EPA may fine VW

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

But most of the affected vehicles are not fitted with SCR, only the 2014-2015 US-spec Passat, and retrofit it would be too costly.

In that case, if they have no other means to solve it, the recall may be quite more substantial than just an ECU reflash... even if it hurts them financially.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

In that case, if they have no other means to solve it, the recall may be quite more substantial than just an ECU reflash... even if it hurts them financially.

But it's possible to keep the engines compliant to the emission standards just with an ECM reflashing, though it would come at the cost of a performance downgrade and lower fuel-efficiency.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

But it's possible to keep the engines compliant to the emission standards just with an ECM reflashing, though it would come at the cost of a performance downgrade and lower fuel-efficiency.

Yep, which is dumb-assery at its finest.

Lets make 25% more of every other type of pollution so the NOX percentage is lower, great idea, very important to meet that stat, no owner will defeat the defeat.

Add to this they are finding other companies other than VW have emissions cheats, so the circus keeps expanding.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Yep, which is dumb-assery at its finest.

Lets make 25% more of every other type of pollution so the NOX percentage is lower, great idea, very important to meet that stat, no owner will defeat the defeat.

You know, politicians are likely to enforce such regulations just to satisfy their ego even if the real footprint of that measure is higher than just letting it go. Think about the tanker ships hauling crude oil from Middle East, Venezuela or some oil-rich countries in Africa such as Angola and Chad, then all the energy consumed at a refinery and probably not generated from a "clean" or "renewable" source, and the impact of over-the-road transportation of the extra amount of fuel required by the vehicles after they get the emissions cheat simply erased with a chip-tuning, sure it would overcome all the cut on tailpipe NOx.

[redpoint5]

As I understand it, NOx is a local pollutant and is not long-lived. Tanker ships spewing these emissions mostly do it in non-populated areas. I agree with statements others have made about having VW reduce an equivalent amount of pollutants via other means than addressing the existing vehicles. They should also pay punitive damages. The customers should not have to get fewer MPG and maintain additional emissions equipment since it was VW and the EPA to blame for this mess.

Back in April, VW issued the campaign below to address the emissions issue. Many forum members reported getting fewer MPG and noticed different engine behavior. It was also surmised that DPF regen cycles were increased as many reported noticing an increased frequency of regens along with seeing the cycles begin at odd times that were not encountered before. An DPF regen consumes extra fuel as it burns particulate in the trap. It was speculated that the extra regens would prematurely wear out the DPF system since it was originally built for a different duty cycle.

ECM Software Update REPAIR NEEDED
START DATE
Apr 07, 2015
VW ACTION CODE
23O6
DESCRIPTION
The vehicle's engine management software has been improved to assure your vehicle's tailpipe emissions are optimized and operating efficiently. Under certain operating conditions, the earlier strategy may have increased the chance of the vehicle's MIL light illuminating. If the MIL illuminates for any reason, your vehicle will not pass an IM emissions inspection in some regions.

REMEDY
To address this issue, your authorized Volkswagen dealer will update the ECM software in your vehicle IMPORTANT! Please note that if the ECM in your vehicle has been "chipped," "tuned," or otherwise modified from original factory specifications with aftermarket components and/or software, work needed to repair, replace, or return the ECM to original factory specifications is NOT covered under this action.

My friend just bought a '10 TDI Golf last month that had this campaign applied to it. He also just received the Goodwill offer from VW. I advised him to register the vehicle in Salem instead of Portland so he wouldn't have to DEQ the car. This means he can ignore future campaigns that further reduce his MPG. He could also do an DPF delete and aftermarket tune to restore MPG and power.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

As I understand it, NOx is a local pollutant and is not long-lived. Tanker ships spewing these emissions mostly do it in non-populated areas.

NOx is occasionally quoted to increase the acidity in marine environment, thus eventually becoming a threat to fish stocks. Do you like seafood?

Back in April, VW issued the campaign below to address the emissions issue. Many forum members reported getting fewer MPG and noticed different engine behavior. It was also surmised that SCR regen cycles were increased as many reported noticing an increased frequency of regens along with seeing the cycles begin at odd times that were not encountered before. An SCR regen consumes extra fuel as it burns particulate in the trap. It was speculated that the extra regens would prematurely wear out the SCR system since it was originally built for a different duty cycle.

SCR is the device that uses that urea-based reagent, and IIRC it was absent from the majority of the vehicles fitted with the EA189 engine. The system that suffers regeneration is the DPF, the particulate filter.

[Xist]

A friend started telling me how much he wanted a clean diesel.

"You haven't heard?"

I felt bad breaking the truth to him.

[ME_Andy]

I'm kind of surprised there haven't been more significant consequences for VW yet

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

SCR is the device that uses that urea-based reagent, and IIRC it was absent from the majority of the vehicles fitted with the EA189 engine. The system that suffers regeneration is the DPF, the particulate filter.

Thanks. I meant to say DPF but got my acronyms confused.

[COcyclist]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

SCR is the device that uses that urea-based reagent, and IIRC it was absent from the majority of the vehicles fitted with the EA189 engine. The system that suffers regeneration is the DPF, the particulate filter.

Correct. Mercedes Benz developed the AdBlue urea treatment to reduce NOx in their diesels and BMW adopted it as well. VW came up with their own solution which doesn't involve urea injection but uses high pressure and low pressure EGR circuits to lower NOx and periodically dumps fuel into the exhaust to clean up the DPF filter. It is likely that engine longevity, power and mileage will be reduced to meet current Tier II EPA requirements. The crazy thing is that our '11 Audi TDI is much cleaner than the '04 TDI in my avatar and everyone is up in arms about the EA189 diesel engine. This will likely take years of litigation in the courts before we have a final answer in my humble opinion.