Volkswagen did a number on itself as a company when it decided to create the biggest net of lies in automotive history. After a $14.7-billion settlement and who knows how many corporate changes, Volkswagen is now in the process of cleaning up this ridiculous mess it made. One of the problems it’s in the process of trying to solve is how to fix the 85,000 Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche models in the U.S. that are equipped with the 3.0-liter diesel. It’s a small number compared to the near-half million other diesel vehicles affected by this scandal, but this specific engine is getting a lot of attention as VW tries to get out of fixing the models as cheaply as possible.

In fact, Volkswagen has just supplied a proposed fix for the 3.0-liter. The statement sent by Volkswagen – which is supposed to detail how it plans to fix the affected cars, how the fix will work, how it will affect the car’s drivability and durability – fell far short of expectations set forth by CARB and the EPA. According to USA Today, a letter sent from CARB and the EPA to the Volkswagen Group said, “VW's and Audi's submissions are incomplete, substantially deficient, and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements to return those vehicles to the claimed certified configuration.” A similar notice was reportedly sent to Porsche as well.

For the record, this isn’t the first time CARB has rejected VW’s statements. Back in February, the firm was supposed to specifically outline how the vehicles affected by this scandal didn’t meet the requirements of the law. That statement was rejected as well, falling short of the requirements set forth by the agency. Volkswagen has released a statement claiming the rejection was “a procedural step” and that it will “continue to work closely” with the board and the EPA to come up a resolution.

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Why it Matters

At this point, it is starting to get ridiculous. VW is clearly being subpar in an attempt to get CARB and EPA approval, and apparently, it hasn’t figured out that it isn’t going to work. In case you didn’t get the memo, VW, your integrity is shot and NOBODY trust’s you anymore. That said, quit being lazy, put together a good, solid fix, and supply the CARB and the EPA with a detailed and accurate report that contains all the data and information they want. There is no easy workaround for the problem created, and this laziness is simply prolonging the issue.

Furthermore, VW has been caught, yet again, trying to weasel its way out of this situation as easily as possible and calling it a “procedural step” isn’t hiding that. Rejection is only a procedural step if you didn’t comply with what CARB and the EPA wanted. I bet the statement wouldn’t have been rejected if the statement was supplied as requested. At this point, I’m starting to wonder if VW is simply trying to buy time because it doesn’t know how to implement a fix without affecting the performance and durability of the cars.

What do you think? Is VW playing games and trying to get off easy? Let us know in the comments section below.