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Clutchless ignition update: solved (maybe)

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
Update: after nearly a month and 150+ starts, the only time it didn't work was after the cheap glue I used to hold the magnet on gave up the ghost and it fell off. Repaired with stronger bond.

Still no codes, faults, lights.

I'm calling this a success.

I'll try to make a more detailed diy in the coming days.
 

El_bigote_AJ

Autocross Champion
Location
Las Vegas
Car(s)
2019 GTI bunny
Update: after nearly a month and 150+ starts, the only time it didn't work was after the cheap glue I used to hold the magnet on gave up the ghost and it fell off. Repaired with stronger bond.

Still no codes, faults, lights.

I'm calling this a success.

I'll try to make a more detailed diy in the coming days.
haha, i was just gonna text you. what part of the VCDS/obd11 aspect helps?
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
haha, i was just gonna text you. what part of the VCDS/obd11 aspect helps?

SELECT 03 Abs Brakes > adv measuring values > then type "clutch" into the search and select both the results. One monitors the slightly pressed position and the other monitors the full press. Both have to be triggered for no error starts and then both have to be deactivated after starting.

Push the clutch in and watch the screen and youll see which is which.
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
is there any way that you can make the mount beefier? it might work in steel but since its only 2mm thick it wont hold up very well in plastic.

Theres a link to a copy of the 3d on tinkercad up above. Go nuts.
 

bertj

Ready to race!
Location
Wirral (UK)
As I haven't driven a manual VW for many years I'm a bit confused about the safety aspect of this mod. Does the gearbox have to be in neutral and the parking brake or foot brake be on for this mod to work? If the car will start in gear there's a likelihood it could lurch forward (or backward) with unpleasant or dangerous consequences. There will always be someone out there who will cause such an accident. Imagine the litigation that VW would face if they had failed to install their cars with this safety feature.
 

Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
As I haven't driven a manual VW for many years I'm a bit confused about the safety aspect of this mod. Does the gearbox have to be in neutral and the parking brake or foot brake be on for this mod to work? If the car will start in gear there's a likelihood it could lurch forward (or backward) with unpleasant or dangerous consequences. There will always be someone out there who will cause such an accident. Imagine the litigation that VW would face if they had failed to install their cars with this safety feature.

Car does not have to be in neutral nor foot on brake. Even if I knew how to make it that way I wouldn't have bothered, I always leave it in N with parking brake on anyway - unless I'm parked on a slope. It'd be on you to remember to put car in N first. Even so, if the parking brake is firmly engaged, there won't be any lurch. It'll just buck a bit and stall.
 

bertj

Ready to race!
Location
Wirral (UK)
What would doing a mod that’s bypasses the requirement of the clutch to be depressed to start the car have ANYTHING to do with a litigation with VW?
If someone attempts to start the car when it's in gear without the parking or foot brake engaged the car may move when the engine fires. If a manufacturer hasn't taken this type of driver into account and an accident happens, then a stupid driver could attempt to blame the manufacturer for allowing the car to start in these circumstance. There are many incidences of drivers trying to blame a manufacturer for an accident. IMO having to depress the clutch before starting the engine is a sensible safety measure but keen/aware drivers such as on this forum would always check things before starting the car. Also would such a clutch modification cause warranty and/or insurance problems?
 

FlyingNugget

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Toronto, Canada
If someone attempts to start the car when it's in gear without the parking or foot brake engaged the car may move when the engine fires. If a manufacturer hasn't taken this type of driver into account and an accident happens, then a stupid driver could attempt to blame the manufacturer for allowing the car to start in these circumstance. There are many incidences of drivers trying to blame a manufacturer for an accident. IMO having to depress the clutch before starting the engine is a sensible safety measure but keen/aware drivers such as on this forum would always check things before starting the car. Also would such a clutch modification cause warranty and/or insurance problems?

Instead of putting the start requirement on the clutch pedal, they could have made the start requirement on having the car in neutral. Obviously, we can't DIY change the start requirement programming, but VW could have in the original design.
 

El_bigote_AJ

Autocross Champion
Location
Las Vegas
Car(s)
2019 GTI bunny
If someone attempts to start the car when it's in gear without the parking or foot brake engaged the car may move when the engine fires. If a manufacturer hasn't taken this type of driver into account and an accident happens, then a stupid driver could attempt to blame the manufacturer for allowing the car to start in these circumstance. There are many incidences of drivers trying to blame a manufacturer for an accident. IMO having to depress the clutch before starting the engine is a sensible safety measure but keen/aware drivers such as on this forum would always check things before starting the car. Also would such a clutch modification cause warranty and/or insurance problems?
maybe re-read the first post and what modification was performed, and then read my question again. How does bypassing the cars factory safety but VW at fault?
 
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Ridebjj

Autocross Champion
Location
lasVegas
Btw, at about 2 months now with this mod and except for the incident where the glue holding the magnet on failed, it's never not worked. I don't have to remind myself not to press the clutch anymore. I just give the stick a bop to confirm neutral and fire away.

Car is in pieces now, mid clutch install but when that's done, I'll possibly do the full diy on this. I got fuck all else to do outside the hours in my home office.
 

bertj

Ready to race!
Location
Wirral (UK)
maybe re-read the first post and what modification was performed, and then read my question again.
I'm not sure what you are getting at. Perhaps it's different here in the UK but there have been several instances of drivers and/or passengers attempting to take car manufacturers to court for what they regarded as a design flaw in their car. Depressing the clutch on starting a manual car is a very old design feature that has now been incorporated in most manual cars. This was triggered by a number of cases years ago; the worst was when a very young child was killed when his father accidently started the car in gear and crushed the child between the car and the garage door. This led to a number of cases blaming the manufacturer for 'causing' the accident. It could be construed by lawyers that defeating a car safety measure is not a good idea. As you imply this safety discussion is not material to the reason for the original posting and is perhaps best left alone. In the meantime you might like to look at this very old discussion on VWVortex. https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...ss-depress-clutch-when-starting-ignition-mean
 
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