The 2015 Dieselgate diesel emissions scandal happened seven years ago and Volkswagen is still in the news. This time around, it’s about the carmaker’s recent agreement with their England and Welsh customers in connection to their allegations of cheating emissions tests. The out-of-court settlement is worth approximately £193 million and involves around 91,000 drivers.
This latest development took place after a group of Volkswagen car owners went to a High Court and claimed that the carmaker mis-sold the vehicles by marketing them as environmentally sustainable. This significantly affected the vehicle’s value.
Aside from Volkswagen, the VW Group subsidiary brands are also involved, specifically Skoda, Seat, and Audi.
Instead of arguing against the allegations, VW agreed to compensate the 91,000 affected UK car owners. The carmaker considers the settlement a significant milestone, especially since the group litigation has been ongoing since the scandal first broke. The decision to settle also means that Volkswagen will no longer have to deal with a costly and lengthy court process.
Despite agreeing to settle, VW representatives are firm in saying that the decision is not an admission of guilt.
BMW emissions scandal
VW’s millions-worth settlement has the authorities and law firms urging other carmakers to take up the same path. Legal representatives of BMW car owners have been encouraging their clients to make a claim against the carmaker.
In 2018, BMW, along with Mercedes-Benz parent company, Daimler, and Volkswagen were discovered to have colluded in restricting and delaying technology development for cleaner emissions beginning 2006 until 2014. The three were investigated and found guilty of violating anti-trust laws in 2019. BMW and Volkswagen had to pay a fine but Mercedes got off free because they reported the existence of the cartel. The settlement totalled £767 million, which was paid in 2021.
Aside from the emissions technology collusion, 2018 was also memorable for BMW because that was when Munich prosecutors raided BMW’s Germany headquarters in connection to the defeat device scandal. Around 100 investigators went to the offices to find evidence that would support the emissions cheating allegations.
Like VW and Mercedes, BMW was found to have installed defeat devices in their diesel vehicles. These devices are intended to detect when testing was being done on a vehicle so that they could lower emissions to within the World Health Organization or WHO-mandated levels. To emissions authorities, the vehicle would appear efficient and thus, environmentally safe.
When taken out of the lab and driven on real roads, the vehicle goes back to its default settings. This results in the release of considerable amounts of nitrogen oxide emissions. Nitrogen oxide, or NOx, is a highly reactive group of gases that negatively affect the environment and a person’s health.
BMW said that it mistakenly installed the devices on the vehicles. Whether they did it purposely or accidentally, the carmaker should still be held responsible for their actions. Lying to their customers to gain profit is illegal and unjust.
What do NOx emissions do?
As mentioned earlier, NOx or nitrogen oxide is dangerous and can impact human health and the environment. Breathing in NOx can trigger feelings of anxiety, depression, and other mental health-related diseases.
Exposure to NOx emissions also affects a person’s cognitive abilities. It is even possible for an individual to develop Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia due to prolonged exposure to these toxic gases.
Nitrogen oxide emissions have several health impacts. When the exposure is low-level, the most common effects include asthma, respiratory diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis, fluid in the lungs, and nausea and vomiting.
Breathing in excessive amounts of NOx emissions can have life-changing and life-threatening. Impacts include asphyxiation, chronic reduction of lung function, laryngospasm or spasm of the vocal cords, and cardiovascular diseases.
The most damaging impact of NOx emissions is premature death. Over the years, the number of early deaths linked to air pollution has constantly increased. The first case of this kind happened in 2013 in the UK, where young schoolgirl Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah succumbed to an asthma attack. Ella and her mother lived near South Circular Road in south London, one of the UK’s most polluted areas.
These health impacts are all the reasons affected car owners need to make a BMW emissions claim against the carmaker. These are also the reasons why law firms, authorities, and the government are urging manufacturers to agree to an out-of-court settlement.
Making a BMW diesel claim
If you suspect that your BMW has a defeat device, you should hold your carmaker responsible for their deceitful and illegal actions. You deserve to be compensated for all the inconvenience that the device has caused you. First off, however, you should verify if you are qualified to make a diesel claim, especially since there are several certain requirements you need to adhere to.
Visit the ClaimExperts.co.uk website and get in touch with them to know if you are qualified to make a BMW emissions claim. It’s the right way to start your claims process.
