DUEBENDORF, Switzerland, March 15 (Reuters) - Engineers working to tackle carcinogenic pollution from cars have developed cheap and simple devices to test the effectiveness of particle filters, which could help take toxic vehicles off roads without resorting to blanket bans. Municipalities across Europe are struggling to find ways to meet new clean air rules without having to invest billions in electric vehicle infrastructure or banning diesel vehicles altogether. Regulators also need to find inexpensive ways to measure real-world emissions without installing costly equipment. Engineers have now come up with simple, hand-held, battery-powered tools to check within minutes whether cars at low idle speeds have particle filters that work. 9,060), making them affordable for police and garages that do emissions inspections. The new measuring devices will start rolling out in Europe this year for mandatory tests and could help improve diesel engines' reputation after scandals over carmakers' use of illegal defeat devices to manipulate exhaust emission tests.
Some German cities have banned diesel cars, primarily to limit harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. However particulates also kill 5 million people a year globally, Andreas Mayer, director of engineering group VERT's scientific committee, told Reuters on the sidelines of the group's annual meeting. The more than 100 million particle filters in use on European roads can, if they work properly, make vehicles' exhaust less toxic than the ambient air cars burn. The problem comes when ceramic filters crack or get plugged with soot, sometimes prompting mechanics to remove or alter them in an improper fix to boost engine power. Made by a dozen European companies, the new testing devices will initially be rolled out in the Netherlands and Belgium and eventually spread to all of Europe, Mayer said. The harmful impact of NOx emissions and fine particulate matter were for years ignored by European regulators until Volkswagen was caught masking excessive pollution levels in cars it sold in the United States. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing Volkswagen and its former chief executive Martin Winterkorn over the scandal, accusing the company of perpetrating a "massive fraud" on U.S. The fraud caught the eye of European regulators, who had focused mainly on carbon dioxide emissions. He noticed other carmakers used more sophisticated emissions filters. Together with colleagues he rented a VW Jetta station wagon without knowing that their findings would change the auto industry forever. Besch needed to measure the VW's pollution levels under laboratory conditions, so he turned to California's Air Resources Board (CARB), which would later help blow the whistle on the "Dieselgate" scandal. The rented Volkswagen passed the laboratory test at CARB's facility, but behaved very differently on the road, Besch said. Besch told Reuters. NOx pollution drops once catalytic converters warm up, but the VW's levels were more than 30 times the legal limit, Besch's data showed.
When I bought my vehicle it had under 10 miles. It did not have this issue until I put on just over 100 miles. The patch is more of a mask than a fix. V w also has had many transmission seal leaks, I suspect that the vibration the torque converter produces is the cause. I have noticed very regularly that there is a grinding noise coming from the torque converter when driving between 4th and 5th gears specifically in eco mode with this vehicle. I have repeated steps to reproduce the issue very time when using the shiftronic mode in the vehicle as well. This problem is not only distracting, but could also be an issue that leads to mechanical problems in the future to the transmission which leads to lowered resale value. 2019 vw Jetta s grinding/rattling/groaning noise from the torque converter. When I brought the car in for the 10,000 service, I told the service manager that the transmission was making grinding and groaning noises. There is an issue with the torque converter in the 2019 Jettas (automatic). When driving in low rpm's, there is a loud grinding sound coming from this area. This affects drive-ability, as you need to drive more aggressively to eliminate the sound. There also are multiple reports of transmission fluid leaks. These issues are on brand-new models of this vehicle.
The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S trim skips the 鈥渆ntry level鈥?stereotype. Similar to the 2018 model, the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T SE comes standard with an 8-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic®. The SE trim features the same engine as the S trim, but with a Start-Stop System that may appeal to certain drivers. The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S comes standard with power-operated side mirrors for increased visibility. The available option of heated side mirrors helps during frosty mornings or snowy road conditions. The exterior includes automatic LED headlights (not standard on competing models like the Honda Civic) with LED Daytime Running Lights, as well as LED tail lights. The vehicle even include LED lighting over the license plate. The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T S wouldn鈥檛 be complete without sleek 16鈥?Rama alloy wheels that are ready to hit the road. The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T SE features the same power-operated heated side mirrors as the S trim.
