What a business! I wonder if there is an OBD command that will achieve this in one go.
David
There is to turn off i-stop permanently, apparently. You can also turn the microswitch on the bonnet catch 90 degrees BUT 
(WARNING) it also disables the alarm so will invalidate insurance in the event of theft.
How about wedging a piece of cardboard in the switch near your knee? 
David
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the problem was, my I-stop wasn’t working and some people would prefer that situation. I actually WANTED it to work, even though I’ve only saved a few Miles in the 20,000 I’ve done, it all helps!
Sorry! I was making the comment for those those that dont like istop, following up on your suggestion of a switch on the bonnet-catch, which sounded a bit scary.
I’m glad you’ve got yours working. You may need to reset the miles counter back to zero to see more useful results. Alternatively, look at the page that has the leaf and the tree at the bottom of it. I cant remember what it is called, as I’m not fluent in Mazda-English, but I am sure you know…
Best,
David
Another observation on I-stop being reluctant to come to life.
I thought mine was slow waking up after the car being lightly used through the winter. It turns out a new dashcam I had fitted (Nextbase 322GW with rear camera) was drawing more current than the one it replaced and this was causing I-stop not to kick in…
The camera is plugged in to a USB adapter in the passenger footwell, the type with two outputs at different amperage ratings. The other day I swapped the socket the camera power was in, the camera keeps working and I-stop now works as expected. I’m assuming it’s gone from higher to lower though didn’t stick my head that far in to verify that.
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This is odd. If the voltage available at the two USB sockets is the same, which is usually the case, the current draw should also be the same.
David
The draw or attempted draw from the camera will be the same, the socket will deliver to its rating, the effect is probably longer to recharge the internal battery of the camera.
I think one of the ports is 1 amp and the other 2.1.
It’s not this model, the principle is the same.
OK, I’ve been doing an experiment on my ND2 with istop. Although my “main” drive, I’ve got an Eunos as well so she has been treated to a few days extra usage than normal.
As I mentioned, my car doesn’t like a battery minder (expensive or cheap models). Positive charge lead goes to + battery and negative charge lead goes to chassis earth.
I bought a 10w solar panel from Amazon and, over a few days, have left it connected to the charge leads already connected to the car (same plug).
Here it is fitted for a test within 10 minutes of Amazon delivery 
. Looks and feels like a table mat. About 10” square. Positioning it inside isn’t the most effective, but this was a quick test.
After 30 mins battery voltage changed from 12.28 to 12.29 
End of Test One. Results.
Solar Panel was tucked under the wind screen wiper outside (safe neighbourhood) and the lead connected to the battery minder lead (same plug/socket). The panel got full sun for an hour or so and at an angle as the sun moved across the Sky (OK, the earth rotated, but you know what I mean) and then indirect light from about 12 o’clock onwards.
It was left like that for 3 days.
Today I disconnected the panel and we went on a 30 mile round trip. Stop/Start worked as normal, in fact it was working earlier in a journey than usual. No issues at all. I put the battery screen on the display. The flux-capacitor charge was showing almost full most of the time and slowing down/braking charge seemed to be much more effective in keeping it topped up.
I’m not sure if it was my resetting the stop/start the other week was the only cause for improvement but I will attach the solar panel if I know I’m not going to be using the car for a few days. When not in use, it will be connected to Daisy, my Eunos.
I won’t do Test Two yet - connecting to a permanent live terminal in the fuse box further “along” the electrical chain as it seems solar charging doesn’t seem to screw-up the iStop system like the battery minder does.
For cars that don’t have such complex electronics (Daisy for example), then connecting straight across the battery seems to be fine.
Overall, 10/10 as far as I’m concerned. Maybe try a 20w version 
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Great solution for maintaining charge in Summer and at least slowing down the rate of discharge in Winter.
Lets hope it doesn’t tempt any local tealeaves…
You can prop it up to the windscreen/window inside the car, but lose some efficiency. We live in a one-horse village and the horse has died, very quiet but that’s now probably tempting fate
Hello,
I don’t own an MX-5 (wish I could!) but I do own a new Mazda 3 with the 2.5 litre engine here in Australia. The reason I joined this group is because this was the most logical discussion I could find about issues with I-stop after doing a bit of Googling. So I come, cap in hand, for some advice.
Before I describe the problem I must tell you that I went back to the dealership and dealt with the most unhelpful service guy I have ever encountered. Because he was under the pump he spun a yarn about needing the car for two days because the battery needed checking. Two days? The car still works fine, it’s just I-top doesn’t. It did for the first couple of weeks and then it just stopped. From reading I have found (just like the OP) that if your car is only driven once a week that this could set up issues with I-stop.
What I have done so far:
-Researched the web (I’ve seen a video on Youtube about resetting the I-stop system but am loathe to do it for fear of voiding my warranty, otherwise I would.).
-Joined another forum in the US which, sadly, was as useful as tits on a bull.
-Last weekend I took the car for a forty five minute drive with varied driving conditions. I-stop started working again but mysteriously would start the car up after ten seconds when my foot was still depressed on the brake pedal waiting at traffic lights.
-I bought a smart battery charger and charged the battery, taking care to connect the negative clip to the point described in the manual. Charged the battery overnight. This was before the long drive.
Can any kind person here tell me what I could try next? Is my problem due to the intermittent usage of the car? Is there a simple fix for this situation? Should I just not worry about it and drive the thing (the car is working fine and, to be frank, I wish it didn’t have I-stop…apparently US models don’t have it)?
All replies gratefully received.
If you start reading from the top you will see some good information and advice. The second post is worth a try and works.
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Probably and yes, mine works sometimes if I’m using the car frequently the rest of the time not, I don’t worry about it.
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I thought as much. Well I will just ignore it and wait for the next service. It just had me worried. Thanks again. 
I did just that…thanks. I will just not worry about it until the next service. Thanks for replying
Why not take the advice given and try the ‘free’ fix that works every time for many? You have nothing to lose.
If you’re holding your foot on the brake pedal, assuming your Mazda3 doesn’t have an E brake system, then you’re potentially depleting the vacuum in the brake servo so the engine will restart quicker to build up vacuum again.
I am worried about mucking something up, thereby invalidating my warranty. Otherwise I would have followed the procedure shown in the Youtube video above. I think I will follow IanH’s advice and just not let it worry me and drive the blasted thing. It’s not as if the problem incapacitates the car and, in many ways, I wish the car didn’t have I-stop. When it goes in for its next service I will hassle the service manager again. The guy I first saw was useless, patronising and spoke to me as if I was a child. I am in my 60s and have mucked about with cars all my life. My first car was a '63 Holden EH straight six (three on the tree) with a 179 ci engine and I did all the servicing on that car myself.
Nowadays we have two cars in our family, a V6 VF Holden Commodore wagon and now the Mazda (which replaced a venerable but ageing 2005 Hyundai Accent). The Holden has no I-stop but otherwise all the other gadgets the Mazda does (and its side traffic, rear and foward sensors are better imho).
Once again thanks heaps for your advice. What a great forum where people actually reply and help each other. I hope the forum manager extends the forum’s remit to handle all Mazda models.
Hi Robbie… Many thanks to you offering your advice. I am open to all ideas at this stage. What I found after charging the battery with the smart charger (as per the manual’s instructions) and taking the car for a longish drive is that I-stop chimed in but five or ten seconds after coming to a stop at a red light, it would start up again without me lifting the foot off the brake. I did notice there was a momentary flicker of the I-stop amber light at the same time. Before charging the car I dived into the menus and found the notorious “I-stop not ready” display. Now I can’t find the same message…wonder why?
Anyway, the car works, starts and performs beautifully (it’s a grunty little b#gger! 
) and the auto is working fine as well. I think I will just try to drive it more often and not worry about the issue until she goes in for her next service in about nine months time. In all honesty if I had the option to have deleted the feature at the time of purchase I would have.
Thanks again for chiming in…greatly appreciated.