Do be aware that, if you refuse to have the recall work carried out (and a lot of people seem to be doing so), then it is entirely feasible that the DVLA/VOSA will move to refuse the granting of an MOT to such vehicles, or invalidate vehicles where such work has not been carried out.

If that happened, and time where the vehicle was off the road was YOUR fault due to your refusal to get the work done, then you could well be left with no vehicle, and a wait of several days / weeks until the work could be done. During which VAG would bear no liability to keeping you on the road.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-tran...l

My letter is more a vehicle upgrade, not the sofrware, here's the letter:-

Dear Mr xxx
Volkswagen UK have recently contacted us to state that you have been selected to receive a manufacturer upgrade on your current Volkswagen model.
Your selection means that you have been chosen along with only a handful of other Volkswagen drivers in the UK to receive support in upgrading to a brand new '66' plate model.
How does this work?
Volkswagen have allocated a substantial sum of money to you, their selected upgrade customers, which enables them to support you in the purchase of a new Volkswagen.
It also means you will benefit from all of the following:-
• Significant savings from the list price
• Enhanced support to finance your deposit and monthly payments
• Additional support on ex-demonstrator models
To find out more and to confirm you would like to receive this support please call 01935 513182 and quote your upgrade code shown below. Alternatively, book your appointment online at: www.xxx

Signed by [the Brand Manager at the local VW Dealership]

I have had the identical invitation from Kia yesterday, totally ignoring that I bought a car a few months back.

I asked if they would PX it at what i paid and if so i would buy another but am still waiting for the return call.

It's worth noting HJ's final comment - if performance is down, try it on higher-grade diesel and see if that works. HJ hasn't had the opportunity to try this himself, but it's worth giving it a go.

If it doesn't, it's probably time to flog it.

VW and UK and European transport ministries have said from the start that the software 'cheat' only kicked in during the USA test and did not affect normal running or the European test.

If the car passes the UK test without the software kicking in, then surely it is legal in the UK and doesn't need the fix.

If the software was only applied during the USA test, then the 'fix' should have no effect at all on normal running. Indeed VW have maintained that the fix will have no noticeable effect on the engine in use.

If that is so, then why is any 'fix' needed in Europe?

If it is a 'simple software fix' as claimed for most models, then why is it taking so long? I have an affected 2.0 TDI model and so far have not had a 'fix' letter.

The latest 'it may not be legal if you refuse' seems to me an attempt to push through a dodgy 'fix' that really IS needed and therefore there is something we are not being told, either:

a) Because they would then need to pay compensation in Europe which would possibly bankrupt VW (and Germany with it)

and/or

b) If they are able to fudge the issue for long enough, the models affected will all be older that 3 years, the time many are changed and crucially the older they are, the greater the proportion that would then not be sold by VW dealers. If the original owners have 'upgraded', I would presume a claim for losses would be much harder to prove.