I know I should be concerned for the future of our Country and our World, what with being a father and an Uncle and all the hopes and fears those roles bring.
But right now I just want to Catch a Break.
Like, just a few days ago I was seriously considering chucking in my pre-millenium VW Diesel, which although it gets 45 mpg religiously, has basically devolved into a disintegrating mass of metal and plastic and is now slightly embarrassing to be seen in. I mean, I lost the front cupholder 5 years ago and my kids destroyed the rear one sometime in the year '00.
So there I was looking at leasing or buying a new generation 'clean diesel' from the company that has come to mean diesel cars to me - Volkswagen.
Just as I was circling in on a decision of which model to haggle for, the news about VW's cheating on emissions testing came out. On their diesel cars, it appears they installed software that could detect when testing was happening and lean out the motor to clean up the emissions, then revert back to normal operation at all other times, meaning the 'clean' diesel was actually significantly dirtier than testing showed, at least for some forms of emissions associated mainly with diesel motors.
Now, I know these diesels are not as clean in certain forms of pollutants as modern gas-engined cars, but they emit far less carbon dioxide and you'll never see one (that isn't seriously broken) coughing out black smoke, unlike the old days when following behind a diesel going uphill would give you a basic grounding in smoke-screening.
So, I wasn't deterred by the VW news.
But then they stop selling all diesels in the US. Gone, none, nada ...
Give Me a Break!
Who knows how long it will take to get these things fixed and back on the shop floor. And when they are fixed how will they run if they have to operate all the time in the right mode for low emissions?
I guess I'll have to invest in my old diesel from the last millennium, then, but I priced those cupholders and they are $200 plus for a few bits of plastic and a spring. (Give Me a Break)
But right now I just want to Catch a Break.
Like, just a few days ago I was seriously considering chucking in my pre-millenium VW Diesel, which although it gets 45 mpg religiously, has basically devolved into a disintegrating mass of metal and plastic and is now slightly embarrassing to be seen in. I mean, I lost the front cupholder 5 years ago and my kids destroyed the rear one sometime in the year '00.
So there I was looking at leasing or buying a new generation 'clean diesel' from the company that has come to mean diesel cars to me - Volkswagen.
Just as I was circling in on a decision of which model to haggle for, the news about VW's cheating on emissions testing came out. On their diesel cars, it appears they installed software that could detect when testing was happening and lean out the motor to clean up the emissions, then revert back to normal operation at all other times, meaning the 'clean' diesel was actually significantly dirtier than testing showed, at least for some forms of emissions associated mainly with diesel motors.
Now, I know these diesels are not as clean in certain forms of pollutants as modern gas-engined cars, but they emit far less carbon dioxide and you'll never see one (that isn't seriously broken) coughing out black smoke, unlike the old days when following behind a diesel going uphill would give you a basic grounding in smoke-screening.
So, I wasn't deterred by the VW news.
But then they stop selling all diesels in the US. Gone, none, nada ...
Give Me a Break!
Who knows how long it will take to get these things fixed and back on the shop floor. And when they are fixed how will they run if they have to operate all the time in the right mode for low emissions?
I guess I'll have to invest in my old diesel from the last millennium, then, but I priced those cupholders and they are $200 plus for a few bits of plastic and a spring. (Give Me a Break)
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