I’ll admit I don’t know the rules - though I’ve seen competitors towed.

So: They knew there would be a penalty - but were surprised at outright disqualification.

Hmmm... VW made the engine, not Porsche. Are there legal/other implications of Porsche developing a fix separately from VW?

BTW: Looks like a mid-70's Ford Torino (or corporate twin Mercury Montego).

Awesome! Pascal helped teach me the importance of logical code structure, something that’s an afterthought in many other languages.

My family had a ‘75 or ‘76 Vega Kammback. It was purchased used, right before one of the late 70's oil price shocks hit - and my father was pleased that it was worth more than he paid for it just a few months after purchase. As a new driver, I recall that the manual transmission made it fun to drive, though it was far…

I’ve heard of people changing engine oil - and only changing the oil filter every other oil change - but this is the first time I’ve seen it as a factory recommended practice. And a 7500 mile oil change interval, with 1970's oil? This helps explain why Vega engines didn’t last long (as if a non-lined aluminum block…

Hmmmm... Are Fiat models allowed in the “Chrysler Only” area, or is the corporate umbrella not that large for this lot?

Maybe Demuro got a “bumper-to-bumper unlimited mileage warrranty” on a Lambo and didn’t tell us yet...

Interesting. I wonder if there’s been a situation in CA where a retrofit wasn’t available for a truck model - yet the fleet owner wanted to keep using it. What enforcement mechanism would they use? Would the same approach work for personally-owned vehicles? We may find out soon...

And - in places like California - this could become an interesting issue if VW opts to not develop a remedy for some TDI models/years, and many of those owners don’t take the buyback - and decide to keep driving.

This was the question I wanted to ask. And, more to the point: Can owners be *forced* to turn in non-compliant TDI’s? Yeah, this would require government involvement...

Very sad. I’m a fan of the Dakar - and it’s always been a dangerous event, both for competitors and sometimes even spectators.

<sssiiigghhh> I - and many others - look forward to the day when the political situation in Africa allows the rally to return to the desperately difficult terrain for which the event is famous. Until then, I celebrate that the event lives on in a different location that thankfully offers a challenge worth of the name.

Don’t forget that the Dakar starts this weekend!

I suspect the basic lease *cost* is covered by the dealer - but the lease terms must be agreed to by the buyer - who would be responsible for all the additional fees hidden in the fine print. The dealer isn’t interested in taking a loss...

> ...this two-wheeled demon is just about useless.

Doug - As a Ford Windstar owner: I can at least note that you’d have plenty to write about during a year of Windstar ownership...

Already covered earlier. Yeah, he looked. No, it wasn’t there...

The driver is from Gonzales, Texas. The hotel he drove through is in Alva, Oklahoma (yeah, that info is kind of tucked away in the first paragraph of the article).