Should I have emissions recall work done to my C-class?

I own a 59-plate Mercedes-benz C250 CDI and I’ve received a letter from Mercedes informing me that my car is due for some work as part of a recall. It’s for an engine management tweak that will, apparently, make it Euro 5 compliant.

While that’s a useful thing, my car is no powerhouse and I’m worried that optimising emissions will harm its performance.

However, I’m also wondering if it being Euro 5 compliant might make the car more ‘sellable’ in the future, and if it would help or hinder fuel economy.and are there any legal rami cations if an owner doesn’t get recall work done to a car?

Nicholas Pope WHAT CAR? SAYS…

Mercedes-benz UK launched a voluntary recall for several hundred thousand diesel models in 2017 to do a software update that would reduce their nitrogen oxide emissions. The recall affects around three million diesel-engined cars registered in Europe and, at a cost of £195 million, it’s the biggest manufacturer-led operation to reduce diesel emissions since Volkswagen recalled 11 million vehicles over the Dieselgate scandal. According to Mercedes, the upgrade is being carried out by dealerships when customers visit for a service or other maintenance work and takes around an hour. It says it doesn’t expect the upgrade to have any effect on performance, but a small number of C-class owners have complained online about a noticeable dip in their cars’ performance after having the work done. Because this isn’t a safety recall, you don’t have to have the work done and there won’t be any legal consequences from deciding not to. We don’t believe the value of your car will be affected if you don’t get the work done, and at present only Euro 6 cars are exempt from paying Ultra Low Emission Zone fees, so having the fix won’t change this.