As I understand it, the “correct” emissions leads to lower fuel mileage. VW gives a benefit to customers in exchange for meeting spurious and nebulous emission numbers.
I wish I had one of the affected cars. I’d love to see EPA try to force me to take my car in to get it fixed.
I bought a brand new TDI last year. I had the 20k maintenance over the summer - which coincidentally is the last one they cover - so I’ll never have to step back in a dealership again. I also live in a state (for now) that doesn’t have emissions testing.. There’s basically no way they could get me to comply.
“I am my own warranty station.”
If you're in a state with emission testing, you won't get your tags renewed. If you're not, you're ok but if you have a warranty repair at the dealer you better be VERY friendly with the honchos there to avoid the "mandatory reflash".
Lower mpg?
The affected cheating Passats are rated at 44 mpg. The heavier Mercedes E-class Blue Techs with urea injection are rated at 42 mpg. Seems like performance might be more compromised than the actual mpg.