What If I Keep Vw Tdi Without Fixing It

AUSTIN IRWIN

From the July 2017 issue

Throwing coin at problems is how corporations brand them go away. Pay for more lawyers, pay for more public relations, and certainly pay for more than marketing in the hopes that the world volition believe your new promises. For Volkswagen, those invoices accept recently been supersized, befitting the scope of the diesel cheating scandal that has engulfed the company and prompted the recall of approximately 590,000 vehicles in the United States.

Yet, its attorney bills and the costs of hiring actress PR staff must seem like little more than a few padded expense reports to the accountants in Wolfsburg. Since a group of West Virginia Academy scientists announced in May 2014 that they had plant unexpectedly high emissions from VW's TDI vehicles—which led to the uncovering of the company's conspiracy to cheat regime regulators and defraud consumers—Volkswagen has committed to spend at to the lowest degree $25 billion in the U.South. in legal settlements alone.

As the world'south largest car visitor bleeds, TDI money now begets its own economic system [encounter "TDI Profiteering"]. VW even has had to create a subsidiary called Electrify America to ensure the spending of $ii billion on brand-neutral electric-vehicle infrastructure. Not coincidentally, Volkswagen says that information technology has quit the "clean diesel" business organisation for good, at least in the U.S., to focus its green efforts on EVs. Except that as of April, the visitor owns more than 237,000 used diesels acquired through its court-mandated buyback plan. And inventories are growing, with fifteen,000 more vehicles being turned in each calendar week, co-ordinate to reports. Without the joint blessing of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, these cars are to remain parked in places like the lots that surround the shuttered Pontiac Silverdome, the former Detroit Lions football stadium 30 miles north of Detroit.

That'south where Volkswagen establish our test vehicle, a 2015 Passat sold new in Texas and now showing 25,000 miles on its odometer. One of the so-called Gen iii diesels that clean up waste gases with catalytic converters, particulate filters, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), it is among the starting time batch eligible for a gear up—in this case, a software update to both its engine and transmission computers. This is per the emissions-modification proposal that CARB and the EPA approved on Jan 6, which also covers 2015 Beetles, Golfs, Jettas, and Audi A3s with 2.0-liter TDI engines, some 67,000 full vehicles.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot: Rows of Volkswagen diesels parked at the abased Silverdome led the metropolis of Pontiac, Michigan, to sue the owners of the property. (The edifice was demolished in December 2017.)

AUSTIN IRWIN

A second stage of the third-gen recall will involve dealers fitting replacements for the entire emissions arrangement, including a new diesel-particulate filter, diesel-oxidation catalyst, and selective catalytic-reduction converter. A 2nd NOx sensor downstream of the catalyst as well will be added, allowing the emissions system to operate in an improved, airtight-loop fashion thanks to another forthcoming software update. These new parts should ensure that the system functions correctly for at least 150,000 miles, and it will be monitored by the EPA and CARB through further testing over the adjacent five years, an extension of the ane year VW would usually exist required to conduct an In-Use Verification Program of spot-checks of randomly selected customer vehicles.

Owners will do good from a transferable emissions warranty that is extended to the greater of either 11 years or 162,000 miles from new, or v years or 60,000 miles from the date of the recall service. Volkswagen needs some manufacturing lead time, so the second phase of the think won't first until early 2018. But in late March, Volkswagen got the get-alee for its dealers to resume selling 2015 TDIs equipped with the new software, including some make-new leftovers. Shortly thereafter, we conducted our testing—with VW'south blessing—seeking to make up one's mind whether the gear up carried any downsides or functioning penalties that might exist felt past owners of repaired cars.

Stopwatch Says

Since Volkswagen is legally prohibited from allowing any of these TDI buybacks back on the road until their software has been reflashed, our Passat was delivered with the new software. Subjective driving detected no anomalies in its operation—non that nosotros anticipated finding whatever. VW is telling owners to expect few to no driving differences outside of improved accelerator response and slightly different shifting beliefs on automatic vehicles. Neither fuel economic system nor performance should exist afflicted. However, owners are warned of the possibility of upwards to 14 percentage higher consumption of DEF, depending on driving style.

That's the most observable change brought about by the software, which will as well accept been stripped of the defeat device code that triggered different emissions calibrations for dyno emissions testing and on-road driving. "For the most part, it'south the dosing strategy for DEF" that allows cars with the new software to reduce emissions, says VW senior manager of regulatory affairs Rob Sutschek. No changes were made to other engine operating parameters, he says, specifically naming boost pressure, frazzle-gas recirculation scheduling, fuel-rail pressure, and injection timing. Which would indicate that at to the lowest degree for the 3rd-generation diesels, the main benefit VW gained past adulterous was but stretching the DEF refill interval to coincide with a ten,000-mile oil change.

It's worth noting that the fixed Gen 3 cars will not, in fact, be certified to the same emissions standards (federal Tier 2 Bin 5 and California LEVIII ULEV125) that they were originally supposed to meet. Rather, the court has created a new standard that resembles the electric current federal Tier iii Bin 160, which is less stringent for lower-speed operation but allows fewer NOx emissions at highway speeds. Regardless of which emissions standard the stock-still cars at present attach to, the broader environmental concern was the potential affect of junking so many vehicles. As Sutschek says, "The EPA wants these vehicles in service."

At the proving grounds, nosotros ran a modified version of our typical acceleration test, offset with the new software and and then again after the car had been reverted dorsum to its "muddied" lawmaking by two Volkswagen technicians. (Although they used a laptop plugged into the OBD II port, they stressed that VW dealers and others authorized to upload the new software would use a organization that will not allow a car to be reverted to any before code.) In both zilch-to-60 and quarter-mile tests, nosotros recorded identical results: 9.3 seconds and 17.2 seconds at 82 miles per 60 minutes. Extra test equipment in the dorsum seat and a rider aboard mean these numbers cannot exist compared with other C/D test numbers, nor should they be considered absolute. But the comparative fact stands: Nosotros plant no notable functioning differences betwixt the automobile with its original dirty software and the same car later the fix.

The filler neck for the Passat's DEF tank is located in the trunk, with the tank extending out of sight such that nosotros were unable to accurately assess DEF consumption during testing. Nor were we able to practice much fuel-economic system analysis, although according to the Passat's onboard trip reckoner there was no significant change during steady-speed cruising later on we switched software.

Nosotros did utilise a portable emissions-measurement system [see "Sniffing Around"] during testing. The data nosotros nerveless with this device do not directly correspond to any measurements made during federal emissions testing, both because of the nature of the testing equipment and because our flat-out acceleration runs have no analogue in the federal process. Nosotros saw small amounts of NOx emissions present during steady-speed cruising at 90 mph reduced to naught with the clean software, which seems significant in that information technology indicates cleaner performance even across the speeds at which federal emissions testing is conducted. And of course, the tailpipe sniffer did in fact prove that the same motorcar produced dissimilar patterns of NOx emissions depending on the software. Within the express telescopic of our testing abilities, we considered this sufficient proof that Volkswagen was not perpetrating any farther deception.

C/D Examination Results
	DIRTY	CLEAN
Acceleration 0–60 MPH	nine.3 sec	9.3 sec
1/4 Mile @ MPH	17.ii sec @ 82	17.two sec @ 82
30–fifty MPH, Top Gear	5.0 sec	5.0 sec
50–lxx MPH, Top Gear	vi.7 sec	6.half-dozen sec
30–90 MPH, 4th Gear	22.3 sec	22.viii sec
0–100 MPH, Standing Kickoff	27.1 sec	27.7 sec

More to Come

Volkswagen has also submitted two other proposals covering the residue of the recalled four-cylinder diesels. While company officials would not comment on specifics, some details of the modifications to these cars can be found in the consent decree nether which Volkswagen is currently operating.

Engine design for the generation-2 TDIs, or 2012–2014 Passats, differs from the tertiary generation'south but still uses DEF to curb emissions, so the gear up for those vehicles will probable follow the same path as the 2015 models, relying on greater DEF dosing to lower NOx emissions. All the diesels should somewhen get completely new emissions hardware. In fact, this is required by the consent prescript for the first-generation TDIs, or 2009–2014 Jettas, 2010–2014 Golfs, 2013–2014 Beetles, and 2010–2013 Audi A3s. These before models do non use DEF, nonetheless, which makes the fix more challenging. These cars employ a NOx trap that requires periodic purging; this is accomplished by running a rich fuel mixture, which will likely upshot in reduced fuel economy.

Had Volkswagen been willing to make that merchandise-off years agone, it might have sold fewer cars, just the consequences of this crunch would surely take been averted. Since the emissions scandal was uncovered, VW's annual sales in the U.S. have dropped past 21 per centum—or almost 85,000 fewer vehicles in 2016 than in 2013—at a fourth dimension when the balance of the industry was up 12 percentage. This year, nonetheless, its sales are showing signs of rebound, with first-quarter numbers up 10 percent. Nosotros tin only imagine that this first fix, which puts thousands of Volkswagen diesels back into service, volition help bolster those numbers. Coin can make problems disappear, but information technology is no substitute for fixing them.

TDI Profiteering

How some savvy wheeler-dealers cashed in on Dieselgate.

As get-rich schemes go, this 1 was adequately foolproof. All it took was a close reading of the Volkswagen settlement and some capital for a few acute individuals—and, rumor has it, a scattering of non-VW dealerships—to cash in on the TDI buyback programme, creating a homegrown VW diesel trade that fattened a few pockets. Several months ago, yous also could have picked up a used diesel-powered VW for well below book value, then sabbatum on it for a fleck before turning it in to VW for the buyback coin. Sometimes the payoff would be only a few thousand dollars, merely ane buyer who got the organisation wired, and who talked to us only on the condition of anonymity, claims to have fabricated around $20,000 on some vehicles.

The $10 billion buyback and restitution program kicked off in November 2016, part of Volkswagen'southward larger $15 billion TDI settlement that as well includes fines and environmental remediation. The buyback is meant to put greenbacks in the pockets of aggrieved VW customers. Nonetheless, it also requires those owners to read and comprehend a adequately arcane system that calculates how much VW volition pay for the automobile plus a second compensation payment, both varying based on model, year, and mileage. This has translated into opportunities for those paying attention, as the amounts work out to well higher up what these cars would fetch on the open market under normal circumstances.

Our anonymous source, whom we constitute through a Reddit thread, says he bought scandal-affected VWs and Audis from all over the country, mostly from dealers and auctions, collecting 27 vehicles. "I was the original possessor of a 2011 2.0, and that'southward what turned me on to it," he says. "In June of last twelvemonth, I started reading about the buyback and information technology looked similar a good opportunity, and so I borrowed whatever money I could become my hands on and started buying the cars.

"I have more than than $400,000 invested, and the profits are variable, but my overall profit margin is going to be between 45 and 50 percent," he says.

As shady as this might audio, it'due south legal according to the Federal Trade Commission. Unless, of form, the buyer lies to the seller nigh the details of the buyback plan to get a lower cost. That's fraud. Our source says he checked with his state's department of motor vehicles to make sure he is candid with land regulations. Because he'due south treating diesel fuel trading like any other investment, a CPA ensures his tax compliance.

Earlier yous cash in your 401(grand) to become a TDI flipper, empathize that if you're just learning about this now, you lot're besides late. Although it's even so possible to buy a TDI and submit a buyback claim before the September 1, 2018, cutoff, the cheap cars are gone, and the money-making days are well over. —Benjamin Preston

AUSTIN IRWIN

Sniffing Around

AUSTIN IRWIN

To reduce the chances of another TDI fiasco, carmakers and government regulators alike accept expanded their tailpipe-emissions measurement capabilities, moving out of the lab and onto the road. Gathering real-world insights regarding how cars comport in client hands has necessitated a new category of tools chosen portable emissions-measurement systems (PEMS). Some of this gear is cumbersome and expensive, while other units—including the analyzer we borrowed from Infrared Industries for this exam—are more than wieldy.

The visitor'southward FGA4000XDS PEMS is a ix-pound box containing non-dispersive infrared and electrochemical-jail cell sensors capable of quantifying concentrations of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and oxygen in the frazzle stream. It can too display air-fuel ratio and engine rpm when connected to the engine'southward ignition system. It is manufacturing plant calibrated and certified to comply with international standards. After a v-minute warm-up and the insertion of a sample line into the tailpipe, this device is able to quantify the ingredients in practically any exhaust stream. —Don Sherman

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