Volkswagen diesel owners consider options after testing scandal

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) -- Though the Volkswagen diesel scandal is still revealing itself, millions of owners worldwide will soon see what will happen to them.

Lisa Lowrance is one of 480,000 Americans who own a Volkswagen diesel. Her anger is palpable.

"I think what they were doing was really, really bad. It was diabolical, it's evil thinking. It was intentional. It was deliberate.  It was a deceit on the greatest level. All of their advertising claimed it was clean diesel, eco-friendly.  It was a complete fraud," said Lowrance.

Since all the diesel VW Jettas, Beetles, Golfs, Passats and Audi A3s are violating emission standards, KTVUe asked the state what an owner's options might be.

"If you have a Volkswagen vehicle and you get a notice that you are required to have it smog checked to renew your registration, go ahead and do that as normal," said Jaime Garza of the California Department of Motor Vehicles.             

But soon, a formal recall will be issued, one an owner had better not ignore.

"What we are urging Volkswagen owners to do is to check their mail closely to look for any correspondence that they may receive from the manufacturer," said Garza.

The California Air Resources Board says that 6 months after the launch of a recall, VW must supply the vehicle identification numbers from those cars that have not had the recall completed.  These cars will be flagged by DMV and their owners will not be allowed to register the vehicle until the recall is performed. 

What will the recall be? 

"As far as I know, what may need to be changed is the software. How the software in the car is telling the some equipment to operate," said John Bartunek, owner of San Francisco's Union Garage and Smog Check Station.

So VW owners will have to either fix it or park it. But Bartunek says his customers seem to want to exercise another option,

"My feeling is, they want to jump ship and get rid of the car if it's a problem," explained Bartunek

"I thought this was incredible and then I felt betrayed. And then heartbroken, because I loved this car," lamented Lowrance.

The head rolling at VW has only just begun and like owners, dealers and their employees are caught in the middle.