Plan to sell back, but being told I need emissions software update

Good morning all.

I own a 2015 Jetta S TDI, with plans to sell it back to VW in 2018. I put on around 35k miles in a year, so January 2018 will be my third year of ownership, so mileage will be above 100k. The financial offer from VW exceeds any other offer I could get for the car with that mileage, so it makes no financial sense to keep the car (despite my love of it).

So as of now, I am registered with the court settlement website, and I have marked selling it back to VW as my choice. I told them my estimated time of selling back was June 2018.

My question, in particular, relates to general service at VW dealerships in the States. My 70k service appointment is coming up very quickly, in fact within a week. When I called and scheduled, they told me that my car would also be receiving a software update for the emissions issue. Now I have no problem with receiving the emissions software update in general, as I am not keen on adding more pollution than I need to. This is despite the reservations I have in that the change could be a determent to the car's performance and fun factor. But I worry that receiving said update I could somehow jeopardize my selling the car back to VW in 2018.

I have searched extensively for items in relation to this query online, but have not found anyone with this situation. As of now my plan is to say no to the software update, and if they will not service it because of this, go to a third party garage. More than likely I will switch to a third party garage anyway, for cheaper price, since I am less concerned now about the longevity of my TDI as its time with me if very finite.

Another issue with this is the dealer uses a third party system for setting up appointments, and they are not very close to VW issues and news, so everything they tell me has to be taken with a grain of salt. I did ask them if taking the upgrade would affect my ability to sell back, and they did not know.

Any information on this would be very helpful.

As a second shorter question, the 80k service is the second big transmission one. I am not keen on spending that amount of money for a car I am planning on getting rid of shortly. At current pace of driving, it will be in 3 and one half months. I did get the 40k transmission service, and if I was planning on keeping the car and only accepting the modifications, I would get this service. So in summary, is the 80k transmission service worth it when I do not plan on keeping the car for more than a year after it would be performed?

I think a better question would be is the 80K dsg service worth the piece of mind that you should be free of issues for the next 40K miles? Even getting it done in July means that you'll drive it at least another six plus months.

Skipping the DSG service isn't going to kill the car or hurt your resale. I'd take a pass on that. If you insist on doing it, an outside shop will be less expensive.

Regarding the ECU flash, I'd be paranoid. A couple users here got flashed without consent and even after specifically telling the dealer not to. There's
There's been no resolution posted that I recall seeing , i.e. I don't know whether it affected their buybacks. But it would cause me to choose an independent shop for my remaining services.

The software update the dealer is 'requiring' is Part 1 of the two-part 'emissions fix' for your car: right now, just an ECU flash, phase two is the mechanical bits and pieces. All well-documented in other posts here that relate to the Gen 3 fix.

I would think that since the reflash they are talking about is part of the whole court settlement issue, I'm not sure you can say 'no' to that one.

No comments on the DSG service as I drive a manual.

Therein lies the dilemma.

There are three options as outlined by the settlement: buyback, OR fix, OR do nothing (and receive no compensation).

The language is clear that cars receiving the fix no longer qualify for buyback.

Out of an abundance of caution, I would avoid the ECU flash at all costs because it is not known whether this cancels the buyback option.

Galo said:

I would think that since the reflash they are talking about is part of the whole court settlement issue, I'm not sure you can say 'no' to that one.

Click to expand...

You can absolutely say no to that one--it's the customer's option which settlement option to pick, if any.

Though we've seen a couple here who said no, but it was done anyway. And recall the forum member who complained the dealership called post-service and insisted the vehicle be brought back so they could affix a new emissions label and take a photo, part of the "fix" process he didn't want? To me, leaving the car with the dealer is too much uncertainty.

The question comes down to - do you plan on getting the fix for 2015 and keep the car for the rest of it's natural life ? Or are you planning on do the buyback ?


If you're planning on getting the fix - get signed up on the VW courtsettlement site and go through them to get it scheduled, and then "while you're at it" get the rest of your planned service done. BTW - the fix has minimal if any impact on your day-to-day driving of the car - will probably use more DEF, but drivabilty (with a DSG) is almost not noticiable - in fact, it might actually make it drive "better".

If you're planning on doing the buyback (big mistake IMO on a 2015) - absolutely DO NOT take it to any dealer that is insisting that you need a SW update while the car is with them - I'd even insist on going to a trusted independent shop / mechanic rather than have the dealer do it.

scooperhsd said:

If you're planning on doing the buyback (big mistake IMO on a 2015) - absolutely DO NOT take it to any dealer that is insisting that you need a SW update while the car is with them - I'd even insist on going to a trusted independent shop / mechanic rather than have the dealer do it.

Click to expand...

You have probably already posted this, but why is this a mistake? I understand that the 2015 will be least impacted by the fix because it is not as invasive a fix. But in my case, the car will have over 100k miles, so more than likely past have its lifespan. I am still on the fence about selling it back, but with a tesla coming down the tubes I want a size-able down payment to be generated from the settlement, a third car (which could be the jetta) that uses fuel for trips that exceed tesla range, and finally one without as many expensive service appointments.

On the last point, I had a terrible Cavalier until it was totaled, that car got everything down for under $500 a year and ran very well at 180k miles, since my mileage is 90% highway. The Jetta, if I continue to use VW service reaches that much more rapidly, and probably exceeds 1k. Granted, this will drop significantly after acquiring tesla, but still a factor.

I expect a servicible diriving life of at least 300K miles on my Golf - My 2000 NB TDI is running strong at 358,000 miles as a daily driver. 47 MPG and 135 HP and 215 FT lbs torque.... and 5 speed conversion