Fate of Your Beloved TDI after BuyBack

This is hard to watch.... Not saying I know, but if BMW can do this to what looks like newish cars they can do it to new TDI's.... Der Germans aren't strangers to crushing cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0B9sBiouJoer

Kind of fascinating how the recover all the fluids, refrigerant, drain the fuel and even suck the juice out of the struts... Then they fire all the airbags and "pull" the Engine and Trans... before sending the car to the final curtain call...... fade to black..... ahaaaaaa (your poor TDI will yell, why why why did you take buyback... Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund...)

gmcjetpilot said:

This is hard to watch.... Not saying I know, but if BMW can do this to what looks like newish cars they can do it to new TDI's.... Der Germans aren't strangers to crushing cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0B9sBiouJoer

Kind of fascinating how the recover all the fluids, refrigerant, drain the fuel and even suck the juice out of the struts... Then they fire all the airbags and "pull" the Engine and Trans... before sending the car to the final curtain call...... fade to black..... ahaaaaaa (your poor TDI will yell, why why why did you take buyback... Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund...)

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I think these are pre production prototypes, which are almost never sold or put into the hands of the public. Every car maker crushes a certain number of good cars.

Talked to a GM engineer who once said off the record GM crushes about 400 lemons bought back every month, mostly cars that were improperly repaired multiple times at dealers.

Had VW walked through the front door with the 2009 cars and equipped them with Urea/Adblue and HPFP's that did not grenade, they might have quite the market following at the moment.

...but as the proud owner of an R53 Cooper S hardtop, this was indeed painful to watch....

Eh, it's just an econobox Golf. I could care less if it's crushed. It's not like it's a Kombi van.

DUBPL8 said:

Eh, it's just an econobox Golf. I could care less if it's crushed. It's not like it's a Kombi van.

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Wonder if people will still have that statement 5-10 years from now.

740GLE said:

Wonder if people will still have that statement 5-10 years from now.

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Nobody cares about MK4 or MK5 Golfs/Rabbits, why should this one be any different?

They're just modern large volume production cars. If we were talking limited run or antique cars...sure...that might be sad to watch, but a bunch of run of the mill cars? Meh.

bubbagumpshrimp said:

They're just modern large volume production cars. If we were talking limited run or antique cars...sure...that might be sad to watch, but a bunch of run of the mill cars? Meh.

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Agree, ours are just cars, and there are millions of them. Would the OP feel any different throwing out a vacuum cleaner he liked a lot?

aja8888 said:

Agree, ours are just cars, and there are millions of them. Would the OP feel any different throwing out a vacuum cleaner he liked a lot?

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It's a lot easier to get attached to a good vacuum cleaner, especially if it really sucks.

Remember Goldfinger? The mobster who heard Goldfinger's presentation but refused to participate in the scheme was driven away in a Lincoln, shot, and the Lincoln put into a crusher with him inside.

With that crappy Bosch CP4.1 injector pump, failure-prone EGR exhaust flapper, freeze-prone intercooler, crack-prone DPF, all of which are things VW has tried to blame the customer for ... I'll volunteer to press the button myself!

GoFaster said:

With that crappy Bosch CP4.1 injector pump, failure-prone EGR exhaust flapper, freeze-prone intercooler, crack-prone DPF, all of which are things VW has tried to blame the customer for ... I'll volunteer to press the button myself!

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So you are saying you are an itty bitty tinnie winnie bitter.

Curious, any of that happen to you? Just asking.

TDI's are people too... oh wait they are not. Never mind. Still what a waste...

The energy, pollution to make a car and then destroy it before it can be used for intended purpose, not efficient or "green".

Sister's/used to be dad's Golf TDI: Intercooler, exhaust flapper. He didn't drive the car enough to go out of warranty. Has around 65,000 km on it. The car is only used for short trips now ... my sister and brother-in-law are not car people.

Good friend's near-identical Golf TDI: Cracked DPF leading to P0401 and VW wouldn't pay to fix it right, exhaust flapper at least twice. Not TDI related but also the touchscreen, and now something funky with the clutch release mechanism. Car has around 100,000 km on it.

They're both going back. (Assuming VW of Canada follows the US settlements, which isn't known yet)

k1xv said:

Remember Goldfinger? The mobster who heard Goldfinger's presentation but refused to participate in the scheme was driven away in a Lincoln, shot, and the Lincoln put into a crusher with him inside.

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There was also the Scene in one of the fast and Furious movies where a character was almost crushed in a Firebird IIRC.

gmcjetpilot said:

So you are saying you are an itty bitty tinnie winnie bitter.

Curious, any of that happen to you? Just asking.

TDI's are people too... oh wait they are not. Never mind. Still what a waste...

The energy, pollution to make a car and then destroy it before it can be used for intended purpose, not efficient or "green".

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Very true, but we cannot fix things after the fact. The TDI seems like a really good idea that is not terribly well executed by VW.

And interestingly, there were some Japanese ideas of consciousness if I recall correctly about cars being a form of embodied intelligence or something. A bunch of Japanese vintage car enthusiasts were having a really interesting conversation back in the cash for clunkers days, wish I could remember their train or thought more clearly.

DUBPL8 said:

Eh, it's just an econobox Golf. I could care less if it's crushed. It's not like it's a Kombi van.

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Millions of air cooled Beetles over multiple generations were built yet are now collectable these days. Beetles are quaint, archaic, high maintenance economy cars. Go figure.

Sometimes the cars fight back. Years ago, I was with a friend as we drove his car to the junkyard. When we got about a mile away, the car threw all its belts, we limped in overheating with warning lights galore.

C C said:

Millions of air cooled Beetles over multiple generations were built yet are now collectable these days. Beetles are quaint, archaic, high maintenance economy cars. Go figure.

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I know, but the Beetle is iconic unlike the current Golf. Apples to oranges.

Even then, garden variety Beetles don't bring huge prices.

My concern with the fate of my "beloved" TDI ends when I sign over the title. It's VWoA's TDI from that moment forward.

DUBPL8 said:

Nobody cares about MK4 or MK5 Golfs/Rabbits, why should this one be any different?

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Not true. A4 TDIs have a loyal following. Even thought some of the cars are getting on in years (my Golf was assembled 18 years ago last month) parts sales are keeping up.

First, I seriously doubt any significant percentage of the bought back cars will be crushed. But I also question the logic of recalling a car for excess emissions and then crushing it. Seems hypocritical.

Common rail TDIs may not be as good as their predecessors, but they're still fine cars, and unique in the North American market. It'll be sad to see them disappear if they do. At least I think it will be. But clearly many folks here feel different.

As the 1946 VW was the first post war production, only a few were made, and it has a status that would interest collectors. What it may have sold for has no bearing on the market value of a 1965 Beetle.

k1xv said:

As the 1946 VW was the first post war production, only a few were made,
and it has a status that would interest collectors. What it may have sold for
has no bearing on the market value of a 1965 Beetle.

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Yes I agree a post war Bug in perfect condition is worth more, but what is
your point? Here is Hagerty on a 1964: Current Values:

• #1 Concours $26,300
• #2 Excellent $17,600
• #3 Good $10,300

https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1964-volkswagen-beetle

Read the link. There are reasons they are collectable. First they were inexpensive
but never cheap, used good quality materials and of course they have historic Icon
status from the Deutschland peoples car to Hippie 1960's. As a collector the same
things that made them good back then, parts are available and they are super easy
to work on. I can't remember how many VW bug engines I R&R'ed when I was in
high school.

A 1960's cherry Air-cooled bug is worth more than your TDI is really the point.

Not sure about the "Super Beetle" of the 1970's, the best of the series, but not quite
as collectable, except the last year 1978/79 special "Champagne" convertible edition,
of which only about 1000 were made. All convertibles are more desirable. Of course
what keeps air-cooled Bug's from being rare and special is Mexico made VW Bug's
like crazy until 2003.

Speak for yourself: My Passat is not 'beloved.'

I do not consider it a *car* after fluids, airbags, drivetrain etc. are removed, fired. Recycling, yes, but the crusher is about compacting metel for transport. 'JET

JRSYJET said:

Speak for yourself: My Passat is not 'beloved.'

I do not consider it a *car* after fluids, airbags, drivetrain etc. are
removed, fired. Recycling, yes, but the crusher is about compacting metal
for transport. 'JET

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Agree once they punch holes in everything to get the fluids out, then
blow airbags, it's ready for crusher. We all understand the concept of the
car crusher.

Thanks for your input. You should be happy, you are getting a bank for
your 3-4 yr old un-loved car on buyback and saving the planet...

I doubt anything will be crushed. I think VW will simply re sell the cars in, say, South America where the pollution requirements are not strict.

I believe that we are going to see lots of Hollywood movies in the future where, if a car goes off a cliff or is blown up, it will be a TDi.

k1xv said:

I believe that we are going to see lots of Hollywood movies in the future where, if a car goes off a cliff or is blown up, it will be a TDi.

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There may even be a new Solylent movie where the VW TDI's become a food source.

rmacia said:

I doubt anything will be crushed. I think VW will simply re sell the cars in, say, South America where the pollution requirements are not strict.

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Take that regulators and climate change alarmist. (However I think to resell it VW promised they would have to be fixed, not sure).

One thing that get's missed in all this is the World is a big place. I think North America being industrialized and populated does produce a big portion of pollution, but it also contributes to the knowledge and technology and medicine of all mankind. However to hold NA to strict standards others do not: India, China, Russia, All of Africa and South America, is short sighted.

Yes I don't want to see Polar Bears drowning or ice caps melt, but some of this 0.82 degree increase over a 100 years may be (just saying) in part do to normal fluctuations in climate. Some of it a little? Was there not an ICE age once?

HOWEVER let's say it is ALL MAN MADE. Great, then we should curb our green house gases and pollution. Amen. However it is HOW YOU DO IT at the sacrifice our lives, economy, livelihoods and security I disagree with.

Getting almost 500,000 TDI's off the streets (of NA) or "fixed" (out of over 11,000,000 plus all the other cars, trucks diesel or gas) is really kind of pointless in the big scheme. Yes fine VW. Yes try and fix it. Yes work harder on "zero emission" technology. The powers to be want is ZERO emission vehicles. I think that is a great goal, but there still will be cow farts and humans breathing, eating, using energy who are a determent to the planet.

So unless we want to turn the clock back to say the 1600's and murder most of the 7 billion people, we need to have common sense. The plant is not that fragile. North America and Europe do need to lead the World in "climate change", but is this REALLY the most important issue facing us in the world today? Some of these agendas are used for some other reasons, but that would be politics and that is not allowed on TDI Forums.

PLEASE NO POLITICAL COMMENTS OR RANTS AGAINST ANY GROUP... KEEP IT TECHNICAL... What do you think. Can we stop "climate change" with out radical life altering changes?