VW TDI Settlement - buying a TDI now

28firefighter

corvette said:

If the damage is above your collision deductible, you can probably make a claim on your own insurance, get a check, and not fix it before selling it back.

Not even worth rocking the boat. 

kyfdx

28firefighter said:

corvette said:

If the damage is above your collision deductible, you can probably make a claim on your own insurance, get a check, and not fix it before selling it back.

Not even worth rocking the boat. 

Yeah.. I wouldn't make a claim on my insurance for that.

xwesx

I traveled down to Palmer this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow's buyback appointment. The car was only a tiny bit cranky about starting this morning at -15F, after a few hours with heat from the oil pan heater I installed a few weeks ago. Roads were more than a little bit slippery from time to time, but the old studded tires worked fine and I made it here safely!

Thirty-five miles to go....... !

A rather serene view of Denali in the Alaska Range through broad pass during the long winter sunset:


The car warming up in Palmer:

xwesx

It was bittersweet; I really hated to let the car go. The lady who was conducting the appointment gushed over my car - she said it was, by far, the nicest buyback vehicle she had seen thus far and wanted it for herself. When she did the walk-around, she said, "Oh my gawd! It's so gorgeous!....... and it still smells new!"

I just thought, "lady, you're not making this any easier for me!"

The nearly $27,600 pay out was a nice consolation, though.

kyfdx

Congrats!

28firefighter

Congrats!

qbrozen

congrats!

I'll be dropping mine off at the dealer Fri night and then driving myself there in another car for my 1:30pm Sat appt.

28firefighter

qbrozen said:

congrats!

I'll be dropping mine off at the dealer Fri night and then driving myself there in another car for my 1:30pm Sat appt.

I've actually been half debating using my AAA tow to flatbed it to the dealer and then drive down for the appointment. But I think I'd rather drive it one last time.

Mr_Shiftright

A friend of mine tells me that his local VW dealer plans to sell some brand-new, leftover 2015 TDIs once they are properly "fixed". They already own an older TDI which they will turn in, because their model cannot readily be "fixed".

Do you think this is a good idea, if the price is right?

henryn

Yes, I do. I would buy one, right now, if the price were right.

xwesx

Same here, Henry! I'm waiting to see when/if they get approval on the fix, and then what the actual impact on performance is. But, I'll be keeping an eye on my VIN, and currently wouldn't hesitate to repurchase it.

xwesx

@28firefighter - I know the feeling! I hadn't really driven mine since September 9th, which was almost exactly four months prior to this past Sunday (1/8). Other than the extra noise caused by the studded tires, it was such a pleasant drive! Profit aside, I'm glad I owned this car; it was a great experience all around.

For the trip itself, considering how much could have gone wrong on this 375-mile (one way) jaunt, it was perfect. And, I was able to spend an engaging evening with an old friend, to boot! We watched Rogue One immediately after he picked me up, then I learned a new card game before being dropped off at the airport at ~10pm. I was home before 0100 this morning, and greeted by a gaping, snow-free "hole" in my driveway.

I used a little over a quarter of the diesel tank on idling the car every couple of weeks since September, but didn't fill it up before I left. When I headed out on the trip, it read under 25 mpg (I put 86 miles on the tank before I parked it in Sept). By the time I turned in the car, my trip computer said I was getting a little over 38 mpg, had driven about 480 miles, and still had a touch over a quarter-tank of fuel on board. These winter tires are 5% small (from calibration), so I expect I was closer to 36 mpg. But, that's not too shabby! I'm sure going to miss this car.....

qbrozen

I do have to wonder how the used car market will feel about them in the future.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

A friend of mine tells me that his local VW dealer plans to sell some brand-new, leftover 2015 TDIs once they are properly "fixed". They already own an older TDI which they will turn in, because their model cannot readily be "fixed".

Do you think this is a good idea, if the price is right?

So far, no fix approved for any of them.

Mr_Shiftright

Apparently some "fix" is forthcoming. The dealer sounded...um.....informed.

Only problem is you have to be careful as to what to pay---it's a 2015, even if brand new, so to protect yourself from a bad settlement on a total loss, you have to buy right.

My friend was thinking of offering the same amount as the payoff on his older one, which is going to be a generous $17,500. I think he's just about right on the money.

henryn

Which model of TDI? Passat or ??? If it's a Passat, then you have to be in an upper trim level (at least SE) in order to get the TDI. I seriously doubt you will get a new 2015 Passat SE TDI for $17,500. I'm getting $22k buyback, and I would gladly trade that check for a new one. Even if 2 model years old.

xwesx

If they performed the fix right now, and I felt the rated performance was acceptable, I would pay $16K for the car I just sold them.

Mr_Shiftright

henryn said:

Which model of TDI? Passat or ??? If it's a Passat, then you have to be in an upper trim level (at least SE) in order to get the TDI. I seriously doubt you will get a new 2015 Passat SE TDI for $17,500. I'm getting $22k buyback, and I would gladly trade that check for a new one. Even if 2 model years old.

No, it's a Jetta wagon.

But here's the rub---it's not "new"....I mean, yes it is but only to DMV, not to the world at large.

Somebody has to hold the bag for the depreciation by model year.

corvette

Honestly, I don't think I'd be interested in a 2.0 TDI as a daily driver. The turbo lag with the DSG was pretty considerable on the JSW I had.

kyfdx

Mr_Shiftright said:

henryn said:

Which model of TDI? Passat or ??? If it's a Passat, then you have to be in an upper trim level (at least SE) in order to get the TDI. I seriously doubt you will get a new 2015 Passat SE TDI for $17,500. I'm getting $22k buyback, and I would gladly trade that check for a new one. Even if 2 model years old.

No, it's a Jetta wagon.

But here's the rub---it's not "new"....I mean, yes it is but only to DMV, not to the world at large.

Somebody has to hold the bag for the depreciation by model year.

There weren't any 2015 Jetta Wagons involved in the buyback.. just 2015 sedans
Last year for the Wagon in the settlement was 2014

henryn

I received the email with the appointment reminder for next Tuesday, the 17th. I need to do some car shopping.

Mr_Shiftright

kyfdx said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

henryn said:

Which model of TDI? Passat or ??? If it's a Passat, then you have to be in an upper trim level (at least SE) in order to get the TDI. I seriously doubt you will get a new 2015 Passat SE TDI for $17,500. I'm getting $22k buyback, and I would gladly trade that check for a new one. Even if 2 model years old.

No, it's a Jetta wagon.

But here's the rub---it's not "new"....I mean, yes it is but only to DMV, not to the world at large.

Somebody has to hold the bag for the depreciation by model year.

There weren't any 2015 Jetta Wagons involved in the buyback.. just 2015 sedans
Last year for the Wagon in the settlement was 2014

Oh, so my friend must be talking about a Golf TDI wagon then, if it's a 2015 with manual transmission.

qbrozen

Well, if he knows what trim level, I could at least see what they are doing on fhe 2nd hand market.

greg128

While this scandal is costing VW $18 or roughly 4-5 years worth of net profits I would think many should reconsider a purchase of thier product, especially when German citizen employees are being shackled and brought into court here in the US.

28firefighter

Last night checking the weather, I had a moment of panic that I hadn't driven the Audi in quite a while (something like 2 weeks) and I was worried that with the cold spell we've been having it may not start to go back tomorrow, so I took it with me to work today.

Should not have been concerned. After 2 weeks of sitting and a 23 degree morning (I know I know - only cold by Seattle standards), the car kicked right over. Not even a hiccup. Sitting in my garage at work getting nice and toasty.

I'm going to miss this thing a little....

henryn

You're going to miss it? This has been my daily driver for the pas 6 months!

qbrozen

anxious to get rid of mine. It has been sitting at the curb since I brought the EX35 home. I should probably check that it still starts.

xwesx

I was a lot worried that mine would have trouble starting this past Sunday. It had also been about two weeks since I had previously started it, and the temperature, while fairly warm (as high as +30F!) in those intervening weeks, dipped down to around -15F or a little under (don't recall precisely) the morning I had to start it. I had plugged in that oil pan heater I installed a few weeks back, and that, along with the fuel treatments, did the trick. It started up with only a little complaint!

For some reason, the auto-start doesn't seem to like to work when it is below zero, though, which was both ironic and annoying.

At +23F, @28firefighter, the biggest risk after a couple weeks of sitting was probably the battery!

PF_Flyer

A reporter is looking to talk to someone who was originally shopping for a new car, but decided to buy a CPO vehicle instead because it was a better deal. If you're willing to assist, please send an email to PR@Edmunds.com no later than Monday, January 16, 2017.

qbrozen

So took tha VW out last night just to make sure all OK. She started right up, sputtered, and quit. Took a great deal of cranking to get her started again. Was only firing maybe 3 cylinders. I had to keep my foot on the throttle to get it started and running, as if I was starting a very old and tired carbureted car. After a couple of minutes of high RPMs, she righted herself.

mjfloyd1

My Passat is running well. Wife just brought it back from south FL. Turn in is Saturday but there is a prediction of ice/ freezing rain. I may drop it off tonight and drive another car in on Saturday morning. 

28firefighter

That doesn't sound great, @qbrozen, but it sounds like it was just very cold and possibly had a low battery?

I'm headed down to Tacoma this afternoon to do the buyback - should be a 45 minute - 1 hr drive from my office. Coming home could be an adventure since it'll be rush hour.

henryn

Diesel fuel will gel in low temperatures if it doesn't have the proper additives. If @qbrozen filled up his TDI before the really cold weather, and then parked it, it might not have the winter additives.

The battery is also more important on a diesel engine, they run very high compression ratios, so it requires more "juice" (electrical amperage) from the battery to run the starter.

qbrozen

yesterday was 48 degrees, so that should not have been a problem, I don't think. And since it cranked for a good 60 secs or so, with multiple restarts attempted, pretty sure the battery was also good.

28firefighter

So, I'll just point out that on the other boards, people have been reporting HPFP failures fairly regularly including in the days leading up to their appointments. Granted they were on older cars, but it would be something to be aware of.

henryn

As long as you can get it started when you really need it, then all is good. I'm still driving mine every day, and my buyback is only 4 days away.

I have been doing a lot of online shopping, and a small amount of test drives. So far, I'm just not getting excited about any of the possible replacements. I'm not sure why not, but right now I will probably just drive the truck for a while. Trying to park that behomoth in various parking garages should definitely push me towards making a decision.

28firefighter

@henryn what are your priorities for replacement? Smaller than the truck, obviously. But what else?

andres3

greg128 said:

While this scandal is costing VW $18 or roughly 4-5 years worth of net profits I would think many should reconsider a purchase of thier product, especially when German citizen employees are being shackled and brought into court here in the US.

And in other news Chrylser/Fiat has been accused of cheating on emissions similar to VW.

henryn

The biggest single factor is that I have to fit, comfortably. I sit very tall, headroom is a big factor, the great majority of cars do not have enough headroom for me. And my right knee is titanium steel and space age plastic, I need enough room to be able to move that knee around. A huge center console, forcing my knee into an upright position, is a deal breaker.

Fuel mileage is not a concern, gas is cheap, and I don't drive a lot of miles anymore. I prefer something with some "get up and go" for merging onto freeway traffic, and passing on two lane Farm to Market roads. I prefer smooth ride over great handling -- no barges, but needs to be able to deal with city streets with lots of potholes.

And yes, it needs to be something both maneuverable and easy to park. I do live in the inner city, parking spaces are hard to find and usually very small. I pay $156 a month for parking downtown where I work, and the parking garage has a tight spiral ramp. My truck fits with inches to spare on either end. Driving up and down that ramp every day in my truck is a very uncomfortable feeling. The closest parking garage with the "back and forth" ramps, versus the spiral ramp, is quite a bit more money, and farther away from the building I work in.

andres3

henryn said:

As long as you can get it started when you really need it, then all is good. I'm still driving mine every day, and my buyback is only 4 days away.

I have been doing a lot of online shopping, and a small amount of test drives. So far, I'm just not getting excited about any of the possible replacements. I'm not sure why not, but right now I will probably just drive the truck for a while. Trying to park that behomoth in various parking garages should definitely push me towards making a decision.

I'm thinking the ultra high inflationary prices of many new vehicles MSRP's has me less than excited about new car purchases. $36K for a 2.5 Outback? $42K for a FWD BMW X1? $45K for a Volvo XC60? Q5 is overpriced IMO as well. SUV's are overpriced; that's my conclusion, but Americans like their SUV's.

28firefighter

henryn said:

The biggest single factor is that I have to fit, comfortably. I sit very tall, headroom is a big factor, the great majority of cars do not have enough headroom for me. And my right knee is titanium steel and space age plastic, I need enough room to be able to move that knee around. A huge center console, forcing my knee into an upright position, is a deal breaker.

Fuel mileage is not a concern, gas is cheap, and I don't drive a lot of miles anymore. I prefer something with some "get up and go" for merging onto freeway traffic, and passing on two lane Farm to Market roads. I prefer smooth ride over great handling -- no barges, but needs to be able to deal with city streets with lots of potholes.

And yes, it needs to be something both maneuverable and easy to park. I do live in the inner city, parking spaces are hard to find and usually very small. I pay $156 a month for parking downtown where I work, and the parking garage has a tight spiral ramp. My truck fits with inches to spare on either end. Driving up and down that ramp every day in my truck is a very uncomfortable feeling. The closest parking garage with the "back and forth" ramps, versus the spiral ramp, is quite a bit more money, and farther away from the building I work in.

Have you driven a Charger R/T by chance? Lots of get-up and go and a veritable studio apartment inside. You can pick them up pretty heavily discounted new or even cheaper used. The current body style came out in 2015, so there should be plenty of nice used examples.

andres3

kyfdx said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

henryn said:

Which model of TDI? Passat or ??? If it's a Passat, then you have to be in an upper trim level (at least SE) in order to get the TDI. I seriously doubt you will get a new 2015 Passat SE TDI for $17,500. I'm getting $22k buyback, and I would gladly trade that check for a new one. Even if 2 model years old.

No, it's a Jetta wagon.

But here's the rub---it's not "new"....I mean, yes it is but only to DMV, not to the world at large.

Somebody has to hold the bag for the depreciation by model year.

There weren't any 2015 Jetta Wagons involved in the buyback.. just 2015 sedans
Last year for the Wagon in the settlement was 2014

In '15 model year they put the Sportwagen on the superior MQB chassis. Appropriately changed the name from a Jetta wagon to a Golf Wagon. Also, the TDI engine had 10 more horses starting in 2015.

henryn

28firefighter said:

henryn said:

The biggest single factor is that I have to fit, comfortably. I sit very tall, headroom is a big factor, the great majority of cars do not have enough headroom for me. And my right knee is titanium steel and space age plastic, I need enough room to be able to move that knee around. A huge center console, forcing my knee into an upright position, is a deal breaker.

Fuel mileage is not a concern, gas is cheap, and I don't drive a lot of miles anymore. I prefer something with some "get up and go" for merging onto freeway traffic, and passing on two lane Farm to Market roads. I prefer smooth ride over great handling -- no barges, but needs to be able to deal with city streets with lots of potholes.

And yes, it needs to be something both maneuverable and easy to park. I do live in the inner city, parking spaces are hard to find and usually very small. I pay $156 a month for parking downtown where I work, and the parking garage has a tight spiral ramp. My truck fits with inches to spare on either end. Driving up and down that ramp every day in my truck is a very uncomfortable feeling. The closest parking garage with the "back and forth" ramps, versus the spiral ramp, is quite a bit more money, and farther away from the building I work in.

Have you driven a Charger R/T by chance? Lots of get-up and go and a veritable studio apartment inside. You can pick them up pretty heavily discounted new or even cheaper used. The current body style came out in 2015, so there should be plenty of nice used examples.

28firefighter said:

henryn said:

The biggest single factor is that I have to fit, comfortably. I sit very tall, headroom is a big factor, the great majority of cars do not have enough headroom for me. And my right knee is titanium steel and space age plastic, I need enough room to be able to move that knee around. A huge center console, forcing my knee into an upright position, is a deal breaker.

Fuel mileage is not a concern, gas is cheap, and I don't drive a lot of miles anymore. I prefer something with some "get up and go" for merging onto freeway traffic, and passing on two lane Farm to Market roads. I prefer smooth ride over great handling -- no barges, but needs to be able to deal with city streets with lots of potholes.

And yes, it needs to be something both maneuverable and easy to park. I do live in the inner city, parking spaces are hard to find and usually very small. I pay $156 a month for parking downtown where I work, and the parking garage has a tight spiral ramp. My truck fits with inches to spare on either end. Driving up and down that ramp every day in my truck is a very uncomfortable feeling. The closest parking garage with the "back and forth" ramps, versus the spiral ramp, is quite a bit more money, and farther away from the building I work in.

Have you driven a Charger R/T by chance? Lots of get-up and go and a veritable studio apartment inside. You can pick them up pretty heavily discounted new or even cheaper used. The current body style came out in 2015, so there should be plenty of nice used examples.

The last time I was at Carmax trying on cars for size, I looked in the window of a Charger, saw the size of the center console, and passed it by. I suppose I should try sitting in one, sometimes appearances are deceiving, but from the outside it looked like they emulated the Mustang with a huge center console.

If not for that huge center console, I would have bought a Mustang GT several years ago. About the time @qbrozen bought his, I was inspired by his car buying story to go down and look at a new one. There were a lot of leftover models, I could have picked up a Mustang GT with automatic for less than $27k (a hell of a deal).

But that console was a deal breaker, so ...

28firefighter

They absolutely did put in a huge center console, but there is still a ton of room inside even with it. Similarly, you could try the Chrysler 300 which you can get similarly equipped and with similar powertrains - their interior is slightly different but may suit you better.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

So took tha VW out last night just to make sure all OK. She started right up, sputtered, and quit. Took a great deal of cranking to get her started again. Was only firing maybe 3 cylinders. I had to keep my foot on the throttle to get it started and running, as if I was starting a very old and tired carbureted car. After a couple of minutes of high RPMs, she righted herself.

Well, here's to keeping the fingers crossed that it will move under its own power the day of the appointment!

During my appointment, the representative and I went out and did a walk-around on the car, she took several photos, and then she asked me to start the car, drive it forward a few inches, then back to the original location to verify operation of the drivetrain. After that, she snapped a photo of the odometer, and that was that! So, your car doesn't have to function right for much longer, but it does need to start at least two more times....

-----------

I received $11K in my account on Wednesday morning (appointment was 1700 on Monday), but still no movement on the loan balance. Assuming they pay that off sometime soon, I should receive another $700. There's no payment due on it until late May, so I sure hope they don't sit on it that long and shaft me the additional equity I built up on the car. I'm going to inquire next Thursday if the balance is still sitting there.

andres3

Only problem discovered recently in our '15 Golf Wagon TDI is that the panoramic glass roof might be leaking a bit with all the Seattle like rains in San Diego County this last week or two. Wife thinks the one or two brown spots in the headliner near the edges are from a leaking panoramic roof since she claims she has never left the roof open during any of the rain storms. I haven't looked into it as we don't much care with the car going back in about half a month.

Another reason to avoid glass roofs in addition to this:

1) more weight up high
2) less headroom
3) another motor that could break
4) more trim and latch pieces that could break
5) a hole in a roof, always a potential leak source every time you make a hole in a roof

stickguy

Still gotta have a moonroof. Worth all the theoretical but rarely occuring possible issues. I am fine with a normal one though. Pano can be overkill.

qbrozen

i hate glass in the roof; however, very very few people will pass up a vehicle with a moonroof because they don't want it, while a far larger number will pass it up because it does NOT have one. In other words, I accept it for resale value, but I don't go out of my way either way.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

i hate glass in the roof; however, very very few people will pass up a vehicle with a moonroof because they don't want it, while a far larger number will pass it up because it does NOT have one. In other words, I accept it for resale value, but I don't go out of my way either way.

I fall into that category, I think. I chose the "Premium" trim on our Forester for two reasons: Roof rails and pano roof. I love it for the light, even though I rarely open it. Sadly, both my wife and children prefer the shade be shut, so I rarely get to enjoy it. As such, the roof option on our next car buy won't be a make or break either way.

mjfloyd1

VW settlement guy called me in early today because of weather possibilities tomorrow. I was >1300 miles over what I reported when I set up the appointment  but still got the check. $26476.73   Took 20 minutes.