Volkswagen's First Stab A Diesel Fix Flunks Out According To Consumer Group

Volkswagen's First Stab A Diesel Fix Flunks Out According To Consumer Group
It’s a bit of a slap in the face when someone promises to fix a problem and instead makes it a lot worse. But according to Italian consumer group Altroconsumo, that’s exactly what Volkswagen has just done. Soon after it escaped being fined by the German government for the diesel scandal on the one condition that it had to fix customer cars, VW began the process of righting its wrongs. To do so, it updated the software on its 1.2-liter and 2.0-liter diesel engines.
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MDarringerMDarringer - 7/11/2016 3:34:51 PM
+1 Boost
European owners deserve to be compensated like American owners pure and simple.


Agent009Agent009 - 7/11/2016 3:44:09 PM
+5 Boost
The only reason that US owners got the big payout is the US laws are so easy to sue under. From what I gather it is much harder to sue in the EU therefore VW doesn't have to jump through hoops to settle.

They are simply oiling the squeaky wheel.


MDarringerMDarringer - 7/11/2016 4:45:01 PM
+1 Boost
And by that logic you're in effect arguing that it's OK for VW to screw Europe--I know you're not--but that response that I've seen several times essentially says that.




quizzquizz - 7/13/2016 6:22:30 PM
+1 Boost
More to the point, under U.S. law, it is CRIMINAL - in other words, VW executives do not want to be extradited to Club Fed, and that's why they are willing to pay whatever is necessary to avoid jail time. Europe on the other hand is more reasonable and considers this reckless civil violations at worst, not criminal. The U.S. has a global reputation for over criminalizing everything. For example, this week the courts ruled that it's a criminal violation to share your Netflix password:

https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/11/a-court-ruled-that-it-could-be-a-federal-crime-to-share-your-netflix-password/



MDarringerMDarringer - 7/13/2016 7:25:40 PM
+1 Boost
@quizz I'd rather be under US law than European law where a big company like VW can rape consumers and the governments do a high five to the criminal corporation.


carloslassitercarloslassiter - 7/11/2016 6:29:16 PM
+3 Boost
What company will benefit most from the void left by a defunct VW?


MDarringerMDarringer - 7/11/2016 7:04:23 PM
+1 Boost
Hyundai/Kia, Ford, Toyota....


TheSteveTheSteve - 7/11/2016 7:23:56 PM
+1 Boost
The article states: "...When Altroconsumo tested a “fixed” Audi Q5 that had its cheat devices removed, it found that the diesel spewed 25% more NOx gases than a cheating engine..."

The article does not state under what conditions the "fixed" vehicle had higher emissions. I *assume* that the "fix" allowed the vehicle to pass an in-lab-only emission test (which is all it must do according to existing laws) but it is even more polluting outside of the lab when used in real-world conditions (where there are no laws governing emissions).

This is an example of a law that was created with the *intent* of reducing pollutants in the environment, but which actually just results in clean emissions within a lab, while doing nothing for actual, real-world use. Personally, I feel it's time to revisit existing emission laws.
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