VW has issued details of a fix for 1.6L and 2.0L diesel engines that contain so-called ‘defeat devices’ to the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Germany.
VW HAS ANNOUNCED that it’s sent details of a proposed solution to the diesel engines containing software that allowed the vehicles to cheat on emissions test and show lower NOx emissions than they actually emit. The technical measure presented to the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Germany apply to vehicles sold in Europe, and not those in either the US or Canada.
It’s possible that Volkswagen Group Australia and Audi Australia will apply the same fix as that being presented in Europe, although there is no confirmation of this.
According to a statement by the Volkswagen Group, the technical measures will ensure the vehicles will meet and comply with the “applicable emissions standards”. VW claims that neither performance nor fuel consumption will be affected by the ‘fix’.
“The final technical solution for the 1.2-litre diesel engine will be presented to the Federal Motor Transport Authority at the end of the month and is expected to comprise a software update,” Volkswagen said.
The ‘fix’ detailed
“A “flow transformer” will be fitted directly in front of the air mass sensor on the 1.6-litre EA 189 engine. This is a mesh that calms the swirled air flow in front of the air mass sensor and will thus decisively improve the measuring accuracy of the air mass sensor. The air mass sensor determines the current air mass throughput, which is a very important parameter for the engine management for an optimum combustion process. In addition, a software update will be performed on this engine. The time needed for the implementation of the technical measures is expected to be less than one hour,” Volkswagen Group said in its statement.
“The 2.0 litre engines will get a software update. The pure labour time for this measure will be around half an hour.
“The objective for the development of the technical measures is still to achieve the applicable emission targets in each case without any adverse effects on the engine output, fuel consumption and performance. However, as all model variants first have to be measured, the achievement of these targets cannot yet be finally confirmed,” Volkswagen said.
It’s expected that in Europe, service centres will begin implementing this fix from January. It’s expected the recall work will take up the entire year due to the volume of affected vehicles.
Volkswagen Group said that the rest of its brands, including Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles are also planning corresponding measures for their affected vehicles.
