Expert Shows Which Diesel Cars Can Get You a Big Payout

Financial journalist Martin Lewis sold MoneySavingExpert.com in 2012 but he still serves as the site’s editor-in-chief and continues to share financial knowledge and tips. Earlier this year, Lewis featured an issue that has long happened but is still in the news: the diesel emissions scandal.

On MoneySavingExpert, Lewis provided information about the vehicles involved in the scandal. He posted a list of the cars that could give affected drivers a big payout as compensation for their carmakers’ use of a device intended for cheating on emissions tests. According to Lewis, anybody who owns or drives diesel cars or vans in England and Wales that were manufactured between the years 2007 and 2018 may bring a claim or join other car owners in a group litigation. This applies to vehicles that were bought outright or purchased through a financing plan.

Diesel Cars

According to Lewis, the vehicles that are potentially involved in the scandal and can offer a big payout are:

  • BMW
  • Audi
  • Chrysler
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Volkswagen
  • Vauxhall
  • Hyundai
  • Ford
  • Fiat
  • Citroën
  • Land Rover
  • Kia
  • Jaguar
  • Renault
  • Škoda 
  • Seat
  • Mini
  • Volvo 
  • Porsche
  • Peugeot

Car owners and drivers of affected vehicles are seeking legal action because their carmakers have allegedly misled them into believing they purchased cars and vans that passed regulatory emissions tests and are therefore environmentally clean and safe. In reality, their vehicles were equipped with defeat devices that masked their real emissions levels.

The majority of the carmakers that are involved in the diesel emissions scandal have denied the allegations time and again. Yet most of them have spent billions on legal fees, fines, settlements, and vehicle recalls. 

What’s the Dieselgate scandal?

The Dieselgate scandal started with The Volkswagen Group in September 2015. Authorities in the United States allegedly found defeat devices in VW and Audi diesel cars and vans sold to US customers. Volkswagen denied the allegations but later on recanted and admitted that some of their officials were aware that cheat devices were installed in some models. US authorities gave VW a notice for violating emissions regulations.

A defeat device can detect when a vehicle is being tested so it can temporarily bring down emissions to levels lower than the WHO-mandated limits for the entirety of the test. Needless to say, when authorities look at the vehicle, it appears emissions-compliant.

When the vehicle is out on the road, however, its emissions levels revert to being extremely high, releasing considerable amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx). NOx is a highly reactive group of gases that has nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric oxide (NO). It has adverse effects on the environment and can have life-changing effects on a person.

A few years after the initial Dieselgate scandal, US authorities sent a notice to Mercedes-Benz for the alleged use of defeat devices in their diesel vehicles. Daimler, Mercedes’ parent company, denied the accusations (and continues to do so these days). Not long after, a group of Mercedes car owners in the US decided to file a class-action lawsuit against the carmaker. 

Moreover, 11 of Daimler’s offices in Germany were raided by prosecutors in their efforts of gathering evidence for the emissions violation. As a result, over 700,000 Mercedes-Benzes were recalled for engine correction. 

Over the years, many other popular and respected carmakers have been implicated in the scandal. 

Why are NOx emissions dangerous?

Ground-level ozone, which can weaken and damage vegetation, is one of the pollutants produced when NOx reacts with other chemicals. Other pollutants that NOx precipitates include smog and acid rain.

A person’s mental and general health is also affected by nitrogen oxide emissions. When they constantly breathe in toxic air, their cognitive capabilities can slowly deteriorate and sometimes lead to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related illnesses. In some cases, an individual exposed to NOx emissions may have bouts of depression and anxiety, the most common mental health-related conditions. 

Health conditions will be the biggest problem for a person who is constantly exposed to NOx emissions. Nausea and vomiting, difficulty in breathing, and fluid build-up in the lungs are just some of the effects that an individual can develop. Asthma and other respiratory conditions such as emphysema and bronchitis are also common conditions brought about (or aggravated) by NOx emissions. 

If an individual breathes in high levels of nitrogen oxide emissions may experience life-changing health issues, including laryngospasm, chronic lung function reduction, and asphyxiation. NOx also increases a person’s susceptibility to certain diseases, specifically cancer and cardiovascular illnesses. The most life-threatening impact of NOx emissions exposure, however, is premature death. 

Every year, thousands upon thousands of premature deaths are reported and a significant number of these are linked to air pollution. 

These impacts should compel affected car owners to bring a claim against their carmaker.

Making a claim

So, how do I make my diesel claim?

The claims process always begins with the verification of a person’s eligibility to bring their carmaker to court. There are several factors to consider, such as vehicle model and year of manufacture. To ensure that you are eligible to make a diesel claim, visit ClaimExperts.co.uk. They’ll help you start working on your claims case.

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