Is now a good time to get a great deal on a used VW diesel?

Here’s the problem. Where I live, we have to get annual pollution inspections in order to have our license plates renewed. Will a used diesel (that has the cheat device) pass the inspection? Do the folks at the testing stations know about the cheat devices? Of course they do.

So .. if you live some place where you don’t get your exhaust tested, you can probably get a great deal on a used VW diesel, and have only your conscience to worry about.

If you live some place where they do emissions testing, probably not a great idea.

Do the VW’s actually not pass emissions requirements? I thought the problem was they did get the MPG expected?

@JLeslie – they will pass the tests in the shop, but as soon as you exist the testing station, the defeat devices are disengaged. And the state knows this. My guess is that they’re not passing these vehicles because they know the results are wrong.

^^I’m confused by your answer. Either the emissions are high when tested (by your local government) or not.

I think what @JLeslie is asking is whether the emissions test is vehicle specific, or if the state is checking for maximum allowable emissions for vehicles in that state.
or
Does the state have an individual emissions standard for each make and model, or a general emission standard that has to be met for the vehicle type?

It’s potentially a good time to get a great deal on Volkswagen Group AG stock.

This could be a good long term investment. Bear in mind that a suits continue stock will fluctuate.

Start small, then buy more little bits as value makes a jagged slow rise.

Eventually, emmissionsgate will all but be forgotten and value will increase.

Be patient.

@JLeslie

A routine was intentionally added to one of the car’s computers that told the car when it was in an emissions test condition.

This caused the cars to set engine parameters that reduced emissions to a legal level when being tested. Once the car was back on the road engine settings returned to the normal range (all modern engines are “driven” by a computers that change engine settings constantly for optimum efficiency in a given driving situation) Engines even take things into account such as air density, humidity, temperature and much more.

Note that when I say efficiency I mean aspects like power, fuel economy, etc., not necessarily low exhaust emissions.

This illegal but clever “feature” of the Volkswagen diesels was not discovered by any official agency. It was found by West Virginia University scientists using portable test equipment that worked when the car was driven in real world conditions.

No. It would still have to pass emissions tests, so a purchaser would have to modify the engine and/or electronics for the vehicle to be legal.

Volkswagen is offering refits for effected models.

Personally, I still wouldn’t want to find myself involved with this mess to save a few bucks.

If a computer adjusts it, then I would think it’s just reprogramming the computer.

Diesel engines are quite complex, when it comes to the actual ignition process, since they are compression-ignition engines. Amount of fuel injected, starting degrees of fuel injection, ending degrees of fuel injection, turbo/air requirements, compression ratios. Mechanical changes might or might not include injectors, fuel pump, camshaft, pistons, catalytic converters, turbochargers, cylinder heads. Sure, the computer could be reprogrammed to change some things, but that’s not what the reports of total and complete needed changes indicate.

@JLeslie

The computers will not be reprogrammed, they will be replaced, for one thing because it is cheaper and simpler.

Also, these “tweaked” processing units are evidence.

Unfortunately these new computers will likely cause the car to have smaller output and economy figures.

Another reason why I would advise against getting into this morass if you aren’t already in it.

Gotta have a V Dub? Get a pavement wrinkling petrol powered R32.