General Calling all start 'n' stop owners!

[bplanky500]

Also had this issue.

Booked the car into the dealership as under warranty, and after a diagnostic test, the fault resided in a sensor under the clutch.

Fixed, repaired and (hopefully) sorted!

 

[fiat500lass]

i have had new alternator belt, alternator, battery on charge at dealership for 48hrs all software updates and new battery replaced and still no joy. car is going back in next monday for more 'tests' i am getting seriously fed up with it now.

 

[twinairturbo]

i have had new alternator belt, alternator, battery on charge at dealership for 48hrs all software updates and new battery replaced and still no joy. car is going back in next monday for more 'tests' i am getting seriously fed up with it now.

Did you get this sorted? If not do you know if it was a smart charge alternator fitted? Or just a standard one?

 

[fiat500lass]

Did you get this sorted? If not do you know if it was a smart charge alternator fitted? Or just a standard one?

It went back and had another 72 hrs in the garage. in the end they changed the IBS sensor (intellagance battery sensor)but it took 10 days for it to kick in! they have had a few in with the same failure.

Cars been running ok for a few weeks now and stop start is working the way it should. Now my starter motor is playing up!!!

 

[fiat500lass]

Did you get this sorted? If not do you know if it was a smart charge alternator fitted? Or just a standard one?

Standard one i believe!

 

[twinairturbo]

I'm sure it should be a smart charge, I believe that fiat are using these now but are more expensive

 

[PsFiat]

I'm amazed and concerned at the issues people are having with stop /start and also the DL transmission.
I opted for a good old fashioned manual gear box, and if I did have s/s I'd somehow decommission it...I just don't think Fiat and electronics are such a great combination. The KISS principle really does apply to Fiat....

 

[306maxi]

I disagree, firstly it's designed by Bosch and secondly the failsafe is to operate exactly how it would if you were to decommission it..... Deactivating it makes little sense....

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

:yeahthat:

 

[bplanky500]

Hi. I had the same issue. It went in to the dealership and it was the sensors under the clutch and gearbox that needed replacing. Worked fine since (fingers crossed!!)

 

[jrkitching]

...it's designed by Bosch...

It's manufactured to a quality specification laid down by Fiat, installed in a Fiat factory & supported under warranty by Fiat's franchised dealer network.

The length of this thread would suggest the above has more to do with its reliability & fitness for purpose than who designed it.

 

[306maxi]

You've chopped out a bit of my post and shown it out of context though

 

[jrkitching]

You've chopped out a bit of my post and shown it out of context though

I was respoding to the first half of your post .

At first I was inclined to agree with you that

...the failsafe is to operate exactly how it would if you were to decommission it..... Deactivating it makes little sense....

because if it stops working outright the failsafe just leaves you with a non - S/S equipped car.

But then I thought about it some more & the partial failure mode where it initially stops but then cuts back in again after a few seconds is more annoying than you might think - for me, sitting at the lights with a stopped engine thinking "will it, won't it" would soon drive me nuts. This is a common failure mode with a weak battery & when I drove a friend's car with this fault I was cursing it before I got home .

And the (admittedly much less common) failure mode where it stops the engine but won't automatically restart is certainly one which would soon have you seriously swearing at the car, and the next three drivers behind in the queue swearing at you.

 

[bobbuck]

Hi , I have a 2011 Doblo 1.6 multijet , today the engine management light came on with the start/stop light . It is no longer start/stopping as also the light is on by the off switch . Is it safe to drive and could it be expensive . The car has only done 10,600 miles . I'm most gratefull for any replies and this is my first post so please excuse any errors !

 

[jrkitching]

Hi , I have a 2011 1.6 multijet , today the engine management light came on with the start/stop light . It is no longer start/stopping as also the light is on by the off switch . Is it safe to drive and could it be expensive . The car has only done 10,600 miles . I'm most gratefull for any replies and this is my first post so please excuse any errors !

I'm assuming you mean a 1.3Mjet; Fiat never put a 1.6l engine into the 500.

Edit: I see from your later post that you have a Doblo 1.6 Mjet.

The first thing I'm noticing is that you've only done 10,600 miles in 3 years - not good for a modern diesel & I'd guess the DPF has to be the first suspect.

 

[bobbuck]

I'm assuming you mean a 1.3Mjet; Fiat never put a 1.6l engine into the 500.

If so, the first thing I'm noticing is that you've only done 10,600 miles in 3 years - not good for a modern diesel car & I'd guess the DPF has to be the first suspect.

What is the DPF ?
Yes it is a 1.6 doblo multijet , I k ow nothing of modern cars
S

 

[UFI]

I do around 8K miles a year in my TDi and use DPF cleaner in every tank. The fuel savings roughly pay for the DPF cleaner and at least I know I'm keeping the DPF alive for as long as possible (PSA cars have an onboard tank to do this by default).

Generally, a DPF problem should illuminate the DPF light, so I'm not sure that's the issue, but a bottle of DPF cleaner if it's never had one can't hurt.

 

[jrkitching]

What is the DPF ?
Yes it is a 1.6 doblo multijet , I k ow nothing of modern cars
S

Aaah, it's a Doblo - this is the 500 section.

I've edited your first post to include this and have copied it as a new thread over to the Doblo section - you should get more of a response over there.

Further discussion regarding bobbuck's Doblo in the Doblo section, please.

 

[Piccolo Nero e Bella]

I've posted this elsewhere but I wanted to be sure I didn't miss anyone...

Thank you.

Took my TA over to the dealer today to investigate the S/S issue. Thanks to everything I've read in this forum I was prepared for the inevitable excuses and it probably helped that I sounded like I knew whereof I spoke.

I heard all the same excuses I imagine everyone is familiar with plus the additional one that I was stressing the battery by having the Blue&Me satnav, a DVR camera and a cig. lighter socket adaptor attached.

For the last few weeks I've also had a small digital voltmeter plugged in and I've been watching the behaviour of the electrical system. I know this isn't the most exact instrument but it was a lot easier than jury-rigging the Fluke DVM. In normal driving the gauge showed 14.0V but, when the S/S stopped the engine, this immediately dropped to 12.6V and then quickly continued to drop until it reached 12.1-12.2V when the engine would restart. This could take 10 seconds or it could take 1, depending on how far I'd driven. I contended that this indicated a weak battery unable to hold a sufficient charge.

Long story short, they relented and changed the battery - the drive home was a revelation! The S/S worked perfectly and the gauge showed that it sat on 12.6V after shutdown and only dropped to 12.5V after about 30 seconds.

By the way, my vehicle was built in Sep. 2012 and not purchased by me until Jul. 2013, indicating that it had, like others, been sitting around uncharged for an inordinate length of time, as suggested in several posts.

I'd like to thank everyone who's contributed to this question for helping me with a successful outcome.

Cheers

 

[jrkitching]

Nice summary. I'm glad you persevered and got this resolved under warranty.