A prominent mechanic and YouTube personality has issued a stark warning to millions of UK motorists whose vehicles are fitted with automatic stop-start technology.
The Secret Dashboard Button You Should Press
Content creator and experienced mechanic Scotty Kilmer has advised all petrol and diesel car owners to actively seek out and press a specific button on their dashboard. This button, often labelled 'A-off' or with a similar icon, deactivates the automatic engine stop-start function.
Scotty recommends making it a habit to switch the system off every time you drive. "Now it won't turn the engine off when you come to a stop," he explained. "It will continue to work like a normal car and won’t keep turning itself off, starting itself up."
Why Stop-Start Technology Causes Excessive Wear
The core of the warning centres on accelerated mechanical wear. Kilmer states that most engine wear occurs during startup. When an engine is off, oil settles at the bottom. On ignition, the oil pump must work to circulate lubrication throughout the engine's components.
"Every time you shut the car off the oil goes back down, it’s got to be pumped back up again," he said. "Do you really want to be starting and stopping your car all the time? It will wear the engine out faster, it will wear the starter out faster, it will wear the battery out faster."
Driver Backlash and Costly Real-World Examples
The warning has resonated strongly with drivers who share frustrations about the system. One commenter agreed, calling the feature "SUPER ANNOYING" and potentially dangerous due to a delayed restart. They stated, "The gas savings vs parts wear is like risking dollars to save pennies."
Another angry driver said, "I absolutely hate these start/stop stupid systems. It was a poor idea that wears components out faster."
A concrete example of the financial impact was provided by a driver of a 2017 Dodge Durango. They reported needing a starter replacement at a cost exceeding $1,000, a complex job requiring engine mount removal. The mechanic discovered the original starter had logged a staggering 36,000 engine starts by the 87,000-mile mark.
The driver calculated that even starting their car ten times daily for a year would only total 3,650 starts. The extreme figure was attributed to the system activating at every traffic light, stop sign, and parking manoeuvre.
This evidence suggests that while stop-start systems are designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in urban driving, they may lead to significantly higher long-term maintenance costs for key components like the starter motor and battery.
