Hmm i don’t think it is in reference to actual MPG.. which obviously would be 0 at idle because.. you can not get miles per gallon if you are going zero miles an hour. **BUT** I have heard that the fuel needed to start an engine is more than what is burned idling for the typical light cycle duration.. and if that’s true, his statement makes sense in a way.Would love to understand the science behind your statement. Understand that while the engine is running and the vehicle is not moving, your fuel ecomony will be EXACTLY 0 MPG. Averaging this into your economy per full tank of fuel, it can add up. We can debate all day long how much fuel may be saved, there will be a savings, however, there are a lot of variables.
While the Auto Stop/Start feature can save fuel, there are other negatives and I prefer not to deal with this feature and it is either turned off or disabled on my vehicles. I am not looking for 30 MPG out of a 6000 lb brick with a V8, if I wanted good fuel economy I would have purchased a very different vehicle.
I have no science to back this statement up. i am sure that others more educated on that subject could confirm or refute .