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IRISH CUSTOMERS WHO bought Volkswagen cars fitted with emissions cheat devices could be in line for compensation if a newly launched investigation finds the German car maker breached consumer protection law.
The Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) confirmed today that it has opened a formal probe into understated carbon dioxide emissions in Volkswagen cars.
The company has been in crisis since revealing it fitted 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide with software to cheat emissions tests.
The chair of the CCPC, Isolde Goggin, said the watchdog is “deeply concerned about the situation which has emerged in recent weeks, particularly the latest disclosure in relation to C02 emission tests”.
“We know that the level of C02 emissions and the related issue of fuel economy are key considerations for consumers when choosing a car,” she said.
“Therefore, we are concerned that purchasers of Volkswagen Group/manufactured cars may have been influenced by information that would now seem to be inaccurate.
“While not confirmed, the company has estimated that in excess of 9,000 vehicles in the state are affected.
“This investigation is a priority for the commission given the potential scale of consumer detriment.
The CPCC investigation will establish if Volkwagen has broken consumer protection legislation in Ireland, and whether misinformation was given to consumers.
It will also look into possible remedies for affected customers.
“We are committed to obtaining the best outcome for Irish consumers and ensuring that they do not suffer as a consequence of being provided with misleading information,” Goggin said.
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Does this mean that the cars will be retested and taxed under the higher bands?
If this does happen Volkswagen are committed to cover the extra cost.
Nobody seems to want to give a proper answer to that.
And so they should, Brianan.
They should also offer voluntary, once-off compensation of a few quid to keep people happy and avoid litigation. 300 or 400 hundred quid to those affected would go a long way.
@Denis, the minister for transport has already unequivocally stated he will not chase people for the tax as things stand. Heard him on Newstalk and he couldn’t have been clearer. He made no mention of what would happen if the cars have to be redesignated after this though.
*back tax
how are the affected. what loss or pain have they suffered
They are offering €950 goodwill to persons in the USA for the emissions.
So I’ll be waiting on that before I go taking €3-400.
We bought we our car specifically because it was a smaller engine than our last one, & was supposed to be greener with better fuel economy. We also stuck with VW because we never had issues with the make.
We’ve also been told, informally, that the car is now worth €500-€1000 less because it’s part of the emissions scandal.
So I’ve lost resale value, have to go get the car fixed, and I would’ve bought a different car that fitted the same criteria we were looking for. The only reason we went with VW was the sturdy resale, and the lack of issues we had we with previous VW’s.
it’s just the usual litigation bullshit quickbuck
Bought cars based on emissions/tax bands and were provided with false information.
I worked for VW for years, and i can tell ya who ever told you that about the 500-1000 devaluation over this is trying to get the car cheaper off you if you trade in and talking shit. I think your getting a bit excited. Your out for the big claim anyway
Won’t be long until you hear this on daytime tv. “Have you bought a VW in the past few years? You may be entitled to compensation, call Big Money solicitors today for a free consultation and a free pen”
Have you been sold PPI or a GTI !!!
Chi Ching!
Would like to see every single car tested under the same conditions … More then VW involved I would imagine
Confirmed to effect certain Porsche, don’t know about audi, skoda etc
Audi affected too for definite, my mother has a 2013 a6 and my brother a 2011 a5 and both got letters from vw.
And Skoda
Lots of new model skodas affected too.
I have a 151 Skoda I got a letter
Car tax is based on CO2 emissions. The VW problem isn’t about CO2 so won’t make a difference to tax
I thought that was the exact problem – an emissions fiddle?
From the article above…..
The chair of the CCPC, Isolde Goggin, said the watchdog is “deeply concerned about the situation which has emerged in recent weeks, particularly the latest disclosure in relation to C02 emission tests”.
Could be right David, was it more an issue of NO2?
Initially it was Nox, as the US rightly sees this as the bigger issue with diesel cars. It was later shown that they had cheated on co2 as well.
If the cars are put into a higher tax bracket then the government should look to recover the lost VRT and motor tax from Volkswagen.
No one in Europe will recognise VRT. You cant even insure it here.
@malvolio the letter I received stated No2 problem
Sorry should read nox
What about those of us with older cars who have been paying huge road tax even though my car is cleaner than any new vw.will I get money back or will the vw driver’s have to cough up the extra they got away with?
It won’t happen it’s Ireland they will definitely let the big corporate away with paying compensation to the little people
Well maybe in future people will think twice before buying from a brand that was allegedly championed by Hitler.
Like another poster earlier, I also moved from Toyota to VW based on the smaller engine size and greener emissions. I wrote to VW as they sent a letter to say my car had been affected. The response was non-committal, mostly to say that they had not decided on a course of action.
It is my opinion that they decided on a course of action when they mis-sold 11 million cars. It is also my opinion that we are entitled to the same compensation as another purchaser of VW regardless of the local emissions regulations, we all bought the same car.
I am now writing to the consumer protection agency, I urge other VW owners to do the same. In my eyes the car is only worth scrappage, as I cannot sell it for €7k less than garage prices. €1,000 would help ease the pain, but really we should be able to return the car for it’s current market selling price or more. If I was mis-sold anything else I am entitled to return it….. going back to Toyota as soon as I can sell the VW.
Even the initial letter from vw was very non committal a real wait and see approach
There was a very good article in the guardian last week about this. VW are not the first to be caught doing this. It happened in the states in the 90′ where GM, Ford and Honda were all caught at it. I think it was Kia and Hyundai had to pay $750 million in fines to the EPA and compensation over false mpg and emissions claims in 2014. The Germans lobbied to have the actual recorded data printed as 4% lower on car brochures in recent times. There appears to be loopholes in the legislation so that VW will probably just re program cars, pay a fine and that will be the end of it as far as they are concerned. As per usual no one will be accountable except the consumer. Anyone who knows basic chemistry and combustion would know the data was being ‘adjusted’ in some way but I really don’t see how the legislators in this country would levy a ‘back dated tax’ on people without exposing themselves to lawsuits. Of course, that doesn’t mean they won’t try to do it.
Unlikely to backdate the tax, but you could be stung for higher annual motor tax for the rest of the life of the car. As you would probably consider the motor tax rate when buying a car, you were duped (as was the tax paying public) and will have a strong case for compensation
Motor tax is based on CO2 emissions. The cheat software on diesel engines lowers the NOx reading, not the CO2 reading. Ergo, no valid reason to change tax bands…unless the government decide to cheat the consumer, because they can.
Couple that to the fact that the whole CO2 thing is a scam and away you go.
A few years ago Toyota had a “scandal” where the brakes on a lit of their cars were “Faulty” and in my opinion a possible cause of an accident possibly causing death…..yet I don’t remember people losing their heads looking for compo and suddenly saying their cars were only valued as scrap. A simple reprogramming of the ECU should sort it out. Or should we start looking for compo and solicitors if we buy a light bulb in the shop and then 3 days later it blows???? #morons
@john o Dwyer misinformed at the point of sale. Why shouldn’t we be reimbursed if we were sold something under false pretences which now affects the resale value of our cars #stoptakingituptheass
After yesterday posts I did a little more research into what these effects might be and apparently not all VWS are affected which will be great news to those who didn’t get a letter. Not one VW dealer in the country knew about this so at the point of sale unless you went to Germany this wasn’t an issue. Everyone know that as soon as you drive a new car away from the garage it’s lost value. And I reckon that if you ask any One who is “affected” by this if their car have given them any trouble I would reckon most would say no. This is an environmental issue more than anything else not a performance or a star of value issue . Toyota on the other hand was a safety onr
“State of value” sorry
Either I have it wrong or I read the American report into it wrong but wasn’t it the levels of Nitro-oxide the cars were emmiting and not the CO2 that wast the problem…..therefore it shouldn’t affect the tax brackets here, should it?
I have a 131 skoda and after I got my letter I emailed about the possibility of my car tax increasing because of this, they told me my tax won’t change as the part that’s in the engine doesn’t affect the emissions that car tax is based on. Don’t know if this is right or wrong considering they lied in the first place by putting this little extra in there in the first place??
Joanne, it is correct. Lots of ill-informed rubbish being spouted on here. As usual.
Some politican will get his palm greased and that’s the end off that
What happens if you should the car. Who gets the compensation, I guess it’s just the original owner?
*sold*
I guess it is the owner of the car – if you want I can sell you mine – you could be in for a windfall :)
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