321–330 of 341 posts
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I'm not sure if you are satirical. How would fining the end users solve the problem?
Because no one will ever buy a VW again, and so other carmakers will take note.
This position has not been thought through.
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Many of those self-diagnosing features can be defeated by trivial circuits. A 555 timer for a downstream O2 sensor, a 4N4001 diode and a couple resistors for an EGR vacuum sensor hack, and several others. I have had cars in the past that OBD2 reported as operating correctly, that easily passed smog/inspections, that probably weren't operating as the EPA intended.
But how many people with older cars have the initiative and the the capability to do that. It's a small fraction of a small fraction of a small fraction of vehicle owners. Chasing a problem like that around is a waste of everyon'e time and money. Environmental regulatory agencies really need to do a better job considering the 90/10 or 80/20 rule (the last 20% of whatever you're optimizing will consume 80% of the reso…
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The reason California is so strict is because LA used to be synonymous with lethal levels of smog. Used to be.
I find it difficult to understand how failing a car with clean emissions levels, thereby forcing it out of the state, contributes to cleaning up smog.
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I despise overly loud pipes - like, you have to scream loud. But,Ive been riding a bike a lot as well. Way too quiet exhausts (like EU is constantly pushing on us) are dangerous - ive seen it myself - my dad with a louder exhaust passes with no issues and I, silently, get cut off and nearly run off the road by a guy that assumes that mirrors are for pussies. It happened quite a few times already.
If the other driver didn't use a mirror, how is a bike more threatened than a car?
On a motorbike all it takes is a bump,and, you have to be lucky not to end up in hospital.
Btw in no way im for window rattling. However, EURO4/5, I would not be surprised if my vacuum cleaner was louder
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This was true for much of the 2000s, but the new platform used from ~2009 onwards (the one implicated here) has been perfectly fine. The 2009-2016 Golfs get consistent Very Good/Good reliability ratings from Consumer Reports. They're still not Honda, but they're now better than average.
VW have a much better reputation than Honda in Europe.
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But how many people with older cars have the initiative and the the capability to do that. It's a small fraction of a small fraction of a small fraction of vehicle owners. Chasing a problem like that around is a waste of everyon'e time and money. Environmental regulatory agencies really need to do a better job considering the 90/10 or 80/20 rule (the last 20% of whatever you're optimizing will consume 80% of the reso…
They should still allow people to request testing of actual emissions , upon request.
If it's to cover modified cars, those are a trickier situation. It's easy for some to game the system so that it "passes" on the magic day and then fails the other 364 or 729 days in the cycle when it's actually being driven.
In either case, it seems like the expense of operating and staffing gas sensing stations, rolling road dynos, etc. Probably better to just turn a blind eye to that case as well.
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Motorcycles should be illegal.
Well, that's just wrong, motorbikes are an important part of any transportation mix. When the answer is 'ban it' there is something wrong.
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Well, that's just wrong, motorbikes are an important part of any transportation mix. When the answer is 'ban it' there is something wrong.
Wait, why are motorcycles important? They're inherently less efficient, netting out roughly the same environmental impact --- assuming modern motorcycles! --- but without the ability to carry passengers or significant amounts of cargo.
[1] http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/justice-departme...
There is also quite some lies "optimism" in the EU regarding stated mpg L/100km from the manufacturer and real world measured mpg. Is it the same software that the car companies use during EU drive cycle tests vs real world production cars? If you were a cheating manufacturer you would tune your car lean for the tests and more sporty with slightly higher consumption for the real world production run.
In my own experience with that model, driving about 500 miles, 50-55 is a valid expectation