Manky Monkey Motors

From the BBC News website:

copyright Reuters

German carmaker Volkswagen has been ordered by US regulators to recall half a million cars because of a device that disguises pollution levels.
The "defeat device" allows cars to pass lab testing even though they actually emit 40 times the emissions standard.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been taking a more aggressive stance on car pollution and violations of the country's Clean Air Act.
The recall could cost the carmaker up to $18bn (£11.5bn).
It affects 2009-2014 Jettas, Beetles, Audi A3s and Golfs and 2014-2015 Passats.

"Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

The illegal system allowed cars to detect when they were undergoing smog emission test and lowered the rate of pollution. Those emission controls were then turned off during ordinary use.
The state of California which assisted in the investigation has also issued a notice of violation to Volkswagen.

In 2014 the EPA fined Korean automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors $300m for misrepresenting the fuel economy in 1.2 million of their cars. That settlement is the highest to date.

Well the governments told us to all use Diesel engines ?  Every year us London cabbies did the same thing. Adjusted the diesel pump to beat the ridiculously impossibly low emissions test..then limped back to the garage to reset..back to work ?  Part of me loves what they did..( rebel in me ) but it was naughty and heads are rolling now ::)

What beats me is how VW thought they could get away with it!

They did for 5 or 6 years.
Wonders how this recall will work ?
Take the cars in and refit to meet emission standards, ruining performance, or a straight buy back and scrap the cars (or sell on to third world contries) ?
Either way £11 bn is about 1/10 th of  the current value of VW, add EPA fines and costs from other markets that will follow suit and the future does not look good at Wolfsburg.

As Loony pointed out the other day though, they're not the only company doing it & it's been common knowledge for years.

Possibly a bigger question is if they , and others not yet caught , have had to resort to cheating then maybe the targets simply aren't achievable y any other means ?

Precisely.

Or maybe it's less expensive to redesign an ECU to work in the way that they have. Under normal circumstances, when would a sold/used car be subject to a bag test (which is what must have happened here)?

Bag test? Collecting exhaust particulates in a bag?

Exactly that.
To the uneducated, that includes the press, etc., The test consists of the car with a storage device attached to the exhaust run through a rolling road test, comprising of different cycles (urban, motorway, etc.) and the resultant "bag" of gasses then analised and the results are expressed as so many grams per mile of "emissions". This where you get those figures on your V5c.
When we've had this done, at somewhere like Millbrook or other emission testing establishments, the minimum cost, for one good "pull" and the resultant report, has been about £1800. One vehicle we had done, can't remember how many "pulls", but we need it to under a certain amount and in the end  the total was nearly £25000.
So these "tests" are nothing like an MOT emission test

I have just had a call from a firm of solicitors,asking if I own a Volkswagon. Because if I do I might be able to claim TDI.

 :P

Sorry I thought it was quite good. A play on being mis sold PPI.
I'll be getting me Cloak then.

.

 ;D

I do like a tactful funny ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

I know I shouldn't laugh but I liked the piccy.  ;D

I am expecting to hear about a class action from eco owners who say they have been misold one of the affected cars on the basis it had low emissions. They now realise they have been polluting the environment more than they realised and are so alarmed/embarrassed/distressed or have been disowned by their fellow environmentalists (select one or more), that they are claiming compensation.  :-\

JJ  :)

Apparently people have been trying to claim refunds or discounts on new cars, even though their models aren't affected.
I'm sure there'll be mis sold TDI callers popping up soon.

at least the tax rate will not change for these cars but i have to wonder how many of the people who will needless to say want some compo asked what the emmisions were when buying ,not many i would guess and as it doesn't effect MPG and the tax rate won't be changing i think they should be told to sod off .... or words to that effect