You are more or less on your own in the UK when it comes to reporting problems that car manufacturers would rather not discuss. I have followed the Volkswagen 1.4 TSI engine saga which you have reported whilst the rest of our so-called auto journalists have adopted the 'three wise monkeys' posture. During the last couple of weeks, journalists from Auto Bild in Germany have met with Volkswagen to discuss the extent of a chain failure linked to the engine. In the meeting Volkswagen managers admitted that they identified a problem with a defective component supplied by a third party company. The engines affected have been identified by Volkswagen but there is no general recall, which is a scandal.

You may wish to contact Volkswagen in the UK to see if they are aware of the meeting with Auto Bild and ask them if they intend to contact UK owners who could face huge repair bills should the chain fail. This week journalists from Autoweek have started to investigate the extent of the problem in the Netherlands. Volkswagen is on the defensive and there is a need for a great deal of sunlight.