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

Status
Not open for further replies.

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
I wouldn't consider 40 mpg much of a feat in these cars. You'll have reached "Jedi master" status when you can shift smoothly without use of the clutch.
 

TDI smile

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2012
Location
Edmonton, Alberta (b4 BC - LOWER MAINLAND = Chilli
TDI
2002 TDI (ALH) with 513,000 km. First Owner and very happy... No Problems, never left us stranded on the Highway. Average useage is about between under 4 ltr. and 5 ltr. Normal longdistance travel: 4.1/100

Jeta Life

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2015
Location
NJ & North Pocono
TDI
2009 Jetta TDI DSG Auto
You know what, my dog, who watches TV, has seen so much of the VW bad news, he won't even piss on my tires anymore when the car is along the curb in front of our house. I park on the street now hoping for a drunken dude to run into the back of the car at night so the insurance company can total it. (hey, it's better than trying to sell it) ;)
I apologize for that post, I was pretty messed up last night, got back into drinking beer to try and cope with this situation. I don't even remember typing all of that. When I look back on it, it was pretty tasteless so sorry if I offended anyone.
I'd just like to read now, listen more to the more knowledgeable members here and learn something new. Stay away from the bottle, it will mess you up. I'm lucky I was only typing and drinking, not driving.
Always liked Mike Tyson, words of wisdom. I've read more here since my wife got me this smartphone and with all these articles from the internet and NY Times and WSJ, etc. excellent stuff guys, but I have to say my favorite so far was the Bob Lutz interview on CNBC, that was really revealing. Somebody posted the link I think on page 282 of this thread, oh my God that will take a lot of clicking to get back there.
I would go back and post that link but am afraid to lose this post, thanks guys, and again, sorry.

Found it:
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/25/vw-faces-about-the-worst-situation-ex-gm-exec.html
 
Last edited:

Galo

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2010
Location
Beaverton, OR
TDI
2010 Jetta 6mt, Malone Stage I, Goals
For those saying that dealers are trying to steal trades or take advantage of people.....they are in the same boat as everyone else, (snip)
Actually, worse. We may wind up losing a few HP and MPG while many of them (the dealers) could lose their livelihood.
:(

Just sayin'.....
 

imurrx

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2012
Location
People's Republic of Massachusetts
TDI
2010 TDI Cup Street Edition
Last edited:

opelgt21

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 10, 2015
Location
Indianapolis
TDI
2014 Jetta TDI - BB
Last edited:

Shife

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2015
Location
Michigan
TDI
2015 GSW SE DSG White/Beige
No, the NUMMI-built Geo Prizm replaced the NUMMI Sprinter based Nova. It was renamed the Chevrolet Prizm, then was replaced in turn by the Pontiac Vibe (which was also derived from the Corolla and built at the NUMMI plant).
Vibe was a rebadged Matrix
 

dslman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2001
Location
San Diego
TDI
1998 Jetta, 2000 GOLF, 2013 Touareg, 2015 Q5
Instructions for TDI Owners in NON CARB States:

1.Let VW do the software fix so you can prove recall work was done.
2.Drive home, buy Malone tune or similar
3.Depending on tune, Now you have up to 193HP and 356lb-ft Torque and 50+MPG

STOCK we're getting 46MPG Hi-Way (MAX) which is 4MPG OVER EPA Sticker, now after a minimal stage 2 Tune it's 184HP & 333lb-ft Torque, and our MPG went up to 52MPG~54MPG

What's not to love? We'll never sell our TDIs, & we never ever have any issues or problems what-so-ever in 40 years of TDI/Rabbit Diesel ownership because we NEVER EVER take our cars to the dealership EVER. The Monkeys who work in the service departments are the reason people have any problems in the first place.
 

Mammoth

Active member
Joined
Sep 15, 2012
Location
Menlo Park, CA
TDI
2013 JSW TDI 6MT
"TDIs are NOT for people who don't want to maintain a minimum of involvement with their cars ..."
-----
I would add that's even more so the case if one chooses to get a manual TDI. If one loves listening to tunes on the car radio with the volume cranked up to the extent that one can't hear the changing RPM tunes in the engine, that's a very good reason why a DSG transmission might be a better choice. If one is planning to enjoy listening to satellite radio service while driving around town, that's a very good reason why DSG might be a better choice. While driving a manual TDI around town, one must allow their ears to be able to hear the RPM tunes that are playing in the engine.
Oh, ...tachometer? ...safer driving with your eyes on the road.
Interesting. I think the sounds helps a bit, but I think that I tend to shift with the feel of the car. The sounds is always there though, even if I am blasting my music, I can still hear it, so I suppose maybe I am not adequately acknowledging its guidance in my gear shifts. I don't know about most MT drivers, but for me, I rarely look at the tach, and if I do, it's usually briefly to confirm my suspicions, and usually when I'm on low rpms in lots of traffic, trying to decide if I need to downshift before stalling or if I can instead just push up some more to close the gap with the car ahead of me and hope that traffic moves as I do so, and thus avoid a downshift.

The only time I can see voting for the DSG is if your entire commute is in heavy traffic, in which case, maybe you should be looking at getting a hybrid or an electric car rather than a diesel anyway?
 

newbeetleman

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2004
Location
NE
TDI
none
Instructions for TDI Owners in NON CARB States:

1.Let VW do the software fix so you can prove recall work was done.
2.Drive home, buy Malone tune or similar
3.Depending on tune, Now you have up to 193HP and 356lb-ft Torque and 50+MPG

STOCK we're getting 46MPG Hi-Way (MAX) which is 4MPG OVER EPA Sticker, now after a minimal stage 2 Tune it's 184HP & 333lb-ft Torque, and our MPG went up to 52MPG~54MPG

What's not to love? We'll never sell our TDIs, & we never ever have any issues or problems what-so-ever in 40 years of TDI/Rabbit Diesel ownership because we NEVER EVER take our cars to the dealership EVER. The Monkeys who work in the service departments are the reason people have any problems in the first place.

if it was only that simple..
 

ChemMan

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Location
Earth
TDI
2011 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI
Instructions for TDI Owners in NON CARB States:
1.Let VW do the software fix so you can prove recall work was done.
2.Drive home, buy Malone tune or similar
3.Depending on tune, Now you have up to 193HP and 356lb-ft Torque and 50+MPG.
For non CARB states if you don't give a crap about emissions it is far simpler.

1. Do nothing.
 

imurrx

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2012
Location
People's Republic of Massachusetts
TDI
2010 TDI Cup Street Edition
Instructions for TDI Owners in NON CARB States:
1.Let VW do the software fix so you can prove recall work was done.
2.Drive home, buy Malone tune or similar
3.Depending on tune, Now you have up to 193HP and 356lb-ft Torque and 50+MPG
STOCK we're getting 46MPG Hi-Way (MAX) which is 4MPG OVER EPA Sticker, now after a minimal stage 2 Tune it's 184HP & 333lb-ft Torque, and our MPG went up to 52MPG~54MPG
What's not to love? We'll never sell our TDIs, & we never ever have any issues or problems what-so-ever in 40 years of TDI/Rabbit Diesel ownership because we NEVER EVER take our cars to the dealership EVER. The Monkeys who work in the service departments are the reason people have any problems in the first place.
Once the fix gets done in Massachusetts, I'll be getting the 1.5 stage Malone tune. We need to keep all the equipment in place
 

Softrockrenegade

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Location
Howellbama, NJ
TDI
None...2011 Golf DSG (replaced by VW W/) 2013 Passat SE 6M(bought back) Current 2017 sportwagen TSI 4Motion.
Is that going downhill? The best I've EVER got was 42.6, while driving from CA to TX on I-10 (moderate inclines and declines). Even when I lived in Florida, the best I could get was about 43-44, but for distances of about 20 miles doing 45mph without stopping.
Nope not all down hill. Some ups some down but no steep grades. Just my normal commute home from work on the garden state parkway. I have gotten many tanks over 50 hand calculated but keep in mind the Passat gets better fuel economy than your Jetta and mine is a 6 manual.
 

donDavide

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Location
Severna Park, Maryland USA
TDI
2003 Jetta ;2006 Golf; 2015 Jetta S
I saw a Golf Sportwagen TDi being delivered to Oursman VW Laurel (old Tischer VW) today. And while the post was way back, I saw a Prius without any bumper stickers! But, to be expected, it abruptly pulled in front of me while I was in the fast lane (but not speeding) and then goes 5 mph below speed limit down the road. Smug (South Park Reference)
 

croppz

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 16, 2015
Location
Mooresville, North Carolina
TDI
2013 DSG Jetta TDI
what is it we VW owners like the most about our TDI's? Judging from threads here, MPG seems to top the list. So I did some math...

My wife and I each drive around 10k per year.
Using those numbers, and our two vehicles avg mpg, here's what I found, using current fuel prices:

per 500 mile segments, our Mazda 3 costs approx $33 more in gas.
10k divided by 500 = 20. 20 x 33 = $660 per year.
And that's with current diesel prices being lower than reg fuel, which is important to note, as diesel was higher in price in Ca. for some time.

So, $660 a year isn't much when I considered how much we spend on servicing the 2010 JSW TDI, in comparison to what the M3 service has been over eight years. It's actually cheaper to run the Mazda after factoring in VW service.

Gas - the cheapest service a car can buy....
The VW service cost/intervals is the only thing that kinda bugs me. Every 40k I have to do DSG and 120/130 is the timing belt, not really a huge deal, just $$$. But oil changes are about as much as much as I'd pay for gas cars, only difference is I have to change fuel filter every 20k I think it is.

So really, not that ridiculous when you think about it, and since you drive 10k a year, a tank of fuel should last you a month depending haha. I put 10k on my 2013 mustang GT in 4-5 months. I had to get rid of it because I was filling up too much and felt terrible about DDIng something like that. Got the TDI kind of on a whim because of MPG, didn't really research much else but I guess I'm along for the ride now. So far though the fuel savings are already adding up for me.
 

Philpug

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Location
Reno, NV
TDI
Gone but not forgotten
If you think most car dealers don't want to squeeze every cent they think they can out of customers, you're wrong.
And a customer isn't trying to get the best deal for themselves? Thank you Captain Obvious:rolleyes:. My point is no one knows wha these cars are worth right now and no dealer is going to sep up to them and no one should blame them for it.
 

EmissionsCheat

New member
Joined
Oct 2, 2015
Location
Texas
TDI
2014 Golf TDI
Interesting German Site

First post - read much of this tread but not all, so if this has been posted, apologies up front ....

I chased a link off the Deutsche Telekom page announcing "VW offers Internet check for affected customers"

You need to run it through a translator:

http://info.volkswagen.de/de/de/home.html?tab=check-own-car

I entered my 2014 Golf TDI VIN and the results (translated):

Dear Volkswagen customer, we would like to confirm, dass die vehicle with the Entered Vehicle Identification Number [VIN number] is not affected by the software, the nitric oxide levels (NOx) in the Test Run (NEDC) optimized. We deeply regret did your confidence in the brand Volkswagen is currently being tested and are working hard to educate all irregularities and fully regain the trust deed so many people in US. We will continue to inform all our customers Continuously and transparently. Should you have any questions Further, please use our contact function on this website. Sincerely, Thomas Dental Sales and Marketing Director Germany.

Interesting. Perhaps my VIN was found on a export list and no subject to this information. Please others try it and see what it returns.
 

jimbo1mcm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Location
CT USA
TDI
2015 SEL TDI PREMIUM Blue 2015 SEL TDI PREMIUM's Silver and Blue
I posted this to Reddit as a reply to some people who were calling for buy-back and saying the EPA deemed the cars "undrivable."
It's kinda rough as I was fuming when I wrote it, but most of it is accurate:
Um, fellas? Did you guys read the same articles? You guys do know the TDI currently pass smog RIGHT NOW?
Let's be clear: They are in cheat mode when they do it, granted.
BUT... All VW has to do is flip the switch to have them run in that mode all of the time.
It's an oversimplified answer, but it's the truth. They don't need to retrofit anything. Again, they can already pass with a software change, no additional hardware needed. The fact that less than two weeks after the announcement, VW already has a plan to fix each car (all 11 million) points to a software solution.
The main issue is the performance, mileage and durability of the cars in question after the software change.
Mileage - As you must be aware of, the TDI perform above the EPA stated figures. People routinely get higher than the stated 36/42 MPG figures.
If VW made the fix and modified the cars back down to the stated EPA figures, how does that effect the value of the car? Sure you won't get that bonus 55 MPG anymore, but you really shouldn't have expected that in the first place, and should be grateful they spotted you that bonus.
They could flash the new software, force everyone back down to the EPA figures of 32/42 and claim they "fixed the problem with no adverse effect on the mileage". AND THEY'D BE TELLING THE TRUTH. And you expect them to buy it back because it STILL MEETS THE PROMISED FIGURES? The figures that existed at the time of your purchase? Good luck with that, asking a judge to award you for benefiting from illegal activity. It's like getting angry because you can no longer steal booze from the store because they locked it up now. WAT?
Durability - yes VW's have turbo issues. They extended the warranties on these. They'll do the same for the DPF's too. It is a WEAR item anyway - all filters have to be replaced. Be thankful for the goodwill gesture if they extend the warranty. This is a given. I believe VW only did this cheat in order to lessen the need to replace the DPFs when they eventually clog.
Performance - this is a gray area. How do you compensate owners of economy cars for loss of performance? If HP drops from 140 to 130, that's an 8% drop in performance. Was high 0-60 times ever a focus of TDIs to begin with? Another tough area to argue. Maybe you'll get a check cut to you. 8% of a 24,000 car is less than $2,000 and less than $4,000 on a $34,000 car. And that is if they base it on MSRP (all cars depreciate, BTW).
Did VW screw up? YES. Is this a black eye for diesels everywhere? YES. Will they buy back your car? NO. Is your car un-drivable right now? NO.

Finally.....after searching through over 400 pages, I have found a sane, rational person. Of course I've posted before also!
 
Last edited:

TDIintheLOU

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Location
St. Louis Mo
TDI
Passat SEL
Instructions for TDI Owners in NON CARB States:
1.Let VW do the software fix so you can prove recall work was done.
2.Drive home, buy Malone tune or similar
3.Depending on tune, Now you have up to 193HP and 356lb-ft Torque and 50+MPG
STOCK we're getting 46MPG Hi-Way (MAX) which is 4MPG OVER EPA Sticker, now after a minimal stage 2 Tune it's 184HP & 333lb-ft Torque, and our MPG went up to 52MPG~54MPG
What's not to love? We'll never sell our TDIs, & we never ever have any issues or problems what-so-ever in 40 years of TDI/Rabbit Diesel ownership because we NEVER EVER take our cars to the dealership EVER. The Monkeys who work in the service departments are the reason people have any problems in the first place.
Just curious how much is a Malone stage 2 tune? Can the auto trans handle it?
 

993er

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2013
Location
Canada
TDI
None
It is my impression that the EPA regulations are carefully calibrated to do there best to lock out VW's diesel in favor of non turbo US gas guzzlers.
It appears they have tunnel vision and I wonder if they are not slipped some big $$$ to set things to benefit some.

I was just on the phone with someone in Germany and he laughed at the US for allowing certain polluting engines like the 7 Marine outboard, yet in Germany it does not pass emissions.

Then there is that lawn mower I stood behind a couple of days ago for a bit over an hour. Next time I will put on my Scott mask with filters. That thing pollutes more in an hour than any car engine does in a week.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
And a customer isn't trying to get the best deal for themselves? Thank you Captain Obvious:rolleyes:. My point is no one knows wha these cars are worth right now and no dealer is going to sep up to them and no one should blame them for it.
You can shed tears all day long for the poor vw dealerships if you like. My experience with the vw dealers has shown me the only time to go to them is to buy a new car. Incompetence and rudeness is all most of them offer besides some great cars.
 

transmit

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2002
Location
Los Angeles, CA
TDI
2012 Golf TDI 6MT (sunroof + NAV)
First post - read much of this tread but not all, so if this has been posted, apologies up front ....

I chased a link off the Deutsche Telekom page announcing "VW offers Internet check for affected customers"

You need to run it through a translator:

http://info.volkswagen.de/de/de/home.html?tab=check-own-car

I entered my 2014 Golf TDI VIN and the results (translated):

Dear Volkswagen customer, we would like to confirm, dass die vehicle with the Entered Vehicle Identification Number [VIN number] is not affected by the software, the nitric oxide levels (NOx) in the Test Run (NEDC) optimized. We deeply regret did your confidence in the brand Volkswagen is currently being tested and are working hard to educate all irregularities and fully regain the trust deed so many people in US. We will continue to inform all our customers Continuously and transparently. Should you have any questions Further, please use our contact function on this website. Sincerely, Thomas Dental Sales and Marketing Director Germany.

Interesting. Perhaps my VIN was found on a export list and no subject to this information. Please others try it and see what it returns.
I got the same result when I ran my car through - 2012 Golf TDI sold in the USA. The site says that the check doesn't work for cars built (gebaut) in the US and Canada. I know for sure that my car was made in Germany so not sure how accurate this site is.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
First post - read much of this tread but not all, so if this has been posted, apologies up front ....

I chased a link off the Deutsche Telekom page announcing "VW offers Internet check for affected customers"

You need to run it through a translator:

http://info.volkswagen.de/de/de/home.html?tab=check-own-car

I entered my 2014 Golf TDI VIN and the results (translated):

Dear Volkswagen customer, we would like to confirm, dass die vehicle with the Entered Vehicle Identification Number [VIN number] is not affected by the software, the nitric oxide levels (NOx) in the Test Run (NEDC) optimized. We deeply regret did your confidence in the brand Volkswagen is currently being tested and are working hard to educate all irregularities and fully regain the trust deed so many people in US. We will continue to inform all our customers Continuously and transparently. Should you have any questions Further, please use our contact function on this website. Sincerely, Thomas Dental Sales and Marketing Director Germany.

Interesting. Perhaps my VIN was found on a export list and no subject to this information. Please others try it and see what it returns.
I got the identical letter for our '13 Passat. Except for the part about "We invade Poland at dawn." Must have been a mistake in Google Translater....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top