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Old 10-08-2015, 11:47 AM   #16
steve_biegler
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Maybe Sergio should go after VW instead of GM!
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Old 10-10-2015, 11:33 AM   #17
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Maybe Sergio should go after VW instead of GM!
I actually read a headline to a news report that made that same conclusion. The thought to me was so preposterous that I didn't even bother reading the story.
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Old 11-09-2015, 07:44 AM   #18
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Default VW may offer U.S. owners up to $1,250 settlement

The New Your Times is reporting rumors that Volkswagen may offer U.S. owners of vehicles affected by the Diesel emissions issue $1,250 as a settlement offer - $500 in cash and $750 in the form of a voucher that could only be used at a VW dealer.

Here's a link to the news report - click here

An announcement from VW was expected to take place either today or early this week.
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Old 11-10-2015, 09:22 AM   #19
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Default VW's Goodwill Gesture

Various news reports indicate that Volkswagen will be offering customers with affected TDI vehicles a $500 Gift Card and a $500 voucher that can be used at VW stores in an effort to establish some goodwill.

Here's a report by USA Today - click here

Contrary to my initial belief, the offer is not being made as part of a settlement. VW indicates that customers who accept this offer do not waive any legal rights - they can still participate in future class action lawsuits concerning their vehicle.

As an interesting side note, the article above indicated that VW has instructed their dealers not to sell any USED vehicles that are part of the TDI debacle. I'm guessing that VW dealers have to wholesale the trades they may be taking in?
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Old 11-10-2015, 02:08 PM   #20
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And that is the BEST WAY they can think of to treat a potential repeat customer, tell them their car is worth less to me, the VW Dealer, than it is to a used car dealer down the street??? Gosh...
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Old 11-11-2015, 08:18 AM   #21
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And that is the BEST WAY they can think of to treat a potential repeat customer, tell them their car is worth less to me, the VW Dealer, than it is to a used car dealer down the street??? Gosh...
I need to look into that issue some more to see if my impression is correct.

I can understand why Volkswagen would put a "stop sale" on any NEW vehicles a VW dealer had in stock that were part of the TDI debacle but I can't fully understand why VW would demand that their dealers not sell any USED vehicles that were part of the mess.

Frankly, what power does Volkswagen have as part of their franchise agreement that relates to what a dealer does with their used car department?

Who knows, maybe the news report is incorrect or perhaps I drew the wrong conclusion - I'll look into the issue further when I get caught up.
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Old 11-11-2015, 11:47 AM   #22
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Who knows, maybe the news report is incorrect or perhaps I drew the wrong conclusion - I'll look into the issue further when I get caught up.
Based on this article in Car and Driver, that's now over six weeks old, it appears the Volkswagen is offering assistance to their dealer for the "stop sale" that is in place for New TDIs and Certified TDIs.

I'm guessing that a Volkswagen dealer could still choose to sell a used TDI that was part of the debacle as long as it was not a Factory Certified vehicle.

The same article also mentioned that TDIs make up about 20 - 25% of Volkswagen's U.S. sales - that number was higher than I would have thought.
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Old 02-17-2016, 07:48 AM   #23
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Default According to Bob Lutz, GM knew VW had to be cheating...

During an interview on a Detroit area radio show Bob Lutz commented that GM knew Volkswagen had to have been cheating to comply with the California Emissions Requirements. Here's a link to a report from Forbes - click here

Lutz indicated that GM wanted to market a diesel passenger car in the U.S. and ran into the same engineering problems that frustrated the other OEMs - to make a Diesel engine that was compliant with California's Emissions Requirements resulted in compromises to performance and fuel economy that negated any benefit to switching to Diesel.

The GM engineers tested the VW engines and could not replicate the emissions results that would allow the engine to comply with California standards.

Interestingly, the article mentioned that Honda, a company well respected for their engineering ability, is facing their own version of Dieselgate in the UK where it is alleged their Diesel engines exceed emissions levels by a factor of six times.
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Old 02-17-2016, 09:25 AM   #24
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I am not calling Lutz a liar, but I have no belief in my heart that GM would not tattle to the EPA if GM could not duplicate the results of VW on the tests. Keeping such a secret is so far from the reality of GM I have experienced for the last 60 years.
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Old 02-18-2016, 09:09 AM   #25
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I am not calling Lutz a liar, but I have no belief in my heart that GM would not tattle to the EPA if GM could not duplicate the results of VW on the tests. Keeping such a secret is so far from the reality of GM I have experienced for the last 60 years.
You make a good point - I was wondering about that too.

My only thought was there might be a culture between the OEMs where they don't report suspected activity to the authorities fearing some type of retribution.

I can recall a market where I worked and the dealers kept reporting advertising violations to the state and the enforcement agency grew larger to accommodate the volume of complaints. In the end I think the dealers concluded it would be better to self-police among themselves as opposed to increasing the level of government oversight.

On a different note, I think it's interesting that the trade off for lower emissions is reduced performance and fuel economy. I'm betting there will be a cottage industry in the years that follow where people will "re-tune" the engine control module of vehicles that had the recall performed to restore the vehicle to its original performance.
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Old 02-18-2016, 02:22 PM   #26
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I could guess there might already be buyers for the stocks of "cheating" parts.
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Old 02-19-2016, 07:32 AM   #27
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I could guess there might already be buyers for the stocks of "cheating" parts.
It will be interesting to see what Volkswagen comes up with for the fix and what the regulators finally approve. I've read some comments that suggest Volkswagen will not be able to come up with an acceptable repair and the vehicles will need to be repurchased - personally I'd bet against that likelihood.

Most likely the fix will include a bolt on part and a reflash of the Engine Control Module - both changes that could be easily reversed.
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Old 02-24-2016, 12:08 PM   #28
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I heard on TV, either CNBC or Fox Business, that the Government was negotiating with VW to waive the penalties for the cheating if VW would manufacture an electric vehicle in their Tennessee plant. Has anyone else had this tickle their ears or eyes?
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Old 02-25-2016, 08:47 AM   #29
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I heard on TV, either CNBC or Fox Business, that the Government was negotiating with VW to waive the penalties for the cheating if VW would manufacture an electric vehicle in their Tennessee plant. Has anyone else had this tickle their ears or eyes?
I saw some headlines about Volkswagen and building electric vehicles but I never read any of the stories. If I get caught up I'll do some digging later today.
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Old 02-25-2016, 12:06 PM   #30
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I saw some headlines about Volkswagen and building electric vehicles but I never read any of the stories. If I get caught up I'll do some digging later today.
Here's an article from Reuters with more information - click here

Apparently the suggestion that the U.S. gov't is pressuring Volkswagen to build electric vehicles in the U.S. came from a German newspaper that didn't cite any sources.

I remember reading earlier stories from the German media that suggested the U.S. government was trying to inflict harm on Volkswagen so our U.S. OEMs would benefit. I don't think the Germans understand how truly dysfunctional our Federal Government is. Hell, Obama gave Chrysler away to Fiat so they could move their corporate headquarters to London - hardly an example of strategic economic development.
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