I'm wondering how this is going to be implemented.. it doesn't seem like a thing that's really fixable here.
Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
51–60 of 341 posts
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#52This is interesting. VW has already been performing a nationwide ECU reflash on all MkIV TDI cars this year. Was that part of this action, or was it the cause of this action?
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just like sports, even stiffer fine and ruined reputation on being caught cheating.
Just like sports, even stiffer fine and ruined reputation on being caught cheating. Just like sports, companies will still cheat. When punishment doesn't work, the answer is rarely more punishment.
Caveat: if the punishment does not exceed the profit from cheating, it's not a punishment it's a cost of doing business.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#54I don't understand how California detected this. The one time I had to take my 2010 Jetta turbo diesel for a smog check, the inspection was ENTIRELY visual. The inspector did not insert a probe into the tailpipe. He did plug the test rig into the OBD-II port under the steering column and turn the key to the accessory position (presumably to electronically capture the VIN), but that's it. I even asked him at the end i…
i had to do a smog test for my 1 year anniversary of owning a new car. it is a 2015 model from a different manufacturer, acura, in my case, and it was visual inspection only. i asked the guy, because i'm used to having actual measurements performed each time. if a car is new enough then they only do a visual inspection. i don't know the details of how "new enough" is determined, though. i've seen this also when havin…
In NY the first year is safety only; but year 2 and on are emissions + safety (depending on the county you register your car in, some never need emissions). The safety inspection only costs $10; IIRC the emissions + safety is $37.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#55They even made commercials to prove how clean the cars are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNS2nvkjARk I own a TDI VW and fell into believing that the ride is indeed clean. Now it looks like their software hacks are even more refined than the combustion tech.
Well, at least we've finally found out where the "Partial" in PZEV comes from.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#56I'm wondering how this is going to be implemented.. it doesn't seem like a thing that's really fixable here.
Total speculation based solely on experience as a consumer (and I own a 2013 VW Golf TDI, so it affects me), but my guess is that the fix would be updated software to apply the stricter emissions controls all the time, presumably at the expense of engine performance.
EDIT: And reducing fuel economy, which is a huge selling point of the TDI in the first place. No idea "by how much" though, and typically TDI numbers are understated, so its possible that a reduction in economy will still be in line with their claims.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#57The tech industry has been guilty of this in the past as well. Example: Nvidia and AMD drivers detected if you were running certain benchmarks or games, and would cheat by downgrading various rendering settings that had minimal effect visually. Often this was a simple check to get the process's executable name; simply renaming the .exe would get you significantly different perf results.
Yeah that was how I first learned about this with ATI cheating on Quake III in 2001, as discovered by HardOCP. Here's a link to an article about it (original article doesn't seem to be around anymore):
http://techreport.com/review/3089/how-ati-drivers-optimize-q...
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#58They even made commercials to prove how clean the cars are. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNS2nvkjARk I own a TDI VW and fell into believing that the ride is indeed clean. Now it looks like their software hacks are even more refined than the combustion tech.
Of course this is a major part of their marketing. If the EPA makes them reflash my ECU and as a result my fuel consumption goes up noticeably I'm going to expect them to buy the car back. They sold them on false claims.
This also pretty much guarantees that I will never buy another VW.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#59This was a longstanding practice to make diesel engines more efficient while passing the official emissions test. There was a similar enforcement against Caterpillar and other truck makers in 1998:
http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/caterpillar-inc-diesel-engin...
And against Ford in 1998:
http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-06/documents...
along with a clear ruling that defeat devices were illegal.
Re: Volkswagen Is Ordered to Recall Nearly 500k Vehicles Over Emissions Software
#60What actually incentivizes a customer to take their car to a shop to get this fixed though? It's not causing harm to individual car owners, and it's not like they can get collections agencies to sieze them.
Seems like they're going to have trouble getting compliance here...