A woman is seriously considering trading in a car she just purchased in 2022 as one of its features has started to get really old, really fast, she says. It’s already got her considering trading the vehicle in.
TikTok user Emily Broxton (@emilybroxton28) penned a viral TikTok that’s garnered over 24,000 views on how much she loathes a single button. She says folks who are familiar with its functionality will probably feel the same way.
“My car is a 2022 and I’m honestly thinking about trading it in because of this button,” she says, pointing up to an image of the button in question. It’s got an “A” emblazoned on it with a semi-circle and arrow surrounding it.
“If you know, you know, but honestly it makes me feel like I’m driving an old car, like it makes it feel clunky,” Broxton adds. “And I know I can’t be the only one that feels this…why did they think this was a good idea it’s not necessary like to be off the line…”
The “A” button in question she’s referring to is the auto start-stop feature which cuts a car’s engine off when it’s stopped and left idling for too long. Usually, drivers notice this feature the most when they’re stopped at a red light. They’ll be waiting to get back on their way and then their vehicle gets eerily quiet. When it’s time to get on the road again, the engine will turn back on, bringing back the familiar humming of an active engine propelling their car forward.
AutoWeek provided a detailed explanation of the auto start-stop button that’s present on various vehicle models, along with why they were invented in the first place. Car manufacturers that were pressured into designing models with lower emissions outputs came up with a solution: why does an engine need to be working when a car isn’t moving? Is there a way to cut it out for drivers who are often in stop-and-go traffic?
“As the name implies, automatic stop/start shuts off the engine instead of it idling at a stop and then rapidly restarts the engine when you want to drive away. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving, you’re reducing emissions and saving fuel by not idling for extended periods,” the AutoWeek article reads. “Automatic stop/start systems do present engineering challenges. The electric starter that was designed to fire your engine a few times a day now has to start the same engine every time the car comes to a full stop.”
From a driving experience, dealing with auto start-stop can lead to some clunky off-the-line encounters. Waiting for an engine to fire back up after a light turns green can add a second or two to each launch. If you’re stopping at 15 red lights on your way to work, 5 days a week for instance, and those same red lights on your way back home, or if you’re idling for too long while waiting to merge on the highway, this feature can lead to some frustrating commutes.
This is probably why so many commenters on Broxton’s video said that the first thing they do in their own vehicles is turn this feature off. In fact, one user on the app wrote, “I’ve literally worn the button away with how often I have to turn it off.”
“It’s in the sequence of things I do when starting up the car. Immediately turn that off. I hate that I can’t turn it off permanently,” another said.
One person offered an alternative solution to Broxton’s problem: an autostart-stop eliminator. “Just buy an auto start-stop eliminator. Plug it in and it keeps it on the last setting you had it on,” they said.
@emilybroxton28 #newcar #carbuyingtips #honda #hondaaccord #deinfluencing #carsales #carsalesman ♬ original sound – Emily Broxton
Several other users argued that this would be a cost-effective solution over shutting off the feature each time someone gets into their vehicle. Prices of these devices vary, but they can be had for as low as $13 on Amazon for particular model years of the Chevy Malibu and Equinox which are outfitted with this feature, but the online retailer sells others for different makes and models that appear to cost between $13-$30.
One user even opted to get rid of their car entirely, like Broxton is considering, due to the feature. “No traded my 21 Subaru because it was like riding a wooden rollercoaster every time I stopped,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Broxton via email for further information.
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