BMW car owners in the UK (England and Wales) may be owed compensation due to allegations that the Bavarian carmaker installed cheat devices in their diesel vehicles. Each driver can receive at least £12,000.
The cheat devices, also known as defeat devices, are used for manipulating emissions when a vehicle is undergoing regulatory testing. Authorities conduct regulatory tests to ensure that cars follow environmental regulations before they are sold to consumers.
These allegations stem from the 2015 Dieselgate diesel emissions scandal that involved the Volkswagen Group. According to US authorities, Audi and VW diesel vehicles sold in the American market were equipped with defeat devices. This prompted the California Air Resources Board (Carb) to send a Notice of Violation to the carmaker for not following the United States Clean Air Act.
For the BMW diesel emissions scandal, the affected vehicles are those that were manufactured between the years 2007 and 2018. Industry insiders and experts believe that over nine million drivers may be qualified to file a claim.
If one in three affected drivers files a diesel claim and wins, they can be looking at a total payout equivalent to around £38 billion. This is one of the reasons why over a dozen law firms are scrambling to encourage drivers to join their legal action against BMW and other carmakers guilty of using the cheat device.
BMW denied the allegation and said that their vehicles have always adhered to emissions standards.
Aside from Volkswagen and BMW, there are other carmakers that authorities accuse of using defeat devices. These are:
- Renault
- Mercedes-Benz
- Vauxhall
- Nissan
- Ford
- Chrysler
- Hyundai
- Fiat
- Jaguar
- Citroën
- Kia
- Skoda
- Mini
- Seat
- Porsche
- Volvo
- Peugeot
New brands are added to the list now and then as authorities remain vigilant even if it has been almost eight years since the scandal first shocked the global automotive industry.
Dangerous defeat devices
As mentioned earlier, defeat devices manipulate emissions during testing. These devices are programmed to sense when a vehicle in the lab is about to undergo a regulatory test. As soon as this happens, the devices artificially reduce emissions levels to within legal limits. In other words, defeat devices hide real emissions.
Used BMW cars may appear emissions-compliant, high-performing, and safe but this is only short-lived. When the car is out on normal roads, it emits excessively high volumes of a gas known as NOx or nitrogen oxide. This makes the vehicle far from being emissions-compliant. It is a heavy pollutant.
Errant carmakers, therefore, mis-sold their diesel vehicles and lied to their customers. They were more concerned about making a profit than making sure that their clients were safe.
Defeat devices are dangerous not only because they hide real emissions but also because of NOx emissions.
What exposure to NOx emissions can do to you
Nitrogen oxide is made of different gases, including nitric oxide or NO and nitrogen dioxide or NO2. It forms acid rain and smog and produces a pollutant called ground-level ozone. It destroys vegetation.
Its most devastating impact, however, is on your health. Various health conditions will hound you for the rest of your life.
In some cases, your mental health can be affected. This means you’ll have more episodes of anxiety and depression. Additionally, NOx emissions can also weaken your cognitive health, which may lead to dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease.
Your health can suffer regardless of how constant or long your exposure to NOx is. Common (but mild) impacts include asthma, nausea and vomiting, corroded teeth, and irritated eyes, nose, and throat. The more serious health conditions are life-changing:
- COPD
- Laryngospasm (the involuntary seizure or contraction of the vocal cords)
- Asphyxiation (when the body lacks oxygen supply)
- Some cancers
- Cardiovascular illnesses
- Premature death
NOx emissions, and air pollution in general, have become the most significant cause of early deaths worldwide. Every year, millions of people lose their lives because of exposure to toxic air. Such was the case of a young girl in the UK by the name of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. She died in 2013 after a severe asthma attack. Before her death, she had consecutively visited hospitals and emergency rooms for various respiratory-related issues.
Ella and her mother Rosamund were exposed to high levels of air pollution as they lived by the South Circular Road area in London, one of the most polluted places in the city. After completing an inquest, the coroner formally acknowledged air pollution as the main cause of Ella’s death.
To prevent similar incidents from happening, authorities encourage drivers affected by the diesel emissions scandal to bring their carmakers to court through a diesel claim.
What’s my diesel claim?
A diesel claim is the legal action you need if you suspect that your vehicle has a defeat device. The claim places the responsibility on the carmaker since they were the one who placed the defeat device in your vehicle.
If you win the claim, your carmaker will compensate you with an amount assigned by the court.
Before you start working on your emission claim, though, you should visit Emissions.co.uk to verify if you are qualified to file a claim and receive compensation. Once you’re done, find an emissions expert who can help you bring your case together. Visit their website here – https://www.emissions.co.uk/
