Stop/Start ability to turn feature off

[Bojanglespa]

I am very close to purchasing a 2016 Buick Envision Premium I. I have test drove other competitor vehicles that had the Start/Stop Engine technology but they had a button that I could press after starting the vehicle to turn that feature off. I can't locate a button like that in the Envision I am testing and can't find it in Internet Searches. Is this feature on all of the time and not able to be shut off in the Envision???

 

[rfruth]

I hear the Envision little brother the Encore has a button to disable start/stop so the Envision must have one to ?

 

[SeminoleEnvision]

I am very close to purchasing a 2016 Buick Envision Premium I. I have test drove other competitor vehicles that had the Start/Stop Engine technology but they had a button that I could press after starting the vehicle to turn that feature off. I can't locate a button like that in the Envision I am testing and can't find it in Internet Searches. Is this feature on all of the time and not able to be shut off in the Envision???

We have owned our new Envision for about 4 weeks now and I have not searched for a way to deactivate the Auto Stop. So far it has not been annoying and is fairly unobtrusive; nothing like the terrible shaking of a 3 Series 4 cylinder BMW I test drove a few years ago. I did read in a few preliminary road tests by those who did an early review that you cannot defeat it. Would like to see a full tests by a real car magazine though.

 

[TxTom]

I have an Envision Premium II purchased 8/16/16. With the Texas heat, the Start/Stop does not activate all that often, since it protects the A/C operation needed to maintain cabin temperature that is set. There is no "button" to defeat it. However, it can be easily defeated if it activated while stopped by shifting the gear shift to "L" from "D" and then back to "D"...all while stopped. That keeps the Start/Stop from coming back on. Or by leaving it in "L" while stopped and shifting while underway. The system operates very well, with just a slight feel when it activates, like the A/C compressor feel in the "old" days. In this car there is no A/C compressor shudder. FYI, just completed a 2,150 mile road trip from Texas to Colorado and back, and it averaged 25.8 MPG driving 70-75 MPH Interstate speeds via OK and KS, plus the miles in the Rockies around Estes Park. Even at 12,000 feet, the 2.0 engine was excellent!. I uses 87 octane and no need for more. Not an issue with this car. The Adaptive Cruise Control is absolutely excellent!

 

[SeminoleEnvision]

I have an Envision Premium II purchased 8/16/16. With the Texas heat, the Start/Stop does not activate all that often, since it protects the A/C operation needed to maintain cabin temperature that is set. There is no "button" to defeat it. However, it can be easily defeated if it activated while stopped by shifting the gear shift to "L" from "D" and then back to "D"...all while stopped. That keeps the Start/Stop from coming back on. Or by leaving it in "L" while stopped and shifting while underway. The system operates very well, with just a slight feel when it activates, like the A/C compressor feel in the "old" days. In this car there is no A/C compressor shudder. FYI, just completed a 2,150 mile road trip from Texas to Colorado and back, and it averaged 25.8 MPG driving 70-75 MPH Interstate speeds via OK and KS, plus the miles in the Rockies around Estes Park. Even at 12,000 feet, the 2.0 engine was excellent!. I uses 87 octane and no need for more. Not an issue with this car. The Adaptive Cruise Control is absolutely excellent!

Your mileage is very encouraging since this was just one reason we wanted the Envision. Both of our previous Enclaves would only get 22.5 MPG driving between 72 and 75 MPH across Alligator Alley down here in Florida on cool January days. For those who have not driven this stretch of I-75 between Naples and Ft Lauderdale it is dead flat and perfectly straight. As a point of reference both these cars constantly read 16.3 MPG in mixed city/some expressway type driving; too soon to tell what the Envision will do yet.

 

[Bojanglespa]

also curious as to what fuel grade owners are using ....is premium required or just recommended...

Dealer confirmed there is no button to shot off the start/stop feature.

 

[rfruth]

I misspoke, there is NO disable button on the Encore (that I know of) must be a Buick / GM thing ?

 

[TxTom]

For over 3,000 miles (all types of driving situations) I've used only 87 octane in my Premium II 2.0 engine and see no performance (acceleration or gas mileage) reason to use anything higher. I would say premium (89-93) is absolutely not required.

 

[RBreeze]

I have an Envision Premium II purchased 8/16/16. With the Texas heat, the Start/Stop does not activate all that often, since it protects the A/C operation needed to maintain cabin temperature that is set. There is no "button" to defeat it. However, it can be easily defeated if it activated while stopped by shifting the gear shift to "L" from "D" and then back to "D"...all while stopped. That keeps the Start/Stop from coming back on. Or by leaving it in "L" while stopped and shifting while underway. The system operates very well, with just a slight feel when it activates, like the A/C compressor feel in the "old" days. In this car there is no A/C compressor shudder. FYI, just completed a 2,150 mile road trip from Texas to Colorado and back, and it averaged 25.8 MPG driving 70-75 MPH Interstate speeds via OK and KS, plus the miles in the Rockies around Estes Park. Even at 12,000 feet, the 2.0 engine was excellent!. I uses 87 octane and no need for more. Not an issue with this car. The Adaptive Cruise Control is absolutely excellent!

I've owned my '16 Envision Premium II for a little over 1 month now, and given the cooler (fall) temperatures up here now I am finding that auto engine Stop/Start activates VERY regularly, especially so in stop & go traffic. The moment the vehicle comes to a full stop the engine shuts down. At first I found the Stop/Start routine to be really aggravating, with my never having Auto Stop/Start in a vehicle before. I suppose now I'm getting used to it more.. although given the choice I would definitely disable the routine. For sure I don't appreciate Auto Stop happening in my own garage, while I'm trying to park the Envision in my preferred spot.

As TxTom mentioned.. moving the shifter to from "D" to "L" will prevent an imminent Auto Stop occurrence, but you must remember to carry this out before the vehicle comes to a full stop. And once you start moving again you have to remember to move the shifter out of "L" to "D" [OR shift manually]... otherwise the transmission will not auto-shift out of "1" up to a higher gear, and you'll over-rev the engine if you're not paying attention.
Also.. note that moving the shifter from "D" to "L" requires you to depress the shifter release button. I personally prefer moving the shifter from "D" to "N" to prevent an Auto Stop occurrence, which requires only a nudge of the shifter forward - there's no requirement to press the shifter release button to move the shifter "D" to "N" (or, of course, back to "D" again).
Bottom line.. while the vehicle is still rolling and coming to a full stop, moving the shifter from "D" to "N" and then back to "D" again will negate/cancel the upcoming Auto Stop occurrence. I'm getting in the habit of doing this now while negotiating stop & go city traffic.

/rb

 

[KSDeputy]

My 2014 Encore doesn't start/stop. Maybe the later model years do. If so I don't want one. I thought I wanted a chinese Envision, but if I can't turn off the start/stop business I won't buy one of those either.

 

[TxTom]

There is no "on/off" button for the Envision's Start/Stop function. Other than the override process described above.

 

[fordy zeloff]

I leased an Envision Jan 30 and am about to go crazy because of this auto stop & start. Had never even heard of an Envision before that day at the dealer but really liked the looks of it. I guess because of the icy cold day my wife and I took it for a short test drive, I did not even notice the car ever turn off on its own. I don't remember the salesman even mentioning this feature to us, and now I am disgusted with myself and the constant stopping and starting. There has got to be a way to make this less aggressive, a reprogram to give it as little as a 5 second delay before stopping would eliminate gobs of on and off. Anyone know how to get in touch with who could hear my complaint, and maybe has some influence to make a change? The car is fine otherwise FWIW I like this forum!

 

[TxTom]

Plz read Posts #4 and #9. Shifting from "D" to "L" will defeat this but must be done for each drive. Also, you can start out in "L" and then quickly change to gear "6" by pushing the button "up" on the left side for the shifter...it will then shift normally through the 6 gears...but also must be done for each drive.

This design is probably not one that can be changed by software change...and I don't think a dealer has a "button" type solution. Likely an EPA mileage driven thing...to get the gas mileage
that was "approved" for the Envision.

 

[fordy zeloff]

TxTom Thanks for your reply. I read through every post twice hoping I had missed something the first time. I took a drive yesterday and your solution does in fact defeat the auto stopping, but it also somewhat defeats the convenience of having an automatic transmission when you must shift out of drive and then back to drive at every stop. I am also concerned about the wear and tear on the shifter, but with the car being new, I am sure it has a lot of useful life in it. The wear and tear on the starter motor also makes me cringe. I am pleasantly surprised how fast the motor starts though, never had a car start up so fast, and am curious how they make that happen. I would love to know what the increase in gas mileage with auto stop feature really is? I'd also like to know why you don't believe a software change could be made to alter the auto stop feature, if you would, please? Thanks, Fordy

 

[TxTom]

Hi Fordy...I'm only guessing about the belief that a software change will not be allowable/capable. When Buick got EPA mileage approvable maybe it was based on how the start/stop is programmed/operates? Depending on how much stop and go traffic you encounter...I would think it helps the city EPA mileage maybe 1 MPG if that type of city driving is a lot?

Also...try the second process mentioned above...start out in "L" and then quickly change to gear "6" by pushing the button "up" on the left side for the shifter...it will then shift normally through the 6 gears...but must be done for each start/stop. You may like that option better?

Tom

 

[dale_z28]

It is my understanding that the starter isn't used during the start/stop cycles one encounters while driving the Envision. Ours does it, but it soon becomes "normal" and I don't mind it. As to the comments regarding octane, I started out our new-car ownership using regular 87 octane, then I read about higher octane being "recommended" for the turbo cars. After using both grades, I can say that performance does seem a bit better using high-octane fuel, but it's also nice having the choice - since it runs very well on 87.

 

[Frogg]

Has anyone tried installing towing wiring harness to disable auto stop/start?

 

[fordy zeloff]

Dale-z28 says ]It is my understanding that the starter isn't used during the start/stop cycles one encounters while driving . My question then is how is the engine getting restarted? I'm at a loss for any other way, but let me know. I am curious?

 

[NormT]

From the service manual:

"As soon as the driver prepares to move away (by releasing the brake pedal and/or depressing the accelerator pedal), the engine will start; it only takes the system around 0.3 s to start the engine.

To support the increased number of engine starts, the starter motor is upgraded with a high performance electric motor and a stronger pinion engagement mechanism with reduced noise levels.

Along with the upgraded starter motor, advanced battery technology is required to ensure the vehicles battery can handle the frequent charge and discharge cycles common with stop/start operation. There is battery sensor module connected to the battery which continually monitors the battery charge and healthy state. The engine control module (ECM) uses this information from the battery sensor module to determine if the battery charge and health is sufficient for an Stop/Start condition.

The Stop/Start system can reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 5% in mixed driving conditions. In an urban environment and in heavy traffic with frequent stops the savings may increase to as much as 10%. "

 

[Marc NY]

I read this in my wife's documentation that I thought might help some of our members with the Auto Stop/Start feature and why it might not work as one might expect it to.