Incredible, astounding, appalling...

[DGS49]

VWoA now offers a thousand dollars in gift cards to owners of one of the outlaw TDI's.

Car & Driver (I think it was) reports that these cars will probably require a new urea tank for exhaust injection, along with the plumbing and computer smarts that go with it - but there is no room in the chassis for such hardware. Which is why it's taking so long for VW to announce the "fix."

 

[Jarlaxle]

I would expect the tank to end up in the spare tire well.

 

[BruSan]

Well since the Urea's primary function is to cleanse the catalytic convertor with a higher than normal temp "cook-off" would it also require a new convertor and perhaps a dual layer heat shield to protect the flooring?

This little fudging exercise is going to cost VW a whole lot of moola before it's over as I predict a class action suite by some owners finding a fix-around unsatisfactory might take their azz to court and demand a buy-back at pre-debacle retail values..

What court would show sympathy to VW if such a suit were to occur?

 

[Jarlaxle]

I would not be surprised to see VWoA declare bankruptcy to get out of having to fix all the cars.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk: VW Scandal Shows Time’s Up for Fossil Fuels
Musk was asked his thoughts about the Volkswagen scandal at an event in Belgium a few days ago. Here’s what the Tesla CEO had to say:

[The salient part of the video is in English]

So an electric car manufacturer says it's over for the combustion engine....what a surprise.
Yep..more greed.

 

[DGS49]

Bankruptcy is not an option. VW is the second or third largest car manufacturer in the world, and I know from personal experience that Germans are very reluctant to take this way out. I have seen a couple American-German entities be bailed out by the German parent when any U.S. based company would have just gone into Chapter 11. Germans don't think like that.

The latest I heard on this solution is that my concerns about performance drop-off are unfounded. It seems that the work-around in the software resulted in the EPA numbers reflecting worst case performance (while being tested on the dyno), and once the software reverses itself performance improves. This is why people report getting "better than EPA" fuel economy with these cars. So when the fix is implemented, the performance will still be as good as advertised, just not better, as is the case now.

Bottom line: there is no reason not to buy a car with one of these engines. It might even be a good time to pick up a bargain.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Bankruptcy is not an option. VW is the second or third largest car manufacturer in the world, and I know from personal experience that Germans are very reluctant to take this way out. I have seen a couple American-German entities be bailed out by the German parent when any U.S. based company would have just gone into Chapter 11. Germans don't think like that.

Not the whole VAG company...just VWoA.

The latest I heard on this solution is that my concerns about performance drop-off are unfounded. It seems that the work-around in the software resulted in the EPA numbers reflecting worst case performance (while being tested on the dyno), and once the software reverses itself performance improves. This is why people report getting "better than EPA" fuel economy with these cars. So when the fix is implemented, the performance will still be as good as advertised, just not better, as is the case now.

Bottom line: there is no reason not to buy a car with one of these engines. It might even be a good time to pick up a bargain.

The performance WILL be reduced. The cars WILL use more fuel. This is absolutely guaranteed, and obvious to anyone familiar with the reality of modern diesel engines. With the mileage advantage gone, there is no reason to ever buy a TDi.

Diesel power has jumped the shark.

 

[Manonthestreet]

How much 'cleaner" is it to reduce the mileage......

 

[DGS49]

The EPA mileage tests are done on a dynamometer (and not on the open road). When testing with the back wheels stationary (i.e., on a dyno), the cheating software takes effect, so the results obtained by the EPA are the results achievable when the software is scrubbing the exhaust. When out on the road, the cheating software is reversed, so NOW when you drive on the road, your mileage is actually better than what the EPA determined.

After the fix, the cars will ONLY get the same mileage as the EPA testing indicated, but will do no better.

So a VW-Diesel owner now will see a decrease in his MPG when his car is "fixed," but a prospective new purchaser will potentially get the mileage shown on the EPA sticker, which is as it should be. And in the case of the 2.0L VW 4-banker will still exceed 40mpg highway, with the same exemplary torque.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Except it will also have driveability problems, possibly diluted oil, various issues with the emission systems, and almost certainly reduced power. There is no longer any reason whatsoever to buy a TDi.