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VW Canada offers $1000 credit to upset owners


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Worldwide, Volkswagen said 11 million vehicles — including almost half a million in the U.S. and an unknown number in Canada — have been equipped with a "defeat device" aimed at fooling emissions tests while secretly allowing the cars to belch out far more pollutants than advertised under real-world conditions.

 

 

Although the company still doesn't know exactly how many vehicles in Canada are affected, Environment Canada estimates there are about 100,000 Volkswagen diesel engines on the road in Canada, many of which may be included. VW has made a list of all the models and model-years that may be impacted, which includes a searchable VIN database for drivers to see if their cars are known to have the defeat device installed.

 

 

Canadian owners of affected 2.0L TDI diesel vehicles were informed by the company recently if they are eligible for a package of credits that includes:

 

$500 for use at Volkswagen dealerships.

 

A further $500 for use at their Volkswagen dealership or anywhere credit cards are accepted.

 

No-charge 24-hour roadside assistance for three years, with unlimited mileage.

 

 

Monday is the first day that Volkswagen owners are able to sign up for the program, which had been previously reported on with vague details. But as of Monday, owners are instructed to input their information at a website Volkswagen Canada has set up to handle the problem in Canada, and the company says signing up for the program does not forfeit the owner's right to take part in lawsuits or other forms of compensation.

 

 

The move is an olive branch to angry VW drivers with cars they paid a premium to own that are now mired in a dark cloud.

 

 

But almost three months after problems with VW engines were first uncovered, the company still has no actual fix for the engines themselves.

 

 

Environment Canada is working with U.S. regulators including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board on a potential fix for the engines, but so far neither the regulators nor the company itself have offered any sort of concrete plan or timeline for that.

 

 

"At the present time, there is no firm timeline as to when a fix will be in place," VW spokesman Thomas Tetzlaff told CBC News recently. "Our engineers continue to work diligently with regulators to develop an effective solution and, once in place, we will communicate directly with our customers."

 

 

Even if a fix comes soon, drivers face another problem down the line in that it is extremely unlikely that the company will come up with a remedy that doesn't ultimately negatively impact engine performance, either in terms of fuel economy or power — two factors Volkswagen owners paid a premium for.

 

 

And ultimately, while governments can to varying degrees mandate car companies to issue recalls, there's technically no easy legal way for the companies to force drivers to come in and have their cars equipped with new software or technology that would likely make the vehicle perform worse than the drivers were used to on some level.

 

 

 

 

(courtesy of CBC News)

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Genuinely interested to hear the opinions from those on here who are in favour of compensation from VW, exactly why they feel they are entitled to compensation...  I understand what's happened myself, I'm just interested to know the views of others who feel they deserve something back, how much that is and how exactly that compensation is calculated....

 

So, what's the compensation for?

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Genuinely interested to hear the opinions from those on here who are in favour of compensation from VW, exactly why they feel they are entitled to compensation...  I understand what's happened myself, I'm just interested to know the views of others who feel they deserve something back, how much that is and how exactly that compensation is calculated....

 

So, what's the compensation for?

I would like some compo. Not because I'm jumping on the compo "bandwagon" that so many on here moan about, but because I have been mis-sold a car claiming it to be one thing when it's actually another, and as a result of VW's action all our cars are currently worth less than they normally would have been. And, less people are interested in buying them. A huge reason I went for a VW was its residual values, and I honestly can't see the residuals ever being the same again after all this.

 

It's like buying anything else, finding out afterwards that it had been mis-sold under false advertising, you wouldn't stand for it and would be demanding a refund. A lot of VW owners are now potentially stuck with their vehicle, losing more money than they'd hoped. And also the fact that VW Europe, at the moment are refusing to offer anything is absolutely mental. They need to be put in their place, doesn't matter if we do have great cars.

 

As to how much compo, I have no idea. But free servicing for ownership and extended warranty is definitely a starting point for me.

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Genuinely interested to hear the opinions from those on here who are in favour of compensation from VW, exactly why they feel they are entitled to compensation...  I understand what's happened myself, I'm just interested to know the views of others who feel they deserve something back, how much that is and how exactly that compensation is calculated....

 

So, what's the compensation for?

 

Agreed. I too dont quiet understand what people want compo for at this point?

 

I would like some compo. Not because I'm jumping on the compo "bandwagon" that so many on here moan about, but because I have been mis-sold a car claiming it to be one thing when it's actually another, and as a result of VW's action all our cars are currently worth less than they normally would have been. And, less people are interested in buying them. A huge reason I went for a VW was its residual values, and I honestly can't see the residuals ever being the same again after all this.

 

It's like buying anything else, finding out afterwards that it had been mis-sold under false advertising, you wouldn't stand for it and would be demanding a refund. A lot of VW owners are now potentially stuck with their vehicle, losing more money than they'd hoped. And also the fact that VW Europe, at the moment are refusing to offer anything is absolutely mental. They need to be put in their place, doesn't matter if we do have great cars.

 

As to how much compo, I have no idea. But free servicing for ownership and extended warranty is definitely a starting point for me.

 

So you want VW to pay you real money and/or services of value now, for a possible loss you may or may not suffer in 2-3 years time when you sell the car?

 

I agree that they have done wrong, and need to put it right. However the scale of the problem isnt clear at this point, neither is a fix. That is what they should focus on in my opinion.

If they fix the problem, and put the issue right there reputation may well have recovered by the time you actually sell your car. 

 

These kinds of things arent new. Look at the GM ignition switch problem. That was so widespread and went on for so long, and most importantly people ACTUALLY died as a result of this. Yet people still buy GM. Same with Toyota and there various recalls over the last few years.

 

I know id rather drive a VW that puts out too much NO2 or CO2 then a GM with a faulty Ignition switch.

 

Anyway...calls for compo are bit early and bit rich imo. Let them fix the problem first. Let the dust settle. Then lets see what the score is.

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