VW "clean" diesel scandal

[drauz]

http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/cert/documents/vw-nov-caa-09-18-15.pdf

http://www.vox.com/2015/9/21/9365667/volkswagen-clean-diesel-recall-passenger-cars


It sounds like the sinister plot of some straight-to-DVD movie. Since 2009, Volkswagen had been installing elaborate software in 482,000 "clean diesel" vehicles sold in the US, so that the cars' pollution controls only worked when being tested for emissions. The rest of the time, the vehicles could freely spew hazardous, smog-forming compounds.

Suffice to say, regulators were livid once they caught on. Last Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that Volkswagen had very flagrantly violated the Clean Air Act. Not only did the EPA order the German firm to fix the affected vehicles — which include diesel TDI versions of the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, and Passat — but the agency could end up levying fines as high as $18 billion. The Department of Justice is also contemplating criminal charges.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2015/09/23/dieselgate-what-vw-tdi-owners-should-know/

[Vusit]

So a bunch of VW diesels are going to come up for sell cheap, get it ecm reflashed, and bam smile

[Soulance]

Yea, perfect timing for me hopefully. I have a 2001 Jetta TDI I use for getting to/from work cause it does 45mpg consistently but it's getting old @ 275k Miles. The engine is still good but the interior is starting to fall apart. The car is nice though, and the newer ones look even nicer.

[Ardwen]

wouldn't getting the ecm reflashd then make it likely they fail emissions testing upon inspection? I mean that was the whole point of it all.

[Soulance]

Could be a problem, especially in California where they are really strict. Someone said any car in that range was basically worth $0 in CA cause it is illegal.

I was guessing that they could just tell the comp to re-tune the engine which will bring it to specs but also make it far less appealing to the consumer. Like 26 mpg vs 45 mpg.

Gonna have to wait and see what happens in the next year.

[~Rocktar~]

I want to see what the investigation into other auto makers yeilds. If one can do it, you have to know that others can as well and likely have.

Then I want to see the aftermarket/borderline illegal tuning software/gadgets to let you swap this back and forth when you want too.

[Ardwen]

report I just watched had them having 10 to 40 times the maximum emission allowed, thats going to be a pricy fix.

BMW reportedly has at least one car that has issues and may have a similar program in it.

[ClydeR]

This was a foreseeable consequence of the regulatory crisis in Washington. If we didn't have these regulations, VW wouldn't have broken the law.

[Furryrat]

This was a foreseeable consequence of the regulatory crisis in Washington. If we didn't have these regulations, VW wouldn't have broken the law.

I fought the law and the law won. Profound.

[Viekn]

This was a foreseeable consequence of the regulatory crisis in Washington. If we didn't have these regulations, VW wouldn't have broken the law.

So if we didn't have regulations against murder, I could kill someone without breaking the law? Not sure about that logic.

[Soulance]

So if we didn't have regulations against murder, I could kill someone without breaking the law? Not sure about that logic.
True. Actually, in certain third-world countries it is expected that you go and murder someone who has done you wrong - like have an affair with you wife.

[Furryrat]

True. Actually, in certain third-world countries it is expected that you go and murder someone who has done you wrong - like have an affair with you wife.

That's true where I'm from too.

[drauz]

http://uberhumor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/lhpUDCY.jpg