VW Emissions Recall: Volkswagen tell us how they’re going to ‘Fix’ your emissions

Volkswagen has released details of how they’re going to fix the scammed emissions on VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda cars with the EA 189 diesel engine in the UK and Europe.

It’s taken them a while, but Volkswagen has now come up with a ‘fix’ for the defeat device emissions scam – the so-called dieselgate crisis – or at least those for the 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre EA 189 diesel engines.

Volkswagen has submitted then technical details of the fix to the KBA in Germany before revealing details publicly, so we must assume it’s a doable fix and one that won’t compromise the cars’ economy and performance, although ratification of the fix is still subject to KBA approval.

It seems the 2.0 litre engines will only need a software update – which will take less than half an hour – but the 1.6 litre engines need more work, with a new flow transformer – which controls flow round the air mass sensor – to modify the combustion, plus a software update. The modifications should take only an hour.

VW are expecting to get KBA approval in the early new year for the fixes to the 1.6 and 2.0 litre engines – although it seems they still haven’t come up with a fix for the 1.2 litre – with UK recalls likely to start by March 2016 and roll out through the year.

Frankly, if VW can fix the 2.0 litre engines with just a software update, and the 1.6 litre engines with a new flow transformer – and all without affecting economy or performance – it does make you wonder why they didn’t do it in the first place. After all, it’s hard to imagine the software and flow transformer add more cost to a VW than developing and implementing the defeat device.

Still, if it works, it works.