[Fan@Automotive]

Make: Skoda Rapid 2015
Engine: 1.5 L TDI
Vote: I got the update & I'm unhappy with it
Experience in words: I did it only for the sake of environment, am completely unhappy, firstly about being cheated with a car not complying to the regulations and later robbing me of the fun of owing a gem it was before the update.

Sorry Skoda! am planning to get rid of the car.......

[ThomasZach]

Mine was a Jetta 2.0 TDI MT. But it has to be noted that it was in UK and not in India. I called up the dealer after I got a letter from the DVLA (DVLA is the government agency in UK and they sent letters to all affected owners). The dealer setup an appointment and also gave me a replacement car for that day and it was a Tiguan AT. The experience was good (though I shouldnt have had to do it at first place). There was very little difference in the way the car drove or responded. Overall, there was little to complain about.

[Kiterunner]

Make - Vento 1.6 TDI
Year - 2013

Have my 4th Service due in August. Not planning to do the update. How can I prevent this update from happening without my consent? Should I get a letter from the service center that the update will not be carried out?

Regards, Kiterunner

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by oblivion

Basically what is this Diesel gate Fix? Why Volkswagen is forcing owners to fix this?

The short and simple version is that VW decided to tweak their diesel cars, which they touted as 'clean diesels', to produce lower emissions when the cars would be tested for emissions. They did this by using a defeat device to make the cars seem compliant. This way the cars ran 'dirty' and produced several times more emissions than VW had stated.

VW is forcing this voluntary update on owners because it has to be seen as doing something. In the US, they've even bought back affected cars under a program they established. In India, it took a public show of political will to arm-twist VAG into doing something about this after initially deciding to do its best impression of an Ostrich with its head in the sand.

However, our lax consumer laws have ensured no buy-back program got instituted here, nor any class action law suits. We did get some lovely car cleaning kits though, so every dark diesel cloud has a silver lining and all that.

Originally Posted by oblivion

How they are tuning the engine with this fix are they increasing or decreasing the bhp figures. Is there any way one can check what were the actual figures before and after this fix.

Please clarify.

Power outputs have been affected negatively, if not by much by all accounts.
The 1.6- and 2.0-liter diesel engines are both getting software patches, and every 1.6-liter gets a new “flow transformer.”

Unfortunately, our very own GTO and Tanveer attempted to get to the bottom of this by ascertaining the power figures of a 2.0 TDi post-remap, to no avail.

So you're kinda out of luck if you want to test out the power, but for the average Joe, it won't seem far out of the ordinary. This whole episode doesn't seem to have affected VW's profitability that much, but it has affected their image. Lord alone knows how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by Fan@Automotive

Make: Skoda Rapid 2015
Engine: 1.5 L TDI
Vote: I got the update & I'm unhappy with it
Experience in words: I did it only for the sake of environment, am completely unhappy, firstly about being cheated with a car not complying to the regulations and later robbing me of the fun of owing a gem it was before the update.

Sorry Skoda! am planning to get rid of the car.......

Do sell the car if you're desperately unhappy with Skoda/the car itself. But there's no reason to throw the baby out because the bath water is dirty. Get a remap, it'll solve most of your woes. Even if it's pricey-ish to do so, it'll be cheaper than the loss you'll face from having to sell a still-quite-new car. That's my 2 cents.

[createrkid]

Originally Posted by iliketurtles

Do sell the car if you're desperately unhappy with Skoda/the car itself. But there's no reason to throw the baby out because the bath water is dirty. Get a remap, it'll solve most of your woes. Even if it's pricey-ish to do so, it'll be cheaper than the loss you'll face from having to sell a still-quite-new car. That's my 2 cents.

But why should he pay to fix someone else's fault? I say sue the heck out of these guys in consumer court.

[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by createrkid

But why should he pay to fix someone else's fault? I say sue the heck out of these guys in consumer court.

I agree with that line of thinking. It's a mess that's being fixed by consumers when they've got little to do with it save the fact they've literally invested their faith in VW. But given the lackadaisical ways of our justice system, it would take ages to see anything come of a legal suit. It's not worth the time and money in this instance.

I remember this famous BHP-ian (forgetting his handle) who took Skoda and their dealer to court and won, as he should have. But it should never have come to that, and cases like his are the exception more than the norm. Sadly, our laws mean we can only simply grin and bear it. Heck, VW refuses to even admit there's anything wrong with the cars in India, that itself tells you the uphill battle you'll face if you go legal. Sad state of affairs.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Let's keep this thread only for sharing dieselgate fix experiences please.

[Srikanthan]

I drive a 2013 1.6L TDI Vento.

For 1.6L diesels, in addition to the software update they will also fit a "flow-transformer" in front of the air-mass sensor and I'm wary of such additions to the engine!

I'm NOT going to take my car for the update. I'm happy with what I drive now and I will continue to use the car as it is.

[swissknife]

I wish to state right at the offset that the so called “Dieselgate” does not apply to India.


Yes, believe me!



One must take into consideration the emission norms in India vis-à-vis the emission norms in, say, the US, Europe etc.


It was very recently that India moved up to Bharath Stage IV. Compare this with Europe which has moved to Euro 6. Euro norms are fairly close to Bharath Stage norms, though not exactly the same.


The Government of India had not asked the ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) to check if there has been any breach of emission norms relating to dieselgate. ARAI is the body that ensures that all norms, not only emission, are adhered to. However, as part of the regular checks, ARAI has carried out the regular checks that are done on all vehicles, periodically. ARAI has not found anything that breaches any of the Indian norms!


Given the above, there was no necessity for VW to “update” the software on any of the cars in India!


I believe that this was just a knee jerk reaction from VW to apply what is applicable in the strictest norm across all vehicles using the same motor!

[Mechano]

Make: 2010 Jetta MK V
Engine: 2.0L TDI MT
Vote: I got the update & I'm unhappy with it

The way I see it there is no choice. Already India is fraught with old poorly maintained trucks / buses spewing toxins into our air.
Thought by spending a bit more I could get a refined engine that won "Green Car of the Year" in 2010 with their "clean diesel technology" - and enjoy the torque as well.

Guess it was too good to be true. And even after being caught, their pathetic response was in the form of a "car care kit" - after demonstrating criminal disregard to our environment.

Yes they have cheated me in terms of power - but what they have done to us all, directly (car owners) or indirectly (the air we breathe) - is far worse.

I feel they have been let off easy (except in the USA).

I was a staunch supporter of VW cars but I will NEVER buy a VAG car again.Nor will I recommend the company to anyone.

What more can I say - throughly disappointed.

[kishore1984]

Make: VW Polo 2016
Engine: 1.5 L TDI

Experience in words:

My 2 cents!!

The update was done with in the first 3 months of Purchase. Being my first car, the only difference I observed was that the car was much smoother, MID was suggesting up-shift at lower speeds, and Yes there was an improvement in Fuel Efficiency.

Neither the SA who called me nor the Customer service rep informed me that this is Voluntary, I didn't ask them either.

But I still feel that the car has its "beast mode" intact once it enters a Highway.

[gopal.nishant89]

Make: Skoda Rapid 2015
Engine: 1.5L TDI
Transmission Type: Manual

I got the update (without my consent) as part of the first service which i got done in Feb from Mahavir Motors (Hyderabad). One difference i noticed after the update is the suggestion for earlier upshifts. At first i didnt notice it because i do not rev the engine high. I change my gears around 2200 rpm. It was when i took off from the start, after about 4 days, that i saw that the gear shifts are being suggested at a lower rev range. I preferred to ignore this and drove as normal and didnt find much of a change. The engine seemed smooth and the noise seemed controlled.

That said, the above observations might vary based on the driving style but personally, i did not notice too much change in the driving when i kept driving normally without heeding to what the MID suggested.

BTW, I got that car care kit too.

Thanks,
Nishant

[smuniswami]

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[ajmat]

My car got remapped. It idles at 1000RPM all the time. Bit clunky in traffic. Performance is a little blunter. I am taking it on a long drive next week so I will give my opinion. It will also help me decide on whether to go for a remap