Bad news for anyone with VW turbos who has been affected by Volkswagen’s attempts to fiddle the facts regarding diesel emissions by fitting nearly half a million cars with devices that fooled regulators into believing that the cars were less polluting.
It has now emerged that the company will not be paying out any compensation to drivers in the UK (some 1.2 million were affected by the rigging). Instead, they have been issued with an apology and a promise to have their vehicles fixed, the Financial Time reports.
In the US, however, a civil lawsuit was filed by the Department of Justice and at least $1,000 in compensation has now been promised to each motorist in the form of a gift card.
UK managing director of VW Paul Willis explained that in order to pay out compensation, there has to be a loss first. Engineers have since informed him that once the cars in question have been repaired, no negative effect would be seen on second-hand car values, driveability or fuel consumption.
“However, we do need to regain the trust of our customers, which is why we are going to fix the vehicles,” he remarked, going on to add that “unfortunately the US is a very different situation”.
This comes as US regulators rejected Volkswagen’s plans to recall the diesel cars that had been fitted with the devices, with the California Air Resources Board saying that the proposals did not address the impact on emissions, safety and vehicle performance adequately or in a timely enough fashion.
How long do you wait before you take your VW turbos to the garage to be checked over if you think there’s a problem? According to new research, 21 per cent of drivers wait half a year or more before they have any issues checked out, while 12 per cent will actually drive in a vehicle that’s been having problems for up to a year.
Conducted by BookMyGarage.com, the survey also found that more than a quarter of people will miss their annual service, with the most commonly ignored problems emerging as illuminated engine management lights and worn wheel bearings, the Daily Express reports.
Although these are relatively inexpensive to have fixed, if drivers wait the delay could see the bill increase as more damage is incurred.
Director of BookMyGarage.com Karen Rotberg was quoted as saying: “Drivers are not only putting their cars at risk of further damage, caused by existing problems worsening over time, which is likely to result in more significant bills, but in some cases they will be putting themselves, their loved ones and other road users in serious danger.”
By having your car serviced every year, you are more likely to catch any problems early on – which means they’ll be easier to fix. Furthermore, a car that is well maintained is much more efficient so you’ll find that you save cash on fuel into the bargain. When you buy a new car, make sure you read through the service manual as this will tell you how often the motor needs servicing and how often tasks like oil changes should be carried out.
