Volkswagen Has a Fix For Most of Its Emissions-Cheating Cars

Volkswagen says a software update and small piece of hardware will fix the majority of the diesel vehicles in Europe ensnared by an ongoing emissions cheating scandal. The controversy affects an estimated 11 million cars globally, including about 500,000 vehicles in the U.S. While the recall will fix millions of cars in Europe, U.S. Volkswagen diesel owners will have to wait longer for a remedy.

The technical fixes for its EA 189 diesel engines have been approved by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority and the first recalls will begin in January, the Volkswagen Group said in a statement issued Wednesday.

In September 2015, Volkswagen became the target of investigations after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency accused the company of installing illegal software in its turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engines. These so-called defeat devices allowed the vehicle’s nitrogen oxide output to meet U.S. standards during regulatory testing and then produced up to 40 times higher NOx in real driving conditions.

Volkswagen says the 1.6-liter EA 189 engine will require a software upgrade and a piece of mesh to be fitted in front of the car’s air mass sensor. The repair is expected to take about an hour per vehicle. Meanwhile, Volkwagen’s 2.0-liter engine will only need a software upgrade to be compliant, the company says. It is also still developing a fix for its 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder engines.

Meanwhile in the United States, Volkswagen still faces headwinds, as emissions regulations are more stringent and new accusations have popped up. The EPA and the California Air Resource Board have issued two notices to Volkswagen Group in the past two months, accusing the automaker of developing and installing software that masks emissions. The initial notice alleged that Volkswagen used illegal software on certain 2.0 liter engines for model year 2009-2015 vehicles, including the Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, Beetle, Audi A3, Golf, Golf Sportwagen, and Passat.

A second notice in early November said the company also violated the Clean Air Act when it used illegal software in certain vehicles equipped with 3.0-liter V6 diesel engines for model years 2014 through 2016 to circumvent U.S. emissions laws—an allegation that pulled in Porsche into the widening scandal, as well as more Audi and VW models. Audi designed the 3.0-liter engine.

Volkswagen initially pushed back on the most recent allegations, though the automaker eventually admitted that the software did indeed include one or more Auxiliary Emission Control Devices that it had failed to disclose in their applications for certificate of conformity for each model.

Audi said in a statement Monday that its A6, A7, A8, Q5 and Q7 diesel models dating back to 2009 were all impacted, as well as the VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, which have been using the diesel engines since 2013 in the U.S. Audi said it can correct the issue with a software update, which is expected to cost in the “mid-double-digit millions of euros.”

Here’s a video from Volkswagen that explains the technical fixes approved by Germany’s regulatory agency.

 

So if a small piece of hardware fixes the problem, why was there a need for the cheating software? Much too easy a solution.

 

Yeah, if the only thing needed was software updates and a small mesh screen why even cheat? Or now will it actually show bad emissions and cost the owners out the ass to make it meet standards. Lots of places in the USA will not issue a license plate unless the car meets standards.

 

I can't see what a piece of mesh in front of the air mass meter would do. most cars already have that anyway... And the inducted air is already well filtered before that anyhow.

A small bit of mesh and software updates will not fix this problem.. which is an inherent design flaw in how the engines burn fuel. However... a decent diesel particulate filter and exhaust Nox sensors would do it instantly...

 

You think that's bad, you should have seen their first attempt.

 

If an engine hasn't been properly designed, you can add all the filters you want to the exhaust. It may cut down on emissions but it will also cut down on performance. You would have to install a system that scavanges emissions and that will cost a lot of money.

 

Yeah , so VW went to the trouble of writing and including software to cheat and fool authieities and make their cars illegal

instead of wrting and including software that fixed the problem along with a peice of mesh ,
and make them legal .

Right .

That makes sense
specially at the lil cost of Billions of dollars .

And what is the end result ?

Do they become DOGvargens ?
or
was the problem just that they scooped up n burned to many bugs ?
is that why they have to fit a flyscreen ?

 

I don't get it.

Seeing as Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche are all the same company, one has to assume they have a "solution."

But is that the point?
'
Maybe they just said SCREW IT to all these dumb emissions rules. Maybe they built all the insane nonsense into the cars that cost $30,000 more, so they could kiss up to all the psycho tree huggers who give a shit. And as for the fifty ba-zillion people who don't give a shit and just want a car they can actually afford, Volkswagen added a software patch that would hopefully spoof all the dumb-ass emissions tests.

Now everyone's gone crazy over a stupid violation that makes no difference whatsoever, and Volkswagen's getting sued for billions, so now they'll just add $20,000 or whatever to the price of their cars to pay for the lawsuits and everyone can feel good about saving the planet when they say Farfignuggen."

And meanwhile every other economy car seller that didn't get caught in the dragnet is breathing a sigh of relief, but they're all gonna jack up their prices too, since bullshit filters are apparently something people will pay more for.

And who gets it in the neck? The very same goofballs who believe that the seas are rising.

So Princess Clarise awards ZERO sympathy points all around. Once again, the useful idiots get it in the neck. Boo hoo.

 

I have seen strange things in the past, but for some reason i am not satisfied with this whole 'scandal ' deal. Something just doesn't feel right about the whole damn thing. If its a mere program to bypass emissions why even write it, why not just put the correct software in from the start? If the update makes all these cars fail emission testing is VW going to foot the bill to replace whatever is necessary to make it meet standards or will that to be a surprise dumped in the laps of owners?

 

The program was written because vw realised their cars weren't going to meet the emissions laws. So they came up with a program to fudge the tests by not allowing the engines to be revved fully when the car is stationary.

When diesels are tested for emissions the throttle must be fully opened for at least a second. This piece of software prevents the tester from doing that. Thus not giving an accurate emissions reading...

The main issue is not with any software. When they realised all the cars with these engines weren't going to pass. They made a conscious decision to cheat the tests rather than spending the millions of euros to solve the root of the problem.