Valets and the Starter Button
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Valets and the Starter Button
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
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Joined: Mar 2010
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From: Sacramento, CA
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
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Joined: Mar 2013
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From: Tucson, AZ
Originally Posted by SeaJayS2K' timestamp='1414615304' post='23387293
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
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Originally Posted by Marioshi' timestamp='1414618329' post='23387342
[quote name='SeaJayS2K' timestamp='1414615304' post='23387293']
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
[/quote]
It's happened plenty of times where they pull up, press the button, and the starter fires up and you get that lovely "the engines already on" grinding noise. They might've also had the clutch pressed in to pop it out of gear before getting out, which might explain why this happens...but hey it's happened a lot to me.
Joined: May 2011
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From: Great White North
Teeeeeeeechnically, nothing bad is happening when you "grind" the starter.
There's an overrun clutch built into every modern starter, and that's the sound you hear when you blip the key or in this case push the button. Obviously if you do in excess for a prolonged period of time you'll burnout the clutch, like anything else.
But ultimately yes, it's a sound that sends shivers down every car guys back.
There's an overrun clutch built into every modern starter, and that's the sound you hear when you blip the key or in this case push the button. Obviously if you do in excess for a prolonged period of time you'll burnout the clutch, like anything else.
But ultimately yes, it's a sound that sends shivers down every car guys back.
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 3,171
Likes: 53
From: Tucson, AZ
Originally Posted by Fokker' timestamp='1414622317' post='23387410
[quote name='Marioshi' timestamp='1414618329' post='23387342']
[quote name='SeaJayS2K' timestamp='1414615304' post='23387293']
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
[quote name='SeaJayS2K' timestamp='1414615304' post='23387293']
Hey all,
Valets largely suck, and we all know this. Here in LA, they're also annoyingly unavoidable, at least it seems like it. Recently, though, I found that a number of them, nearly all of them, keep hitting the Engine Start button to stop the car. It makes sense, really, as a number of newer cars have start/stop buttons, though I don't need to tell you all what happens when you hit an S2k's big red button while the engine is running.
-shiver-
I wanted to post this as a PSA and throw it out to the group to see if anyone else has experienced this. I've been telling them before they roll away to make sure to use the key to turn off the car and DON'T press the button. That seems to have stopped it, but I still wince when they pull my car around and I can see the valet pause for a second in the drivers seat with a puzzled look on his face.
[/quote]
It's happened plenty of times where they pull up, press the button, and the starter fires up and you get that lovely "the engines already on" grinding noise. They might've also had the clutch pressed in to pop it out of gear before getting out, which might explain why this happens...but hey it's happened a lot to me.
[/quote]
They're probably parking it in gear so they leave the clutch in until they kill the car which is causing the starter to turn over. As long as the clutch isn't depressed the starter should not engage. It kills me all the people who leave the damn car in gear when parking on level ground. I can't tell you how many times I've surprise stalled my engine because the tire guy left the damn car in gear.
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Never valet your S2000. As a matter of fact never valet any manual transmission car. The last time I had my car driven by a valet (thankfully not my S) I could smell the clutch burning as he struggled to drive it up the incline to the second floor of the garage. 
Toss a starter button (which may be mistaken as a stop button) into the mix and you got yourself some trouble.
Toss a starter button (which may be mistaken as a stop button) into the mix and you got yourself some trouble.
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 29,761
Likes: 5,390
From: Ontario Canada
Never valet your S2000. As a matter of fact never valet any manual transmission car. The last time I had my car driven by a valet (thankfully not my S) I could smell the clutch burning as he struggled to drive it up the incline to the second floor of the garage.
Toss a starter button (which may be mistaken as a stop button) into the mix and you got yourself some trouble.
Toss a starter button (which may be mistaken as a stop button) into the mix and you got yourself some trouble.
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,663
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From: West Los Angeles, CA
