I am happy to make this gadget the subject of my first post. I recently discovered this plug-in device and I am incredibly happy I did. I drive a 2018 Jeep Compass. When I purchased the car, I was told by the salesmen that the start/stop function on the car will not do any unnecessary ware and tear on the starter. He claimed that it is supposedly had some sort of “super starter” installed. There is a button to turn the function off whenever I didn’t want it, so it’s not all that bad right? For those unfamiliar with this feature, it is when the car turns itself off and on when it is stopped for a brief period of time. Usually at red lights and occasionally when you’re trying to rush across lanes of traffic. What the salesman failed to mention was that this function does slowly destroy the cars auxiliary battery. Something I had no idea existed. This is a smaller, secondary battery that is connected to the started and perhaps a few other electronics.
After owning the car for about two years, this annoying function eventually took its toll on the auxiliary battery and I was forced to replace it after an unfortunate event where I was pulling out of my driveway (after starting the car). Once I managed to back my car out of the space, I put it into gear. Upon doing that, the car died! The electronics and everything stayed on, but the car refused to start. It was at this point I decided I need to push the car out of the road to allow others to pass. I put the car in neutral and opened the door so I could get out and push. Once I opened the door, the car decided to initiate the parking brake, leaving me stuck and puzzled. I was unable to disengage to electric break despite my many efforts. To fix this I needed to get Jeep on the phone. They know of a combination of actions you make in order to release to electronic break. Once that was done, I was able to push the car to the side of the road and allow traffic to pass. I only bring these details up in the event that someone has a similar issue.
I was then tasked with having to get the secondary battery replaced. I had two options. Get the car towed to someone who can fix it. Jeep wanted about $450 to do that job, not including the towing service. The alternative would be to take a trip to buy the battery from O’Reilly’s and replace the battery myself. The battery cast about $140. They also offer a rebate of about $30 on the old battery if I gave it to them after replacing it. This was an easy choice to make, I chose the latter. When speaking with Jeep, I did ask if there was any possible way to remove to resolve the issue with this start/stop function. They told me there was nothing they could do with this “tough shit” attitude. I thought it to be a lost cause.
Once the battery was replaced and the car was functional once again, I returned the battery for the rebate. In doing so, I began complaining about this ridiculous start/stop function on this car to the clerks behind the counter. One of the gentlemen behind the counter sympathized and told me that everyone despises this function. He then began telling me about a company online who selling this plug-in device that will disengage this function. I was pleased to hear that, but he couldn’t recall the company’s name. After a quick Google search, I came across a company called “Autostop Eliminator”. It was just as the man said. These were black boxes that plugged in under the steering column. The description told me about their function, and it was just what I needed. A quick glance at all of the options told me that they sold these for many types of cars of various years. All of the prices seemed to be set to $99.99. It may seem pricey, but so was this inconvenience. Once I would like to avoid having again. I went ahead with the purchase and received it by the end of the week.
Instillation was simple. You plug it in. Nailed it. In my car it was obvious but I can’t speak for others. Also, remember that button I briefly mentioned about deactivating the function? Come to find out, the issue with that is that whenever you restart the car, the button also resets. The requires you have to press it every time you turn the car on. So, whenever you’re are out running errands, making several stops. You will have to press the button every time you start the car or suffer from the annoyance. You could imagine that often times, one would forget. Especially if they are used to traditional vehicles like myself. This Autostop Eliminator allows my car to remember what I have the button set to so that when I restart my car, it remains the way it was when I turned the car off. Now I am happy to say that with this gadget installed, my problem is resolved.
For its functionality, simplicity, and for seeming non-existent once installed, this product definitely takes the W in my book.
Thanks for reading. I will include a link to the Autostop Eliminator website. This is an unaffiliated link. I’m convinced that more people should know about these and would like to get the word out. Auto dealers clearly don’t want their clients to know about it.