mind you Kia/Hyundai are doing this to.
But then they are making a good quality product which they stand by, their warranty confirms this.
You get what you pay for at the end of the day - Toyota are another which this can be applied to.
mind you Kia/Hyundai are doing this to.
More money for the dealers to replace them!
But then they are making a good quality product which they stand by, their warranty confirms this.
You get what you pay for at the end of the day - Toyota are another which this can be applied to.
Although Tbf I feel as VAG is a window into a dystopian future where you enter a dealer showing "brand new cars for 3995" then upon entering find that's just for a bodyshell and running gear , doors and trim falls under "special order items" to allow you to benefit from full customisation obviously not so they can gouge you for every penny.
Although Tbf I feel as VAG is a window into a dystopian future where you enter a dealer showing "brand new cars for 3995" then upon entering find that's just for a bodyshell and running gear , doors and trim falls under "special order items" to allow you to benefit from full customisation obviously not so they can gouge you for every penny.
If VAG turn out to be the only one of the major manufacturers who has chosen to fit software that deliberately manipulates the emissions in test situations (whether it is Co2, Nox it doesn't matter) then they are going to need all their PR skills to turn things round .
Some of you guys will probably laugh at this, but back in the early 80's the UK was out of step with Europe - particularly France who bought a lot more diesels than we did, and pressure started on our manufacturers and Government to follow their lead, but many in the industry said that it was the wrong way to go, as although they could be made more economical, they would struggle to make them "clean".
Also at that time there was a strong movement to introduce catalytic convertors on all cars which may or may not have been the answer (I don't know).
There was a relatively small lobby in favour of further development of "lean-burn " petrol engines. As a research chemist, that person's opinion did matter because they fully understood the climate implications. My recall may not be 100% Wikipedia accurate (in case I get reprimanded...) but it might surprise some people to learn that the advocate of lean burn petrol technology was Mrs Thatcher.
Just thought I'd mention that, only in the contect of this matter. Diesel engines have been a massive achievement for the motor industry, but it does feel like the later politicians in the 2000's made such attractive tax breaks for diesels that the technology had to be made to fit the rhetoric, not the other way round.
I'm surprised no manufacturer does this anymore. I know ford did it in the 60s with the mustang, but to my knowledge, no manufacturer sells you the basic bodyshell, and then lets you specify what engine you want, what trim you want, and then only the specific equipment you want?
They know how to make clean diesel engines, Volkswagen just chose NOT to do it and make more money.
My recall may not be 100% Wikipedia accurate (in case I get reprimanded...) but it might surprise some people to learn that the advocate of lean burn petrol technology was Mrs Thatcher.
The decision was made by the EU to set the levels at a point which effectively made cats mandatory, largely because Ford & Honda were light years ahead of the rest of the pack on lean burn technology and they wanted to protect the rest of the EU car makers.
Not really relevant to the current issue, but IMO one of the great 'lost opportunities' of late 20th century automotive research.
I do rather love this whole trial by forum thing. No evidence needed, just a hunch
Thanks for that. I am glad that I have not completely lost the plot yet.My recollection matches yours; in any event, Margaret Thatcher had a degree in Chemistry and her career began with a stint as a research chemist, investigating the structure of gramicidin B under Dorothy Hodgkin.
IIRC lean burn engines at that time could almost, but not quite, match the emissions performance of a cat equipped car; but their economy (and hence CO2 levels) was around 20% better. The decision was made by the EU to set the levels at a point which effectively made cats mandatory, largely because Ford & Honda were light years ahead of the rest of the pack on lean burn technology and they wanted to protect the rest of the EU car makers.
Not really relevant to the current issue, but IMO one of the great 'lost opportunities' of late 20th century automotive research.
Do hunches only work one way?
What I mean is the "everyone is doing it!" Sort of comments. It IS possible to meet emissions, but VW chose to take shortcuts and save themselves a bit of cash. Simple as that really.
Only the biggest car manufacturer in the world would be arrogant/stupid enough to do that when the consequences are so high....