Canadian Volkswagen Diesel Owners Finally Get a Settlement; Dealers Begin Selling 2015 TDIs

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems
canadian volkswagen diesel owners finally get a settlement dealers begin selling

April has brought good news to diesel lovers and haters on both sides of the border.

After spending the winter (and the better part of last fall) jealously eyeing their southern neighbor’s buyback and compensation program, Canadian owners can now apply for that longed-for envelope of Volkswagen cash, as well as a one-way-ticket to hell for their emissions-rigged TDI model.

On Friday, the automaker settled court cases in Ontario and Quebec, paving the way for a 2.0-liter diesel settlement program that starts next week. The models involved are the same as in the U.S. — 105,000 units in all — and owners and lessees face similar choices as their American counterparts.

Unlike the recent or online, on April 28.

“We are devoting significant resources and personnel to ensuring their experience with the settlement program is a positive one,” said Maria Stenstroem, Chief Executive Officer of Volkswagen Group Canada, in a statement.

The fix that allows 2015 TDIs to remain on the road — and become legal for sale — already has dealers in the U.S. attempting to clear the models from their inventory. Now, Canada has joined the party. Here’s a local Canadian dealer — yes, the boastful one I mentioned earlier — touting its 2015 TDIs.

A software fix has brought down tailpipe nitrogen oxide emissions on these models, and next year’s much more involved hardware fix should bring the models into compliance. Despite an outcry in Europe over reduced performance in older fixed TDIs, VW claims there shouldn’t be a large impact on fuel economy or power. Keep in mind that the 2015 model fix is the only approved fix. American regulators have not green-lit any fix for 2009-2014 2.0-liter diesels.

While the option to wait around for a fix, all available evidence states that older TDI owners should sing a farewell song to their vehicle, then grab that cash with both hands.

[Image: Volkswagen of America]

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  • SCE to AUX SCE to AUX on Apr 23, 2017

    Other the the handful of True Believers who still trust VW, I don't know why anyone would consider buying one of these radioactive cars. They dodged the depreciation bullet on their old TDI, but these cars will always be marked with the proverbial scarlet "A".

  • TDIGuy TDIGuy on Apr 24, 2017

    "Begin"? I started calling around on Friday and all the dealers I checked had already sold their allotment of unsold 2015s. Also (at the time) they had no way to put them in to their system, which means they weren't searchable on the VW web site. I tried Audi as well... I think on a 2015 A3 TDI it was $8500 off and sold as a CPO (two years extended warranty).

  • MrIcky I would like to compare the answers here against the answers in the recent civil forfeiture article- but I won't because research is hard. It's true though that currently a ticket has no punitive value on those with means and maybe an outsized punitive value on those without. That's not communism, that's just the way it is. Speeding tickets are too arbitrary anyway though: officer discretion, speed trap towns, excessively low speed zones in areas to increase ticket revenue instead of safety, etc. I could clearly see a case where expensive cars are selectively enforced over cheap cars because you only have so much time in a day to up the revenue. It's a gray rainy crap morning and I'm sure the government will do it wrong.
  • 28-Cars-Later Feels a bit high but then again... forget it Jake, its Clown World.In 2021 someone in Sewickley had an MY01 soft top in a manual with 54K otc which I am fairly certain was a 996 and not a Boxster - $20K. I already had my C70 at the shop being reborn and could have done the $20K but it would have been tight and just didn't make sense. Still...
  • SCE to AUX Q: Should Speeding Fines Be Based on Income?A: Yes. Rich people (the guy with $1 more than you) should pay less, because giving his income to the government means he has to lay off a worker at his business.Laws are for poor people./s
  • SCE to AUX "Volvo has suggested it’s capable of yielding 275 miles of range"Every non-US car's range estimate is based on WLTP - worth mentioning.EPA range never 'backs up' WLTP; it's always about 15% lower - so figure maybe 234 miles. Not great, except as a commuter.As for the interior - it's obviously a Model 3 clone, but the screen is substantially smaller. Incidentally, I suspect Tesla made the Model 3/Y interior so minimalist to save money - not just to be different. When you're trying to become profitable on EVs, every dollar counts.
  • SCE to AUX "there haven’t been a lot of good examples hitting the market recently. Most models are aimed at the affluent, resulting in 9,000-pound behemoths with six-figure price tags"I hope you were joking, because that is blatantly false.
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