Indeed. If only the population of Ludhiana would switch to nut cutlets, the place would be like a forest glade

Quite apart from all the hysteria, finger pointing and basically "throwing a dead cat on the table", surrounding the VW revelations, is the stupidity in expecting engine emissions recorded on-test to be replicated in "real-world" driving conditions.

When an engine is submitted for Type Approval emissions testing, it is tested on an engine dynamometer, programmed to replicate different drive cycles. The test is a multi-thousand stage programme and although different stages are included for different vehicle types (passenger car, commercial vehicle, bus etc), it is common and standard across different engine manufacturers. It is not there to show what actually comes from the tailpipe in "real world" application, it's there to provide a minimum standard to achieve and also to make comparisons, so that consumers can make a more informed choice.

The problem with "real world" testing is that one "real world" is never the same as another.

This whole charade is based around comparing apples with oranges

The CEO of VW US has appeared before a Congressional Committee and claimed the problem was the fault of "a couple of rogue software engineers". Absolute, total garbage.

Having worked with and for Daimler Benz, I can categorically state it is not within the German industrial culture or even the German psyche, to allow such a situation to ever occur. No software engineer would be ever allowed to make such a decision without various managers approval, probably reaching to those directly below board level, if not higher

Oh don't worry a German leader in a sector of the global market that the Americans don't dominate won't be able to get away with the same kind of lies and bull excuses that the banks were.

There aren't enough ultra wealthy Americans heavily tied up with VW for them to be given leniancy.

These "lone nuts" have a lot to answer for ...

Indeed.
Let them produce the rogues, and even if said rogues were heavily rewarded in secret to fall on their swords and cop the blame,
I bet very simple procedural checking of production processes would show quickly that they couldn't have done it unnoticed and as soon as two becomes three etc the game's up!

You conspiracy theorists should be locked up.

The software was written by Bosch who now claim they warned VW that if they installed in cars for sale then it would be illegal. You have to ask what were Bosch doing selling this cheating software in the first place? Did VW commision the project? How much did they pay for it? Who authorised it?

IMO this was a deliberate policy to cheat the system and the public and it must of had approval all the way to the top as VW sought to overtake Toyota as the No1 car producer in the world.

VW are now open to major 'class' actions for fraud among other things as they charged a premium price justified by their claims to be greener and more economic than their competitors.

But fraud is part of capitalism, it's what greed is there for, and you love capitalism QED you love greed.

Is what VW have done any different to say Coca Cola funding organisations or "research" saying sugar doesn't cause obesity or likewise the research funded by the mobile 'phone industry saying how safe it is and the suppression of research that shows otherwise? All the companies should be taken to the cleaners by governments but they won't be.

Sort of, but not quite. It would be the same as if Coca Cola lied about how much sugar was in their drinks.

Clearly, but each would appear to be trying to misinform / mislead in order to protect or enhance sales.

I agree entirely and you could of course ask where are the media stories on such things.

But I guess it's still one step, albeit a small one, away from flat out lying about what's in your product.

Just had notification that one of our vehicles (a Skoda Yeti)is affected. They are working how to rectify things as a priority! Can't see the point in rectification - if they lied about emissions then the emissions are what they are. Any fix will no doubt reduce power / performance so hopefully they won't get round to fixing it before next summer when we are due to hand it back (3 year lease).

My dads Skoda Superb is affected too.
As far as I know the "fix" shouldn't affect performance just what information is given out by the car.
From the albeit limited information I've seen I think the issue is that the software could detect when the car was being tested and alter the info given to the tester equipment.

I could be very wrong on that as my knowledge of cars extends only as far as changing a wheel and topping up the oil and screenwash.

VW officials have already said there will likely be a performance hit.

Correct. They can't get the engine performance required and pass the emissions regulations. I heard from a European colleague that in some cases they will have to change the entire engine and that they have estimated 50 billion euros as the cost to the company overall.

I am going to be very surprised if VW are the only diesel manufacturer who have done this,

Sorry but I reckon your friend is talking out of his 'arris.

I seriously doubt that any vehicle would need re-powering. A re-map of the ECU should be sufficient for every vehicle that may be affected

I feel kinda smug with my part veggie oil run B5.5 Passat estate now, I was going to trade up to a B7 140PS bluemotion but had read lots regarding all sorts of issues including poor mpg. Mine gets through the emissions test on first pass every year, is quieter than most of the newer diesels, less smokey in general & still gets within 10% of the official figures regularly, once exceeding it on a long run back along the French autoroute.
I've averaged 5k/year for the last 10 and now do less than 4,000, almost half of that is travelling up to Hull to watch matches/visiting the folks so replacing is a consideration more out of boredom of the car than a necessity.
It's a shame we are still probably a hundred years away from nuclear fusion technology

That's roughly in line with the figure quoted by the head of VW (America) when grilled by Congress. I mean, when senior corporate officials start talking about "a modest drop in performance" it's usually best to think of a number and multiply by ten.





They're all cheating the system. Sure, the methods are probably different - but in a cut-throat environment such as the automobile industry it's completely naive to think manufacturers wouldn't dream of bending or breaking the rules to gain a competitive advantage.

The real question here is WHY Volkswagen were busted in the first place. American manufacturers have been on their knees for decades. Chrysler should really have gone bust in the eighties and only exist today because the then chair, Lee Iacocca, managed to negotiate a very shady deal to supply the US military with trucks and tank parts. Both Ford & GM needed multiple transfusions of public money to stave off bankruptcy more recently.

It wouldn't surprise me if one or two have teamed up and thrown a bung at senior officials on Capitol Hill in an effort to stymie a competitor. Goes on all the time.

Sufficient for what, though? Yes it could be remapped to make the car emit the same lower level of emissions in real life driving as in the static tests - but then it will pull like a pig tied to a shed.

Do you think that VW's sales will be affected much? I understand that many people will have bought a diesel VW, swayed by the engine stats, better mpg, lower road tax, but do the majority of the car buying public really care much about carbon emissions? If they did they would stick to their old car. The environmental impact of building a new car must be greater than the exhaust fumes coming from the car you already own. Think about the mining/manufacture of the metals, all the plastic that goes into it, parts and materials shipped from the other side of the globe.

Yes but most people are thick sheep. They buy into the cynical use of the term "green" by all sorts of businesses. Businesses that promote their green credentials are generally unethical in my opinion.

I see VW sales are reported as down for the last month. Mind Vauxhall sales are down even more. What will interest me is how have sales of Diesel cars gone.
I feel people are starting to rethink the type of vehicle they want to buy.
These Diesel Particulate Filters fitted to the modern diesel, are nothing but a nuisance, Why people who only potter around are sold Diesels amazes me. It is just greed on the part of salesmen, keen to sell whatever.
It is interesting to read that Ford are bringing out Petrol vans in the near future, a sensible move.
The days of the diesel are numbered. They say that Diesel powered vehicles will have to pay a higher London Congestion Charge in the near future and some London Boroughs will make Diesels owners pay a Surcharge on parking fees.
It is said that Londons Oxford St is one of the most polluted roads in the world, due to poor air flow and its almost exclusive use by slow moving Diesel vehicles. Taxis and Buses.
Another interesting point is Frances changing attitude to Diesel vehicles. Renault and Peugeot/Citroen, encouraged in the Sixties by the French government developed very successful small Diesel engines. Over time these caught on, due to fuel economy, DERV was cheaper too and later its claimed environmental benefits. Now after tests where Paris banned cars for several weekends, A ban on diesel cars in Paris is a real possibility.

Cities are starting to ban personal motorvehicles from coming into central parts, Bogota bans all vehicles for 7 hours every single Sunday and national holidays, car free days are springing up everywhere. Oslo is planning to be completely car free, Vaxjo in Sweden wants to be free of fossil fuels by 2030, many towns in Switzerland already have complete bans on motorvehicles.
The UK is so far behind with integrated transport solutions and encouraging cycling/walking never mind better public transport, people are too tied to their cars/fossil fuels and won't change, 30,000 (official though closer to 60k) deaths in the UK due to pollution won't be dropping anytime soon that's for sure
All the while people are getting fatter and putting massive pressure on the NHS/taxpayer.
Something has to change but it won't under the current government nor Labour either.