Some of the 2.0's, like my ‘12 Passat, have Urea too. The software simply doesn’t turn the system on. That makes a tank that should last ~7500 miles go 15,000 miles.

It doesn’t work like that. While in cheat mode other emissions systems are turned off, like DPF regeneration. If it were as simple as flipping a switch VW would have done it last year!

Jason, I like the way modern VWs handle this. The gauge faces and gauge needles are lit during the day. There is a light sensor built into the speedo face. If the cluster sees that it’s dark out and you haven’t turned on the lights it shuts the face illumination off, leaving just the needles. The lit needles stick out…

“Intentionally putting your car in the grass in a Lemons race needs to be encouraged for mechanical failures, not punished.”
The best we can do is learn from our mistakes. Have you brought this up with Jay?

Mercedes has done this for a while on their cars... I guess I don’t have a problem with it. Plus not using the whole battery will help its health.

Very often the SRS system is not fused. Unplugging the airbag itself is the best bet, and also leaves systems like the seatbelt tensioners working.

Quality from A to Z!

There aren’t many of these cars left, and I’d venture that in 20 years they would be somewhat collectable. They are AMC’s last effort after all, and had a number of technical innovations in them including the first US car with complex reflector headlights, the 4 speed automatic, and torsion bar rear suspension.
Parts…

I recall VW, Mercedes, and Volvo getting tagged by the EPA in the 70s for a thermal switch they installed on the EGR system, which would keep it turned off at low engine temperatures. They classified this as defeat defeat device and forced a recall to remove it.

They recalled Audi 5000s....

I’d say you miss out on the deal, just like if you had sold your car before the $1000 loyalty cards came out last year.

When I bought my Mercedes the PO still owed some money on it. We both went to her bank, gave them the cashier’s check from my bank, and they gave me the title.

One important thing to note is that the stock photo here is a USA Passat which has AdBlue for dealing with NOx. The Euro Passats are a totally different car and have an emissions system like the 09-14 Jettas... no AdBlue.

For the trunk vs hatch debate, look here:

Just what I was thinking.

If you aren’t getting the product on launch day I’d think it would be like walking into the Apple store, asking for a specific machine, and walking out with a lighter wallet. The last time I did that it took 15 minutes.

The #dieselgate thread on TDIClub is a real shitshow.

I spotted a similar little switch in the footwell of the VW Passat “Performance Concept” at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. I presume it was turned off to disable some things while the car was on display?

Actually, that stereo probably *is* connected to the ECU and the ABS. It just has no links to the outside world.
Radio systems have sat on some sort of CAN bus for years. VW has been doing it since 2004. Power windows went on the CAN in 1998!

Exactly, they can’t run the dyno call all the time because the DPF would soot up. However, once the DPF reaches a certain soot loading it will go back to cheat mode.