The one benefit I see with push button start

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Okay, so maybe there is more than one benefit...
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One major benefit I noticed is that it saves the starter gear from wear since the starter disengages as soon as the engine starts. I walked out to the parking lot after work yesterday and heard three different non-push button cars starting. One Honda and two Fords. Each driver held the key for at least 1 or 2 seconds of grinding after the engine turned over. My mom does the same thing with her 2011 Honda Fit. Grinds the starter for a second after the engine has already kicked over. I just want to yell "Let go of the key!".
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Then there are those people who can't hear their car running and try to turn it over when it is already running!
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So +1 for push button starts in those scenarios.
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Plus it's just cool. I'm not a cruiser fan, but the new indians come with push button starters, very nice.
 
My HHR and a bunch of other chevies made since the mid 2000s have it so if you turn the key 1/2 second or more it keeps the starter on until the motor catches, then lets go.

Though I would have issues using the starter bump method of backing out a crank bolt.
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You meant, 1 additional benefit right?

Cause the main benefit is you don't have have to root around for a key to start the car (nor put it back when you leave).
Unless of course you're driving the car that makes you insert the key somewhere and then still press a button.

If you've thinking holistically for the button push just as maintenance/failure, the added engineering complexity from the button push probably adds just as many points of failure and total maintenance costs as the replacement of the simpler starter being worn out from overcranking when you measure it across the whole fleet.
 
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Ford has had the PCM controlled started even on the key start cars for a few years now. I have it on the new Mustang and love it, just tap the key and let the computer do all the work.
 
No thanks. Not a fan of anything but the tried and true metal key. I dont want a wireless signal transmitting through my leg, dont want to have a potentially unreliable key transmitter or receiver, or something that down the line thieves may be able to intercept.

Plus Im pretty sure that modern key setups do the same thing.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
No thanks. Not a fan of anything but the tried and true metal key.


ha, because the metal doesn't wear out as well? Or get bent or snapped off? Which I've seen a friend do in real life. luckily he had a hideakey as well.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
My HHR and a bunch of other chevies made since the mid 2000s have it so if you turn the key 1/2 second or more it keeps the starter on until the motor catches, then lets go.

Though I would have issues using the starter bump method of backing out a crank bolt.
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Yup, newer GM cars don't even let the starter engage if the engine is running, even if you try it doesn't fire up the starter
 
Its fun when it works. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata I had, had this feature and it failed 3 times. I had to do a bypass on it and after relays, switches and who knows what else replaced and it STILL didn't work right, it was just one of the many reasons why I dumped my Hyundai.

Some times too many gadgets and such are NOT a good thing. They are great when they work. Makes your life miserable when they dont.

Jeff
 
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Originally Posted By: JHZR2
No thanks. Not a fan of anything but the tried and true metal key. I dont want a wireless signal transmitting through my leg, dont want to have a potentially unreliable key transmitter or receiver, or something that down the line thieves may be able to intercept.

Plus Im pretty sure that modern key setups do the same thing.

+1, well said!
 
That start button is my favorite feature on my Focus. The key can stay in my pocket and I think that's incredibly handy.
 
It's RPM based and once the engine reaches a pre-determined speed, it disengages. Otherwise, it should keep spinning until it fires or hits the time limit. My Camaro's ignition switch actually works like a button but uses a key. The starter keeps working until the engine starts, even if I release it a bit too early. They're all electronically controlled now, just incorporating different levels of convenience.
 
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The system starts my 2003 V8 4Runner. The only thing the ignition key does is tell the system to start the engine. The key does not directly engage the starter. You can hit the key and let off as quick as you like or hold it on start as long as you like. It won't make any difference.
 
as others have noted, it's a fairly common system in use even on cars that still need a key. My Sable has it.
they call it "Tip to Start" on the dealer descriptions i've seen.

I remember seeing "tip to start" on window stickers and dealer writeups, and thinking WTH does that mean? had to look it up.

you tip the key to the start position,release the key, and the computer takes it from there, running the starter until the engine fires.
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
I wonder how those push buttons keys work in really cold startups. Will they keep the engine cranking for longer or just "give up" and the user has to push the button again?


There is a time-out built in, but, at least in the Forester, it's many seconds. I found this out while researching when my first model-year Forester began taking many seconds to crank before starting (which a ECM reflash corrected.)

Besides, on normal starts, at NEGATIVE degree F, and with Rotella T6 in the sump, it would only crank one or two additional rotations before starting. If anything, the cranks were slower, but of the same number as warm starts before starting.

//

I always thought most of the electronics in vehicles was a waste of money and made simple things way too complicated, and I still believe that...for the most part.

Audis, Bimmers and Benzitos definitely have a lot going on in their clusters that I'd never get used to, but some electronics doodads are more than just neat, they're practical.

With my hands full I just need one finger to pull open the door. Then, I drop my load on the passenger side, hop in and depress the brake and the push-button start, all at nearly the same time. While the engine starts on its own, I buckle up and release the parking brake, then I go - couldn't be simpler.
 
Originally Posted By: javacontour
This standard feature is one of the reasons oilBabe chose her Altima over other cars in the same class.


My mom has it on her 2014 Fusion Titanium, it is awesome. Why in this day and age this is not standard, especially on a higher end car is beyond me. We have literally no problems with this setup. You never even have to touch the key to get in the car, just walk up and it unlocks once you touch the outside handle. It also has the buttons on the B-piller to put your code in if you want to disable the perimeter open system. Hers also has remote start, which we have set to put the AC and AC seats on 11.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
One major benefit I noticed is that it saves the starter gear from wear since the starter disengages as soon as the engine starts.


Most newer vehicles do this whether they have a button or not...never understood the need for a starter button...is turning a key really that difficult?
 
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