Smells like horse ····· to me

It starts..
 

I just saw the first TV ad for a law firm soliciting a class action against VW. I'm sure there's going to be many more to come. I'm surprised it took this long to get these guys spun up.

They started putting ads on facebook the day after the announcement.

dave

From the NYT story:

Our plan is not to buy back the inventory, Mr. Horn said. Our plan is to fix the cars.

But, he added, it could take years to fix the affected vehicles in the United States. There were three groups of vehicles involved, Mr. Horn said, each containing one of the three generations of the 2-liter diesel engine. Each will require a different remedy. The most recent cars, in the 2015-16 model years, can be fixed starting next year, he said, but he offered no timetable for the first generation, which accounts for the vast majority of the faulty cars.

So there's your answer. I'm ready to talk to a lawyer.

is the EPA or whoever in the US going to accept that plan though? taking 'years' to fix cars they knowingly sold with faulty emissions equipment, actively polluting the air? for the US, in the "big picture" it's really not a big deal at all, minuscule really from an environmental impact standpoint, but the principal of the thing?

Michael Horn no longer works for VW. This statement of fixing and not buying back was an initial attempt at saying, "We will fix everything. Nothing to see here." He is gone. This approach will not work. There will be a buy back program. There will be class action suits. The only winners will be the attorneys representing the consumers.

Buy back? Doubt it. For the others, sure, go talk to a lawyer, but it won't make any difference. One TDI owner won't get any more whatever than any other. The hard part is 'proving' damages. Being pissed off isn't pain and suffering in the eyes of the law. I think some over-estimate the 'power' a single TDI owner may have. It's not like internal bleeding from Pradaxa or mesothelioma from asbestos.

Buy back in the form of a coupon / discount towards the purchase of a new VW, not buy back in terms of $$$. I would be shocked if this did not occur.

I'd be pretty shocked if it did but I'd take a new GSW/gas for my TDI and I really like my TDI.

If they gave me full purchase price credit toward a new urea TDi I'd have to think about that one.

dave

As it is right now VW is offering a $2,000 loyalty incentive. My guess is that they will continue to do this for a while (and perhaps offer a greater incentive for TDI owners?). VW wants to keep people in VWs. Offering them a big cash incentive does just that.

Lawsuits will take a while. Likely there will be so many the courts will be over whelmed. Then some judge will roll all of them into a class action suit.....and all TDI owners will automatically be represented, unless you opt out....and go on your own. So that part is going to take a while.

BTW....I'm not a lawyer....and you're not paying me for this info.....so take it as that.

Has anyone watched that youtube video where a group of guys tested the TDI cars on a 4 wheel dyno to trick it like it was on the road? They also used the same dyno in 2 wheel mode to see the differences in HP/TQ. It was something like a 30 ft/lb torque loss and like 13hp when the car was in "Inspection Mode". So if VW repairs the cars, expect to lose lots of power. Nothing that an aftermarket chip from APR wouldn't fix though.

Take their testing practices with a grain of salt. Pretty sure VW engineers are smarter than that... I would hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhvI2oeBPtY

"Michael Horn, the automakers´ top official in the United States"

Did I miss something?

Modern tuners don't "chip" cars any more. They hook up to the diagnostic port and make their changes that way.

Tuners have boost and A/F ratios and ignition timing (gas engines) to work with. No black magic. Increase one, and you affect the other. On a diesel.....turn up the boost, increase fuel pressure, and you get more power....and use more fuel....and the exhaust is even dirtier. No free lunch.