If you have the ECU mapped they request you to sign a paper authorizing the change. With that they are on the safe side if something goes wrong and a new module needs to be used.
Had booked my car into VW today for a service. Arrived and checked in as normal and was signing for the work to be done when I noticed something about the 'emissions recall' listed on the work requested. I said to the service manager that I didn't want it and hadn't requested it but this seem to confuse/upset him as I then got a whole host questions as to why. I was also told that they'd done over 1,200 updates at that dealership with no issues and his final tactic was to tell me I'd need to sign a 'whole host of paperwork' for it not being done, don't think he expected me to say fine I'm waiting in the car anyway so I've got the time (turned out to be one page by the way).
Anyway after the service I got my receipt and its printed on it emissions update declined.
Personally i've no idea why anyone would get this done. My car is running fine and if it was this easy to 'fix' then they'd have done it in the first place. Don't see the point in risking something longer term. I'd also say my Scirocco 'unfixed' as it is, is nowhere near as polluting as my Impreza Turbo which does 23mpg on a good day which is apparently just fine.
When my car was in recently they were going to do the update and I asked them not to. I just had to sign that I declined it. No argument or debate from my dealer.
I'm still in two minds about this whole recall thing.
On the one hand, if the so called "cheat device" is a piece of CPU code that only gets activated when the engine is run in the style of an MoT testing cycle (or USA equivalent), then it would appear to be common sense that under normal driving, you and I would not activate the software. Which is why we should not expect and change in car performance / consumption etc. as per VW publicity. It cannot take some many months / years to re-write the whole engine management software with a simple "Oh yes, delete lines 400 to 600 of code to take out the naughty bit" - can it?
BUT why has VW not used this line of approach to all of us owners? What else is happening behind the scenes which no-one has owned up to yet (i.e. been caught out over) that might be fixed whilst our cars are plugged in for the "fix"?
Or am I being too cynical here?
Are any members here able to say if, having had the "fix" applied, they later change their minds about it, that VW dealer would reinstall the naughty version of the software taking the car back to factory settings, as it were.
If they were just taking the cheat device out of UK cars then it would not subsequently pass the emission tests in US which it used to only pass in cheat mode. Obviously not an issue to UK cars as we don't need to pass US emission tests. If that's the case then you won't notice any difference in normal operation after the software is modded.
But if they are rewriting the software in UK cars so that in normal operation (ie non-cheat mode) it would pass the emission tests in US then performance in what was previously non test operation will presumably be worse.
So in my view it depends what they are trying to achieve with the software mods.
As I don't have a smelly stinky clattery diseasel car I will just sit here grinning smugly.
I think there is a misunderstanding on this by some.
First up it not that these diesel engines just failing the USA emissions tests. They fail the European (which Inc the UK) ones too (as well as most others) when they are run outside the 'cheat device'.
The 'cheat device' as its called it a piece of software that allows an engine in a set of very certain specific conditions to pass an emissions tests as it detects it being tested and changes the map the car is running on. Without this 'cheat device' the engine being tested would fail the emissions test miserably. This means in daily driving the car will basically never meet the required conditions to actually activate the 'cheat device' so never actually meets the required emission standards (in the UK, Europe, USA or wherever, it basically fails all current tests). What VW are now having to do is get the cars to meet these required emissions standards all the time i.e in everyday driving. This is something they couldn't do before (with the desired power and fuel consumption figures) hence the 'cheat device' being built in.
The sceptic in me is saying if VW couldn't do it when they designed the engine how can they do it now and retain the same performance figures? The engine is still the same, they're not changing any physical parts so something has to change be it power, fuel efficiency, reliability etc. In my mind the car was originally designed to produce the higher emissions (despite what VW claim) so any change will negatively affect it though I'll admit I'm not expert.
In short if you think of it as this: It's not that VW are just deleting the 'cheat device' from the cars it basically that they are deleting everything else and the car can only run in 'cheat' mode.
I have the same point of view about this issue.
For me, till VW presents measured results (torque, fuel cons. and reliability) I don't trust this action. I don't believe in miracles.
There is no independent comparative tests done (by a car magazine, for instance) to the old/new scenario. That is also not "normal". No one is interested in publish such results?
Unfortunately, this action needs to be done to all cars or they will lose the certification (meaning the authorization to be used on the road). They will find a way to do that.
As far as I understand, even after the software update the car will still not meet the emissions standards with normal driving, which is also the case with many other manufacturers. It will just mean the car can pass the lab test without the "cheat device".
As far as I can see there are no negatives to not having the update done.
The European standards are are not so hard to fulfill as the American ones. This is the reason why they were not able to achieve the values there.
Nevertheless, the NOx and CO limits established as limits for each European country are mandatory. I only know an Italian study where the car became even worse after the correction. With so many cars already recalled all over Europe I don't understand why we don't read more comparative tests.
Has anyone had their diesel scirocco seen to? In particular I'd be interested to hear from anyone with a 170 DSG and if there has been any adverse affects appearing after having the fix applied.
A Scirocco owner said that he tried to restore the original files after the recall but the update has locked out any further access, so it can't be put back to factory spec.
Anyone knows if with this recall action a future remap will be not possible?
I don't understand why with already so many complains about this action in Europa (since everybody is affected) no one is asking VW about it?
Is it assumed that we need to pay the price for all this story? Why not leave the cars as they are and forget it? I don't want to sell my car but I also don't want to stay with something that will give me problems till the end.
