Car set on fire on the drive.. photos..

[PJW]

Literally without warning or being near it, our lasses Meriva caught fire on the drive this morning. Points to the electrics or battery. Only thing i can think of is that it snowed last night, and maybe crossconnected. Who knows. Fireman said its not common but couldnt find a cause.

Firemen took 10 minutes to get here from half a mile away. Two coppers were here first from further somehow. All were spot on.

Wings gone, windscreens gone, engines all melted, fusebox, battery, other electrical gubbins, most of the plastic trim and bulkhead.

I was in the back garden and smelt burning, and saw smoke from the car bonnet.

Soon as i knew it was on its way up i moved the audi so it didnt go too, then stupidly pulled the kids car seats out of the back. Firemen came just as me and a neighbour put water on it and put it out. Last time i touched it was when i locked the doors on it by remote last night at 9.

Gutted, freaked out and a little shaky about it could have either done it when the kids were in it or done it at 3am and set fire to the house or the gasbox next to the drive.

Insurance company is shut till 9am monday too. Dont know what to say, paranoid its my fault somehow but the only things ive touched on it is the lambda and the headlight bulbs, about two days ago. Been driving about in it since for two days.

Any thoughts?

We all fine anyway, and its only a car but never ever thought this would happen to us.

[carl747]

At least everyones ok mate

[mike88]

Vauxhalls tbh.

[paul888]

Damn not good. got any pics ?

[PJW]

Went out and bought a new battery for the Audi now. I reckon water got into or onto it somehow, but who knows.






I dont reckon its salvageable, but then who knows. Wing, bonnet and headlight are replaceable. All the plastic crap out of the bay is metled. Not sure whats melted off the engine side of things, loom gone, hopefully theyll write it off as i dont want to be in it and neither does the missus.

Just paranoid about the insurance step as ive never made a claim before. Hopefully theyll at least get it off my drive though. How long is the process?

[bjrespect]

had a few cars come into the scappers when i worked there that had court fire

glad your safe buddy

[southside]

Will be a write off deffinatly. Im sure insurance companies have to treat fire damage cars the same as flood damage. They cant risk repairing it incase something unseen was damaged in the fire that will arise in the future whuch could be a safety issue.

[j220 gti]

Vauxhalls tbh.

and rover owners moan when people say rover = HG issues. of which it annoys me tbh.

Hasent it been known for 620's to set them self alight?

Anyways OP, Glad you noticed it went up mate, as you say could have easily been alot worse, glad your all ok.

[BlueRover]

The Vauxhall Meriva, not so clever now is it ?

[carl747]

Hasent it been known for 620's to set them self alight?

Yes but it was honda engined ones can't remember what it was tho

[radddogg]

Aftermarket stereo?

[mike88]

Hasent it been known for 620's to set them self alight?

Yes but it was honda engined ones can't remember what it was tho

[618ireland]

Good to hear no one is hurt, they will no doubt remove that asap on Monday, and I presume write it off.

Unreal though.

[PJW]

Nothing aftermarket on the entire car, totally standard and serviced regularly. Rang the insurers (well, Flux, as a broker as the insurer isnt in until monday) and they were spot on. Really professional. Will wait for a phone call monday and then see whats what, i presume they arent going to fix it but who knows. Just want today to be over with.

One thing i kept thinking is we had been looking at a house with a built in garage. Would have been totally trollied if it had been in there.

[rovermadman4825]

Vauxhalls tbh.

I'd much rarther have my hg go then my car set its self on fire altho its happend to my rover

Glad knowone was hurt and I bet that puts you off vauxhauls for life

[paul888]

At least no one got hurt. Hopefully claim will go thro quickly. Then upgrade to an rs 4 estate lol.

[PJW]

Ha she will pap herself in an S4. Its her choice, need a 7 seater really like. Maybe a grand scenic. Not a sodding vauxhall now, ever.

Coincidentally, found this on autotrader:


http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ogcode=emf

Looks pretty much the same problem to me. Tempted to phone vauxhall but as its not been serviced by them ill probably get told to poke it. Still worried its going to go up again over night :s

[southside]

Hasent it been known for 620's to set them self alight?

Yes but it was honda engined ones can't remember what it was tho

45/ZS's have a problem with setting themselves alite aswell. Part of the loom that runs under the battery tray rubs away on it and shorts the loom out, in worst case's causing a fire.

[harkins77]

I wish someone would set fire to mine. It is doing my head in. Can you get your wife to come and have a look at mine as well??

[PJW]

I wish someone would set fire to mine. It is doing my head in. Can you get your wife to come and have a look at mine as well??

You do not want. Have you seen Hostel? Its worse.

[harkins77]

[Limecat]

I wouldn't wish that on anyone but if I had to choose someone...

@ you being unsure if changing headlight bulbs caused it to go up.

[618ireland]

45/ZS's have a problem with setting themselves alite aswell. Part of the loom that runs under the battery tray rubs away on it and shorts the loom out, in worst case's causing a fire.

All of them or just particularly engined ones do you know ?

[teethgrinder]

One thing i kept thinking is we had been looking at a house with a built in garage. Would have been totally trollied if it had been in there.

Too right.

My house burned down 1500-1630. 12h either way = trollied. Not nice.

Glad all safe regardless of the cars.

[PJW]

One thing i kept thinking is we had been looking at a house with a built in garage. Would have been totally trollied if it had been in there.

Too right.

My house burned down 1500-1630. 12h either way = trollied. Not nice.

Glad all safe regardless of the cars.

Really? Jesus.

[420gazza]

holy sh1te paul, it's just good no-one was in the car or standing round it etc, i'm glad no-one was hurt, the insurance should pay out no trouble, you clearly aint the first person to encounter the meriva's electrical gremlins

Just dont touch anything in the engine bay as vauxhall use a glue on electrical connectors that is after a fire extremely hazardous to health if touched etc, it basically leads to amputation as it eats away at your body and spreads and the only way to stop it is by amputating limbs etc.

[teethgrinder]

Sure I read in my old Mk1 Fiesta Haynes that the coolant hoses secrete hydrofluoric acid when burned. Not nice stuff and similar to the effects above...

As for the house mice chewed through wires in the ceiling. Little twats.

[southside]

45/ZS's have a problem with setting themselves alite aswell. Part of the loom that runs under the battery tray rubs away on it and shorts the loom out, in worst case's causing a fire.

All of them or just particularly engined ones do you know ?

Im not sure. I've heard of a few cases of it on different forums and theres been a few on copart recently with fire damage around the battery tray area.

[PJW]

Heard today Vauxhall did a product recall of almost 200000 cars for fire risk faults with the ABS system, which suprise suprise is right where the fire was. Will be ringing Vauxhall to see if the Meriva had any recalls and if this one was done. Might write an angry letter and see what i can get out of them.

[PJW]

From here

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-a ... _page_id=5

[paul888]

So yours must have missed the recall somehow . so many recalls people know nothing about ...

[PJW]

Dont know if there has been one for merivas yet though. Rining vauxhall in the morning. If Arnold Clark had the car when the recall was done, are they liable at all?

I cant find anything about a meriva recall though. All i care about now is getting it off the drive, and the insurance giving me a realistic amount.

[618ireland]

How did this turn out for you? Well I hope

[PJW]

Cars now gone and should have been assessed today as to whether its getting written off. Phoned Vauxhall and they are very interested, im going to try and claim something if it was found by the assessor to be a mechanical fault (ie Vauxhalls fault) for payment of my excess and the remainder of my policy.

[618ireland]

Fingers crossed that works out ok for you.