Hey TDI Owners...

Have you signed up for the "Goodwill Package"

I am on the fence about it, I wouldn't mind $500 bucks in my pocket, but am worried that accepting it will release me from being eligible for further compensation should the EPA demand something further (like a buy back)

I have no intention to sue, but am hoping for a buy back.

Thoughts?

Mine is in body shop hell right now but I'll be last in line for the freebies.

I'm afraid VW is going to force urea injection retrofit which will further reduce the already deflated value of these vehicles. I lost nearly 3k since this started on top of the amount I lose from mileage, I'm $7k upside down right now, was 4.

I've had the letter for a few weeks now. We'll probably do it while off work for Christmas. $500 on a prepaid card will be nice, & $500 in VW credit will cover a couple DSG services.

We got another letter offering $2K towards our next VW purchase, we're not in the market for another car so I can't see us taking advantage of that.

Why would they force urea injection when the fix would just be a CPU flash? I realize that the fuel mileage would suffer, but that cost is born by the owner rather than VW.

Ranger50 wrote: Mine is in body shop hell right now but I'll be last in line for the freebies. I'm afraid VW is going to force urea injection retrofit which will further reduce the already deflated value of these vehicles. I lost nearly 3k since this started on top of the amount I lose from mileage, I'm $7k upside down right now, was 4.

Same here, and that is my biggest concern. This was one of the few "nice" cars I've ever bought and I put 4k (a lot for me) down on it, hoping that it would hold its value well and my equity would stay strong.

jstein77 wrote: Why would they force urea injection when the fix would just be a CPU flash? I realize that the fuel mileage would suffer, but that cost is born by the owner rather than VW.

If they could make them compliant with just a software flash, why cheat in the first place and why is the rest of the industry relying on Urea...

From what I've read a software fix alone is going to put them in compliance.

I signed up.

$500 VW credit gets me a set of snow tires.

$500 prepaid buys parts for timing belt service from a solid vendor, and a few dealer oil changes.

They basically took care of my maintenance for the year.

They've explicitly stated this will not eliminate your ability to sue or be compensated or whatever the final outcome is. I'm taking them at their word, given the heavy scrutiny and spotlight on the company.

In reply to jstein77:

Because any "fix" that severely reduces MPG and/or power would leave them open to a large class-action lawsuit (more so than they already are).

In reply to xflowgolf:

Well that depends if VW will hide behind the card issuer agreement that states by accepting the card you give up the right to sue, which should hold only for the issuer of the card only but I digress. From what I can see and find, other companies have hidden behind this little piece of verbiage to avoid the lawsuit.

In reply to jstein77:

Just because software might fix the problem doesn't mean the EPA will accept it as the final solution to the problem. That's my worry/fear.

xflowgolf wrote: I signed up. $500 VW credit gets me a set of snow tires. $500 prepaid buys parts for timing belt service from a solid vendor, and a few dealer oil changes. They basically took care of my maintenance for the year. They've explicitly stated this will not eliminate your ability to sue or be compensated or whatever the final outcome is. I'm taking them at their word, given the heavy scrutiny and spotlight on the company.

+1

From the VW Website:

Affected customers eligible for the Goodwill Package are not required to waive their rights or release their claims against Volkswagen Group of America in order to receive the Package.

I signed up. The $500 went to a heatercore replacement and FrostHeater. The car actually has even heat across all vents now and when I got in this morning, it only took a couple minutes instead of 15 to get up to temperature (It was 30* outside). The $500 dealer credit is going towards a new lower driver's seat cushion (outer bolster foam has died), and not sure what else. Probably stock up on filters. Now I hope the car will qualify and they don't need to open the hood or require me to come back in for the fix to get the package since it is (withholding information until I get my $$ ).

jstein77 wrote: Why would they force urea injection when the fix would just be a CPU flash? I realize that the fuel mileage would suffer, but that cost is born by the owner rather than VW.

If a simple recalibration was all that was needed- it would have never gotten this far. They would have taken care of it 12 months ago.

Ranger50 wrote: Mine is in body shop hell right now but I'll be last in line for the freebies. I'm afraid VW is going to force urea injection retrofit which will further reduce the already deflated value of these vehicles.

It's my understanding that the reason why urea injection was NOT implemented in the small cars until 2015 was because the floorpan and other major stampings would have had to be altered to make room for the components.

Part of what makes VW profitable as a company is that they design many, many cars around a single major component like the floor stamping. Changing the floorpan is something they only do for a major chassis redesign because it not only majorly affects everything on the inside of the car, but it affects ten or twelve different models.

Storz wrote:

jstein77 wrote: Why would they force urea injection when the fix would just be a CPU flash? I realize that the fuel mileage would suffer, but that cost is born by the owner rather than VW.

If they could make them compliant with just a software flash, why cheat in the first place and why is the rest of the industry relying on Urea... From what I've read a software fix alone is going to put them in compliance.

Urea is awesome because it allows the engines to be dirty all they want and they can clean it up after the fact. To the consumer, it is VERY CHEAP.

No urea means, put simply, worse economy and less power.

I will almost certainly take the money, but I'm in no big hurry - would like to stretch it out long enough to use the VWbucks for my next DSG service, which is 30,000 miles in the future.

I will probably NOT submit to the recall until/unless the state threatens my registration renewal.

KBB on my car has dropped $4000 since September, so I'm resigned to keeping it for the long haul. Ironic, since one of the biggest reasons I bought it was projected resale value.

bludroptop wrote: I will probably NOT submit to the recall until/unless the state threatens my registration renewal.

I've always wanted to do the DPF/EGR delete via Rawtek down/midpipe or the like, along with a corresponding Malone Stage 2 tune.

I'm thinking I'll happily get the recall done to get the car off the naughty list, and then go about the mods and drive into the sunset.

bludroptop wrote: KBB on my car has dropped $4000 since September, so I'm resigned to keeping it for the long haul. Ironic, since one of the biggest reasons I bought it was projected resale value.

This is an issue yes, and a bit of a bummer. Remains to be seen what the actual private party resale value ends up being a few years down the road. I plan to drive mine into the ground now unless some too good to be true buyback offer comes along (not holding my breath).

xflowgolf wrote: I've always wanted to do the DPF/EGR delete via Rawtek down/midpipe or the like, along with a corresponding Malone Stage 2 tune. I'm thinking I'll happily get the recall done to get the car off the naughty list, and then go about the mods and drive into the sunset.

Shhhhhhh. That is what a bunch of people are going to be doing if the mpg's drop too far.

xflowgolf wrote:

bludroptop wrote: I will probably NOT submit to the recall until/unless the state threatens my registration renewal.

I've always wanted to do the DPF/EGR delete via Rawtek down/midpipe or the like, along with a corresponding Malone Stage 2 tune. I'm thinking I'll happily get the recall done to get the car off the naughty list, and then go about the mods and drive into the sunset.

bludroptop wrote: KBB on my car has dropped $4000 since September, so I'm resigned to keeping it for the long haul. Ironic, since one of the biggest reasons I bought it was projected resale value.

This is an issue yes, and a bit of a bummer. Remains to be seen what the actual private party resale value ends up being a few years down the road. I plan to drive mine into the ground now unless some too good to be true buyback offer comes along (not holding my breath).

You do realize that the more people defeat the emissions, the tighter the rules become, don't you? Making it both harder to modify and more expensive to make.

Seen that over and over again.

In reply to alfadriver:

You know that modified or not, the rules will get tighter and tighter as more and more people drive and those that drive will drive older vehicles, right?

The environmentalists will never be satisfied until we extinct ourselves.

In reply to Ranger50:

What (I think) he means is, if more and more people defeat emissions equipment, they may do something like make emissions testing required for all parts of the US and not just the parts that fail to meet Federal clean-air standards. Or they may require visual inspections on everything to verify that components are in place.

I mean, it's not much of a secret that OBD-II makes it easier, not harder, for people to skirt emissions testing, gasoline or Diesel. So far the hammer hasn't come down on gasoline people because the percentage of tampered cars is very very low. If the percentage of tampered Diesels is high, oh my yes you can expect the hammer to come down.

In reply to Knurled:

I agree. There really aren't that many owners who will go out of their way to defeat the emissions systems. The cost of enforcement becomes too high for the number of violators caught.

I guess if Toyota offered me some money and i had to use it on Prius 'maintenance' i'd replace my 246k mile timing chain guides and then put $20 in the drawer for when my original serpentine belt finally breaks.

I don't think the current hit on resale value will be permanent, that doesn't mean I think the value lost will completely come back but I think it will mellow out and become a lot closer to the standard depreciation curve/extra value TDI brings once we know exactly the mileage costs of the "fix" right now prices are down because there is a lot of questions and bad press.

In fact if I was in the market for a vehicle I would actually be looking to BUY and HOLD on a nice TDI right now

Well I caved and signed up, hope it doesn't screw me in the long run pertaining to a buy back.

Presser from VW on Thursday 12/10

http://volkswagen.gomexlive.com/vw_live_ag/

Storz wrote:

Ranger50 wrote: Mine is in body shop hell right now but I'll be last in line for the freebies. I'm afraid VW is going to force urea injection retrofit which will further reduce the already deflated value of these vehicles. I lost nearly 3k since this started on top of the amount I lose from mileage, I'm $7k upside down right now, was 4.

Same here, and that is my biggest concern. This was one of the few "nice" cars I've ever bought and I put 4k (a lot for me) down on it, hoping that it would hold its value well and my equity would stay strong.

That's the part that sucks the most. Regardless of who gets the "blame" it is us, the consumers, who pay the price. All the time, every time.

The trade in and resale value of tdi's owned by the average Joe is in the toilet, yet prices are still high at the stealerships if you want to buy one from them.

Why do we let them have this power over us?