Another important step in the Volkswagen emissions scandal has been reached with the preliminary approval of the 2.0L TDI Settlement Program.

Effectively, this means that US District Court Judge Charles Breyer has looked over the settlement that Volkswagen and government regulators agreed to last month and thinks that it is fair, reasonable, and adequate.

There are a few more steps to go before this saga ends, but the next big one happens in the fall when the agreement goes back to court for final approval. At that time, the agreement will be looked over with a fine tooth comb and the final judgment on its validity will laid down.

Following the final approval, Volkswagen says it will begin with the settlement program immediately.

The settlement that Volkswagen agreed to will amount to about $15 billion and involves a $5,000-$10,000 for the owners of the TDIs that were involved in the scandal, as well as an option to have their car fixed or bought back at pre-scandal prices.

As it stands, there is no approved fix for the 2.0L TDI engine, so VW would have to buy back all of the roughly half a million TDI vehicles included in the settlement. A VW executive, though, told dealers earlier this month that the automaker is testing a solution that it believes will fix the TDI vehicles. If approved, it could save VW billions of dollars.

Visit www.VWCourtSettlement.com to read more about the agreement and to find out if your car is included in it.