Appointment set for my 2.0L TDI Engine (GEN 3) Emissions Control Software - Stg 1 Mod

I completed my "fix" yesterday. As of now, only about 100 miles of 50/50 driving (city/hwy) and i have some initial impressions.

The earlier, well detailed report made earlier in the tread is very much what I experienced, overall. The only few things I could add is:

1) The usual hesitation/hill hold I used to experience at inclines or before execration does not seem to be present.

2) As far as performance, I don't downshift on the highway when I accelerate like I used to do. For me this is less of an issue as that is why I am glad for the way the DSG is set up, I just move over into Manualmatic mode.

3) It shifts a little quicker than before. Driving in residential service streets (where I am typically 5 mpg below posted speed) I feel a very slight lug in the engine. It is defiantly at the bottom if its power band and I expect that is to lower RPM/emissions. Again, fixed if I drive in Manulmatic mode.

No significant difference in MPG but I will be covering about 500 miles this week, pack to my typical route, and should be able to offer a better estimate then. I topped off my Adblue, also, because I was wondering about its consumption. About 1000 miles after my last top off service, I had to close to 1/4 gallon.

As someone had mentioned, I am considering a flash from either Malone or Kerma, and can offer impressions after I feel I've evaluated this "stock" setup enough. What I find strange is this has seemed more of a DSG tune. I didn't expect that.

Overall, I am happy with this modification, so far. My weekly commute, performance, and MPG will solidify my opinion one way or the other.

Drive safe.

Thanks for the update, keep us posted.

cane929 said:

thanks for the update, keep us posted.

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ditto

Appointment set for Jan25 2 PM. When I called the dealer about scheduling, the advisor told me I needed to do it through the portal (done). She also said they have done 2 others so far (Leith VW of Raleigh), first one about 2.5 hours, 2nd about 2 hours. I expect them to get better as they do more of them.

scooperhsd said:

Appointment set for Jan25 2 PM. When I called the dealer about scheduling, the advisor told me I needed to do it through the portal (done). She also said they have done 2 others so far (Leith VW of Raleigh), first one about 2.5 hours, 2nd about 2 hours. I expect them to get better as they do more of them.

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'through the portal'??? i was told this:

The next step in the process is to schedule your appointment to complete the Approved Emissions Modification. All scheduling must take place with the dealer directly.

at the 'portal'! and i did the scheduling myself via a live web chat with the dealer...

hope your mod goes well! we're scheduled for the same day but at 0900

willie
on the soon-to-be-stormy Gulf of Mexico

A lot of DSG's done so far. Waiting for some 6MT drivers to take the plunge and let us know.

linux_author said:

'through the portal'??? i was told this:

The next step in the process is to schedule your appointment to complete the Approved Emissions Modification. All scheduling must take place with the dealer directly.

at the 'portal'! and i did the scheduling myself via a live web chat with the dealer...

hope your mod goes well! we're scheduled for the same day but at 0900

willie
on the soon-to-be-stormy Gulf of Mexico

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My dealer called just to make sure I'd been through the portal. There is no way that they can tell since the portal just links to their web site. My 6mt is scheduled for stage one on Saturday. I'll post what I notice then.

scooperhsd said:

No - you'll get the replacement again when your car is over those miles.

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.
Just to make sure I understand, if for phase II you bring a 6 speed MT in for service and it has < 70,000 miles they will replace all the hardware mentioned in the booklet and then once again before 150,000 miles? But if you car (6mt) has > 70,000 miles the hardware will only be replaced once?

Has anyone seen what the level of compliance with emissions regs are with this fix? 100%?

Anyone who's read the disclosure, the link to which has been posted here several times (edit: heck, it was posted in this very thread, just yesterday morning), has seen the level of compliance.

2015 GSW 6MT after 1st modification

I got my modification (2015 gsw manual) done on 1/20, apparently I was the first at the dealer and they took 1.5 days (typical for this dealer though).
So far I have driven roughly 100 miles (80hwy/20city). MPG is within the normal range, ~43 so far, ~45 usually (on board computer, which is within 5% of the manual spot checks).
I have not noticed any louder noises as was indicated by VW.
However, it appears to me that the torque curve is likely flattened out some and moved up in the rpm range. The usual kick-in of the turbo seems to happen around 1900 rpm when I think it was around 1600 before. Also, the kick-in is less pronounced (flatter curve). These changes are subtle and do not significantly change the driving characteristics of the car to me.
Have not received the chase notification nor the payment.
Overall, still satisfied with the car and the restitution.

My guess is that the new DPF/emissions stuff will fail after about 70K miles, which is why they will not change it on a car with less than 40,000 miles, as it would fail again within the warranty period.

Thoughts?

A lot of people have had the exhaust fluid heater fail. It failed on my 2013 Passat at about 56k miles. I paid for it out of pocket and repaired it myself. Of course the warranty extension was issued about a month later.

BarryT82 said:

A lot of people have had the exhaust fluid heater fail. It failed on my 2013 Passat at about 56k miles. I paid for it out of pocket and repaired it myself. Of course the warranty extension was issued about a month later.

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Pretty sure you should be able to get a rebate from VW。

TurnOne said:

A lot of DSG's done so far. Waiting for some 6MT drivers to take the plunge and let us know.

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While I see one report from a 6MT version, I just dropped off my 2015 GSW-S/6MT. The service rep, in chatting with him reports that I was the first one (Colonial VW of Medford, MA) and was grumbling about how no one had put it as a service item in the computer yet, which meant more typing for him.

He reported that even though it's a software fix, they have a whole bunch of involved inspection routines to follow which is why it takes a few hours. This included taking detailed photographs.

Just found that interesting and thought I'd post it here. I'm due to pick it up after work today and will take note of any changes. Maybe I should even plug in my bluetooth OBDII device and record some telemetry? Unfortunately, I don't have any before logs to compare with.

BarryT82 said:

A lot of people have had the exhaust fluid heater fail. It failed on my 2013 Passat at about 56k miles. I paid for it out of pocket and repaired it myself. Of course the warranty extension was issued about a month later.

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I did the same thing. I already got my refund cheque from VW for the cost of the heater (I did it myself) and I got a second cheque the same day for the cost of the diagnosis at the dealer.

Anyone who has had phase I done and has make changes to any controller settings (VCDS) were your changes preserved when the new software was installed?
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I changed a handful of settings and was wondering if they would get set back to the factory settings. I've disabled the hill hold and the door lock chirp. I guess it will be easy to tell when I lock the doors after get the car back.
.
Waiting on a call back from the service manager now. Want to see how many they have done before making the appointment.

sohccammer427 said:

Anyone who has had phase I done and has make changes to any controller settings (VCDS) were your changes preserved when the new software was installed?
.
I changed a handful of settings and was wondering if they would get set back to the factory settings. I've disabled the hill hold and the door lock chirp. I guess it will be easy to tell when I lock the doors after get the car back.
.
Waiting on a call back from the service manager now. Want to see how many they have done before making the appointment.

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The lock, alarm and window control settings are generally stored in the central electric module's long coding. This round of updates is only an engine computer flash update as well as DSG transmission flash update (if so equipped). Your VCDS tweaks should remain.

This might change with the 2nd phase hardware update, depending on how they decide to power some of the extra sensors they're being required to retrofit. If some of these new hardware items need to be powered via the central electrics module, then yes, the coding will almost certainly change and wipe out your tweaks.

I wouldn't expect that to happen with phase 1, though.

Sorry if this has already been discussed and cleared up by does anyone understand what the phase 2 modification for low mileage cars involves. The disclosure seems to be contradictory.

First it says: "If your car exceeds 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) we will install updated emissions control system hardware - specifically a new Diesel Particulate Filter, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter"

Then it says : If your vehicle has accumulated fewer than 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) at the time of your Phase 2 update, your car will need to have the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst replaced a second time.

How do you have it replaced a second time if it wasn't replaced the first time?

Armby said:

Sorry if this has already been discussed and cleared up by does anyone understand what the phase 2 modification for low mileage cars involves. The disclosure seems to be contradictory.

First it says: "If your car exceeds 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) we will install updated emissions control system hardware - specifically a new Diesel Particulate Filter, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter"

Then it says : If your vehicle has accumulated fewer than 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) at the time of your Phase 2 update, your car will need to have the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst replaced a second time.

How do you have it replaced a second time if it wasn't replaced the first time?

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Now that the cheat has been removed (which extended the life of the emission parts) it means that the emission parts they install won't last more than 70K miles, and if installed on a car with fewer than 40K, they will fail within the warranty period and therefore need to be replaced.

This means that as soon as the extended warranty is out on these fixed cars, say hello to an expensive DPF replacement.

Armby said:

Sorry if this has already been discussed and cleared up by does anyone understand what the phase 2 modification for low mileage cars involves. The disclosure seems to be contradictory.
First it says: "If your car exceeds 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) we will install updated emissions control system hardware - specifically a new Diesel Particulate Filter, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter"
Then it says : If your vehicle has accumulated fewer than 40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) at the time of your Phase 2 update, your car will need to have the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst replaced a second time.
How do you have it replaced a second time if it wasn't replaced the first time?

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.
I too am struggling with this.
.
The second part of the emissions modification will involve outfitting your
car with new emission control parts to ensure system reliability and
durability over time. If your car exceeds 40,000 miles (for automatic
transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for manual transmissions) we will install
updated emissions control system hardware - specifically a new Diesel
Particulate Filter, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic
Reduction Converter - that is needed to maintain emissions
performance for the full useful life (150,000 miles) of your vehicle. As
part of the Phase 2 modification, we will also install a second NOx
sensor and corresponding software to improve the performance of the
OBD system. The Phase 2 updates are expected to have no further
impact on overall vehicle reliability, durability, fuel economy, engine
sound, performance, or drivability.
.
You will receive a notice when Phase 2 of the emissions modification is
available for your vehicle. You should expect to receive this notice
before June 30, 2019. If your vehicle has accumulated fewer than
40,000 miles (for automatic transmissions) or 70,000 miles (for
manual transmissions) at the time of your Phase 2 update, your car will
need to have the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst replaced a second time,
before it reaches 150,000 miles. We will notify you when it is time to
bring your car in for the second catalyst replacement.
.
It specifically says (using a 6 speed mt for example) that if you bring it in for phase II with MORE than 70,000 miles only then will the DPF, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter be replaced.
.
But then it contradicts itself by saying that if the car had LESS than 70,000 miles when brought in only the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst would be replaced for a second time?
.
My take is ALL will get he DPF, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter regardless of the mileage when brought in for phase II, and if at that time a 6mt has less that 70,000 (40,000 dsg) miles then only the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst will be replaced a second time before getting to 150,000 miles.

sohccammer427 said:

My take is ALL will get he DPF, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst, and Selective Catalytic Reduction Converter regardless of the mileage when brought in for phase II, and if at that time a 6mt has less that 70,000 (40,000 dsg) miles then only the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst will be replaced a second time before getting to 150,000 miles.

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I think you may be right but that is not what it says. Odd

The wording of that document is terrible. If the words "a second time" weren't there, I could make sense of it ... and I suspect that's what's really going to happen. At the time of phase 2, if your car has less than those thresholds, they hold off with the replacement until some unspecified later time, at which time they'll replace them. So it is "a second" (actually third) service visit, but only the first time the components are getting replaced.

It does smell like limited component longevity.

makattack said:

While I see one report from a 6MT version, I just dropped off my 2015 GSW-S/6MT. The service rep, in chatting with him reports that I was the first one (Colonial VW of Medford, MA) and was grumbling about how no one had put it as a service item in the computer yet, which meant more typing for him.
He reported that even though it's a software fix, they have a whole bunch of involved inspection routines to follow which is why it takes a few hours. This included taking detailed photographs.
Just found that interesting and thought I'd post it here. I'm due to pick it up after work today and will take note of any changes. Maybe I should even plug in my bluetooth OBDII device and record some telemetry? Unfortunately, I don't have any before logs to compare with.

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I just had my 2015 manual Golf wagen "fixed" today. As for the inspection routines and photos they have to take of your VIN, etc., they said that if they didn't follow all of the steps exactly per the VW instructions, the dealer would not be paid...just a little extra incentive not to rush through and miss a step, or, pull a Well Fargo and capitalize on someone's remediation payment.

Manual Golf Sportwagen Fixed

tomo366 said:

So has any one with a stick car had the fix yet?

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My fix was completed on my 2015 manual Sportwagen (30K miles) this morning. It was painless, less than the 2 hours they had ball-parked for me.

My observations so far:
1) Yes, it does seem a little louder. Maybe that's in my head, having read that it might be louder, but it sounds like the mornings where I haven't had an adequate warm up and I try to drive it at highway speeds. No impact on my driving experience, but a number of folks said they didn't notice any difference, so I wanted to mention that mine seems like it might be louder.

2) I have to agree with the automatic posters, there is something different about the shift points. Not so much in 1st thru 3rd, but running in 4th at about 50 mph, I'm still just shy of 2000 RPMs, and not feeling any pressure to go into 5th. Oddly, the idiot indicator (which I consider more annoying than guiding) is telling me to go 4->6. 6th gear at 50, when I'm not even close to 3000RPMs? I can see why the automatic people might be sluggish. And yes, I know, any serious driver ignores the dashboard advice anyway.

Overall, despite not having evaluated my mpgs fully, I have no regrets yet for going the fix route. With 30K miles, albeit with a healthy buyback offer, I have no desire to revisit the car buying scene, particularly since the SELs are no longer offered in manual.

My 2015 Golf TDI Manual was just dropped off to dealer. It well get the fix tmrw morning. Said it would take 3hr and I'll pick up after work tmrw. I post my findings tmrw night.

Got the "fix" done today. Took a couple of hours, but got a wash out of it . Got the paper receipt for how much to expect on the check & it matched my figures. No issues on the 60 mile run back home. No significant differences, i.e. nothing that would have stopped me from buying if it had been a pre-purchase test drive. It will take a few fill ups to see if the trend on fuelly stays constant.

Nick

Thoughts on restitution

When stage 1 is performed you get 2/3, and then 1/3 at stage 2.

Is there anything that says what happens if you're in a different mileage bracket at the commencement of stage 2?

mose said:

When stage 1 is performed you get 2/3, and then 1/3 at stage 2.
Is there anything that says what happens if you're in a different mileage bracket at the commencement of stage 2?

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.
Who knows at this point? The wording in the disclosure booklet is cryptic to say the least. It states that Phase II will be available in early 2018 and that you should expect to receive this notice before June 30, 2019? That's an 18 month window. But if it takes 9 hours to perform who knows. I'd guess that if you had phase I done, VW will initiate the contact to have phase II done. But I'm not sure how the 40,000/70,000 mile "accumulation factor" will come into play.

mose said:

When stage 1 is performed you get 2/3, and then 1/3 at stage 2.

Is there anything that says what happens if you're in a different mileage bracket at the commencement of stage 2?

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Although I didn't read that part of the settlement as closely as the pieces that relate to the Gen 1 cars, my opinion is that the mileage factor is set by the stage 1 agreement. The miles you do between stage 1 and stage 2 should not effect the restitution amount. It may, however, effect what VW does at stage 2 though.