Volkswagen of America is offering owners of diesel models affected by VW’s ongoing emissions-control scandal a “Goodwill Package” consisting of a $500 pre-paid Visa card that can be used for anything, another $500 pre-paid card that can be used at VW dealerships, plus three years of roadside assistance at no charge.
The Volkswagen Prepaid Visa Loyalty Cards, which can be used anywhere Visa cars are accepted, are issued by MetaBank and licensed by Visa U.S.A. Inc., according to VW. Customers have until April 30, 2016 to accept the offer. To register their cards, customers must visit a VW dealership and confirm ownership. The cards expire after one year.
On Sept. 18, the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board said vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter diesel engines in some VW and Audi models were equipped with a “defeat device” that turned off emissions control equipment except when the engines were plugged into emissions testing equipment. VW admitted that was the case. The EPA said that “notice of violation” covered roughly 482,000 diesel passenger cars sold in the United States since 2008.
On Nov. 2, the EPA issued a second notice that included more than 10,000 3.0-liter diesel engines used in certain VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles.
