OT: VW cheating emissions on TDI vehicles

[peanutgallery]

But think about all the mustache wax in sam the clams disco. Shipped from china, on a boat with unregulated exhaust. I could be wrong, but my understanding is that environmental impact of the ships, tugs and stevadore stuff from the port of LA alone is many times great than all the dirty VW's when compared annually. Then think about the environmental impact of what is bought stateside. Its staggering

Humans will be the death of us all

Level of consumption of "stuff" in California is probably greater than entire continents. Let's say Africa for example. So what if its fueled by gas vs. coal, the impact is a wash

Originally Posted by kevinvc

It is.


When considering total lifetime carbon impacts, multiple factors come into play, such as point source vs. non-point source pollution generation and capture, increased natural gas and renewable energy sources into electrical grid, annual miles driven and lifespan of the vehicle etc.

But, in your example of California, natural gas is the primary source powering the electrical grid (coal is < 5%) and the average miles driven per passenger vehicle are high. All in all, EVs are quite a bit more environmentally friendly and have less impact on human health than a diesel car.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by grawk

plug in electrics will rule the day, and people in san francisco can pretend that coal pollution at the power plant is better than diesel in a passenger car.

Not just SanFrancisco..one thing you can count on around the republic, if anybody is speeding on highway 36 toward and from Denver, it's a Pios.

They had better figure out a battery that allows more than high 2 digit mileage trips, a way to fund and install charge stations and a way to recycle those very dirty used up batteries. I think electric is the 'answer' to large numbers of small people movers but along with that had better be the above and cleaner ways to produce and store electricity(when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow).

But I agree...a TDI reflash, the EPA won't be happy but they'll let it happen. Diesels from VW are adios, hybrids and EVs replace them.

[sjbraun]

The reflash will probably mean more frequent regen cycles. I can live with a small hit in gas mileage, but I want a lifetime bumper to bumper extended warranty to insure that the fix doesn't lead to additional problems down the line. The vehicle was designed to run a certain way, a reflash will mean the car is being to perform it ways it wasn't designed to, hence I don't want to pay for things that wear out because they were never designed to do what the reflash now dictates.
Okay so maybe a bumper to bumper warranty is a bit much, (though I'd rather have that than any cash settlement,) but a full engine/exhaust system warranty is reasonable.

[grawk]

Originally Posted by sjbraun

The reflash will probably mean more frequent regen cycles. I can live with a small hit in gas mileage, but I want a lifetime bumper to bumper extended warranty to insure that the fix doesn't lead to additional problems down the line. The vehicle was designed to run a certain way, a reflash will mean the car is being to perform it ways it wasn't designed to, hence I don't want to pay for things that wear out because they were never designed to do what the reflash now dictates.
Okay so maybe a bumper to bumper warranty is a bit much, (though I'd rather have that than any cash settlement,) but a full engine/exhaust system warranty is reasonable.

I'd keep my beetle forever if they give me a lifetime bumper to bumper...but the day the warranty expires on my emissions system is the day I get a reflash and DPF delete.

[ultraman6970]

Have been so long that IMO is almost certain the 1st thing they tried was a reflash... not that much data about the results of that reflashing process, there must be a reason for that.

[yngpunk]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

Have been so long that IMO is almost certain the 1st thing they tried was a reflash... not that much data about the results of that reflashing process, there must be a reason for that.

The 23O6 ECU update has been theorized to have been a veiled attempt to get TDIs into compliance...data seems to indicate a loss in power/fuel economy and an increase in regen cycles.

[bcroslin]

Originally Posted by yngpunk

The 23O6 ECU update has been theorized to have been a veiled attempt to get TDIs into compliance...data seems to indicate a loss in power/fuel economy and an increase in regen cycles.

Interesting. I'd never read anything about this before but just did some digging and I'm wondering if that was a CA only thing or nation wide?

[Cat3roadracer]

I'm in NY and received a notification for the update. Never had it done. A friend had it done and did not experience any noticible difference in operation.

[parallelfish]

Originally Posted by yngpunk

The 23O6 ECU update has been theorized to have been a veiled attempt to get TDIs into compliance...data seems to indicate a loss in power/fuel economy and an increase in regen cycles.

We ignored it. The letter we received indicated that California would refuse to re-register the car if the update was not completed, but we had no issue re-registering.

[superbowlpats]

Originally Posted by Cat3roadracer

I'm in NY and received a notification for the update. Never had it done. A friend had it done and did not experience any noticible difference in operation.

I'm in Mass, had it done last year. No difference in MPG or power but do think number of regen cycles increased, at least seems like fans are on more often after I shut car off.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Cat3roadracer

I'm in NY and received a notification for the update. Never had it done. A friend had it done and did not experience any noticible difference in operation.

I think I had it done at my recent 40K service(freebie, BTW)..car runs the same. Still low 40s mixed driving.

[shovelhd]

Originally Posted by superbowlpats

I'm in Mass, had it done last year. No difference in MPG or power but do think number of regen cycles increased, at least seems like fans are on more often after I shut car off.

In MA, no choice. I lost 2-3 MPG and more frequent regens. During a DPF regen (there are two, the DPF is long, around 10-15 minutes, and the EGR, which is short, 3-5 minutes) the car skips under light throttle like it has a bad plug wire, but it's a diesel. The car drives great except during regens.

[bcroslin]

Originally Posted by shovelhd

In MA, no choice. I lost 2-3 MPG and more frequent regens. During a DPF regen (there are two, the DPF is long, around 10-15 minutes, and the EGR, which is short, 3-5 minutes) the car skips under light throttle like it has a bad plug wire, but it's a diesel. The car drives great except during regens.

My wife and I were talking tonight and we've noticed over the last year that gas mileage has not been as good as in the past. Our dealer is very good about ECU and other software updates and we're sure they did an update last August. I'm sure it's our perception but I hate to think what a refreshed ECU that lowers gas mileage another 4-6 mpg is going to do. If mpg drops below 38 on the highway I'm going to be very unhappy.

[grawk]

After my 50k service, my mileage got better again. I'm thinking they undid the most recent ecu flash. Regardless, I'm happier.

[shovelhd]

Originally Posted by grawk

After my 50k service, my mileage got better again. I'm thinking they undid the most recent ecu flash. Regardless, I'm happier.

No way they "undid" the flash. Not for emissions. It's probably the warmer weather. My mileage goes up significantly when it's warm out.