Volkswagen Can Save 70,000 TDI Vehicles, If Their Owners Want It
Assuming owners of 2.0-liter diesel Volkswagens aren’t so pissed at the company that thoughts of cash extraction and corporate punishment fill their every waking hour, up to 70,000 of the little polluters could be spared.
After failing multiple times to whip up a fix for the emissions-rigged engines, VW has made a breakthrough with the U.S. government. That means owners of certain VW and Audi vehicles have a choice to make.
The automaker’s $16.5 billion settlement clearly spelled out owners of affected vehicles could sell their cars back to the company (and be handed an extra pile of cash for their troubles), or opt for a yet-undefined fix. Well, the Environmental Protection Agency has now approved a fix, Reuters reports.
Due to a change in engine design, only the newest models equipped with 2.0-liter diesels have a chance at a longer life. These include 2015 Volkswagen Beetle, Golf, Golf SportWagen, Jetta, and Passat models, as well as the 2015 Audi A3.
The approved fix is twofold. Owners opting to keep their diesels can go in for a minor software tweak right away, which should reduce emissions slightly. However, in about a year, a much larger fix should become available. Those modifications include both software and hardware updates, including the installation of a diesel particulate filter, diesel oxidation catalyst and NOx catalyst.
EPA claims the full fix won’t affect the vehicles’ “fuel economy, reliability, or durability.”
Under the settlement, 85 percent of the 475,000 affected vehicles must be off the road by June 2019, which makes the 70,000 figure a rosy theoretical ceiling. So far, the buyout option has proven popular, and with good reason. When else will an automaker pay pre-scandal value for a car, and hand you up to $10,000 as a gift?
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"EPA claims the full fix won’t affect the vehicles’ “fuel economy, reliability, or durability.” Thanks, I needed a late-afternoon laugh. Know what? My Jetta with the 1.4T and a manual averages about 32 mpg in plodding-around-the-'burbs driving. If I mix in about 40-50% of that driving on the freeway, that goes to about 34-35 mpg. If the overwhelming majority of my driving was on the freeway, I'd be getting close to 40. So what, precisely, is the point of the diesel? Take the buyout and get a gas Jetta or Golf. You'll get a helluva deal on either one (Jetta in particular). What's the percentage in keeping the TDI on the "we'll fix it" promise given higher diesel prices? I don't see it.
I would follow this advice from Steve Miller. Whoa..oooo take the money and run.