Get informed on how to keep the radio On but the engine off. Find the correct method for keeping the radio on in your particular model.
There is a whole range of situations in which you may want to turn on your radio and the other electronic features of your vehicle without actually starting the engine. Maybe you are a person who cleans out and vacuums your car on a regular basis and you like to enjoy some music while you tidy up. Perhaps you simply arrived early to an appointment or to meet someone and instead of continuing to waste your gas, you would rather turn off the engine but want to keep listening to the radio while you wait.
Whatever the scenario, turning off the engine is usually the better and more economical option. Car Gas or oil is a significant part of your budget as a car owner and you don’t want to needlessly throw that money away on fuel that isn’t taking you anywhere.
It is also a more environmentally-friendly choice. If you are someone who cares about the health of our planet and the current process of climate change, you are probably well aware of the harm that human beings cause to the environment through the fuel emissions of our vehicles. Every minute your engine is running, you are contributing in the slightest way to damaging our planet.
So why waste your money and be exposed to that guilt when it is not necessary? This article will walk you through some out-of-the-box methods for engaging your car’s electronic functions without having to ignite the engine. We will help you to identify the process for your specific car depending on:
- the type of ignition in your vehicle
- the year that the car was manufactured
- the type of shifter model
Press Play But Don’t Pay
Do you remember the days when you used to get into your car, put a metal key into the ignition, and turn it a certain amount in order to either turn on the radio, fully power your car or start the engine? Those times are quickly fading as the keyless or push-button start is replacing traditional mechanical ignitions as the automobile industry standard. Now nearly every car comes equipped with this new technology and the way in which to turn on the electronics without starting your engine is much less clear.
The past ten years have brought a change in the design of ignitions across almost all makes and models. Those who don’t have much experience with these new options may be thinking “how can an entire article exist on such a simple process?” As a result of this transition in technology, the answer may be more complex than you thought.
The mechanical ignition had a very clear procedure for how to access its different functions:
- Turn the key to the second/middle position for Accessory Mode, which turns on your radio and other electronic accessories like power windows and seats
- Turn the key another click for On Mode, which allows you to use all of your car’s electronic functions
- Turn the key all the way to the right to start the engine before the key moves itself back to the On position, enabling your car to start driving
If you are someone who has been driving for decades and has recently traded in your older vehicle for a new car with all of the modern features, learning how to access all the features and getting adjusted to using them can take some time. It is no longer possible to just turn your key one click for Accessory Mode or twice for On Mode. You probably found this article because searching for answers on the internet is far quicker and simpler than trying to find the solution in a thick, complicated owner’s manual.
The automobile industry is highly competitive and because of this, the industry standard for features like ignition style can change from year to year. Once one company introduces new technology, the rest of the field is quick to update and integrate it into their own vehicles. This makes figuring out which method will work for your car a bit easier because it will likely be determined by the year your car was manufactured.
Keep in mind that there are always exceptions so try not to get frustrated if the first method you try does not work. With that said, let’s move on to the different types of push-button start systems and try to help you figure out which applies to your vehicle.
Keyless Cars Manufactured Before 2011:
In the earliest days of keyless or push-button start ignitions, consumers were especially confused about the exact method for how to access the different ignition modes. It was safe to assume that the Accessory and On modes must still exist, but how exactly did you engage them? As with the birth of any new technology, the birth of the keyless ignition also came with the most complicated process for navigating the different modes.
In order to put your car into these modes in these earlier models:
- First, remove your feet from both pedals and make sure the car is in Park
- Tap the Start-Stop button twice within a second (this should power your radio and other electronics without starting the engine)
- To start the engine from here, simply push the Start-Stop button and maintain pressure until you hear the engine ignite
Vehicles Manufactured Between 2012 and 2015:
Unfortunately, technology does not always become more simple and easy to use with the passing of time. For whatever reason, manufacturers made the process even more complicated and confusing in cars manufactured during these years.
In these slightly newer models, you must:
- Make sure your car is in Park
- Engage the emergency brake (this part is very important for the next step)
- Put your foot on the brake pedal, which will allow you to shift your car into Neutral (if you do not have the emergency brake on, there is a good chance your car will start to roll and you will have to restart the process)
- While in Neutral, all you have to do is tap the Start-Stop button once to go into Accessory Mode
- Tap in again to move into On Mode
- At this point, you can now put your foot on the brake pedal, shift the car back into Park, and disengage the emergency brake
- From here, you can start the engine by pushing the Start-Stop button and maintaining pressure until you hear the motor ignite
Vehicles Manufactured After 2015:
Finally, car manufacturers realized the difficulty of accessing the Accessory and On modes and have since simplified the process.
In these newest models, all you must do is:
- Quickly press the Start-Stop button while making sure your foot is not on the brake pedal to put the car in Accessory Mode (you should see and hear your radio turn on)
- From Accessory Mode, press the button again with your foot off the brake pedal to access On Mode (powering all the car’s electronic features)
- You can start your engine directly from either of these modes by holding down the Start-Stop button until you hear the engine start
Control Your Technology, Don’t Let It Control You
Automobile technology has come so far in such a short time that it can be difficult to change from an older model to some of the vehicles manufactured in the last ten years or so. Upgrades that are meant to make our driving experience easier and more comfortable can be confusing until you know exactly how to use them in your favor.
Understanding newer cars require more knowledge than ever and the last thing you want to do after the exhausting process of choosing and buying a new car is to spend hours studying the owner’s manual to discover every last detail. Today most of us simply use the internet to seek solutions for the problems we encounter or discover options we didn’t even know existed.
Enjoy Your Radio Anytime, In Any Place
There is a whole range of situations in which you would like to play your radio without thinking about the money you are wasting on fuel and the potential damage you are doing to the environment when running the engine. It doesn’t make sense, particularly when there must be an alternative solution.
Almost all of us use the radios in our cars whether to listen to music, receive a weather update, or get caught up on breaking news. We can’t even imagine not having access to some form of radio in our cars because we have grown up with it our whole lives. And being able to have that little escape from the outside world can be so important, whether you are driving or parked.
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Any Further Questions?
The method that applies to the year my car was manufactured still won’t work. Is there another approach I can try?
Absolutely. Your best bet is to try all three of the processes outlined above because the years listed are simply guidelines and there are exceptions. Your car’s manufacturer may have made these upgrades a year earlier or later and does not fit into these categories. If all fail, you should probably contact the dealer/manufacturer or refer to your owner’s manual for more guidance.
My car has a gated shifter instead of the vertical model and none of the above methods are working for me. Am I doing something wrong?
A gated shifter requires a slightly different process to turn off the engine but keep the radio running:
- When your car is parked but the engine is running, move the shifter to the right and push the Start-Stop button (you should feel the engine turn off but your radio will stay on)
- Now you can put your shifter back in its normal position.