Mein verdämmter Volkswagen...

We officially no longer have a VW......buyback happened today. Took about 20 minutes just like they said it would. A couple of signatures and they handed us a check.

 

Nice... My diesel just took another road trip to San Francisco... "To visit an amazing girl." I think we're going to see just how many miles we can rack up before we sell it back.

 

I hope mine goes like that on the 20th.

 

Heck I already have 110,000 on my 2013.

 

My wife had 15750 on her 2015.

Basically they verified the mileage, took a picture....they are not allowed to test drive them. Signed over the Power of Attorney, mileage statement and gave us a check. Silly simple.

We live in Orange, but went down to Capistrano VW since we were able to get a closer date. VW of Orange had no openings til the 15th at the earliest.

 

Ours is a 14 and we're at 100,000.

 

Nice, I would have more but I quit driving form temecula to Coronado every day about a year and a half ago.

 

Looks like I am just as guilty as my wife was :

EPA: Fiat Chrysler used software to cheat on emissions tests

The Environmental Protection Agency accused Fiat Chrysler Thursday of using software that enabled some of its diesel trucks to cheat on emissions tests. The company denied those accusations, saying its software meets regulatory requirements.

The vehicles involved were the 2014 to 2016 model year Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks and Jeep Grand Cherokees with 3.0-liter diesel engines. The allegations affect roughly 104,000 vehicles, EPA officials said.

Janet McCabe, head of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said “no immediate actions are necessary” for owners of the vehicles targeted under Thursday’s action, and assured owners that those vehicles “continue to be safe and legal to drive.”

The software allowed the vehicles to emit more nitrogen oxide than is allowed under the Clean Air Act, officials said. The alleged scheme was brought to light after the EPA expanded its vehicle testing to look for so-called defeat devices in September 2015 following a similar scandal at Volkswagen.

“Failing to disclose software that affects emissions in a vehicle’s engine is a serious violation of the law, which can result in harmful pollution in the air we breathe,” Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a statement.

Fiat Chrysler officials denied those claims in a statement Thursday. Every automaker must use “various strategies” to reduce tailpipe emissions without compromising the durability and performance of its engines, FCA said, adding its emission control system complies with necessary requirements.

The company also said it has offered to make extensive changes to its software to address EPA concerns.

“FCA U.S. intends to work with the incoming administration to present its case and resolve this matter fairly and equitably and to assure the EPA and FCA U.S. customers that the company’s diesel-powered vehicles meet all applicable regulatory requirements,” the company said in a statement.

The news caused Fiat Chrysler’s stock price to drop more than 13 percent in trading Thursday morning.

EPA officials said on a call Thursday that they are looking into whether other automakers may be using similar devices.

“We continue to investigate the nature and impact of these devices,” Giles said in a statement. “All automakers must play by the same rules, and we will continue to hold companies accountable that gain an unfair and illegal competitive advantage.”

The agency’s move is similar to the initial steps it took at the start of the German automaker Volkswagen emissions scandal, which eventually lead to about $20 billion in fines and charges against seven employees over the course of the last year and a half. Federal prosecutors announced a settlement that forced Volkswagen to plead guilty to defrauding regulators and consumers, a rare admission of criminal wrongdoing for a large corporation.

“Once again, a major automaker made the business decision to skirt the rules and got caught,” California Air Resources Board Chair Mary D. Nichols said in a statement. “CARB and U.S. EPA made a commitment to enhanced testing as the Volkswagen case developed, and this is a result of that collaboration.”

Advocacy groups were quick to praise the announcement as yet another sign of regulators holding corporations accountable.

“As polluter lobbyists mass at the gates of Congress and the White House, this case underscores the critical importance of keeping the environmental cop on the beat,” said Frank O’Donnell, president of the advocacy group Clean Air Watch. “Otherwise, the breathing public could be harmed, and consumers scammed.”

 

I saw in the news that 6 VW employees have been indicted. They didn't mention who/what positions. Probably make some mid to low level guys the fall guys when this had to go all the way to the top or at least really close.
Might actually be more people do time for this than the banking crisis.

 

There was a small study of Mercedes, GM and Fiat diesels right after the VW scandal broke, and they concluded that all 3 were skirting the rules and disabling emissions controls at times.

VW was the most egregious, and first to get caught...

 

A buddy of mine saw this the other day. Look at the license plate

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154701296460708&set=a.37006040707.69616.503430707&type=3

 

No Facebook....can't see it.

 

I can't see it either... Private?

 

Darn, let's see if this works (I am not good at uploading photos)

 

All these thousands and hundreds of thousands of miles traveled, and you still ride the same few trails every week. Take your bikes along and spread those wings.

 

Love it!

Hammer fell today: http://jalopnik.com/this-is-how-deep-volkswagens-cheating-scheme-and-cover-1791115428

RICO-levels of collusion there...

 

Love this commercial, and the car looks pretty sweet, gasoline!!!

 

Herz,
Did you here about a recall on some Audi Q's??

 

Yes - I got a notice. Something about the fuel system. I've already had it repaired at Audi to the tune of about $1k a year ago. I will see if I can recoup the cost somehow.

 

This won't be as large as the diesel issue, but it's still bad... The good news is that the emissions system works perfectly as long as you don't turn the steering wheel more than 15 degrees from center! Drive straight roads and you're fine...

http://blog.caranddriver.com/anothe...is-time-on-audi-gasoline-and-diesel-vehicles/

 

Did you here VW is #1 world wide sales. I hear they are huge in China.

 

They are getting a not so free boost in sales.

A lot of diesel buyback customers are buying new VW's

 

Not me...

 

And it looks like a concrete step forward for the 3.0 liter V-6 diesels used in the VW Touareg, Audi Q7, and Porsche Cayenne... Boy am I glad we went with the gas Touareg. One diesel issue was enough.

Link to original article at CBS News...

VW agrees to another massive pay-out in dirty diesel scandal
AP February 1, 2017, 4:22 AM

FRANKFURT, Germany -- Volkswagen has agreed to pay at least $1.2 billion in buybacks and compensation to settle claims from U.S. owners of cars with larger diesel engines rigged to cheat on emissions tests.

The proposed settlement filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco covers some 75,000 Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche cars with 3.0-liter diesel engines.

Owners of older models that cannot be fixed to meet pollution standards will be offered buybacks and compensation. People with cars that can be fixed will get compensation of up to $16,114 -- if VW can come up with a fix by an agreed deadline. If not, buybacks could push the cost as high as $4.04 billion.

Volkswagen has already agreed on a settlement for some 500,000 smaller, 2.0 liter diesel engines.

 

Apparently any press is good press, as VW came out as world sales sales leader for 2016: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com


Derp... I see @scan already mentioned this...

 

That makes sense.

 

And as of today, we no longer have the diesel... Almost 100,000 miles, and still on its original tires and brakes. I was a little sad to see it go. 50 mpg and low maintenance? Hard to beat...

Hopefully the replacement that we bought a month ago holds up equally as well...

 

Regardless of what they've done ethically, the Volkswagen has always been a great vehicle. Ever since Ferdinand Porsche was forced by Hitler to come up with it.

Best bumper sticker ever, on the back of a VW bug: "You have been Volkswagened! Passed by 40 horsepower!!"

 

A pretty good read over a couple cups of coffee... The back story is pretty interesting. I'd read just about every article printed, but they were all centered on information from September 2015 forward. This one goes back another year.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/business/inside-vws-campaign-of-trickery.html

 

Wow, nice article.