corsia logo

The Volkswagen Screw Up

The Volkswagen Screw Up

Didn’t we all think that VW were the good guys?

For a long time Volkswagen has been widely known as one of the most successful auto-makers. We all believed in the company’s ability to design great cars that just like The Beetle, might go through several obstacles and still be preserved in the production line. But the latest events have made us believe quite the contrary. As announced by Volkswagen, there are over 11 million VW cars equipped with an illegal software that reduces the cars’ emissions whenever they go through emission test. According to an article by The Wall Street Journal, the automaker has told the German government “that some of its European-sold diesel-powered cars are affected by the same software that helped some of its vehicles evade emissions-testing standards in the U.S.”

What’s more heartbreaking is the fact that VW is responsible for several early deaths in Europe as well as in the US. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “in 2010 there were ~160 000 premature deaths in the US due to PM2.5exposure and ~4300 deaths related to ozone exposure (US EPA 2011).” A new study in the Environmental Research Letters estimated that VW’s cheating emissions are responsible for at least 60 early deaths in the US. “The exact amount of the excess NOx emissions and the location of these emissions from the VW vehicles with the defeat device is a part of our ongoing investigation, so we can’t provide specific estimates at this time,” an EPA spokesperson explained. Researchers are currently working on figuring out the negative effects VW’s scandal has had in Europe, where the number of early deaths is expected to be higher compared to the US. This is quite striking an accusation and makes the big picture even more puzzling. Is this some sort of a bad PR, some would ask?

 

The discovery

Back in 2014, some road tests made by the West Virginia University researchers, revealed suspicious emissions results. Two VW models were tested: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta and 2012 Volkswagen Passat. When tested on highways, the 2011 VW Jetta released 15 times more nitrogen oxides per kilometer than the allowed US limit of 0.04 grams/ kilometer. When tested on urban roads in Los Angeles and San Diego, the car emitted 25 times and 37 times more respectively. While up and downhill on rural streets, the car emitted up to 38 times more. The 2012 VW Passat’s emissions tests showed similar results on road tests. The car emitted 9 times more on highways, 17- 20 times more on urban roads, and 17 times the allowed limit on rural roads.

VW’s cheating software allowed certain cars to reduce emissions by using a special equipment that was activated during the times the car was undergoing an emission test. “The software turned the equipment off during regular driving, increasing emissions far above legal limits, possibly to save fuel or to improve the car’s torque and acceleration,” according to a recent article by The New York Times, which explained that VW was using two technology forms to reduce emissions: one is by trapping the pollutants and the other by treating them with urea.

 

Is it the first time VW tries to cheat?

It turns out this is not the first time the popular automaker has tried to cheat. In 1973 VW was fined $120,000 for equipping its vehicles with a similar software that was able to regulate the car’s pollution control systems. “When the United States began regulating tailpipe pollutants in the 1970s, Volkswagen was one of the first companies caught cheating. […] This time, it equipped its vehicles with software that was programmed to fake test results, an action the E.P.A. rebuked in 1998, when it reached a $1 billion settlement with truck-engine manufacturers for doing the same thing,” according to a New York Times article. Among the VW cars that contain the software are Jetta (2009 -2015), Beetle and Beetle Convertible (2012-2015), Passat (2012- 2015), Jetta SportWagen (2009-2014), Golf (2010- 2015), Golf SportWagen 2015, as well as the Touareg (2009- 2016). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found out that other car models that contain a similar software are Porsche Cayenne (2013- 2016) and several Audi models such as A6 Quattro (2014-2016), A7 Quattro (2014- 2016), A8 and A8L (2014-2016), Q5 (2014-2016), and Q7 (2009-2016).

 

“The Environmental Protection Agency said that in September it would order Volkswagen to recall seven of its American car models with affected engines, which amount to total of about 500,000 vehicles. Volkswagen has not released a list of international models — which make up the majority of the 11 million affected vehicles — that have engines with the software in question,” according to WSJ.

 

Will the cars be repaired, and if so when?

The company has announced that it plans to fix all of the cars that contain the illegal software by installing a tubular part that will make most of its vehicles comply with the European standards, which compared to the American standards, are way lower. “In the United States, consumers may have to wait more than a year. Many of the vehicles will require a hardware and software change, a major repair that could take as much as 10 hours per car. In the meantime, the company said it would offer up to $1,000 to owners of diesel cars in the United States,” the WSJ reported. VW has announced that it will start fixing the cars in January of 2016, free of charge. An article by the Telegraph has explained in details how to tell if your car has the illegal software, whether you need to get your car fixed or not, what you may face in case you don’t get it fixed, and whether the scandal will affect your car’s insurance policy.

“An easy way to find out is to check your V5C documents and service books to see if you have the Type EA189 engine. You can also call the VW UK customer care centre to confirm your engine type,” according to the Telegraph. In case you find out that your car is in fact one of the vehicles that needs a software update, you are not obligated to return your car to VW and get it fixed. According to a spokesman of the Department of Transport, if you decide to do nothing about the problem, “that wouldn’t be illegal,” but he suggests drivers to get the cars fixed if they don’t want to spend more money in the long term. The Telegraph also assured all owners of the affected cars that their car insurance will not be affected by the scandal. “Our car insurance customers can be reassured that there are no implications for their insurance and they will continue to be covered as usual,” Aviva senior motor underwriting manager, Colin Harvey said for the Telegraph.

 

What will happen next?

After the scandal, VW has withdrawn the EPA application for its upcoming 2016 vehicles in the States mainly because the company is still working on finding a way to fix the vehicles that have the cheating software. The application withdraw may come also due to the fact that the company may still be working on finding “a good way to pass emissions tests without cheating,” as Wired put it. “The fix is not only too costly, but may not even be functional yet,” Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book said for Wired. “If there was a software fix they would have implemented it long ago. This isn’t a simple matter of a recall or fixing a broken or compromised part. This is the entire power-train, impacting the daily driving experience, not just in specific situations. This impacts the very foundation of the vehicle.”

The scandal has cost VW a lot of money, and it is not over yet. In the US, VW sales percent has gone down by approximately 25%. The company was able to sell 23,882 vehicles by November 2015, while in November 2014 VW sold 31,725 cars in the US. According to a post on the VW official website, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn announced his resignation saying that being the company’s CEO, it was his full responsibility for the current events. “As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part,” Winterkorn said. According to Reuter reports, Winterkorn will be replaced by Porsche CEO Matthias Müeller. Currently VW is facing several lawsuits from its clients, while in the US, the regulators are still waiting for further details whether the VW models can be fixed or not before they order the company to recall all vehicles equipped with the cheating software.

Save

Save

Share our experience:
Are you ready to ship a car?
Recent posts
Rusty Slammington shipping

Shipping a custom vehicle

Shipping a custom vehicle The auto transport industry is small in comparison to other sectors of logistics, but it is still a vital element in

Read more

Corsia Logistics team works hard every day to ensure reliable expedited car shipping service. Our customer reviews prove that.

5-Star Rated Car Shipping Company

5/5
5/5
5/5

they trusted us

and here's what they say

Simon Moore
Great company
Read More
Looking for a logistics company, to ship my car, from California to Illinois,my first search, then Corsia showed up, skeptical. Call and a very friendly secretary: Elena. She guided me through, I scheduled and as she explained, all when smooth as scheduled Very happy I did the right choice. I'll recommend this great Company to anyone that is thinking to relocate a vehicle. Thanks Corsia logistics for your honesty and professionalism!
Elizabeth Woodward
High five's all around!
Read More
Corsia was highly recommended by a friend in the automobile industry. We needed to transport a cargo van from Seattle to Florida. We contacted Corsia who quickly arranged transport within just a few days. Communication was outstanding! Just a few email confirmations and we were all set. Mike was great and arrived right on time and delivered to Florida on schedule. Tip-avoid the hornets nest of auto brokers on line and just contact Corsia for a truly great experience!
Carrol Tiffany
Amazing
Read More
Corsia has been amazing. Their prices are really competitive but more importantly their customer service has been 5-Star. Elena followed up with me every step of the way, making sure there was no miscommunication between me & the driver. We are using them to ship a 2nd vehicle & would not hesitate to use them again!
Tony Boyd
Definitely recommend
Read More
I have recently used Corsia for long time family car with sentimental value that was moved I have recently used Corsia for shipment of my vehicle from Oregon to Arizona by recommendation from other family member who also used Corsia in the past. I am very pleased on the service and the communication throughout shipment. Ken was my direct contact and kept me informed along the move The car was picked up and delivered as communicated. I did use a enclosed mover and the driver was also clean cut professional and treated car as his own. I would definitely recommend Corsia again with the experience I have had. Thank you. T
JW
Top notch
Read More
Top notch Transport - Porsche 997 Top notch! As easy and efficient as one could possibly imagine. Great customer service.. thank you Luke. Great prices. Check. Timely communications. Check. Clean transport trailer. Check. Supremely careful driver. Check. Timely arrival. Check. Don't mess around elsewhere, just call Corsica and feel confident your transports needs are going to be exceeded. My Porsche 911 rode like a Queen in her enclosed chariot. I've never needed a transport company before, and I surely will use them every time. Do yourself a favor, seriously. Call now.
Geet Mp Haryana
Reliable, efficient
Read More
Corsia rep (Elena) was very proactive. Helped ship a car from CA to GA. She checked in with me via email quote and several phone calls to find me the best possible quote for the fastest available service. After several communications, Corsia was able to schedule a vehicle pickup the next day. The driver communicated well, and the vehicle arrived in final destination faster than we expected in perfect condition. I highly recommend using Corsia's reliable, efficient service.
Cay Liptak
Clean, efficient, wonderful
Read More
Thanks, Corsia! Pickup was so clean, efficient, and wonderful -- my only recommendation is to make sure you schedule it during the day so you can fully review the car in the daylight. Drop off was equally wonderful, and the whole trip went down without a hitch (pun intended!). Seriously, Corsia delivered my Jeep from CT to California with no issues or bumps in the road!
Csaba Kovesdy
Truly positive experience
Read More
Corsia Memphis to LA, mid-size SUV. I looked at 4 different companies amd Corsia was the most responsive of them. While being responsive, they were not unduly aggressive: when I indicated that I need to wait a month before making a decision they stopped contacting me and only came back with a reminder when I really needed it. Once I decided to engage Corsia they found me a transport within two days and the car was delivered (from Memphis to LA) in another two days. I had a truly positive experience.
Kelly Torres
Highly recommend
Read More
Working with Corsia Logistics was a great experience. Working with Corsia Logistics was wonderful. They were able to find a driver right away to transport our car. They were in constant communication as to when the car was getting picked up and dropped off. The driver also communicated with me as to when he would arrive. I would highly recommend Corsia Logistics.
Amy Nelson
Excellent Organization
Read More
Corsia was an excellent company to work with while I transferred my car across the US. A friend of mine suggested I use them as they had been very organized and trustworthy with her own car. I researched a few different place but decided to go with Corsia and I'm so glad I did! Any questions I had throughout the process they answered quickly and clearly. I would definitely use them again in the future and recommend them for others to use.
Previous
Next