Volkswagen's Clean Air Act violations on 2009+ TDIs spark huge recall, investigations

[jhawklver]

Just another quick reminder to those who think the VW will be forced to compensate owners based on $37,000 per car...
Most companies fined by the government get the amount settled down to about 10% of the proposed amount. This could mean as little as $3,700 per car for VW.
Even the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which has been called "THE WORST ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER IN HISTORY" was only fined 20 billion, and they are being allowed to deduct 15 billion of that on their taxes to lessen the financial impact of the penalty.
Those people thinking that this will be a huge payday for TDI owners are being very optimistic.
This is well established and documented in terms of reduction. Most of the reductions even come with a clause to not admit wrongdoing. Since VW already admitted guilt, they can't even hold that over VW's head.
I still think this all hinges on CARB and how much they want to be a player in this whole issue. This may be an attempt to see who can flex the most muscles, and this plays into CARBs agenda.

There are different fines/lawsuits going on. EPA has the ability to fine $37,500 per non compliant car, and $37.500 per day. EPA is the regulatory agency in this situation. Compare to Toyota or GM - that regulator was the NHTSA and the max fine they can offer is $37 million. Both Toyota and GM got the maximum, and I believe Toyota got multiple cases of the $37 million (2 I believe).

The DOJ is separate from the regulator agency (EPA or NHTSA). In GM and Toyota's case, they sued for tens of billions (sound familiar?). In both cases, they agreed to far less and to defer criminal charges if GM and Toyota agreed to a set of things including independent monitors, fines, etc. DOJ's involvement in all three cases seems to be due more to how the companies handled it once they knew of a problem rather than the regulations (that's for the EPA/NHTSA).

Neither of these fines counted lawsuits, recalls and compensation programs. I believe Toyota set aside over a billion for recalls and I'm sure a bunch more for lawsuits (remember, people died). GM put aside something like $600 million for compensation (for those injured past a certain level and/or deaths). GM also had individual lawsuits for those who didn't take compensation plan, and again those involved serious injury or death. I've not done a ton of research beyond what I know above but I don't think the actual recall took as much time, money or engineering as ours likely will for some of the cars.

So to recap, VW's three major pain points in terms of fines/costs are regulatory (EPA fines), Criminal/Fines to settle lawsuit (DOJ) and recall/buyback/compensation. Many of us have speculated the fines in the first one or two could be reduced if VW is generous with the third part of it.

I said it earlier in the thread but it is crazy the teeth the EPA has in potential fines vs. the NHTSA and actual safety issues, but I did read they are talking about raising the maximum fine from $37 million to much larger for the NHTSA.

VW's timing on getting caught is pretty damn bad... as the DOJ, EPA and CARB are certainly in the mood to send a message and in the DOJ's case this is the third automaker in recent years to be in their crosshairs.

 

[Rico567]

Nothing new...but an interesting article about how GM knew that VW couldn't pass California emissions: http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidki...pass-california-emissions-tests/#48ade9772e54

And don't miss the very end of the article- seems that Honda has been playing at emissions cheating in Europe with their diesels. Anybody can play......

 

[JohnNS]

There are different fines/lawsuits going on. EPA has the ability to fine $37,500 per non compliant car, and $37.500 per day. EPA is the regulatory agency in this situation. Compare to Toyota or GM - that regulator was the NHTSA and the max fine they can offer is $37 million. Both Toyota and GM got the maximum, and I believe Toyota got multiple cases of the $37 million (2 I believe).

The DOJ is separate from the regulator agency (EPA or NHTSA). In GM and Toyota's case, they sued for tens of billions (sound familiar?). In both cases, they agreed to far less and to defer criminal charges if GM and Toyota agreed to a set of things including independent monitors, fines, etc. DOJ's involvement in all three cases seems to be due more to how the companies handled it once they knew of a problem rather than the regulations (that's for the EPA/NHTSA).

Neither of these fines counted lawsuits, recalls and compensation programs. I believe Toyota set aside over a billion for recalls and I'm sure a bunch more for lawsuits (remember, people died). GM put aside something like $600 million for compensation (for those injured past a certain level and/or deaths). GM also had individual lawsuits for those who didn't take compensation plan, and again those involved serious injury or death. I've not done a ton of research beyond what I know above but I don't think the actual recall took as much time, money or engineering as ours likely will for some of the cars.

So to recap, VW's three major pain points in terms of fines/costs are regulatory (EPA fines), Criminal/Fines to settle lawsuit (DOJ) and recall/buyback/compensation. Many of us have speculated the fines in the first one or two could be reduced if VW is generous with the third part of it.

I said it earlier in the thread but it is crazy the teeth the EPA has in potential fines vs. the NHTSA and actual safety issues, but I did read they are talking about raising the maximum fine from $37 million to much larger for the NHTSA.

VW's timing on getting caught is pretty damn bad... as the DOJ, EPA and CARB are certainly in the mood to send a message and in the DOJ's case this is the third automaker in recent years to be in their crosshairs.

Another thing typically missing from the 'GM/Toyota only paid a small amount, vw will and get a waiver' side is that GM and Toyota only paid a small amount BUT they also actually fixed the problems. I'd never VW will get hit with the max, they won't unless they continue to screw around. They'll pay a very reduced fine but they'll still have to fix the problem, not get a waiver.

 

[Jeta Life]

There is not a "wrong" by people demanding to be made whole from VW's fraud, both vehicle owners who have to deal with the loss of liquidity and lowered resale value as well as the general public who has to breathe the excess pollution. Just because VW dug their hole so deep that a fix is not possible and the scale is enormous doesn't mean that suddenly anyone else is greedy for holding them to the laws broken and expecting to be delivered a vehicle that meets emissions standards, or the money to go buy one that does if VW is unable to provide such.
They had full knowledge of the punitive consequences of their scheme being uncovered and decided to proceed anyway, minting negative thousands of dollars for every vehicle moved out the factory door. Should everyone have let Bernie Madoff off the hook because he employed some people in his offices?

I'm not objecting to getting a new Volkswagen, that will make me feel whole and will complete the process of my gratification. I question the level of greed some have started the wild speculation with:

Greedy VW Owner #1 : MSRP, nothing less on a car with 200,000 miles

Greedy VW Owner #2: MSRP + ALL PM costs incurred servicing a faulty car which I feel violated for having to have serviced

Greedy VW Owner #3: New car swap, give me a GTI or a Passat and I'll forget all the wrongs that VW has committed

Greedy VW Owner #4: Lifetime PM service for the remainder of the TDI's lifetime of ownership even if I drive it for 10 more years or 500,000 miles

 

[JohnNS]

Worst news I've heard all night. "we have no program in place" leads me to believe VW Customer Care is not getting support from VW corporate. That is the crux of VWs problem: not taking care of customers on an individual case by case basis, all businesses must do that. Sorry to hear, I may take a buyback check and go to Volvo V70 or Subaru Outback, still not the end of the world, but unfortunate how VW is mishandling its customers.

Reread what I posted, didn't mean for the "Pretty idyllic" part to sound like slight on you, I'd love for it to work the way you posted

That's the frustrating part to me. VW seems to have slammed the doors shut on everyone not VW. Dealers don't know anything, at least not the ones I've talked to, customer care can't help at all.

Basically no one knows anything and that's the opposite of how it should be. :/

You look at the folks that have had accidents or major failures in the 6 months since this broke, or the people that may had similar in the year VW was on notice. They have nothing they can tell their insurance companies and no help from VW and that's sad.

 

[velostuf]

The sales person told me that they have had a lot of inquires and test drives from TDI owners. He also indicated that Chevy plans a big push to get TDI owners if/when there is a buy back.

The cars that I am thinking about
- 2017 Chevy Bolt (what about cross-country trips?)
- 2016 Chevy Volt (do I want a sedan?)
- 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (too expensive)
- 2016 Lexus CT 200h (gets reviews for being wimpy)
- 2017 VW Alltrack Golf Sportwagen (this seems about right)

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

For all of those people who say they don't live in a State that does testing and think you are ok, you probably are. Just don't ever plan to move to a state that does testing.

Lived in the same house for ~ 42 years. Not likely to see another home.

Is Idaho one of the 30 testing state?

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

Not to mention...your pool of prospective buyers would be reduced to those that live in states with no testing.

No worries. If I had no buyers here in Tulsa. Or in Oklahoma,

There are ~~ 20 states with no testing.

Not too sure how many pop in those total states

50,000,000?
75.000,000?
100,000,00?
125,000,000?

via Ebay, I once sold a Mercedes to a buyer in Carolina (North I think) Anyway, Ebay cast a long Shadow. He paid the shipping for ~~ 1,200 miles.

Any one wanting-wishing-needing-hoping-having to sell a clean, low mileage, garage kept, one owner car, with clean title and CARFAX has a real shot at tens of millions of prospective buyers.

After all, I hope the VW corp will just take care of customers


------------------
This little gasser sold to the first person who looked at it. 72,xxx miles

 

[mjLyco]

The cars that I am thinking about
- 2017 Chevy Bolt (what about cross-country trips?)
- 2016 Chevy Volt (do I want a sedan?)
- 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (too expensive)
- 2016 Lexus CT 200h (gets reviews for being wimpy)
- 2017 VW Alltrack Golf Sportwagen (this seems about right)

To be fair, the Volt is a liftback but the T shaped battery makes it a 4 seater in real world use and no spare tire.

I'm with you on the Alltrack.. Here's hoping VW gives us the premium cloth option and a DSG. Maybe even a larger gas tank? Doubt it.

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

Originally Posted by 2015vwgolfdiesel

Respectfully,

Oklahoma and 19(?) other states have zero currant testing.

The other States are quiet "spotty" on emissions testing

EPA is one powerful entity ~~ but so far ~~ they are a toothless tiger in many states.

"spotty" emissions testing have no bearing. It's simple:

The EPA is allowing TDIs with fraudulent Certificates of Conformity to remain on the road.

(If) this certification is revoked, no state will be allowed to register your vehicle.

-------------------

Speculation. Shoot ~~ even the legal eagles haven't a clue at this point

EDIT: and what does that ~~ mean?

Sir, what do you think ~~ means?

New paraghaph?
New Idea?
New sentence?
APPROX?
Break in all of above?

Take your choice.

 

[pkhoury]

I thought that was what the goats were for! My granddad had sheep and never mowed the house yard or close fields. Just moved the sheep when the grass got too short.

It's actually a common misnomer. Sheep are grazers, goats are browsers. The only eat whatever's close to the ground out of necessity. If they had their choice, they would be munching on bushes and trees, of which I have none on my ranch.

 

[pkhoury]

For all of those people who say they don't live in a State that does testing and think you are ok, you probably are. Just don't ever plan to move to a state that does testing.

Why would anyone plan on doing that? Most people move to get away from congested areas.

Copy that.

 

[soccerpeople]

There is no way the EPA or CARB allows our cars to stay on the road with a waiver. To do so would be to invite every car manufacturer to flaunt the rules. Additionally VW has been so arrogant in the way they have handled this that I believe they will be made an example of. I still don't think VW understands that this is not about the amount of NOX being emitted, this is about knowingly breaking the rules for years and thinking they could get away with it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/o...-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region

 

[Redgrom]

You don't think people are going to blame the EPA when they're the ones forcing peoples cars off the road? lol right.

If the cars are forced off the road I'd say that's on VW for cheating the system not the EPA for enforcing environmental issues. That's just how I feel, everyone has and is entitled to their own opinion.

 

[KyMoonshine]

Peace(of mind)

I spent the last couple of days catching up completely on the HPPF threads,and now I'm pretty much convinced to park my JSW and wait out the verdict, I know it sounds extreme but my logic is solid enough, I have horrible luck, the absolute worst, if it can happen, it will, to me and all my brothers we are an unlucky bunch, and with a failure rate of somewhere between 5-7 percent I am really pushing my luck, I had peace of mind when Volkswagen was repairing the catastrophic damage from an exploding pump beyond the 120k extended warranty, it was pretty much a sure thing that if you did not misfuel the car Volkswagen would eat most if not all the repair cost even well past 120k, but now they have stopped, any mileage over 120k at all and you are on your own, they are not going perform such a huge expensive repair on a car they want off the road anyway.So now if I am 1400 miles from home and my pump gives up the ghost I am really in trouble, I don't have $5000 - $9000 dollars just sitting around to throw at a car for a repair of a known faulty part to begin with, it would render the car useless and leave me stuck. I could have the car towed home for thousands of dollars and do the repairs myself but either way it's a bunch of money and a huge amount of stress as I tow a Tiny Camper wherever I go. Bottom line I don't trust the car, I have anxiety whenever I drive outside of my 200 mile AAA bubble,I love the car, I hate that I am afraid to enjoy it.
So I think since it is running now and in excellent condition I should just park it, kill my insurance and see what Volkswagen eventually does, maybe they will offer to buy it back, maybe at least eventually the resale will go back up or maybe Volkswagen will comp me for the loss of value, nobody knows, but I'm not sure how it would play out of I get an offer from Volkswagen and I have to tow the car there because the fuel system is full of soft metal. I have not totally convinced myself to go this route yet and I have a 2000 mile round trip coming up next week that will cost me twice as much in fuel if I do park it
I know this could take years to come to some sort of end, and that is what scares me the most, I have a beautiful and fun car that I am scared to drive, it reminds me of my 57 Oval Ragtop, its an amazing car but you may not make it back home.

 

[bubbagumpshrimp]

Possibly because sometimes you have to move where the job is rather than where you might prefer to live.

Yup. Until the company I was with longterm went under...the plan was to move to eastern TN, buy a place with acreage, and telecommute. In preparation...I sold my house, packed up my stuff, and downsized/moved in with the GF until her lease was to expire in a few months (was a great opportunity to put aside a few bucks).

Fast-forward those few months...the company went from cruising along just find to crashing and burning (long story, but beyond my control)...and I was just left in the position of finding a job. Any job.

I couldn't find anything in eastern TN (I'm sure not already being in the area and established hurt my chances there), so I started pumping out resumes up in/around my current area...to include DC. As that's where I was marketable, that's where I ended up.

Every morning I get up at 0430...I f****** hate it. I hate my 1.5-2 HR morning commute and my 2+ hr evening commute. So...I'm trying to do what I can to make it manageable. I'm moving up closer to work, as much as it offends my senses (I am not a city/congestion person).

Adapt and overcome. That all fits into my motto that I share with people on a daily basis that whine about stupid $***..."life is tough...wear a helmet."

 

[Jeta Life]

Reread what I posted, didn't mean for the "Pretty idyllic" part to sound like slight on you, I'd love for it to work the way you posted
That's the frustrating part to me. VW seems to have slammed the doors shut on everyone not VW. Dealers don't know anything, at least not the ones I've talked to, customer care can't help at all.
Basically no one knows anything and that's the opposite of how it should be. :/
You look at the folks that have had accidents or major failures in the 6 months since this broke, or the people that may had similar in the year VW was on notice. They have nothing they can tell their insurance companies and no help from VW and that's sad.

It's okay, I didn't perceive your "pretty idyllic" reference to be a personal attack on my way of thinking. I have chosen to try and remain positive only because it helps my spirit, which I cannot afford to pollute with negativity, something that eats away at a lot of people slowly.

I think the bottom line is that VW is hopefully working hard to make things right. As long as I drive my VW I have to be positive about it. A fix to the Gen1s would sure wake up a lot of people and may be just what the doctor ordered. I'm tired of reading bad news after bad news.

Just hoping for some good news in the future. No offense taken, have no enemies and you will live longer. VW seems to have alienated themselves and I sure hope they can get their mojo back. We used to have great pride and passion with these cars. I've only owned 3 VWs thru college, marriage, kids, a lot of emotional stuff.

Echoes of the past, laughter, voices, hopes and fears, it's what people are made of, not anger, not greed. Like the time I bought my first Jetta 5 speed yet didn't know how to drive a stick. Then trading in my reliable 5 speed for a "fully loaded" Passat, automatic of course to make the lady happy.

 

[dmarsingill]

I spent the last couple of days catching up completely on the HPPF threads,and now I'm pretty much convinced to park my JSW and wait out the verdict, I know it sounds extreme but my logic is solid enough, I have horrible luck, the absolute worst, if it can happen, it will, to me and all my brothers we are an unlucky bunch, and with a failure rate of somewhere between 5-7 percent I am really pushing my luck, I had peace of mind when Volkswagen was repairing the catastrophic damage from an exploding pump beyond the 120k extended warranty, it was pretty much a sure thing that if you did not misfuel the car Volkswagen would eat most if not all the repair cost even well past 120k, but now they have stopped, any mileage over 120k at all and you are on your own, they are not going perform such a huge expensive repair on a car they want off the road anyway.So now if I am 1400 miles from home and my pump gives up the ghost I am really in trouble, I don't have $5000 - $9000 dollars just sitting around to throw at a car for a repair of a known faulty part to begin with, it would render the car useless and leave me stuck. I could have the car towed home for thousands of dollars and do the repairs myself but either way it's a bunch of money and a huge amount of stress as I tow a Tiny Camper wherever I go. Bottom line I don't trust the car, I have anxiety whenever I drive outside of my 200 mile AAA bubble,I love the car, I hate that I am afraid to enjoy it.
So I think since it is running now and in excellent condition I should just park it, kill my insurance and see what Volkswagen eventually does, maybe they will offer to buy it back, maybe at least eventually the resale will go back up or maybe Volkswagen will comp me for the loss of value, nobody knows, but I'm not sure how it would play out of I get an offer from Volkswagen and I have to tow the car there because the fuel system is full of soft metal. I have not totally convinced myself to go this route yet and I have a 2000 mile round trip coming up next week that will cost me twice as much in fuel if I do park it
I know this could take years to come to some sort of end, and that is what scares me the most, I have a beautiful and fun car that I am scared to drive, it reminds me of my 57 Oval Ragtop, its an amazing car but you may not make it back home.

I would just sell it. You should be able to unload it pretty quickly. If you don't trust a car....it's time to get rid of it.

Donald

 

[Rico567]

I spent the last couple of days catching up completely on the HPPF threads,and now I'm pretty much convinced to park my JSW and wait out the verdict<snip>.

No use arguing here, you are convinced of the risk (which is real, whatever its magnitude), and it's your car. By all means park it.
But when you were reading HPFP threads, did you come across the ones on replacing the HPFP with a heavier-duty CP3 pump and a Micron filter? I believe you said in an earlier post you DIY'd your timing belt, so you sound pretty mechanical. Maybe just swapping out the pump has possibilities?

 

[oilhammer]

I am so glad I can just drive mine and enjoy it. I have more important things to worry about, but this thread is quite entertaining... like "reality" TV. It makes you feel better about your life.

 

[Tfuce]

I am so glad I can just drive mine and enjoy it. I have more important things to worry about, but this thread is quite entertaining... like "reality" TV. It makes you feel better about your life.

Like a quick trip to Walmart, LOL.

 

[kevin_in_idaho]

Lived in the same house for ~ 42 years. Not likely to see another home.

Is Idaho one of the 30 testing state?

Yes we test here in Idaho. I just had to have mine tested and the man doing the testing and I had a good laugh about betting whether or not it would pass .

Even after he plugged it in, put the tailpipe monitor in, it still blew a 0.0. Wonder how that happened?

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

There is no way the EPA or CARB allows our cars to stay on the road with a waiver. To do so would be to invite every car manufacturer to flaunt the rules. Additionally VW has been so arrogant in the way they have handled this that I believe they will be made an example of. I still don't think VW understands that this is not about the amount of NOX being emitted, this is about knowingly breaking the rules for years and thinking they could get away with it.

VW broke the rules ~~ for a few years ~~ now it is justice time.

IMO ~~ first priority is compensation for owners

Having to admit I really enjoy zipping 'round town, even if I am spewing NO2 As far as EPA is concerned ~~ does lightning produce more NO2

NOTE: The EPA has no testing NOW in ~~ 20 states. Soooo how serious are they?

At this point EPA seems-looks-acts-preforms like a void in the wind.

NOTE: The EPA did NOT even discover the cheat devise. California is the best state for Greenies. EPA folks were asleep for years.

Rather makes you wonder how many other cheaters are out there.

 

[740GLE]

I think the bottom line is that VW is hopefully working hard to make things right.

You sir are delusional if you think this is a true statement. The only thing VW has shown is they are trying to let the clock run. the goodwill program was the first start, after that what has happened? a small PR blrub by Fienstine? After that nothing.

If they truly were trying to make it right they'd be full disclosing everything they are submitting to CARB EPA about a potential fix.

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

Yes we test here in Idaho. I just had to have mine tested and the man doing the testing and I had a good laugh about betting whether or not it would pass .

Even after he plugged it in, put the tailpipe monitor in, it still blew a 0.0. Wonder how that happened?

The person doing the test is just doing his job. BUT, now that we all know ~~ it really ticks me off that citizens (tax payers) have to support this happy talk

The stuff will hit the fan ~~~ if-when the Washington boys dictate 50 state testing

My state Oklahoma now has zippo testing. We did have safety testing 30-35 years ago. Participating gas stations did is for a (too cheap) fee.

Finally the state had so few vendors it just died.

 

[2015vwgolfdiesel]

I spent the last couple of days catching up completely on the HPPF threads,and now I'm pretty much convinced to park my JSW and wait out the verdict, I know it sounds extreme but my logic is solid enough, I have horrible luck, the absolute worst, if it can happen, it will, to me and all my brothers we are an unlucky bunch, and with a failure rate of somewhere between 5-7 percent I am really pushing my luck, I had peace of mind when Volkswagen was repairing the catastrophic damage from an exploding pump beyond the 120k extended warranty, it was pretty much a sure thing that if you did not misfuel the car Volkswagen would eat most if not all the repair cost even well past 120k, but now they have stopped, any mileage over 120k at all and you are on your own, they are not going perform such a huge expensive repair on a car they want off the road anyway.So now if I am 1400 miles from home and my pump gives up the ghost I am really in trouble, I don't have $5000 - $9000 dollars just sitting around to throw at a car for a repair of a known faulty part to begin with, it would render the car useless and leave me stuck. I could have the car towed home for thousands of dollars and do the repairs myself but either way it's a bunch of money and a huge amount of stress as I tow a Tiny Camper wherever I go. Bottom line I don't trust the car, I have anxiety whenever I drive outside of my 200 mile AAA bubble,I love the car, I hate that I am afraid to enjoy it.
So I think since it is running now and in excellent condition I should just park it, kill my insurance and see what Volkswagen eventually does, maybe they will offer to buy it back, maybe at least eventually the resale will go back up or maybe Volkswagen will comp me for the loss of value, nobody knows, but I'm not sure how it would play out of I get an offer from Volkswagen and I have to tow the car there because the fuel system is full of soft metal. I have not totally convinced myself to go this route yet and I have a 2000 mile round trip coming up next week that will cost me twice as much in fuel if I do park it
I know this could take years to come to some sort of end, and that is what scares me the most, I have a beautiful and fun car that I am scared to drive, it reminds me of my 57 Oval Ragtop, its an amazing car but you may not make it back home.

Hi Kymonshine.

My response to your particular post is not 100% direct at you

In short, it makes it easier for readers when the poster uses more spaces between thoughts-idea-etc.

Like this being the fourth line in in a post

Then the fifth line in a post

Well, you get the idea

Thanks

 

[ezshift5]

..if a 57 Oval Ragtop is what I think it is (not a typo which would address a European GM offering) - - - I had a drop dead gorgeous yellow/white 312 4-bbl Sunliner in college. And I agree with the parallel.............

ez

 

[miniion26]

I spent the last couple of days catching up completely on the HPPF threads,and now I'm pretty much convinced to park my JSW and wait out the verdict, I know it sounds extreme but my logic is solid enough, I have horrible luck, the absolute worst, if it can happen, it will, to me and all my brothers we are an unlucky bunch, and with a failure rate of somewhere between 5-7 percent I am really pushing my luck, I had peace of mind when Volkswagen was repairing the catastrophic damage from an exploding pump beyond the 120k extended warranty, it was pretty much a sure thing that if you did not misfuel the car Volkswagen would eat most if not all the repair cost even well past 120k, but now they have stopped, any mileage over 120k at all and you are on your own, they are not going perform such a huge expensive repair on a car they want off the road anyway.So now if I am 1400 miles from home and my pump gives up the ghost I am really in trouble, I don't have $5000 - $9000 dollars just sitting around to throw at a car for a repair of a known faulty part to begin with, it would render the car useless and leave me stuck. I could have the car towed home for thousands of dollars and do the repairs myself but either way it's a bunch of money and a huge amount of stress as I tow a Tiny Camper wherever I go. Bottom line I don't trust the car, I have anxiety whenever I drive outside of my 200 mile AAA bubble,I love the car, I hate that I am afraid to enjoy it.
So I think since it is running now and in excellent condition I should just park it, kill my insurance and see what Volkswagen eventually does, maybe they will offer to buy it back, maybe at least eventually the resale will go back up or maybe Volkswagen will comp me for the loss of value, nobody knows, but I'm not sure how it would play out of I get an offer from Volkswagen and I have to tow the car there because the fuel system is full of soft metal. I have not totally convinced myself to go this route yet and I have a 2000 mile round trip coming up next week that will cost me twice as much in fuel if I do park it
I know this could take years to come to some sort of end, and that is what scares me the most, I have a beautiful and fun car that I am scared to drive, it reminds me of my 57 Oval Ragtop, its an amazing car but you may not make it back home.

How about a Micron filter? I have the whole kit set up on my car and sleep like a rock at night. During daytime, I log up to 400 miles in a day, sometimes. I have stopped worrying once I got it on the car. Worst case scenario is the HPFP fails and then all is contained within the filters.

 

[turbobrick240]

If you don't trust the car- don't drive it. I never worried too much about my hpfp before I got a CP3. And I go on 4500 mile road trips every year. Worrying really accomplishes nothing.

 

[MichVW]

If you don't trust the car- don't drive it. I never worried too much about my hpfp before I got a CP3. And I go on 4500 mile road trips every year. Worrying really accomplishes nothing.

I am not necessarily worrying about another massive failure (I have had my share)....

However, Since it has finally gotten cold this winter, and after changing one of the glow plugs/pressure sensors in my 2011 Golf, the thing idles like a Sherman tank for 5 minutes every morning until it starts to warm up a bit... Seems to be missing on a cylinder or something. Not sure.. Hope it isn't a sign of something bad to come. Only does it when it is really cold. VERY erratic idle. Never did that before I messed with the number 4 glow plug.

Anyway. I drive several hundred miles a week for work. My bigger fear, especially with winter weather, is getting in an accident and having either one of my cars totaled. I would HATE to try and attempt to settle with the insurance company based on the value of the TDI's right now.