Why Auto Start Stop Is Useless In Minnesota

We're currently in a polar vortex. It's the trendy phrase for what we've always had in Minnesota: bitter cold snaps. Most modern cars in the last decade or so have come with a feature called auto start-stop. This is when your car will shut off its engine when you're sitting in traffic or at a red light to save fuel consumption. There are a few reasons why car manufacturers are putting these in cars, and for the most part, it's not to make your driving experience better.

Why Manufacturers Install Auto Start-Stop On Vehicles

U.S. Federal regulations called the 'Corporate Average Fuel Economy' standard (CAFE) set minimum fuel efficiency for passenger and light-duty trucks. It goes by a corporation's average fuel economy, and its goal is to reduce emissions with stricter rules over time.

By using the auto-start feature, vehicles can improve fuel efficiency by 3%-10%. That's a significant portion when you look at the entire fleet of vehicles from a manufacturer.

Why It Won't Work For Months Out Of The Year In Minnesota

While vehicle makers have different auto start-stop features, they all have certain overrides built in. If the battery is charging, it won't shut off the engine. If the A/C is on high, it won't shut off the engine. And, if it's below freezing, it won't shut off the engine.

The temperature can be different with makes of cars, but generally cold weather is a no-no for auto start-stop. The reason is that the battery is already getting taxed enough with the cold weather, so the system protects the battery by allowing it to charge.

Not to mention, when its -20 the last thing I want once I get my engine to start is to turn it off again. No thanks!

Can You Permanently Disable It?

I'm still not convinced this technology is good for your vehicle. It puts more wear and tear on your starter, your battery, and sometimes your patience. To disable it, there's a button on your dash that looks like this:

To permanently disable it is more difficult. There are aftermarket products that you can purchase and plug into your vehicle.