Consumer Advice

What advice are VW giving their UK customers?

As of 22nd September 2015 Volkswagen haven't provided any specific advice for UK owners of VW cars affected by the scandal. They have published a news item on their website to explain what they will be doing next:


Volkswagen is working at full speed to clarify irregularities concerning a particular software used in diesel engines. New vehicles from the Volkswagen Group with EU 6 diesel engines currently available in the European Union comply with legal requirements and environmental standards. The software in question does not affect handling, consumption or emissions. This gives clarity to customers and dealers.

Further internal investigations conducted to date have established that the relevant engine management software is also installed in other Volkswagen Group vehicles with diesel engines. For the majority of these engines the software does not have any effect.

Discrepancies relate to vehicles with Type EA 189 engines, involving some eleven million vehicles worldwide. A noticeable deviation between bench test results and actual road use was established solely for this type of engine. Volkswagen is working intensely to eliminate these deviations through technical measures. The company is therefore in contact with the relevant authorities and the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA - Kraftfahrtbundesamt).

To cover the necessary service measures and other efforts to win back the trust of our customers, Volkswagen plans to set aside a provision of some 6.5 billion EUR recognized in the profit and loss statement in the third quarter of the current fiscal year. Due to the ongoing investigations the amounts estimated may be subject to revaluation.

Earnings targets for the Group for 2015 will be adjusted accordingly.

Volkswagen does not tolerate any kind of violation of laws whatsoever. It is and remains the top priority of the Board of Management to win back lost trust and to avert damage to our customers. The Group will inform the public on the further progress of the investigations constantly and transparently.

- Volkswagen Group Communications


I own a VW that may be affected by the Defeat Device. What should I do?

All we can advise right now is to sit tight and see what happens over the coming days and weeks.

VW has said that the cars currently affected by the scandal are only US-specification models, and as such may not affect UK cars due to the difference in emissions test that are undertaken in the UK and EU.

That doesn't mean that you won't be affected, but rather at this moment we just don't know. It's significantly more difficult to circumvent EU tests, as they are conducted in government-approved labs with independent witnesses present at the time of the test.

In addition, the defeat device seems to have only been installed on the engine software for older engines. In Europe engines must conform to standards known as "Euro 6 Emissions", meaning that newer types of engines have probably been installed on EU cars. These newer engines are much more difficult to manipulate using defeat devices.

We will keep you up to speed as the situation develops.


See also