It is generally known that Volkswagen is enduring a real nightmare as it tries to restore customer trust and confidence amidst a salacious corporate scandal over diesel emissions.
VW is currently trying to figure out how it will fix the 11 million cars affected in its diesel debacle, with options ranging from simple software updates to outright replacing vehicles.
Fully replacing vehicles is an extreme measure, but not one that’s off the table. Although fixes will depend on the Volkswagen diesel model in question, there are a few possible options. Changes could be as simple and cheap as €22 ($20), or as pricey as €10,000 ($11,266). Some of these include a larger catalytic converters for the smaller engines, or more frequent urea fill-ups for the larger 2.0-liter diesels.
VW still has not said how or if these fixes will affect fuel economy and performance. And although the defeat devices were designed to beat U.S. emissions tests, the software included on the European cars (which constitute the bulk of diesels VW has sold) may not have ever been activated. Newer Volkswagen diesels are engineered for Euro 6 emissions standards, whereas the affected EA 189 diesels from 2007-2015 are made to meet older Euro 5 standards.