Audi recalls 60,000 diesels over “irregularities” in engine software

Engineer Andy    on 10 May 2018

I read (I cannot remember where) that the recall was because the engine management systems in these cars were deliberately reducing the amount of AdBlue added to the system to help removed NOx so that owners didn't have to refill their tanks of AdBlue in between services (or at least not so often), leading to far higher emissions of NOx.

If true (I cannot confirm any of this), this, to me at least, is almost as bad as Dieselgate, as it sounds like a deliberate piece of software to reduce costs for the car owner at the expense of emissions, in contravention of EU regulations.

I also note that thus far, the EU or any national government within the Bloc has taken any similar punative action against VAG for Dieselgate, and also note that the so-called 'fix' (NOT an official recall) of affected cars of the Dieselgate fiasco was never made manditory - I suspect partly because the 'fix' itself seemingly (in my opinion) has a significant detrimental effect on the performance, mpg and reliability of those cars modified.

If many people (as they seem to be doing, and quite understandably too) choose NOT to have their cars fixed, then what was the point of the fix? Why haven't VAG been heavily fined like in the US and those fines go directly to spending on health to mitigate the additional NOx and other emissions?

This latest turn of events will, for me at least, show if both VAG and the EU/governments care about what has happened and whether they favour corporates more than the people they are supposed to SERVE.