I had all 6 GP's changed on my 603 this summer. I thought one or two were bad but Indy told me all six were toast. The car still started (when cold~70*) with no working GP's. Generally for the first start each day I wait for the light to extinguish then wait about 10 more sec. The rest of the days starts follow the previous routine: ignition on, seatbelt on, start. Works fine for me. I too don't like overworking my starter. I also run a blend so I like it hot.

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Muleears
'07 E320 Bluetec 133K my DD
'04 Jaguar XJ8 VDP, 34K
'10 Hyundai Accent 60K Grocery Getter
'02 VW Golf soon to be on the road again
'97 E300 Diesel Son's DD
'61 VERY tolerant wife

Hampton Roads, VA USA

Gone but not forgotten:
'67 250S 95K
'86 300SDL
'87 300D Turbo, 364K! R.I.P.
'98 E300 Turbodiesel, 213K
'02 S420, 164K
'01 Prius 138K