VW deal doesn’t fix deeper problems in emissions testing

German carmaker Volkswagen agreed Thursday to buy back or fix almost half a million cars in the US that it rigged to cheat on emissions test.
The framework deal allows owners to choose whether they’d like their cars to be purchased by the carmaker or fixed, but details of the deal between the carmaker and US regulators, including buyback prices, won’t be finalized for several weeks.
Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book, said regulators sent a clear message to car makers today.  
“Don’t mess with the government,” she said.  
Compensation for car owners from VW is expected to reach more than a billion dollars.
Fees for environmental clean-up and a fund to promote green automotive technology that haven’t been set yet will push the price tag of dieselgate much higher.   
“This is a pretty substantial financial impact for Volkswagen,” Lindland said. “So I think if this is the new levels that these fines hold, then I think it could provide a significant deterrent to manuf