Will DieselGate be the end of VW/Audi tuning?  Diesel tuning in general- no more coal rolling?

"highmodulus" (highmodulus) 09/23/2015 at 14:19 • Filed to: None

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In the past, modifying VWs and Audis was a relatively simple process. Given the scrutiny of the code, will regulators make VW/Audi encrypt and lock the code in their cars to ensure customers cannot undo the MPG sapping fix VW will have to implement.

Will regulators require all diesel manufactors to do the same to end emissions control circumvention which is rather common to eliminate Urea systems on one end, or Coal Rolling Bro Trucks on the other.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:21

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Wait. Couldn’t you just put in an aftermarket ECU?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:26

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Well, the EPA already banned the practice of “rolling coal”.

if people swap the entire ECU instead of just flashing it, there’s nothing they can do. Especially if there’s no state inspection.

dogisbadob > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:29

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VW is one of the easiest to modify, given the relatively attainable VAG-COM.

highmodulus > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/23/2015 at 14:36

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Not sure there is “nothing” they could do. Between encryption and making the car check for the proper coded ECU it shouldn’t be too hard to block. Given how badly VW screwed up- I imagine they will agree to nearly anything at this point.

Cetain engines are nearly impossible to mod- be interesting to see if the fall out of this is that VW/Audi joins them.

highmodulus > dogisbadob 09/23/2015 at 14:38

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Yeah, that and Cobb access ports are tuning 101. I wonder if that changes going forward due to regulators demands that the fixes be permanant.

spanfucker retire bitch > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:43

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You postulate the opposite of what Ars wrote an article a couple of days ago, and that is, if the government can’t even trust the car companies to properly write their code and program their ECUs, then what on basis do the car companies have to try and abuse the DMCA to lock people out from modifying their ECUs in the vehicles that they own.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:52

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Impossible to mod or just more difficult?

It always depends on how badly someone wants to do it, or more importantly how badly the consumer wants it.

kanadanmajava1 > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 14:55

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In Finland it is illegal to modify engine of any “low emission” vehicle (passenger cars made after ~1990 and other vehicles a bit later). The only exception is going through full type approval equivalent emission testing that costs ~€2500 ($3000). Some minor modifications are overlooked (free flow air filter, blue hoses, etc) but most tuner cars are at least partially illegal here.

It seems that in the next year the year limit will be moved to “OBD era” so modifying engines up to year models 2001 could become legal (or at least easier).

Sportwägen, Driver Of The Red Sportwagen > dogisbadob 09/23/2015 at 14:57

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The problem is that from the beginning of the CR engine series VW had the ECUs locked (you couldn’t tune them via the OBD2 port). In order for aftermarket tunes to be used, you have to open up and bench flash the ECU using a special software.

jariten1781 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/23/2015 at 15:01

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Unless things have changed since I last looked, swapping ECUs on a VW is a big ol bag of dicks. Not trivial nor cheap.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 15:02

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I doubt it, VW itself was modifying the software to defeat EPA testing, not individual tuners.

highmodulus > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/23/2015 at 15:03

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True, but but make it hard enough (or costly enough) and that eliminates the majority. Plus messing with encyrption brings DCMA concerns.

highmodulus > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 09/23/2015 at 15:05

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Two birds with one stone? Fix the cirumvention and ensure 3rd parties can’t undo it.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 15:13

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But how does it fix the first problem? The EPA isn’t the ones handing VW ECU’s, so it doesn’t solve the problem that VW was running tricky code. Also, just look at FCA to see how much locked ECU’s stopped tuners: where there’s a will there’s a piggyback ECU.

The EPA is pissed because VW knowingly cheated the test, not because some vdub tuner flashed some ECU’s.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 15:26

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I can only hope it eliminates bro-dozers. Although I am happy to note at least in my state (don’t know how many others) it is now illegal to do so. http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/13/rol…

I would imagine that there will still be a way around whatever systems the manufacturers put in place.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > jariten1781 09/23/2015 at 15:33

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all about how bad the consumer wants it (and how many of them want it).

If it’s enough people wanting the mod, a market appears for it and it’ll be supported. I’m not saying it’ll be cheap or easy, just that it’ll happen.

jariten1781 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 09/23/2015 at 15:44

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That’s true in abstract, but for light-duty diesels there’s certainly a a cost/difficulty breaking point.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 15:46

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Well and that’s fine, but they’ll never get rid of all of it.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > highmodulus 09/23/2015 at 17:47

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Normally I’d question the idea of people tuning diesels but I’ve seen a TDI Golf doing well on a track day once... What a strange world.