Canadian TDI owners were delivered an early Christmas present on December 19th 2016 in the form of a very detailed - although preliminary – settlement for the Dieselgate saga.
TDI owners are basically offered three options: buy back, trade-in or repair. The last option seemed to be highly theoretical, as no repair was known - until now, that is. Reading the settlement documents, it became readily apparent that something was going on regarding a fix for “Generation 3” TDI’s from model year 2015, as the repair process was detailed as a two-step program that involved half of the compensation money after Step 1, with the remainder to be paid once Step 2 is completed at an ulterior date.
On January 6th 2017 the EPA approved a fix that covers affected 2.0L TDI vehicles from model year 2015, a production run known as “Generation 3”, featuring a different and more advanced engine than the 2009 – 2014 cars. The fix involves a software patch (Step 1), available right now, and new hardware (Step 2) which will take about a year to reach the dealerships. The repair kit was not detailed in the published statement, but according to reports it includes at least new diesel particulate filter, diesel oxidation catalyst and nitrous oxide (NOx) catalyst. The EPA said in their statement that the fix will not affect vehicle’s fuel economy, reliability or durability. The repair also comes with an extended emissions warranty, as detailed in the Canadian settlement documents. There were no mentions by the EPA on how the repair will affect performance and driveability.
Environment and Climate Change Canada declared that since Canada’s vehicle emissions standards align with those of the United States, the EPA-approved fix will provide an acceptable approach to reduce harmful NOx emissions here in Canada. VW Canada declared that customers will be contacted when all details are available concerning the repairs and that no actions need to be taken by customers at this time. The repairs will be provided for free by Volkswagen. Again, only 2.0L TDI models from model year 2015 are concerned by this repair option, either at VW (Beetle, Jetta, Golf, Passat) or Audi (A3). No repair option has been approved at this time for TDI vehicles from model years 2009 to 2014. The full settlement details are available at www.vwcanadasettlement.ca; approval hearings are expected to happen in March in Ontario and Quebec, after which the actual settlement process will begin.
