Auto Start/Stop Option

Originally Posted by vern

+1000
cheers
vern

Originally Posted by SGScxxx

Do you know how the CAR put itself in neutral? Cos it seems a little unlikely.

Originally Posted by bradlexxxxx

I went through the same thing. He's not lying. The whole ordeal is very unsettling when it happens. It happened to me during a perfectly timed stop/start. I pulled up to a stop sign at a street in a private neighborhood. Being a responsible driver, I brought the car to a full stop. Because it was a private neighborhood, and I had clear visibility, I started to go almost immediately. I completely forgot about the stop/start, but it shut the engine down right as I was letting go of the brake, which kicked the start sequence in at the same moment. The car jerked a bit, and the engine stalled. Getting it started again involves a lot more steps than you'd think.

See above conversation from the thread in another BMW forum. Another person reporting in with ASS issues, another unexpected stall in a usually very predictable situation.

BJ

Liveblog update:

The L328i has been driven away, in the back now getting it's re-code started.

A little disappointed as the F30 I was promised as a loaner did not show up from the night before so I've been assigned a 2012 528i instead. I'd backed up all my Profile settings on a USB drive and was looking forward to transferring them over to the new car, maybe even getting a Sport+ model for comparison purposes.

Getting into the 528i now, will report my observations after the ride home.

BJ

*** JUST GOT THE OFFICIAL UPDATE FROM MY BMW DEALER ***

The update's done, very painless, once the dealer got the authorization from BMW it took less than an hour. Here's how it functions:

Remembers last state always.

If stop engine in Comfort mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If stop engine in Sport mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If swap mode from Comfort to Sport mode, ASS stays off.

If swap mode to Eco Pro mode, ASS turns on.

If stop engine in Eco Pro mode, ASS stays on on restart.

In a nutshell, behaves as you'd expect. So long as you turn ASS off once and never put the car in Eco Pro mode, it'll never bother you again.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

In a nutshell, behaves as you'd expect. So long as you turn ASS off once and never put the car in Eco Pro mode, it'll never bother you again.

BJ

Sounds good to me.

What is the number of the Service Bulletin on your invoice?

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

The update's done, very painless, once the dealer got the authorization from BMW it took less than an hour. Here's how it functions:

Remembers last state always.

If stop engine in Comfort mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If stop engine in Sport mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If swap mode from Comfort to Sport mode, ASS stays off.

If swap mode to Eco Pro mode, ASS turns on.

If stop engine in Eco Pro mode, ASS stays on on restart.

In a nutshell, behaves as you'd expect. So long as you turn ASS off once and never put the car in Eco Pro mode, it'll never bother you again.

BJ

That's the perfect scenario - and now you can stop fearing that you will get hit by a truck if your car doesn't re-start right.

Oh, and I un-blocked you cuz there is no avoiding you cuz of all the posts from you that people quote. And I'm getting the feeling that you are more of a jester than an annoying being here - so why should I miss out on the fun

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

The update's done, very painless, once the dealer got the authorization from BMW it took less than an hour. Here's how it functions:

Remembers last state always.

If stop engine in Comfort mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If stop engine in Sport mode, ASS stays off on restart.

If swap mode from Comfort to Sport mode, ASS stays off.

If swap mode to Eco Pro mode, ASS turns on.

If stop engine in Eco Pro mode, ASS stays on on restart.

In a nutshell, behaves as you'd expect. So long as you turn ASS off once and never put the car in Eco Pro mode, it'll never bother you again.

BJ

If you turn ASS on in Comfort of Sport mode and then shut off the car will ASS be on on restart?

CA

Originally Posted by captainaudio

If you turn ASS on in Comfort of Sport mode and then shut off the car will ASS be on on restart?

CA

Remembers last state always.

That's what "he" said.

Originally Posted by captainaudio

If you turn ASS on in Comfort of Sport mode and then shut off the car will ASS be on on restart?

CA

Yes, exactly.

The update does one simple thing: Remembers the last state that you had the ASS button in when you shut off the engine. The only things that can mess up an ASS-free lifestyle are:

1. Switching experience mode to Eco Pro.
2. Accidentally hitting the ASS On button.

BJ

This was left for me on my passenger seat.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

*** JUST GOT THE OFFICIAL UPDATE FROM MY BMW DEALER ***
So long as you turn ASS off once and never put the car in Eco Pro mode, it'll never bother you again.

BJ

That means if you do a lot of driving in the Eco Pro mode, this update will have absolutely no effect.

Apparently, BMW's logic is if you want to use the driving mode that will save you the most gas, your car will default to a system that can occasionally cause your car to stall in traffic. Of course, that could have been corrected if this update included the Eco Pro mode. But it didn't, so I guess I'll just have to continue pushing that button every time the car enters the Eco Pro mode. That's an aggravation, but not a major one.

The update I'm really hoping for is one where the ASS system will work smoothly without the possibility of stalling. Whether we ever will see it is doubtful at best.

I've had my F30 since end of Feb, never had a ASS malfunction.

If I start having them then I might get this update, otherwise I'm happy with it.

Originally Posted by sekitori

The update I'm really hoping for is one where the ASS system will work smoothly without the possibility of stalling. Whether we ever will see it is doubtful at best.

If you operate the ASS system correct, it will not stall. Some people just dont understand that computer cannot start and stop the engine at the same time.

Originally Posted by The X Men

If you operate the ASS system correct, it will not stall. Some people just dont understand that computer cannot start and stop the engine at the same time.

My stall was caused by the A/C forcing a restart. I didn't move or remove my foot from the brake at all.

ASS tried to restart the engine and stalled it without me doing anything. How is that operator error?

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Not sure where you live, but some of us live in big towns near huge cities . . .

Here also, replete with a commute into the big, scary city. Trivial.

Unlike some, I do not find this to be a terrifying task. Even wives can handle it, both trophy and non-trophy.

Big picture, there will be problems with the car industry's implementation of this system and they will lead to something tragic.

If a stall at a busy intersection led to routine, tragic accidents there would be few drivers that survived the first year of a manual transmission. Yet, people easily live through it. Without unnecessary drama. Go figure, they should all be dead. Dead! (note the added drama)

A stall as a result of ASS is no different, unless you make a stupid driving decision and pull out in front of another. At this point the fault is not with the car.

BMW needs to revise the system so it is robust, but we are not going to be losing colleagues until they do. Unless BMW drivers are far less clever than I expect.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Thanks Dad.

Not sure where you live, but some of us live in big towns near huge cities and the daily drive is not a slow-moving, relaxed experience. Everyone's in a huge rush, everyone's distracted, no one takes pleasure in driving, everyone's speeding, that's life in the big city. I got my F30 fully aware of ASS and it's upside/downside. I've been living with it for a week now and it's simply not safe for the environment I'm in. So tomorrow morning I'll be the first one getting the code tweak at my local BMW dealership and I won't have the problem anymore. As it stands now, I can't let my wife drive the new car. Tomorrow solves that.

Big picture, there will be problems with the car industry's implementation of this system and they will lead to something tragic. That's not drama; that's just an unfortunate fact. No matter what the car or who the driver, no one expects an engine to stop working as a 'feature', no one has dealt with the potential for a stall for over a decade, and no one is prepared to deal with the steps involved in a re-start if they're under the pressure of cars bearing down on them.

BJ

Nicely written as usual, but also complete with your trademark obfuscation of reality. What "facts" -- not hearsay or your opinion -- can you point to that prove your assertion that ASS will inevitably lead to tragedy?

You'd do well as a flamethrower in a political campaign. I'm guessing red-meat Republican, based on the fact that your spouse makes "mid-six figures" and sends you to the A&P. Catharsis comes more easily online, don't it?

Originally Posted by Yobyot

Nicely written as usual, but also complete with your trademark obfuscation of reality. What "facts" -- not hearsay or your opinion -- can you point to that prove your assertion that ASS will inevitably lead to tragedy?

You'd do well as a flamethrower in a political campaign. I'm guessing red-meat Republican, based on the fact that your spouse makes "mid-six figures" and sends you to the A&P. Catharsis comes more easily online, don't it?

The only way to settle this like men is to race for it.

When your F30 arrives we go. You turn on ASS, I keep it off, dead stop, 30 seconds of waiting, stomp on the gas, see who gets across the intersection first and in one piece.

BJ

Originally Posted by Elk

If a stall at a busy intersection led to routine, tragic accidents there would be few drivers that survived the first year of a manual transmission. Yet, people easily live through it. Without unnecessary drama. Go figure, they should all be dead. Dead! (note the added drama)

A stall as a result of ASS is no different, unless you make a stupid driving decision and pull out in front of another. At this point the fault is not with the car.

I'm talking about a world 3 years from now where 30% of all cars on the road are automatics with ASS. Those inexperienced non-enthusiasts are going to get into a lot of trouble and some accidents due to engine hesitation and the resulting driver insecurity.

You mention drivers with manual transmissions and their stalling. Anyone driving a manual is an enthusiast of sorts, not your typical Mrs. Camry out to get her hair done. It's her I'm worried about because she's the one who I'm going to t-bone unnecessarily.

BJ

Originally Posted by FrogmanF30

My stall was caused by the A/C forcing a restart. I didn't move or remove my foot from the brake at all.

ASS tried to restart the engine and stalled it without me doing anything. How is that operator error?

This whole conversation makes me laugh on so many different levels:

Enthusiasts who should be anti-ASS are in here defending it even though it hurts performance, especially the oh-so-important 0-60 launches.

Tree Huggers who are pro-ASS are driving $50,000 polluting German luxury cars instead of a Prius or a bicycle.

Non-F30 owners are in here arguing because they drive old cars and don't like the new kid on the block.

All of this because of a button. LOL.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

ASS is unsafe in specific situations where a) you need to cross traffic very quickly and b) an inexperienced driver suddenly realizes the engine is off. That delay can cause a miss to tight timing and an accident.

I had another ASS incident at low speed that was concerning. Forgot to hit the ASS 'off' button, drove to a local fast food drive-thru. While waiting my turn, the engine shut itself off. I muttered "damn" and hit the ASS off button which caused the engine to start and the transmission to move from D to P making the car lurch sharply.

I have experienced the ASS mess first-hand, so please don't tell me what I should or shouldn't define as "safe". I can't let my wife drive the car until ASS is defaulted to off.

BJ

I think it is well documented that ASS responds with a vengence to certain BMW owners it wants to make look like ...holes.

Originally Posted by tsoc88

I think it is well documented that ASS responds with a vengence to certain BMW owners it wants to make look like ...holes.

Must be a lot of us then because BMW just made an unprecedented reversal on it's ASS policy.

I treated my ASS very nicely, gave it every chance to make me happy. But in the end, ASS was ass, had my first stall in 25 years and at a drivethru window no less, causing me embarrassment at what should be my moment of glory.

BJ

Originally Posted by sekitori

That means if you do a lot of driving in the Eco Pro mode, this update will have absolutely no effect.

Apparently, BMW's logic is if you want to use the driving mode that will save you the most gas, your car will default to a system that can occasionally cause your car to stall in traffic. Of course, that could have been corrected if this update included the Eco Pro mode. But it didn't, so I guess I'll just have to continue pushing that button every time the car enters the Eco Pro mode. That's an aggravation, but not a major one.

The update I'm really hoping for is one where the ASS system will work smoothly without the possibility of stalling. Whether we ever will see it is doubtful at best.

Yep, i do a lot of driving in eco pro. wish the ****ing thing would just disable when i press it till i turn it back on

Originally Posted by FrogmanF30

My stall was caused by the A/C forcing a restart. I didn't move or remove my foot from the brake at all.

ASS tried to restart the engine and stalled it without me doing anything. How is that operator error?

If your car stalls on start up, you have other problems. Your ASS system is not work properly, you might want to fix the problem instead of disabling it..

The slow startup with ASS engaged is only present in cars with the Status Package. This was intentionally designed into the car so that the Camry driver in the car behind you at a traffic light or stop sighn would have a sufficient time to be in awe of the Roundel on the car ahead of him and be jealous of the obviouly fabulously wealthy person driving it.

Originally Posted by The X Men

If your car stalls on start up, you have other problems. Your ASS system is not work properly, you might want to fix the problem instead of disabling it..

I intend to have it looked at when I take it in for service. I believe the stall is recorded in the ECU (or somewhere), but I'm not confident that the service department can do anything about the rough stop/start or root-cause the stall.

The first and only stall I had didn't occur until after about 2500 miles and at least 50-60 successful stop/start cycles. It's not like it stalls every time or on-demand.

Originally Posted by UnderSteer

The slow startup with ASS engaged is only present in cars with the Status Package. This was intentionally designed into the car so that the Camry driver in the car behind you at a traffic light or stop sighn would have a sufficient time to be in awe of the Roundel on the car ahead of him and be jealous of the obviouly fabulously wealthy person driving it.

Damn it. Now I have to press the button every time I want my ASS to get turned on.

I can't win.

BJ