Volkswagon

[WOPL Sniffer]

You know, I think back to the day when I used to have to bring my $100 beater into the smog station so I could re-register it for another year. It would never pass without the mechanic dicking with it to where it would not run down the road but it would run long enough to get the tailpipe (what was left of it) sniff completed. After the smog check stamp was received, we would go back and re-tweek the old quadrajet so it would be able to get us from point A to point B (and not pass another smog check till next year). So what's the difference? they built a smart enough car (it tweeks itself instead of our mechanice) when it figures out it's getting violated in the tailpipe, and when the smog check is complete, it goes back to the previous programming by itself (we carried a small screwdriver) to be able to run down the road and not blow up... And that is going to cost "The Peoples Car" 7-10 Billion dollars???????? WTF...... I think we should invade.........

 

[laatsch55]

We don't have emissions testing in Wyoming. Evidently Volkswagen didn't contribute to Obamas campaign.

 

[Web Police]

We had testing about 15 to 20 years ago for two or three years, then they pulled all the stations and stopped testing.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

I was back home living in Coon Rapids when our governor Jessie Ventura killed emissions testing. He also gave us residents all the money left in Minnesota's coffers... God I like that guy....

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Emissions ran from 1991-1999 (in minn).

 

[BubbaH]

Still have emissions testing here in southern Ontario. Its total bullshit too. My 94 f150 passed the old tailpipe test with flying colors last year, but my 04 Ford Escape doesnt pass, due to the new standard of testing....plugging into the computer and printing off a list of codes. The real beauty of it is, if you spend a certain amount of money and you still dont pass, they give you a pass. WTF. So now, my Escape sits for sale up in North Bay, as 3 hours from here, there is no e-test. What a joke. Pretty disappointed about that, as the motor still runs strong, and thought id get a few more years out of it down here.

 

[BubbaH]

I should also note the 150 is too old to do the modern test, as the computer doesnt feed them enough stuff to fix. Hence the tailpipe test.

 

[Northwinds]

We have Emissions here in CT also, we are about due and have a stupid check engine light on grrrrrrrrrrrr. I know the exhaust is pretty toast and probably the cause but we can't afford to replace it since every dime and moment of our time is now on these house repairs. Homeowners insurance expires end of Oct (they dropped us the fuckers!!!!!!) and we can't get insurance unless repairs are totally done and to get items removed from the CLUE list

 

[Web Police]

I should also note the 150 is too old to do the modern test, as the computer doesnt feed them enough stuff to fix. Hence the tailpipe test.

Another reason to hold on to it. When they had testing here IIRC anything 20 years old or older was exempt from the test.

 

[BubbaH]

When they had testing here IIRC anything 20 years old or older was exempt from the test.

Right, thats how it was here as well, until not long ago. Its now 25 years.

 

[Web Police]

Give it 3 or 4 years and you can give the testing agency the middle finger when testing time comes around.

 

[marcok]

Till now I had tought that In Italy we were the world leaders for frauds ,
but now I think that VW managers have quickly learned from us ....
Ps : I'm sure that Mr. Marchionne is eating caviar and drinking Dom Perignon !!!
Ciao
Marco

 

[orange]

Breaking news...Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn has just resigned.

 

[WOPL Sniffer]

Looks like some other shady manufacturers may get some unneeded scrutiny. Oh well, like grandpa used to say, fuck the EPA......oh, AND CARB too......

 

[BlazeES]

VW had it coming !

Long time VW family here ( no longer ) and their ways have gone astray ...

"The People's Car" my a $ $ !
By the mid-2000's, VoA (Volkswagen of America) sought to elevate the dealer network
and the brand by spending millions in revamping their dealerships to excess. What this means to
the "people" is very expensive maintenance costs beyond the initial sale of the vehicle.
The cost-of-ownership model went from quality/cost capable products to something
more akin to Audi because the service model was directly formulated to pay for their
burgeoning infrastructure ... and in the mean time ... they rushed to Mexico to build cars.
Bad combo !

 

[laatsch55]

It damn sure wasn't the smartest F&*^%$# thing they've ever done...they won't have a company after this. With cash strapped governments around the world licking their chops the don't stand a chance. It'll be like a bunch of sharks tearing at each other to get to the carcass. Companies in the past have done worse and been fined only millions, not billions. The Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India comes to mind. Hundreds of people died. But BY GOD!! This concerns the environment!!! THIS COMPANY MUST DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Give me a F*&^%$# BREAK!! It's all theater....

 

[laatsch55]

I myself am inclined to give them an award for ingenuity....I would do the same thing to pass an emissions test if I could.

 

[laatsch55]

Got me f%=÷%__ ING going now.

Forced innovation can get some pretty strange results. How is it better for the environment that transportation ethanol requires a lot more BTU' s to produce than an equivalent gallon of gas.? How is it saving energy , and less ghg, to lower the mileage on vehicles with pollution controls?

The market will sort these things out. Just because the government says such and such will happen to make such and such happen doesn't guarantee a successful solution.

I remember growing up in the 70's that we were headed for an ice age. Then it was global warming. Now it's climate change. Instead of admitting we do not understand all the factors that affect climate and how they interact, we build faulty models based on false assumptions. Real science doesn't work like that.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Real science doesn't work like that.

Real science doesn't involve huge grants and political theater.



BTW, check out this: http://tomatobubble.com/id898.html

 

[laatsch55]

The play on German nationalism and pride is what allowed Hitler to come to power....