Non-footy: Very interesting article re Dieselgate...

Proper reporting from BBC for a change. Nothing that most of us caught up in the dieselgate scandal did not suspect but great to have a proper independent confirmation of the fact that the motor industry is conning us (not just VW) and the Governments in both UK and EU are either in the pockest of the Manufactureres, (bought out by the lobbyists )or just plain incompetent with gesture politics targeting all the wrong vehicles.

Incidentally,part 2 of dieselgate is the ongoing cover up that the VW 'fix' is actually breaking the engines. This is not being reported in the medai but there are thousands of people experiencing failures of the EGR valves and or the DPF shortly after the fix has been carried out. VW deny it is linked but Skoda , in particular and some VW dealers are carrying out repairs FOC although some Audi and VW dealers are charging up to £1500 to repair them and others offering goodwill gestures' of a reduced charge. It is all a mess My Yeti DPF failed after less than 4000 miles after the fix and the car has 30k and FSH and most journeys are motorway or rural roads. Nevertheless the DPF regenration cycle happens regularly since the fix. All is not well.

Shame the article, IMO one of the best pieces of investigative journalism I have seen for some time, is buried away...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-41640746

 

My ex bought a Mazda 6 with a DPF. It was a constant problem. Cost hundreds and hundreds of pounds to keep getting it reset until we quickly decided to get rid of it.
I'd like to think she could get her money back but it will never happen.

 

I would strongly advise you dont bother. especially after reading the article cat 3 4 5 and 6 apparently mean nothing in real terms on the test. What age CAT make is your car.? I only had the fix done after receiving a letter from VW (Skoda) assuring me it would not have ANY impact on my car's performance or consumption. It is not mandatory but I have heard of some dealerships doing it as part of a service without permission.

VW are flatly refusing to reverse the mapping even when requested by the customer.

My dilemma is that I bought a Yeti 2.0 TDi 4WD Elegance with Rough Road Kit (needed for where we live) Leather upholstery extras etc when I retired hoping it would see me out or at least give me 10 or 12 years before I needed to swap. I haven't really the money ( (not even cashback is available for the year/CAT of my car) or desire to swap for a new car, Diesel in rural Italy is much much cheaper than petrol anyway .

My main problem would be the guilt offloading it to someone before this becomes well known, in the full knowledge that further down the line they will have expensive problems. (The engineers reckon the fix, in addition to making the EGR work harder than it was designed for , will halve the life of the DPF (very expensive to replace) ) VW are denying all this but the evidence is mounting.

 

I was the same mate. I kept getting letters from VW about my scirocco, infact I still keep getting them even though I sold it 2 months ago.

 

Glad I'm still running my old BMW diesel without DPFs etc. Best car I've ever had.

 

So doesn't that mean its a CAT6 so even though it has a VW diesel it is not the EA189
You should have had a letter from Seat/VW if your engine was affected although you can go online and enter your VIN and it will tell you whether you are or not.
You may have dodged the bullet there (mine is a 2012) regarding the fix breaking the cars but I suppose long term the DPF and EGR valves are a weak link in the whole diesel cleanup technology.

 

Looks like the future is electric or hybrid.

Then in the UK we can make electricity from wind power and hydro.

 

Maybe hybrid when the prices fall. As for electric:
Only good for the urban dwellers with short commutes except when everyone gets in from work and wants to charge their electric cars overnight there will be millions at a time when the sun isn't shining.
Most people in towns are OK unless you live in an apartment block but how many charge points can you fit in a suburban street?
How many power stations will it need to come on line to cope with peak demand?
Charging? Many properties would have insufficient power in their homes to fast charge a car battery even if the battery technology was available (currently a 3kwh charger needs about 12 hours or so to reach 90%). Many rural properties only have around 6Kw supplies.
The manufacturer quoted ranges are nonsense in real world driving (where have we heard that before?).
Cold weather reduces battery capacity whilst hot and cold weather (AC or heater) impact range so you either get to your destination or bake or freeze. Imagine being stuck in a jam on a motorway with young children in a heatwave watching your battery discharge as you need the AC on or in a blizzard when you need the heater. Both situations make AC or Heaters essentials not luxuries.
The rare metals used for manufacture cause huge environmental damage to extract and disposal after use is expensive and damaging. Figures show a conventional fossil fuelled car's life cycle is way less damaging than cars using batteries (hybrid or all electric)
Unless you are very rich the depreciation will be astronomical with battery replacement after several years costing thousands. All batteries capacities diminish after multiple charges reducing range. Who will want to buy a 2nd hand one knowing they well soon have a multi thousand pound bill to replace the batteries?
Technology is one thing but you cannot argue with the laws of physics. I doubt that battery technology although advancing at a rapid pace will overcome the challenges needed to make Electric cars practical for all needs. even if it does the infrastructure needed will take decades to bring on line even if the money is there to build it.
We are being 'sold a pup' by Governments and, as for a total ban on fossil fuelled cars in cities (and in France EVERYWHERE??), within 22 years, whilst something has to be done Electric cars are not the answer. Hybrids are probably the only way forward but even they will need to be replaced with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (although I believe there is much complexity making them viable) .

Any of you scientists (physicist types can shed any light on this push for all electric cars as to me it is all complete boll*x!?

 

Couple this with the idea of driverless vehicles and we're doomed.... aye Captain Mainwaring, doomed.

 

Me too, although mine had a DPF when I bought it

 

No mate, I knew it would affect the cars performance regardless of what VW said. It was bound to.

I sold mine private and had no issues, it had 10 months MOT on it, and it passed without any advisories so it obviously doesn't matter to the test center.

I was going to trade it in at Synter MINI in Sheffield and they never flagged it either so I wouldn't worry too much. Only reason I sold it private was that I was offered 3 grand more than the trade in price.

Don't have it done pal, not worth the bother. Any car enthusiast would tell you the same.

 

Don’t.