Photo: Tacoboutnachos on Reddit
It's hard to imagine how the Volkswagen owners affected by the Dieselgate scandal must have felt, but it's becoming increasingly clear that at least some of them are looking to make the most of the situation.
Volkswagen has reached an agreement, one that would cost the company a staggering $14.7 billion, and that's without factoring in the long-term damage done to the brand's image which could amount to even more than that.
As part of this settlement, the German carmaker will have to offer buybacks to the owners of TDI cars that featured the infamous defeat device. That means nearly 500,000 people who bought diesel Volkswagens will be expected to return their vehicles in exchange for a very convenient refund.
Well, those probably last-time VW owners are looking to get even more out of the deal. Thanks to some pretty ambiguous terms on Volkswagen's part, it seems like the cars can be returned in a rather precarious state.
Volkswagen is much more worried not to get conned (hilarious, right?) by people who bought the cars for nothing after the scandal broke out with the refund in mind than the actual condition of the cars it'll buy. That's why the only real condition is that the vehicle is branded 'operable' and that it can drive using its 2.0-liter TDI engine.
Naturally, Volkswagen forums in the US are now brimming with questions asking what can and can not be taken off the car before having it returned. Expect a lot of cheap VW parts and accessories to pop up on the used market in the following months, which is very good news if you have an older gasoline-powered Golf, Jetta or Passat.
Anything from the more obvious floor mats to bumpers, headlights or sound systems is subject to removal - your imagination is the only real limit here. These people can really take advantage of their victim status, and some of them appear to be quite masterful at it.
Volkswagen won't complain, and the reasons are twofold. For starters, is the German company really in a position to cry wolf? Its intention is to put the whole Dieselgate thing behind it as quickly as possible, and if that means buying a few stripped cars, then so be it.
Then, it's not like Volkswagen can actually do anything with the cars if they were in one piece. They're likely heading off to the scrapper anyway, and last we checked the crusher doesn't care whether its prey has headlights or not.
As part of this settlement, the German carmaker will have to offer buybacks to the owners of TDI cars that featured the infamous defeat device. That means nearly 500,000 people who bought diesel Volkswagens will be expected to return their vehicles in exchange for a very convenient refund.
Well, those probably last-time VW owners are looking to get even more out of the deal. Thanks to some pretty ambiguous terms on Volkswagen's part, it seems like the cars can be returned in a rather precarious state.
Volkswagen is much more worried not to get conned (hilarious, right?) by people who bought the cars for nothing after the scandal broke out with the refund in mind than the actual condition of the cars it'll buy. That's why the only real condition is that the vehicle is branded 'operable' and that it can drive using its 2.0-liter TDI engine.
Naturally, Volkswagen forums in the US are now brimming with questions asking what can and can not be taken off the car before having it returned. Expect a lot of cheap VW parts and accessories to pop up on the used market in the following months, which is very good news if you have an older gasoline-powered Golf, Jetta or Passat.
Anything from the more obvious floor mats to bumpers, headlights or sound systems is subject to removal - your imagination is the only real limit here. These people can really take advantage of their victim status, and some of them appear to be quite masterful at it.
Volkswagen won't complain, and the reasons are twofold. For starters, is the German company really in a position to cry wolf? Its intention is to put the whole Dieselgate thing behind it as quickly as possible, and if that means buying a few stripped cars, then so be it.
Then, it's not like Volkswagen can actually do anything with the cars if they were in one piece. They're likely heading off to the scrapper anyway, and last we checked the crusher doesn't care whether its prey has headlights or not.
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