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

[JohnNS]

Is it a problem to exceed it? The other day, I had myself (215 pounds), 1050 pounds of feed, and a full tank of fuel when I left the feed store. Still got 36mpg, just didn't take curves as fast as I would normally.

The only 'problem' I can see is a legal one. I assume it'd be like towing - if the brake gave out and/or you got in an accident and found you were carrying too much it may run afoul of the law (always wanted to use that term )

 

[CHenry]

I am not kidding that is their new dress code. Their manager looks like a ball breaker. To their credit VW have kept everybody employed, no idea how they can continue cutting checks to feed everybody.

Here is your sweater vest. You'll want it when we turn the heat down to 64.

 

[maybe368]

Don't good engineers usually over engineer things by at least 50%? If so, 1500 would be the closer to the failure point. Notice that I said "good" engineers ...Mark

 

[Galo]

Don't good engineers usually over engineer things by at least 50%? If so, 1500 would be the closer to the failure point. Notice that I said "good" engineers ...Mark

Our cars are a good example....good engineers figured out how to get them to pass emissions, didn't they?

 

[maybe368]

Our cars are a good example....good engineers figured out how to get them to pass emissions, didn't they?

The word "good" can be viewed from many different positions ...Mark

 

[John_Nutt]

I think VW is going to pay a very large fine and the EPA will take the money and run.
No change/repair for all tdi's that are currently registered for the road, any new TDI or CPO TDI will have to be compliant. We as customers may get another good will package or nothing at all, who knows.
As far as lost business for VW dealers goes, VW could offer free preventive maintenance not repairs(for example but not limited to: oil changes, DSG flushes, fuel filter changes, and maybe 1 free car wash a month) for the life of the car. That would quickly bring the resale value of the cars back up to par, and would help keep the service techs at the dealer stay employed.

These are my thoughts, enjoy.
John Nutt

 

[Jeta Life]

Here is your sweater vest. You'll want it when we turn the heat down to 64.

Didn't think of that, maybe. Or either wear it or quit.

 

[XJTdi]

LOL, no I got it, its the discrepancy when engineers knew there would be a future trade off with the spare tire versus AdBlue tank and hardware, they predicted their own future ... we have paranormal cars

Our car has the only clock that I have ever seen that gains time. When I get in it's already in the future. Makes me late for work...but gets me there on time. -lol

Seriously it gains 5-6 minutes between switching from daylight time to standard and back.

 

[romad]

A little off topic but we're you actually TACP? If so, thanks for all you've done, I know personally it's not an easy job and lifestyle.

Yes almost all manufacturers, especially ones who sell cars in the US, will place their GVWR less than GAWR for many reasons.


Austin

Yes, from 1974 until I retired in 1990 except for 1 year in SAC back in Ground Radio Maintenance.

 

[romad]

Our car has the only clock that I have ever seen that gains time. When I get in it's already in the future. Makes me late for work...but gets me there on time. -lol

Seriously it gains 5-6 minutes between switching from daylight time to standard and back.

Sounds like my VCR clock; it has gained 5 minutes since I reset it in November. Maybe they use the same clock chips!

 

[MichVW]

Well... Now I am not convinced. Seems as if Kenny is getting more "broad" and "non-specific" with his statements rather than the opposite. Also appears that VW is dragging their feet more than he might like. Just what I gathered from the video...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-02-12/ken-feinberg-on-the-volkswagen-compensation-fund-process

 

[bubbagumpshrimp]

Well... Now I am not convinced. Seems as if Kenny is getting more "broad" and "non-specific" with his statements rather than the opposite. Also appears that VW is dragging their feet more than he might like. Just what I gathered from the video...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-02-12/ken-feinberg-on-the-volkswagen-compensation-fund-process

Yup. That and he has a LOT less pull than he initially led people to believe.

 

[Jeta Life]

Our car has the only clock that I have ever seen that gains time. When I get in it's already in the future. Makes me late for work...but gets me there on time. -lol

Seriously it gains 5-6 minutes between switching from daylight time to standard and back.

VW engineers sure made it easy to change the clock with the big "m" and "h" buttons on the instrument cluster.

Now if they only made the DPF easier to change or the VNT actuator.

 

[CHenry]

Well... Now I am not convinced. Seems as if Kenny is getting more "broad" and "non-specific" with his statements rather than the opposite. Also appears that VW is dragging their feet more than he might like. Just what I gathered from the video...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2016-02-12/ken-feinberg-on-the-volkswagen-compensation-fund-process

That, or because there is no news, he doesn't want to be pinned to any particular remedy when his client hasn't presented the plan approved by the government, although the interviewer did try to do just that.

You might read between the lines that he has framed the overall compensation plan on terms related to the vehicles only, no non-economic issues would be considered.

 

[gerry100]

I think VW is going to pay a very large fine and the EPA will take the money and run.
No change/repair for all tdi's that are currently registered for the road, any new TDI or CPO TDI will have to be compliant. We as customers may get another good will package or nothing at all, who knows.
As far as lost business for VW dealers goes, VW could offer free preventive maintenance not repairs(for example but not limited to: oil changes, DSG flushes, fuel filter changes, and maybe 1 free car wash a month) for the life of the car. That would quickly bring the resale value of the cars back up to par, and would help keep the service techs at the dealer stay employed.

These are my thoughts, enjoy.
John Nutt

You could be right.

By illustrating another possibility you reinforce the point that, as owners, we wont know anything until the VW/EPA agreement in finalized.

Once that is known, VW will know what it needs to do. ( as it is VW, VW has delayed its financial results).

Until then it's all pointless speculation.

I will commit to two things-

The EPA deal will determine what VW will do for customer retention/relations.

For example only, if the Gen1s get a pass then the current "Goodwill" package may be all we get. If the reflash cars suffer, that can be fixed with another debit/dealer debit car or other incentives.

I think we'll be watching the EPA/VW for 6-12 months before anything moves forward.

( now I'm a small government guy, but under Obama the EPA has a blank check to grow and regulate before budget reality hits and I think hefty fines may be appealing to them. Any forced largesse from VW could very well wind up in Washington instead of with us)

 

[gerry100]

Here is your sweater vest. You'll want it when we turn the heat down to 64.

Can I get a sweater vest with my dealer credit card?

 

[geodug]

GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers.

GAWR: Gross Axle Weight Rating - The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) is the maximum distributed weight that may be supported by an axle of a road vehicle. Typically, GAWR is followed by either the letters FR or RR, which indicate front or rear axles respectively.

Definitions courtesy of Wikipedia.

My GUESS is the manufacturers deliberately assign a GVWR that is slightly LESS than the sum of a vehicles GAWRs so you don't go past either GAWR.

OK I will take a crack at this from my semi-truck days. When loading trailers you need to be aware of the front/back distribution of weight. When going through the scales you must not exceed the ratings of each axle or there are penalties.

Even though your truck may not exceed whatever your maximum limit is (80,000 lbs) you can be illegal if too much of that is on the front/rear of the trailer. So you can be underweight on the total weight but overweight on a particular axle.

 

[redbarron55]

Mitch speaks logic here. I'm ok with speculation.....but the SWAGS are getting crazy on this forum! Perhaps we should split this thread into two threads...one for logical thinkers and one for SWAG'ers.
PS...SWAG is "some wild a$$ guess"

The "S" stands for Scientific.

 

[kitarkus]

The "S" stands for Scientific.

Well...In Alabama perhaps it does.

 

[kitarkus]

That, or because there is no news, he doesn't want to be pinned to any particular remedy when his client hasn't presented the plan approved by the government, although the interviewer did try to do just that.
You might read between the lines that he has framed the overall compensation plan on terms related to the vehicles only, no non-economic issues would be considered.

+1

Ken has been hired to do a job....which cannot yet begin....because his employer (in this case VW) has not given him the scenario with which formulations can begin. This video...like some before and likely many to come...is merely media probing Ken with questions that have no answers (yet). The media has access to Ken....and Ken likes the spotlight (it seems). The media gets NOTHING from VW...so Ken provides them the soundbites that they need. No news here imo.

 

[meerschm]

The "S" stands for Scientific.

When I was enlisted air force, working in the calibration lab, we made

Precision wild ass guesses.

PWAG.

 

[romad]

When I was enlisted air force, working in the calibration lab, we made

Precision wild ass guesses.

PWAG.

Good ol' PMEL!

 

[JohnNS]

I know people are saying speculation is pointless, and it somewhat is, but at the same time it's a fun mental exercise and exchange of ideas. It will also be interesting to see who was closest in the speculating.

Speculation and debate are what forums are built on, really.

 

[MichVW]

I know people are saying speculation is pointless, and it somewhat is, but at the same time it's a fun mental exercise and exchange of ideas. It will also be interesting to see who was closest in the speculating.
Speculation and debate are what forums are built on, really.

Yep...exactly. I am curious as to who comes closer to VW's actual plan. Good, clean fun....

 

[Jeta Life]

When I was enlisted air force, working in the calibration lab, we made

Precision wild ass guesses.

PWAG.

That somehow fits perfectly with buying a TDI. Same thing VW engineers did when they tinkered with the Bosch software.

What do you think happened in Wolfsburg ?

 

[JohnQ]

I got an email from vw customer care, in response to what i sent them a while back... weeks or a month ago..

Anyobe else get something similar? Identifying information has been removed.

Dear ##########

Please excuse the delay in response to your email. Our correspondence volume has been higher than normal recently, and this is not a reflection on how we value your concerns.

The TDI investigation is a challenging time for all of us, but especially our customers who are trying to gather as much information as they can on what needs to be done. As the investigation is still ongoing, we don’t yet have a remedy to bring these vehicles back into compliance.

I understand that you are concerned about the resale value of your Jetta and I have been sure to document these concerns as they are being taken into consideration while we work towards a resolution. Once information is available, you will be notified via postal mail about the next steps to take with your vehicle. Additionally, all updates will be posted to vwdieselinfo.com and I encourage you to check the site periodically to keep informed.

As you state you are seeking to be rid of this vehicle, I can look into relieving you of the financial obligations to your Jetta. If you could reply to this email with the information below, I will ensure the request is reviewed:

Current mailing address
Best contact phone number
Odometer reading
Dealership vehicle is serviced at
Any major repairs that have been performed on the vehicle.

Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to include them in your reply.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Drive Safe,

 

[pkhoury]

Oh...no doubt the older Saab held their value. As soon as GM took over, their value would drop lock a rock. We owned a 9-3 and a 9-5 sometime between 2000-2004. Resale value was terrible. Then, when GM stopped making them, and parts were almost impossible to find, their value dropped more.

Which could explain why the value on my 900 dropped by over 50% in the 3 years I've owned it. Either way, KBB/Edmunds listed about $5800 for my mom's car when she bought it a year ago with the mileage she has on it (like me, the Saab is her second/backup vehicle). But I've looked at 2003-2004 9-5 wagons (not KBB/Edmunds) and people are still selling for $3500-5000, even with somewhat high mileage (80-150K+).

I will be honest though, if I found a Jetta or Golf TDI (ALH) for the same price and in good mechanical shape, the decision for me is a no-brainer - go for the TDI.

I believe GM took over 100% of Saab in 1998 or 1999.

 

[pkhoury]

You definitely need a truck!.

I got out of a truck and into my TDI JSW. That was the whole point.

The problem is finding a used diesel truck with a manual transmission for little coin. I think it's impossible to find one that would also get at least 25mpg pulling that small load. Again, same reason I got into a TDI.

 

[TCBinaflash]

So, I was casually looking at gasser replacements for my Golf when I was suddenly offered a job opportunity I can't refuse with an 80 mile daily commute.

Now I'm on the "please fix the issue" side of things.

 

[John_Nutt]

98 ram 1 ton with the Cummings diesel, I think it's a turbocharged inline 6. I know they get 25 mpg and they can pull a large trailer with out a major affect on fuel economy. I think that entire generation of Rams with that Cummings get in the 25mpg range. A friend of mine runs a fireworks whole sale business, he swears by those trucks. Hard to get a good one cheap.