EXCLUSIVE: Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Fixes to Begin in US in February
According to the same source who revealed to TTAC that Volkswagen will announce next week its “TDI Goodwill Program”, the automaker will also begin to roll out fixes for affected diesel emissions cars in the U.S. in February.
The fix, which was mentioned to dealers and communicated to dealer staff, will comprise of an ECU flash. The details of the ECU flash itself and the specific vehicles to which it will apply were not provided.
It was reported previously that different generations of the affected EA189 diesel engine could receive varying levels of correction, from ECU flashes to the installation of full urea-fed SCR systems. This ECU flash could be just one of two or three fixes for Volkswagen’s dirty diesels.
Volkswagen has supposedly earmarked $4 billion to fix their diesel cars and public reputation in the U.S., which includes money the automaker will use to fund the “TDI Goodwill Program”, said the source.
“We were informed that … customers will be notified in batches according to the vehicle’s VIN,” said the source.
Some 482,000 vehicles were sold in the U.S. with the EA189 2-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine.
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency revealed they had found what they believed to be a “defeat device” on vehicles equipped with the larger 3-liter six-cylinder diesel engine found in the 2014 Touareg, 2015 Porsche Cayenne Diesel and 2016 models of the Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L and Q5. Early estimates put the count of affected vehicles at 10,000, but it’s likely much higher.
Volkswagen has stopped the sale of those models, but disagrees with the EPA’s findings, stating “no software has been installed in the 3-liter V6 diesel power units to alter emissions characteristics in a forbidden manner.”
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- Redapple2 jeffbut they dont want to ... their pick up is 4th behind ford/ram, Toyota. GM has the Best engineers in the world. More truck profit than the other 3. Silverado + Sierra+ Tahoe + Yukon sales = 2x ford total @ $15,000 profit per. Tons o $ to invest in the BEST truck. No. They make crap. Garbage. Evil gm Vampire
- Rishabh Ive actually seen the one unit you mentioned, driving around in gurugram once. And thats why i got curious to know more about how many they sold. Seems like i saw the only one!
- Amy I owned this exact car from 16 until 19 (1990 to 1993) I miss this car immensely and am on the search to own it again, although it looks like my search may be in vane. It was affectionatly dubbed, " The Dragon Wagon," and hauled many a teenager around the city of Charlotte, NC. For me, it was dependable and trustworthy. I was able to do much of the maintenance myself until I was struck by lightning and a month later the battery exploded. My parents did have the entire electrical system redone and he was back to new. I hope to find one in the near future and make it my every day driver. I'm a dreamer.
- Jeff Overall I prefer the 59 GM cars to the 58s because of less chrome but I have a new appreciation of the 58 Cadillac Eldorados after reading this series. I use to not like the 58 Eldorados but I now don't mind them. Overall I prefer the 55-57s GMs over most of the 58-60s GMs. For the most part I like the 61 GMs. Chryslers I like the 57 and 58s. Fords I liked the 55 thru 57s but the 58s and 59s not as much with the exception of Mercury which I for the most part like all those. As the 60s progressed the tail fins started to go away and the amount of chrome was reduced. More understated.
- Theflyersfan Nissan could have the best auto lineup of any carmaker (they don't), but until they improve one major issue, the best cars out there won't matter. That is the dealership experience. Year after year in multiple customer service surveys from groups like JD Power and CR, Nissan frequency scrapes the bottom. Personally, I really like the never seen new Z, but after having several truly awful Nissan dealer experiences, my shadow will never darken a Nissan showroom. I'm painting with broad strokes here, but maybe it is so ingrained in their culture to try to take advantage of people who might not be savvy enough in the buying experience that they by default treat everyone like idiots and saps. All of this has to be frustrating to Nissan HQ as they are improving their lineup but their dealers drag them down.
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I can't believe that it's 2015 and I'm actually about to say this, but, I trust a well serviced DSG over a Honda automatic transmission. The 23O6 update did not blow your transmission. Yes, there are some serious issues with the AdBlue heater, but most fail well into the vehicle's life cycle. VW helps on a case by case basis. But components on cars don't last forever, so get over it. You drive, you used the component, it broke, replace it, move on. I have never met a customer base that is as entitled as VW customers that expect something that they used, heavily, to not break.
I have yet to see a properly serviced DSG transmission fail at 93,000 miles. The powertrain warranty is 5 years or 60,000 miles. 33,000 miles is not "just outside of warranty." No automaker can achieve a 0% failure rate on complex components. It's a shame that the a DSG replacement costs so much, but I have seen properly serviced DSG's exceed 160k miles without a problem. Once VW solved the mechatronics issue, the transmission doesn't have many issues. If people want buy diesels, and clean diesels at that, then putting up with emissions system failures is part and parcel of driving a diesel. I tell customers interested in a TDI to buy it because they like how it drives, but to keep in mind the emissions systems are more complex than a gas powered version.