Audi Repair – Q7 The Latest To Receive Dieselgate Fix
By now you must’ve heard of the ongoing Volkswagen Emissions Scandal (also known as the Dieselgate scandal). If not, this is a great place to start reading, especially if you have an Audi in repair. Back in 2015 the Volkswagen Group had admitted that they had been manipulating vehicle emission tests in order to receive tax exemptions and green-car subsidies. Initially the company denied allegations of the discrepancies in various vehicle emission tests which were performed by the Environmental Protection Agency and told the public that the high emissions were just technical glitches. However, after enough public pressure and evidence was presented the company gave in and admitted to its deception.
Between 2009 and 2015 Volkswagen had put what has become known as a defeat device in many of their diesel vehicles which was able to detect when a vehicle was being tested for emissions. Once an emission test was performed on a vehicle the defeat device would curb the vehicles emissions of said vehicle to comply with regulations set by the Clean Air Act’s emission standards. Vehicles affected by the scandal include 2009-2015 diesel models of VW Golf, Sportwagen VW Beetle, VW Passat, VW Jetta Sportwagen as well as Audi A3 and Q7. Other Audi models affected include the 2014-2016 Audi A6, A7, A8 and Q5
Audi Repair Options Available To You
As it stands the cars affected by Dieselgate are still safe and legal to drive. Initially the plan was for Volkswagen motors to buyback all the affected models. As far as Audis are concerned only owners of Audi 2.0-liter TDI and 2009-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles can sell their car back to Volkswagen and receive a restitution payment. Unfortunately the 2013-2016 Audi Q7 is not on the buyback list. However, it’s not the end of the world if you own a 2013-2016 Audi Q7 though. Fortunately, a fix was approved for vehicles which house the Volkswagen 3.0-liter TDI engine. Vehicles with this engine (such as the Audi Q7) are to receive hardware and software changes to their vehicles. The Audi Q7 is among these vehicles approved to receive the fix, which is aimed at bringing the vehicles NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) emissions within compliance and removing the defeat device.
On top of the fix for the Audi Q7, all Audi owners are entitled to restitution payments (restitution payments between $0 – $11,050 for Audi Q7 owners) based on their year of purchase and mileage of the vehicle. However, there has been a large uproar in the online community of Audi Q7 owners who are not happy with Volkswagen’s fix. They have reported issues such as loss in performance (reduced power and acceleration) and reduced fuel efficiency to their vehicle. As mentioned earlier the vehicles are still safe and legal to drive, so should you be worried about the performance of your vehicle consider holding back on the approved fix. Another option would be to find out from any friends and family who have had their Q7 fixed how their vehicle performs before and after the fix.
Unfortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of options available to you if you own an Audi Q7 as it is either you get the approved fix or you don’t. Regardless of whether or not you opt to get the car fixed we definitely recommend you look into the restitution payment available to you. The lawsuit against the Volkswagen group is ongoing. Be sure to read up about it regularly and how it could affect you and don’t forget to join the fight if you feel your car’s performance is not up to scratch after getting it fixed. Even though the auto manufacturers involved have been lying about your vehicles performance and emissions you this should not stop you from always seeking out professionals to perform Audi repair and maintenance.