Mk7 Stop/Start System - Issues and Questions

[DV52]

Now the real question is does this have any long-term effects on the life of the parts. I guess we're really only going to find out the answer that one in 3-5 years.

Kesh's original question was about the fiscal benefits (if any) of blue motion and it's a good question. I reckon that a reasonable approach in answering this question is to ask why blue motion was put in the car in the first place. I may be wrong, but from what I have read about start-stop systems in general, I believe that the impetus for this facility was to meet Europe's environment regulations. This means I think that SS was never intended to "save money in the long run". Rather, the goal of stop start is to provide a low-cost solution for VW shareholders to comply with a particular Law which has the aim of benefiting the environment. Looked-at from this perspective, the question of whether SS saves money for the car owner (if this happens at all) was perhaps, a peripheral concern for the car's designers.

But IMO, an even more important issue than the one raised above is - having bought a car with SS installed, what's the best way to use bluemotion? For me, there can be only one correct answer; turn it off! Rather than thinking about the life of the constituent components of SS, a more pressing concern (IMO) is the how does SS affect the longevity of the car's occupants? I don't mind admitting that SS scares the sh*t out of me! Anyone who has experience the dread of having the car hesitate when completing a RH turn against oncoming traffic will know exactly what I mean. My suggestion (for what it's worth) is to do the VCDS tweak that you will find on VWW to permanently disable blue motion. Without wanting to be overly melodramatic, the worst outcome for any one who owns a car with SS is that their last regret is "I should have turned off SS"!