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Kiwi fixes imminent

Posted on 09 February, 2016

Volkswagen recalls for vehicles in New Zealand affected by the emissions-cheating scandal will start next week with the Amarok being the first model to be called back. The fixes will take less than an hour to complete at dealerships with an update to the ute’s software. Tom Ruddenklau, general manager of Volkswagen NZ, says dealerships will have loan vehicles available for customers. He adds the marque will invite owners to drop their cars off at agreed times or get updates at the next vehicle service. The update will not affect the Amarok’s performance, economy or “acoustic properties” of the ute. Ruddenklau says the call backs will take “the best part of a year” to complete. “In that regard this will all probably be no different to any other recall”. He adds that the emissions-cheating scandal has “been one big, rattling experience overall” and adds while Volkswagen is “going all out” to fix affected cars, “we can’t assume our customers will continue to buy our product”. However, he says one upside of the scandal is that “all of this has been a major learning experience for us”.