ECO Light

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lvl112

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mine is too. '16. i'm tempted not to get it fixed. anybody see any long term issues with that?
 

Robuk

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NO issues, less wear on your starter motor and timing chain and your battery will last longer.

 

Waterndirt

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mine is too. '16. i'm tempted not to get it fixed. anybody see any long term issues with that?

My ECO battery has been dead for 4 years. No downside to my knowledge other than the Amber dash light. We live in an urban, hilly area and the use of the ECO feature is down right scary when turning onto a busy road, uphill with a blind corner. No thank you!

NO issues, less wear on your starter motor and timing chain and your battery will last longer.

The ECO start/stop system utilizes different technology than your "normal" starter. It's designed to take the constant abuse. Can't speak to long term effects on motor and other systems though.

The failure of the Power Control Module for the ECO system can trigger an ECO Amber dash warning as well. That happened to me on my 2014.
 

Robuk

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If the starter motor is now stronger consider how long it will last with stop/start disconnected. The starter motor is only a minor issue, think about the timing chain, most are now single row, the maximum loading on the chain is at startup (hot or cold) when the stationary engine has to overcome the moment of inertia, the average lifetime starts with this system active is considered to be around 600,000 as against 60,000. There is also oil pressure loss to the main bearings each time the engine has stopped, for me I play safe and disconnect this system on all my cars that have it.
 

Landroverman

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Be thankful that this hated system has peacefully gone to sleep. I had mine disabled by a mechanic some time ago and I love to see that little amber light on my dashboard.
 

zgpablo

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I must admit, mine does not bother me other than the anxiety of what it's wearing out the fastest. But it's only minor anxiety, Tums can take care of it.

I bought my 2014 2 years ago and the ECO never worked, and after reading all the chatter here I was ok with that. I replaced my main battery and it suddenly came to life. I can't say it comes on "all" the time, but it will stop the motor 20-30% of the time when I am stopped. So as I always did read that it's the aux battery that controls this, replacing the main battery last winter is what seemed to make the difference on mine.
 

Robuk

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The aux might control it, but the sensor on the starter battery lets the engine management unit know whether there is enough energy in the starter battery to start the car after it has been stopped. The whole system is flawed, you might save a marginal amount of fuel with stop/start but it also at least halves the life of the battery.
The other system in play is smart charging and that same battery sensor, this system will not allow the alternator to charge the battery beyond 75 to 80% under engine power, the rest has to come from regeneration (if there is any), you rarely get much of that on short journeys. With mainly short journeys you get a partially charged battery for long periods, this again shortens the life of the battery. If you want a fully charged battery even on short journeys just disconnect the sensor on the negative clamp of the starter battery. I did this on my Mercedes over 12 months ago, the battery on that car is original dated 0911, its still good. This is good info, it`s all on youtube, search disable smart charging. Think about leaving the car at airport for 2 or 3 weeks with a partially charged battery.

 

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