I think that German prosecutors would not be doing their job if they ignored Winterkorn. That doesn’t mean he is guilty of any complicity in Dieselgate, more does it mean he isn’t.
The plot thickens…
"According to the mass-circulation daily Bild, auto parts supplier Bosch made the suspect software available to Volkswagen in 2007, “purely for purposes of internal testing only.”
So it looks like VW will recall the 450,000 cars affected in the U.S. and reprogram or change their engine management e-proms which they claim will bring the cars into emissions compliance…
“Reprogramming the engine management E-prom so the cars will meet emissions standards will more than likely reduce both performance and fuel mileage by significant amounts…Owners will not be happy about that…Many will ignore the recall notifications. Underground “programmers” will clone the existing software so owners can revert to the original software (for a price) after they have demonstrated emissions compliance…”
.Many will ignore the recall notifications. Underground "programmers" will clone the existing software so owners can revert to the original software (for a price) after they have demonstrated emissions compliance..."
MANY??? I’d be surprised if it’s more then .01%.
NOBODY is going to volunteer to have the performance and mileage of their car destroyed in order to achieve emissions compliance…
NOBODY is going to volunteer to have the performance and mileage of their car destroyed in order to achieve emissions compliance..
Trust me…it’ll be spinned to make them think gas mileage will double. Plus…most consumers just blindly follow what the dealer tells them.
“most consumers just blindly follow what the dealer tells them.”
Whether they do or not, the reality of the situation is that when these cars are brought to a dealership for any type of maintenance or repair, the recall work will be done on them while they are in the shop–whether the owner requested it or not.
That’s the way that dealerships operate, at the behest of the manufacturers.
I think they’d be sued, and maybe break some laws, if a ‘recall’ wasn’t completed when the car was in the shop.
My wife and I both declined the Toyota recall with the gas pedal. The recall was to cut off 3" from the bottom of the pedal…and also exchange the real nice winter floor mats with cheaper ones. We just had to sigh a waver that we declined the recall.
I’m convinced that the reason of the gas pedal problem was people not securing their mats to the clips and causing it to get stuffed under the gas and brake pedal.
I have already read that some states could hold out renewing car registrations unless the recall has been performed.
I have already read that some states could hold out renewing car registrations unless the recall has been performed.
How could the state possibly know if it was performed or not?
How could the state possibly know if it was performed or not?
VW sharing information with the DMV
We have too many threads on the same subject, but like I said under repair and maintenance:
"My take is, based on comments and inquiries here, is that most TDI folks are interested foremost in the mpg and maybe secondarily in the emissions-but only to justify their high mpg. The owners therefore I believe are going to be very very reluctant to have their computers re-flashed with the new settings. It might tug at their hearts a little, but I think their quest for high mileage is going to be stronger. Otherwise why in the world would they have bought a TDI anyway?
So it seems the quick, simple fix for VW is to simply replace the software. However, they already concluded that the only way to make the diesels meet the US high standards was to use the Adblue system. So even the re-flash is not going to do it. The original extra cost in manufacturing was $300. What it would cost to retrofit, plus the additional 2 cent per mile consumer cost for the urea, is anyone’s guess.
I’m sure some states that do emissions testing could withhold approval for licensing, forcing owners to do something or park the cars. But that would mean that the testing stations would need to do test drive tail pipe testing. Plus not all states do testing.
No easy way out but again I ask what the actual additional total pollutants were or are being discharged? Not the meter readings, but the actual additional total releases and how that might compare to a day at a Chinese steel mill."
In California emissions related recalls must be performed before vehicle registration can be completed.
10.065 Emission Recall Program (H&SC § 43009.5)
If a vehicle owner does not respond to a manufacturer’s emission recall notice,
registration of the vehicle cannot be completed until a Proof of Correction
Certificate is submitted.
The correction certificate is obtained from an authorized dealership after the recall
repairs are performed.
The Fix that VW was talking about today does not include vehicles in the US. The fix for US cars is going to be more complicated http://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/vws-promised-fix-diesels-doesnt-apply-u-s-vehicles-source-n435746
By checking the VIN before they renew the plates…
If a TDI owner signed a waiver for the software fix that fixes emissions, wouldn’t they be liable for any penalties that the EPA imposed? If VW tried that, I suspect that it wouldn’t last long. The difference is that the TDI problem affects everyone, while the brake pedal and floor mat fix affects the owner of that car for the most part.
^You run into the issue of (as Al Gore put it), "No legal controlling authority."
States are tasked with running vehicle emission tests, as well as setting, more generally, the safety and equipment standards for operating a vehicle on public roadways. They are not charged with enforcement of the Clean Air Act.
Now, something might be legal in a state, and illegal federally (ahem, Colorado…) but the state is under no obligation to bring this to their attention, and (generally) doesn’t. So, not fixing a TDI MIGHT (not a lawyer) be against the CAA…but unless you really tick somebody at the DOT off…or have some really awful luck to draw the ire of some random EPA wonk, you really have nothing to worry about.
How could the state possibly know if it was performed or not?VW sharing information with the DMV
Many people here in NH have bought vehicles in MA or ME and even VT and visa-versa.
Dealers don’t share their information with DMV’s in other states.
Pretty sure recall completion info goes to the manufacturer, who could disclose it to all DMVs. May require a state to pass a law.