VW Diesels

blondboinsd · #1 09-29-2015, 12:00 PM

As a TDI owner (Q5 Diesel) who isn't impacted (like the X5 I've got the more sophisticated AdBlue system) I'm still pissed at VW for not being innovative enough to create a solution that passes U.S. standards. On the flip side I'm also pissed at the EPA for their anti-Diesel regulations that make it basically nearly impossible to meet emissions on a low cost Diesel. I mean is a 50 MPG car spreading 10% (on average) more NOX than allowed REALLY worse for the environment than a 20 MPG car meeting NOX? I'm thinking no when you factor in the cost of fueling (and obtaining the fuel) for that 30 MPG difference. It's also interesting to me that the EPA pollutes a massive river by being negligent and you don't see nearly the same level of anger as you do here on their part. Just my 2 cents....

Unfortunately the real "losers" here are the TDI owners who paid a premium for a "clean diesel" and now find themselves with a vehicle attracting the social stigma of the Ford Pinto. They are the ones that VW needs to make it right with.

Ricky Bobby · #2 09-29-2015, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondboinsd

As a TDI owner (Q5 Diesel) who isn't impacted (like the X5 I've got the more sophisticated AdBlue system) I'm still pissed at VW for not being innovative enough to create a solution that passes U.S. standards. On the flip side I'm also pissed at the EPA for their anti-Diesel regulations that make it basically nearly impossible to meet emissions on a low cost Diesel. I mean is a 50 MPG car spreading 10% (on average) more NOX than allowed REALLY worse for the environment than a 20 MPG car meeting NOX? I'm thinking no when you factor in the cost of fueling (and obtaining the fuel) for that 30 MPG difference. It's also interesting to me that the EPA pollutes a massive river by being negligent and you don't see nearly the same level of anger as you do here on their part. Just my 2 cents....

Unfortunately the real "losers" here are the TDI owners who paid a premium for a "clean diesel" and now find themselves with a vehicle attracting the social stigma of the Ford Pinto. They are the ones that VW needs to make it right with.

Great post, and I actually am surprised you are from SoCal and posting this. The river is something I have been saying for weeks, but that was an
"oops" moment.

But yes, agreed on many fronts with you, and as a 2.0 TDI owner, yes we are the real losers. We keep our cars for years and planned on keeping the '14 Sportwagen for at least 5-7 years when we purchased it in June, but I'm sure resale value is going to suffer.

I do plan on having the car tuned and keeping my emissions system intact after the "fix", which I'm sure is a software reflash from VW which will keep the car "neutered" a bit and in the dyno mode 100% of the time. The aftermarket tuners can bring the performance/mileage back, and will most likely be more fun to drive than it is now, after done.

Other TDI owners like you also suffer now, because its hard to change the stigma as most people are uneducated armchair consumers and voters who hear you say you have an Audi diesel and they accuse you of it being dirty, etc.

JCL · #3 09-29-2015, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Other TDI owners like you also suffer now...

It isn't just other TDI owners. It will also be other diesel owners, more so the passenger vehicles than the pick up trucks.

JCL · #4 09-29-2015, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondboinsd

I'm also pissed at the EPA for their anti-Diesel regulations that make it basically nearly impossible to meet emissions on a low cost Diesel. I mean is a 50 MPG car spreading 10% (on average) more NOX than allowed REALLY worse for the environment than a 20 MPG car meeting NOX? I'm thinking no when you factor in the cost of fueling (and obtaining the fuel) for that 30 MPG difference.

You should start with the correct incremental emissions. The EPA said up to 40 times for NOx, not 10% more. I am sure it varies in the real world, so let's use 20 times just for a quick calculation.

Is a car getting 2.5 mpg really worse for the environment than a 50 mpg car? Most would agree it is, IMO. The thing is, people don't think about emissions, but are focussed on fuel efficiency. That is what led to VW implementing the cheat. If you think about 20 times factors though, and apply that to something that we all care about, fuel efficiency, it puts another light on it.