Volkswagen under investigation over illegal software that masks pollution

**Coaster** · 13-10-2015, 10:27 PM

What a load of bullocks! What an eejit expecting the committee to swallow that.

**Ryeman** · 13-10-2015, 10:33 PM

More in the latest GoAuto News
Including the Haval SUV being released and more on the scandal.

**bluey** · 13-10-2015, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by Amalgam

And here are the scapegoats for dieselgate

"This was a couple of software engineers who put this in for whatever reason," Michael Horn, VW's U.S. chief executive, told a House subcommittee hearing. "To my understanding, this was not a corporate decision. This was something individuals did."

VW exec blames 'a couple of' rogue engineers for emissions scandal - LA Times

The CEO has already been scapegoated. Throwing a few engineers into the fire is necessary to complete the story.

This German article is interesting. It suggest how this all could have started around Golf VI launch. (Use Google translate or Chrome or you favourite other machine translator.)
VW-Diesel EA 189: RÃ¼ckruf, Software-Update, NachrÃ¼stung | Technik

We are in 2007-8 just after the global financial crisis. VW is gearing up for Golf VI launch in 2008. Testing of USmodels reveals problems meeting US emissions standards. Engineering and management consider how to manage potential launch delays and the importance to corporate strategy to get moving. Software engineers play with a solution on the borderline of legal. Legal is consulted and reports on the risks. Top management considers all the future scenarios. Playing on the edge seems manageable. Future profitability will make it easier to pay to fix it later is necessary. Engineering will fix it properly for the next generation vehicle. Full steam ahead for Golf 6 launch.

**bluey** · 13-10-2015, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by Ryeman

More in the latest GoAuto News
Including the Haval SUV being released and more on the scandal.

Volkswagen - VW Australia counts cost of ‘dieselgate’ | GoAuto

**Ryeman** · 14-10-2015, 06:48 AM

Seeing my 2.0L TDI is such a relatively easy fix (just un ECU fix) it's now obvious that the 'cheat' was simply to fool the EGR into staying (more) active during a detected test cycle.
So
Once that EGR is forced to do more THE WHOLE TIME in actual driving, my concern is for the longevity of it in a clean working state for the minimum designed life of 10 years (for all emmissions related equipment).
That min design life is what made stainless steel exhausts mandatory decades ago from my observation of ALL the cars I've owned over that time.
So if an EGR fails inside 10 years the manufacturer, knowing it's a faulty part, and if forced to acknowledge it, should not charge you for the components cost.......labour might be another issue.
Applying the 10 year rule would go a long way to dismissing the worry about the complexity involved in cleaning up an inherently dirty engine.......the law might agree also if tested.

**The_Hawk** · 14-10-2015, 07:51 AM

Conspiracy theories aside, I actually find it pretty plausible that the "cheat" was compartmentalised with only a small number of people in the know. From what we are seeing/hearing/reading about other brands it seems to be pretty common practise to tweak the mapping so that in those specific test conditions emissions are tightly controlled vs real world where it may be a very different story (maybe those people who "hypermile" may get those results, but not normal humans).

Is it therefore possible that a couple of VW techs went a step further and figured that since real world was so different anyway... why not just tweak the WHOLE map and detect when that map should run! I think it's likely the techs local management team would have known, but generally the good news story of "we found a fix" is about the only thing that went upstairs.

**Rawcpoppa** · 14-10-2015, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by The_Hawk

Conspiracy theories aside, I actually find it pretty plausible that the "cheat" was compartmentalised with only a small number of people in the know. From what we are seeing/hearing/reading about other brands it seems to be pretty common practise to tweak the mapping so that in those specific test conditions emissions are tightly controlled vs real world where it may be a very different story (maybe those people who "hypermile" may get those results, but not normal humans).

Is it therefore possible that a couple of VW techs went a step further and figured that since real world was so different anyway... why not just tweak the WHOLE map and detect when that map should run! I think it's likely the techs local management team would have known, but generally the good news story of "we found a fix" is about the only thing that went upstairs.

The impression I get is that other manufacturers do not switch maps like Vw did. The other manufacturers couldn't get their emissions to work and played by the rules. It's why most don't have a Diesel engine for the US in smaller cars.

If the test conditions were reproduced on the road the Vw would fail not just because of extra load but because it wouldn't recognize it was being tested and not switch to the test map.

**Transporter** · 14-10-2015, 09:10 AM

People are very easy to manipulate onto thinking that the things exist or are happening and medias are doing a great job to achieve that.

**Rawcpoppa** · 14-10-2015, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by Transporter

People are very easy to manipulate onto thinking that the things exist or are happening and medias are doing a great job to achieve that.

The guardian out of the U.K. Is doing a particularly good job trying to draw other manufacturers in.

The thing that gets me is the regulator's documents are online for all and sundry to see with a simple google search.