.
When the vehicle is sitting still but running for any amount of time, it's burning gasoline.
This "feature" allowed one or two more MPG in testing, especially for vehicles like large pickup trucks.


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## tony pasley (May 6, 2006)

I want to see an electric pickup that can pull a trailer carrying 18 round rolls of hay any distance or a horse trailer with 4 horses on it


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

I turn the function off everytime on my 2020 Honda Pilot, push a button. It's annoying. 

I'd rather keep the engine oils flowing myself.

They say it won't wear down the starter or battery prematurely, in fact the starters are built different. 

But ,then again I don't always believe everything I read.


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## pic (Nov 14, 2009)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Does your new car's engine cut off, whenever you sit for a minute at a stop light? My 2020 Subaru does that, and it's most annoying, not to mention that it will lead to premature starter failure and battery-life issues.
> 
> So I've just installed an Autostop Eliminator ($99.00, including tax and shipping) in my 2020 Subaru Forester.
> The installation was pretty quickly accomplished, and would've been easier were I somewhat younger and less arthritic. I think that the entire job took about 3/4 of an hour, including a couple of rest-my-back breaks.
> ...


Congrats on the New Subaru. Very dependable vehicle.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

DJ Niner said:


> Once you get through the touchscreen menu to stop it, does it stop it just for that trip, or does it turn it off forever?
> If it turned it off from that point on, I'd be fine with that trade-off.
> If I had to do the menu dance to turn it off before every trip? Nope, they just lost a sale.


The driver has to turn this "feature" off separately, each and every time he or she starts the car.
It is a royal PITA.

Thus the $99.00 accessory. It remembers your preference, and re-sets the car to it for you.

I suggest that the Subaru Forester I bought came well enough recommended, and inexpensive enough, to make the expenditure of an extra $99.00 for the accessory device completely acceptable.




DJ Niner said:


> I'd always heard that this was done for a single reason: Improving gas mileage.
> When the vehicle is sitting still but running for any amount of time, it's burning gasoline.
> This "feature" allowed one or two more MPG in testing, especially for vehicles like large pickup trucks.


Yes, but as it has been mentioned, you save gasoline at the expense of prematurely wearing out the starter and battery.
There ain't no free lunch. Not nowhere.


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## otisroy (Jan 5, 2014)

In another decade I think we're going to look back on auto start/stop like they did with the OptiGrab in 'The Jerk'. It seemed like a good idea at the time.


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## nikrnic66 (Mar 16, 2021)

I call this stop start feature just more Reverse Technology. 

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk


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## LostinTexas (Oct 1, 2018)

Interesting. All the kids engines come with the ability to disable this "featrue" already installed. I guess Subaru found a way to get another C note out of you.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

LostinTexas said:


> ...I guess Subaru found a way to get another C note out of you.


The Auto-Start/Stop Eliminator does not come from Subaru.
It's a product of private enterprise.

Indeed, Subaru would prefer that you not use the Eliminator, since the Auto-Start/Stop feature is a necessity for their cars, to make them fit the US-government-mandated fuel use figures.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Note that in my just-previous post, I've erased my comment that the device isn't foolproof.
_It does work properly, all of the time._

I had set the car's switch improperly, so the device was working improperly.
I complained to the maker, whose Consumer Satisfaction representative answered with the information I needed, in order to set the car's switch to its proper assignment.
The device works correctly now.

While the fault was mine, it was a matter of ambiguity which could have been noted in the device's installation-and-operation directions.


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