2024 Chevy Blazer RS

[Mark BEX]

comments from folks experienced in driving a vehicle that the engine stops each time it comes to a stop and then automatically cranks when you put the gas pedal ..?.. I'm not sure if I'm happy with that or not

Driven a few, good and bad.

Love the peace and quiet while you are stopped, don't like the jerk when it starts up again. Kind of balances out.

Some cars are better than others at it.

 

[JEBar]

Driven a few, good and bad.

Love the peace and quiet while you are stopped, don't like the jerk when it starts up again. Kind of balances out.

Some cars are better than others at it.

in the old days (where I still spend most of my time) the theory was, a starter would last for so many starts and then would have to be replaced .... I can't see how that could have changed and if it is, starters would have to be replaced much more often .... in the Blazers we have test driven the system works smoothly

 

[Hog]

I would never buy a stop-start car. As a shade tree mechanic from the time I was 12, I see much excessive wear on starter, battery, solenoids, and flywheels.
I have 13 traffic lights on the way to work. So 14 starts each way (if I had such a vehicle). Thats times 2 since I have to return home, so 28 restarts a day not counting stopping in traffic. Thats 7308 starts per year versus 522. Part of my job involves lifecycle testing for passenger railcars. I test door opening/closing to 100,000 cycles, which is a 30 year expected life of the door mechanism. Some don't make it. If the lifespan of a car is 10 years (the manufacturers actually use 6 years now, see warranties) my car would be starting and stopping 14 times more than the expected life cycle. In 10 years I would be looking at wear from 73,000 starts and stops! As opposed to 5,200. I serious doubt this wear is factored in by making the flywheel thicker, the bolts heavier, or some super duper starter solenoid. I imagine they use supercaps to minimize use of the main battery, but even so, they need to be recharged as well between stops.

 

[JEBar]

I would never buy a stop-start car. As a shade tree mechanic from the time I was 12, I see much excessive wear on starter, battery, solenoids, and flywheels.

that reflects my impressions in this area .... however, the fact is government regs make it hard (if not impossible) to purchase a new passenger vehicle .... it widely reported that when the system was first introduced by GM that it was so unpopular that they had to add a button to turn it off .... our Blazer will come with at button .... as Mel noted above :

I have a vehicle that does this. My standard start procedure is to punch Start, Start/Stop override, and Parking brake release. Easy habit to form.

to begin with, that's my current plan as to how to handle it .... there are gizmos out there can be plugged into the same port where they connect an engine tester that cuts off the start/stop feature .... I have no plan to purchase on until the Blazer's factory warranty expires

 

[RSchneider]

As for the start stop. Use it as much as possible while under warranty. If you ever worked with an automotive supplier (especially for a GM product), they test the poop out of stuff and make sure that a good percentage will make it past warranty. Instead of just buying the next level part that lasts longer, GM just throws that money into testing for warranty. I've watched this happen first hand for many years and it amazes me the difference between them and companies like Toyota and Honda.

 

[Hog]

Yes I know the tier 1's and work with them. As I pointed out, the testing involves cycling through what they give me as the "life cycle" of the vehicle. This varies, but is far less than people think. They are really only interested in making sure warranty costs are kept down, not eliminated, just kept down to a "reasonable" level, say 5% or so. I have never heard of a "start-stop" feature being tested as a complex package, ie "in-the-car", only some components are tested. Be aware, even after the cycle tests are complete, I generally have to run them to failure, which is typically not long afterward, and then do a forensic report on all the components that make up the unit, measuring the wear (before the test) and after. GM doesnt throw that much money, believe me. Last tier 1 I worked for was Fiat/Diamler/Chrysler, had to do with the Wrangler, but thats all I can say about it, as you know. "..a good percentage will make it past warranty.." Yes, that is the plan, not all of them, but a decent percentage. Lately Honda and Toyota (the Toyota Way, which was a modification of lean manufacturing) have slipped quite a bit in the quality department, although earlier they were top notch. Always a gamble trying to second guess the quality when you buy a new car, past performance is no indication of current quality. You are buying based on old news.

 

[Keith Stone]

Congratulations, my 1/2 ton duramax Chevy pickup took about 6 weeks once it started on the assembly line to delivery . I got the adaptive cruise control, it works perfect and is so great for long drives, I like the fact I can also adjust the following distance.

 

[JEBar]

while the most advanced options (like adaptive cruise control) are new to me, it appears they have been in use for a good while .... much is usually learned from the first few years that a feature is in production and real world use .... happy to say I don't know of any we have ordered that this will be their first year

 

[Hog]

I had a first year Nissan Rogue, (not really mine, I just cosigned for it for my stepson), first year for CVT in that vehicle. CVT went at 59000 miles. fixed under warranty (barely), then they had to extend the warranties on the transmission for another 3 years. Horrible transmission, now its hard to find a car without them. Really just an old fashioned minibike torque converter. I don't believe they have those straightened out yet, although they must have imporved them some as they seem to last a bit longer now, but come with lots of caveats, like "don't tow anything". Mostly used on lightweight econocars now. I don't trust them in anything larger.

 

[Sonoran Sam]

now its hard to find a car without them.

In 2016, I purchased a Nissan Versa. I had heard about CVT transmission issues and purchased the manual transmission version. (no issues or problems)
Did the Rogue have a manual transmission option??

Eventually my girlfriend is going to have to replace her Dodge Neon. It has an automatic transmission as she can't drive stick. I told her when the time comes, we are going to search for a new car without a CVT transmission. For now, I'm keeping her old Dodge alive. I'm actually quite surprised how long it has lasted without a major repair or issue. I do keep up with all of the maintenance, so that could be a factor in its longevity.