Cheaters? Recalls? Discuss

   #241  

Jack@European_Parts

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More on the CABAL...........

Let me fuckin question'em........... :cool:

German industry fears image blow over cartel probe

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...n-industry-fears-image-blow-over-cartel-probe

Germany's auto industry fears its image will suffer another severe blow after EU antitrust authorities said they would investigate claims that BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen Group operated a cartel for parts such as emissions treatment systems and convertible roofs.
The industry already is suffering damage to its reputation because of VW Group's emissions-cheating scandal. News of the cartel prompted the automakers' lobbying group, the VDA, to distance itself from its three key members.
VDA President Matthias Wissmann said he was dismayed to hear the claims and he also made an appeal. This time it wasn’t the usual demand that the media stop sensationalizing. Instead, he is encouraging "objective discussion."
Wissmann appeal was directed at the automakers at the center of the collusion claims, reminding them of their place in society. "The automobile industry with its technical innovations and financial success is an important part of Germany's image throughout the entire globe. It's our duty and responsibility to protect this reputation," he said.
Wissmann said the German industry should now be asking itself critical questions more openly and also practicing "self-reflection," a significant change from an industry that until now has seemed to want to avoid tough questions.
Working groups
German magazine Der Spiegel first reported the cartel allegations. It claimed that 60 working groups from the three automakers, covering five brands, discussed pricing of components and technologies since the 1990s if not earlier, and more than 1,000 times in the past five years alone.
As part of the discussions the automakers agreed to limit the size of tanks that contain AdBlue, a solution to reduce harmful NOx emissions from diesel engines, to 8 liters in size to save as much as 80 euros per vehicle, Spiegel said.
Besides saving money, this also meant the automakers could more easily deceive regulators by claiming collectively that the tanks contained sufficient urea to clean up NOx emissions. Decisions by Audi, BMW and Mercedes over the past week to install new NOx-reducing software for older Euro 5 diesels suddenly could be seen in a different light.
The collusion allegations also undermine a core argument of VW Group during its diesel scandal. Since the emissions crisis erupted in September 2015, VW maintained the implausible defense that executives did not know that 11 million diesel engines were rigged to cheat official emissions tests because examining millions of lines of software code in the engine was too banal a task for upper management.
Industry watchers are debating whether the alleged collusion to be investigated by the EU is simply standardization, which is normal to develop common practices and components or a cartel to fix prices and cheat suppliers and consumers. BMW denied collusion and said talks with Daimler and VW over AdBlue tanks were about building a infrastructure of filling stations for the urea solution.
Whichever it is, the VDA said "surfing in the legal gray areas" is just as unacceptable to its over 600 members as illegal collusion.
The VDA is normally the biggest apologist for companies such as VW, Daimler and BMW. When the lobbying group automakers pay to defend them feels compelled to take the moral high ground, then the industry needs to take a close look at its practices.
 
   #242  

Uwe

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Germans Are Too Hard on Their Automakers

But was the automakers' behavior really so bad? They have long cooperated openly in some areas, such as buying windshield wipers, investing in mapping technology and building networks of charging stations for electric cars. Seeking consensus and compromise to avoid unreasonable expense is part of the German culture, not just German business practice. It's a trait that tempers competition and breeds national champions.

Perhaps the German car industry should consolidate, creating Deutsche Automobil AG with the three firms' entire brand portfolio. Regulators would almost certainly require some divestments, but the advantage of formalizing all the open and open-secret cooperation might make it all worthwhile.

Instead of moaning about the industry as a national disgrace, perhaps Germans should embrace the closer cooperation it needs to survive.

There's more at the link, but I won't copy & paste the whole article, 'cause that would be a copyright violation. ;)
 
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   #243  

Jack@European_Parts

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Cooperation doesn't have to be a crime

Naaaa not collusion at all......... ;)

It's a god dam conspiracy.............and their all in on it.......... including the captured agencies........!



Germans Are Too Hard on Their Automakers


But was the automakers' behavior really so bad? They have long cooperated openly in some areas, such as buying windshield wipers, investing in mapping technology and building networks of charging stations for electric cars. Seeking consensus and compromise to avoid unreasonable expense is part of the German culture, not just German business practice. It's a trait that tempers competition and breeds national champions.



Perhaps the German car industry should consolidate, creating Deutsche Automobil AG with the three firms' entire brand portfolio. Regulators would almost certainly require some divestments, but the advantage of formalizing all the open and open-secret cooperation might make it all worthwhile.



Instead of moaning about the industry as a national disgrace, perhaps Germans should embrace the closer cooperation it needs to survive.


There's more at the link, but I won't copy & paste the whole article, 'cause that would be a copyright violation. ;)

Well some PR firm was paid a lot of money to orchestrate that article & as if the fountain pen writer was on the take........
Was it the Clinton Foundation for law and crooked government?
 
   #244  

vreihen

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Did KITT have an emissions "cheat" device????? :D

FLAG-BALCK.gif


1432680171-0.jpg
 
   #245  

Jack@European_Parts

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This is old but a fun watch.........I wonder if Toyota timed out on the wire fraud yet!

https://videos.posttv.com/washpost-...2171-fstwsn_t_1435423987877_1280_720_2000.mp4

https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...65021d6d572_story.html?utm_term=.1860c82e282f

Toyota reaches $1.2 billion settlement to end probe of accelerator problems

Toyota Motor lied to regulators, Congress and the public for years about the sudden acceleration of its vehicles, a deception that caused the world’s largest automaker on Wednesday to be hit with a $1.2 billion Justice Department fine.
Prosecutors say Toyota’s efforts to conceal the problem and protect its corporate image led to a series of fatalities that could have been prevented. The settlement, which amounts to more than a third of Toyota’s 2013 profit, is being called the largest criminal penalty imposed on a car company in U.S. history.
Toyota says in the settlement that it misled Americans by making deceptive statements about the safety problems that caused its vehicles to speed up uncontrollably, a stark admission for a company that has built its brand on safety and reliability. Early on, Toyota suggested that driver error was to blame, saying that some people may have hit the gas when they meant to hit the brake. Even after issuing recalls to address problematic floor mats that in some cases pinned down accelerators, the company hid a flawed gas pedal design that it knew did the same thing, according to documents accompanying the agreement.
The deal is a victory for the government and could serve as a model for a case against General Motors, which is under investigation by Congress, safety regulators and federal prosecutors for taking more than a decade to issue a recall for an ignition-switch problem it has linked to 31 accidents and 12 deaths.

“Companies that make inherently dangerous products must be maximally transparent, not two-faced,” said Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, who led the Toyota investigation and — according to a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the topic — has launched a preliminary criminal probe of GM. “That is why we have undertaken this enforcement action. And the entire auto industry should take notice.”
Safety fears erupted around some of Toyota’s most popular models in 2009, when California Highway Patrol officer Mark Saylor and three family members were killed in a high-speed crash caused by the unintended acceleration of his car. The terrifying episode was captured in a 911 emergency call in which Saylor’s brother-in-law described speeding out of control in a Lexus at more than 125 mph before the car crashed, killing all four occupants.

Relatives of the Saylor family, who settled a case against Toyota for an undisclosed amount in 2010, declined through their attorney to comment on the new settlement.
After the accident, Toyota eventually recalled millions of vehicles — one of the largest recalls in the history of the automotive industry. But federal prosecutors found that the company had not come completely clean.
The company assured the public that the “root cause” of unintended acceleration had been addressed by the recall, blaming floor mats that accidentally trapped the depressed gas pedals of cars and trucks.
But Toyota knew that models it had not recalled had similar floor-mat problems, the agreement said. Also, the company hid from federal regulators a second cause of unintended acceleration in its vehicles: a sticky gas pedal.
The problem was caused by plastic material inside the pedal that could cause the accelerator to become stuck in a partially depressed position. The pedals were installed in several models, including the Camry, the Matrix, the Corolla and the Avalon.

The problem had surfaced in Toyota vehicles in Europe in 2008, causing instances of uncontrolled acceleration. In early 2009, the company gave European Toyota distributors information about the sticky pedals along with instructions to replace them if customers complained.


“Rather than promptly disclosing and correcting safety issues about which they were aware, Toyota made misleading public statements to consumers and gave inaccurate facts to members of Congress,” Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said at a news conference announcing the settlement.
As part of the deal, Toyota has entered into what is called a *deferred-prosecution agreement that gives federal prosecutors the right to pursue criminal charges if the carmaker fails to live up to the agreement, according to the department.
The automaker must acknowledge the facts of the government’s case and have an independent monitor review its safety practices. None of its employees will face criminal charges.
Christopher P. Reynolds, chief legal officer at Toyota Motor North America, said the company took full responsibility for the effects of its actions on consumers at the time of the recalls.
“We have made fundamental changes across our global operations to become a more responsive company,” he said in a statement. “Entering this agreement, while difficult, is a major step toward putting this unfortunate chapter behind us.”
In addition to the $1.2 billion fine, which will go into the government’s coffers, Toyota faces nearly 400 wrongful-death and personal-injury lawsuits. It has settled at least seven lawsuits in the past few months.
“The Justice Department settlement with Toyota is a complete game-changer,” said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a watchdog group. “Until today, automakers faced insignificant fines and no criminal penalties under the Vehicle Safety Act. Today’s fine of $1.2 billion against Toyota makes the $35 million maximum fine that [federal regulators] can impose seem like chump change.”
Still, critics of the settlement say the hefty fine means little as long as no executives face jail time. The facts of the case describe a level of coordinated lying and greed that warrants stiffer punishment, they say.
“Money as a deterrent is of no consequence to these overpaid and overindulged individuals, as the companies are flush with cash,” said David H. Peirez, a partner at the law firm of Reisman, Peirez, Reisman and Capobianco. “Deferred-prosecution agreements are a joke — all they defer is a jail sentence, but not the next recall.”
 
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   #246  

Jack@European_Parts

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Former VW owner still waiting for $20K after selling car back to company

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/investig...k-after-selling-car-back-to-company/385540935



MUSKEGON COUNTY, MICH. - Late in 2016, a federal judge approved an agreement between Volkswagen and the U.S. government. The agreement cleared the way for Volkswagen to either buy back, or fix around 80,000 diesel cars sold in the U.S.
That agreement cleared the way for customers to begin selling cars included in the massive Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal back to the German auto maker.
The company is expected to deliver a $10 billion settlement to cover government fines and compensate owners of vehicles fitted with software that cheated emissions standards.
Related: EPA accuses Fiat Chrysler of cheating emissions laws
Each day in the U.S., hundreds of diesel Volkswagen vehicles are returned to dealerships. That includes a few each day to the My Auto Import Center in Muskegon.
VW owners selling diesel vehicles back to the company are paid in one of two ways, either by check or by electronic fund transfer.
Charles Deupree of Whitehall returned his silver 2011 VW Jetta last week.
It was last year when Deupree first heard the federal government was looking into certain diesel vehicles made by Volkswagen.
"I said 'oh my I think that's my car'," said Deupree.
He learned the Jetta he owned had software that made it appear more environmentally friendly than it actually was.
Deupree says the process of selling his Jetta back to Volkswagen was mostly easy.
He drove the car to his local VW dealership and worked directly with an employee assigned to work from the My Auto Import Center's Muskegon facility.
"I have no complaints with My Auto," Deupree said Thursday morning.
Deupree left the car at the dealership and went home with a pledge from the Volkswagen agent.
"She said I would get an E.F.T. form by email in 24-hours," said Dupree. The email with the electronic fund transfer form is key, it's how customers who choose that option activate the transfer of money from a Volkswagen account into his or her own banking account.
VW paperwork shows Deupree is owed $20,146.73. "Realistically, the buyback was fair," said Deupree.
One week after the sale and he still hasn't hear from Volkswagen.
"I look at my phone every hour and I am getting tired of it," said Deupree.
Even after the email arrives, Deupree was told to expect the transfer to take three business days.
"Now we are talking two weeks," he said. "They have my car, they have the title, the car is actually not even at the dealership anymore, and I have no money."
Deupree says the Volkswagen agent stationed at the dealership couldn't provide him with an explanation for the delay. And he wonders if other VW owners are experiencing similar delays in getting paid by the company.
Now Deupree wishes he could go back and select the check option. He assumed electronic fund transfer would be smooth.
"I think I'm going to get paid, well I hope I get paid," said Deupree.
Following the emissions cheating scandal, Deupree no longer has faith in Volkswagen. He was so disappointed, he replaced his recalled VW with a Subaru.
The Volkswagen agent placed at My Auto Import Center was not able to comment about the issue.
Calls were placed to a VW spokesperson the agent said would answer further questions, but e-mails and voice messages have not yet been returned.
Late Thursday afternoon, after making those efforts Charles Deupree called back to say he just received the e-mail he had been waiting for.
 
   #247  

Jack@European_Parts

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Pop secret huh.........?




https://finance.yahoo.com/news/vw-apos-diesel-emissions-scandal-181606390.html


[h=1]VW's Diesel Emissions Scandal Continues As Secret German Site Is Uncovered[/h]

f733caa21ebf660da18b77d4fc47ae40

Volkswagen's (VLKAY) troubles continue in regards to its emissions scandal after a secret German site has been uncovered relating to the case.
More

Volkswagen’s VLKAY troubles continue in regards to its emissions scandal after a secret German site has been uncovered relating to the case. Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors are pursuing a three-year prison sentence for a VW engineer who had a key role in the scandal.
Back in September 2015, Volkswagen admitted to installing secret software in diesel cars to cheat nitrogen oxide emissions tests. As many as 11 million vehicles worldwide had the secret software in place to make them appear cleaner than they were.
It is now uncovered that Volkswagen operated a top-secret site at its Wolfsburg, German headquarters to test the diesel technology. According to Bloomberg, the facility had unusually tight security rules that prevented access to those not involved in the project, demonstrating the lengths the company went to conceal their actions.
Volkswagen has previously maintained that the software manipulations had been isolated to a small group of rogue engineers. This newly uncovered test site, however, and its close proximity to the offices of top executives, shows that senior executives may have known more than they have previously admitted to.
Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday that they will seek a three-year prison sentence for Robert Liang, one of two Volkswagen employees to plead guilty in the scheme. Liang pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government. He is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in federal court in Detroit.
Prosecutors claim that Liang was aware that Volkswagen was installing software to cheat U.S. emission rules on nearly 600,000 diesel vehicles. The government said he wasn’t the mastermind but took part in “pivotal events.”
Liang has asked the judge to sentence him to probation and 1,500 hours of community service instead. His lawyer argues that he is not “greedy or immoral” but simply went along in order to keep his job and provide for his family.
Early this year, Volkswagen agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement with U.S. regulators to resolve the 2015 scandal. However, these two new stories today suggest the scandal won’t die down anytime soon.


 
   #248  

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If they go after VW, then they need to go after everybody else as well - this has been an industry standard for as long as I can remember. ;) Besides, the article is false - it's not a device. At best it's a piece of the software that detects the standardized drive cycle and adjusts parameters accordingly to meet the requirements. Have you ever wondered why the gas mileage listed for your car is tough/impossible to reach? Same thing...

here here.........................
 
   #249  

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https://jalopnik.com/vw-made-its-defeat-device-more-potent-to-save-on-warran-1786442999

VW Made Its Defeat Device More Potent To Save On Warranty Repairs: Court Docs

In the court documents charging Volkswagen engineer James Robert Liang with fraud for developing VW’s diesel emission cheat, exists a small section about a software update in 2014. It alleges VW made its cars even more harmful to the environment just so the company could save on warranty costs.

The plea agreement claims Liang and “co-conspirators” made the defeat device more “effective” because emissions control components started failing and costing the company money. The plea agreement reads:

As VW’s “clean diesel” vehicles in the United States began to age, they experienced higher rates of warranty claims for parts and components related to emissions control systems. Some of LIANG’s coconspirators believed that the increased claims were a result of the vehicle operating in testing mode too long rather than switching to “road mode.”

It goes on:

Because of these increased claims, LIANG worked with his co-conspirators to enhance the defeat device to allow the vehicle to more easily recognize when the vehicle was no longer in testing mode.

And the indictment alleges how Liang and others adjusted the software:

Liang and his co-conspirators falsely and fraudulently told, and caused others to tell, U.S. customers and other that a software update in about 2014 was intended to improve the vehicles when, in fact, LIANG and his conspirators knew that the update used the steering wheel angle of the vehicle as a basis to more easily detect when the vehicle was undergoing emissions tests, thereby improving the defeat device’s precision in order to reduce the stress on the emissions control systems.

That’s absurd. According to these court documents, engineers at VW had the audacity to issue a software update to customers that dialed down emissions control usage and spewed more NOx into the environment, just so the company could save a buck.

This also essentially confirms the answer to the question we so often hear – “Why doesn’t Volkswagen just keep ‘testing mode’ on all the time?” Apparently doing so would cause the cars to fall apart.
 
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Jack@European_Parts

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:banghead: /\ Old news article tell me something new...........

Yeah and adds to my findings as to how the CAT readiness monitor test was being effected because when they did this it was right around the time the cars couldn't get an inspection sticker or as I have mentioned from my report to the EPA.

At that point, states had just begun hooking up to the OBD in order to qualify an inspection in NYS........and they were failing!

Car would run with no DTC's and a monitor not complete and a monitor for the CAT which was non existent on the VAG side or VCDS, unless in the actual OBD2 specification's to be observed.

Ahhh but what do I know ....... no one listened to me when I reported the DTC created by the ABS causing an MIL in 2008> 3 years forward or in 2013.......
Ever wonder why the update in the chart for CBEA is so vague on " OBD Optimization" 03L-906-022KS in the very beginning? That was me!

SVM CODE 30C2

Mr. Shapiro we have given you our position on this matter already...... now go lay down!

CAPTURED!



http://forums.ross-tech.com/showthread.php?805-Clean-Diesel-Readiness-Status

NostraJackAss Has Spoken with no one listening from the corner mumbling to himself & like a man gone crazy!

 
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   #252  

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I wonder if someone will end up with my Jetta!
 
   #253  

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Et tu, Peugeot!?
French probe alleges 2 million PSA cars had engine cheats: Le Monde
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-p...had-engine-cheats-le-monde-idUSKCN1BJ12J?il=0

Un document saisi au siège du constructeur et intitulé « dossier technique émissions stratégie diesel Euro 5 » explique que les moteurs étaient paramétrés selon deux modes de fonctionnement : un mode « LowNox » qui « abaisse les Nox mais augmente la consommation et réduit le brio [reprise] du véhicule » et un mode « LowCO2 » qui « réduit la consommation, favorise le brio mais augmente de manière significative les NOx ».

L’enquête conclut que les véhicules étaient équipés d’un « calculateur de contrôle moteur » qui permettait d’activer « exclusivement » le mode LowNox « pendant le test d’homologation » et « majoritairement » le mode LowCO2 « en condition de vie client » avec pour « objectif de réduire au maximum l’occurrence du mode LowNox en situation client ». Avec un double intérêt pour le constructeur : passer les tests d’homologation avec succès et « éviter la surconsommation de carburant et la baisse du brio du moteur induites par l’utilisation de l’EGR ».

And they used english words "LowNox" and "LowCO2" to plan their cheating... that's what's gonna get them in the end :D
 
   #257  

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https://jalopnik.com/dozens-of-vw-diesels-were-stolen-from-michigan-s-abando-1806012070

Dozens Of VW Diesels Were Stolen From Michigan’s Abandoned NFL Stadium Lot

Thousands of cheating VWs have been stored in the former Detroit Lions stadium parking lot in Pontiac, Michigan since at least January. Last week, Louisville-based news site WDRB learned that over 60 of those cars have been reported missing, and many have already been found in Indiana and Kentucky with fraudulent titles. Some have even been sold.

Volkswagen has recalled over half a million cars that cheated on emissions tests. Many of those vehicles, sold back to VW as part of a major class action settlement, are now property of the German automaker. VW can sell them once they have them fixed, but until then, the cars remain in purgatory, where they’ve been for many months.

Unfortunately for VW, keeping such a huge quantity of cars accounted for, organized and safe isn’t easy. And now, WDRB quotes an Indiana police spokesperson as saying over 60 cars from that former Detroit Lions parking lot have been reported missing.

The news site says that many of those 60 cars have been tied to a car dealership based out of Radcliff, Kentucky (the dealership claims it didn’t know the cars were stolen when it bought them from a Michigan supplier). That dealer allegedly brought the cars to the auction house in Indiana, where at least 15 TDIs were sold with fake Michigan titles to unsuspecting buyers.

According to the spokesperson from the Indiana State Police, VW was the one who found out something was afoot after these cars were sold, telling the news site:

Volkswagen was keeping track of all these vehicles they were purchasing back or buying back...When these VIN numbers starting showing up again in their system, that’s when the red flags started flying up.

But not all of the missing VWs were sold at the Indiana auction. Twelve were still at the auction house as of Monday, and VW was on its way to pick them up that same day to take back to Michigan. In addition, WDRB reported that nine cars were seized last week right outside of the dealership in Radcliff.

So now, police are working to track down the remaining cars that have been sold, and perhaps others that are unaccounted for. I’ve reached out to Indiana State Police to learn more about this situation—one that has somehow made the whole VW Dieselgate saga even more of a shitshow.
 
   #258  

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Time to name and shame Huddersfield Audi in the UK.

EDIT: For anyone in the UK who has had the fix applied by a VAG dealer with or without permission and want the old software re-applied, even though no official VAG dealers will do this, Awesome GTi in Manchester is at least one independent VAG specialist that is reportedly known to happily revert the ECU back to a pre-emissions fix version of the software, for a fee of course. I have no affiliation with this company and have never used them for anything but thought I'd publicise this for any aggrieved VAG owners who just want their car put back to how it was before it got ruined by a VAG dealer.

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/car-dealer-installed-software-update-13620123

Car dealer installed software update on Audi TT without my permission

A driver who took her Audi TT to a dealer for a bodywork repair has been left fuming after the garage installed an engine software update without her permission.

Sheelagh Kennerley, a supply chain planning manager, said she left the car with Huddersfield Audi in Leeds Road on July 9 to carry out a bodywork repair and had no reason to suspect there would be any problem.

But the following day she says a member of staff rang to give an update and said they had put the emissions software update on her car which she says will spoil its performance and make it less reliable.

Sheelagh, who bought the automatic Audi 2.0 Sport Quattro 4-wheel drive coupe, for £22,000 in 2015, said: “This was not part of the plan and was not something I wanted as it changes the performance of the car. I did not authorise this.

“At no point during my discussions with them was this mentioned. The update is neither compulsory nor a safety recall. I asked them to remove the update and revert back to the original. They refused.

“I have asked them to replace the car as they will not put it back to the original. They looked for a replacement equivalent car but advised that anything directly comparable will have had the update on it.

“They offered a minor monetary compensation if I took the car back. I have refused as I consider the car to be unreliable and less economical with reduced performance based on the information I have. I understand there have also been problems for many others with their updated cars.

“I travel between Scotland and Yorkshire regularly and cannot take the risk of the car breaking down or going into limp mode on the motorway at 70mph.

“Since then I have been driving around in their courtesy car, and had three meetings with Huddersfield Audi who are reluctant to find a replacement car to rectify the situation.

“More than nine weeks on, we are no nearer to a resolution. I am appalled by their service, they have admitted their error, but do not seem to want to put this right and help the Audi brand image which is severely damaged due to the recent emissions scandal.

“I am absolutely raging with them. I’m so disappointed that they have wrecked this car for me which I absolutely loved. Every day I used to say to myself: ‘I love this car.’ This courtesy car is not of the same standard and I am now looking at taking legal action against them.”

Audi Huddersfield have been contacted but have not provided any comment.
 
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   #259  

Jack@European_Parts

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I hope she sues the pants off them /\

Here that is what as known as an unauthorized repair and carries sever penalties.
 
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   #260  

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Cheaters never win, Davey.....

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7413961-181/plea-deal-owner-of-west

Plea deal: Owner of West Coast Auto Craft to serve 15 years in prison

NICK RAHAIM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
September 12, 2017, 6:17PM

The owner of a classic car and hot shop in Windsor, who defrauded customers out of more than $900,000, will spend the next 15 years in prison.

Christopher Miranda, 43, faced 31 counts of felony grand theft and eight counts of identity theft in Sonoma County Superior Court for his business dealings at West Coast Auto Craft. In a plea deal with the District Attorney’s Office, Miranda on Tuesday pleaded no contest to 13 counts of grand theft and one count of identity theft. The plea bargain included Miranda agreeing to serve 15 years and three months in state prison.

Pamela Malfa, 36, Miranda’s girlfriend and business partner, also pleaded no contest to 12 counts of grand theft for her role in the fraudulent operation; she will serve 180 days in county jail and be placed on probation for 5 years.

Miranda has been in Sonoma County Jail since early May with bail set at $1.5 million. Malfa was released to help customers retrieve their cars, often in pieces, from the Windsor garage, police said. Miranda will be formally sentenced Nov. 21 by Judge Robert LaForge.
 
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