ReneR

Ha! Got that line too when we went to have a look a good deal for the new 2.0 TDI Golf Estate the other day. I really liked it and it was a super good deal, but MrsR would not have it for exactly that reason. Checked out a similar engined pre-reg 2023 Tiguan and it took her fancy, so looks like that might be what we get in the end. Was nice to drive in the test drive and she preferred the more upright driving position and found it easy to drive too. Liked the Multipla. Sister-in-law had one in Italy and it was great fun to ride in, but not enough boot space for our needs. But it was pretty well made for a Fiat. She had some huge number of km on the clock without any major issues when she eventual decided to change car because it was becoming a hassle to find parts for it.

Will do. Initially the police suspected that too, that's why they started a crime report and asked for CCTV to be viewed, but they were told that nothing from the CCTV suggested that was the case. They were still a nit baffled though. But I think they only viewed the footage from when the alarm went off and the smoke and flames started to be visible. Maybe there was something earlier.

The only other thing I can think of is if it has something to do with the other car parked in-front and that suffered some apparently cosmetic damage. Maybe when the CCTV was looked at beyond the actual start of the incident the other car had parked around that time and bumped into mine and triggered the events that unfolded somehow, but cannot really see how.

Could be, but the initial claim handler put me through to the disputes team about it. They said it may take some time but if the dispute was successful I would get the excess back.

I was quite into it, also the Citroen Berlingo, but the rest of the family (wife and children) objected because they thought both looked too much like a van.

No not the manufacturer, but a 3rd party. But there was no other party involved in the incident as far as I am aware. The car had been parked up for a couple of days and then spontaneously combusted at 7.30am where it had been parked. I can see it would hardly be worth their while for such a small settlement, but maybe they have some idea of a specific problem from their data or something. I have no idea. I was surprised when they told me this today.

OK, they said they had launched a dispute with a 3rd party and if it was successful I would also get the excess, but as there was no 3rd party involved, I can only assume it was the manufacturer. Unless there was more in the CCTV than the police were able to see at the time of the incident and I have not heard about it.

I called about the excess and whether I was entitled to it and that is what they told me.

Interesting development with my insurance claim. Seems that my insurance company is looking to claim costs from the manufacturer and have initiated an official dispute. Wonder if their salvage contractor was able to identify the cause. Would be good to know, also in terms of warning other users of cars with potentially similar issues. If they are successful, I would also get the excess back from the insurance. Not a big deal, but would help with the unexpected expenditure resulting from the incident.

Sorry, that was a typo! 2025! You are right. They will get it with interest. My +9 years no claims has come down to 4 and looking at replacement cars, I am looking at a doubling of the £350 I was paying for the Roomster. There was a car with apparently cosmetic damage parked next to it they will also have to pay the other insurance to fix. Replacement cars I am considering at the moment are a new 2.0 TDI Golf Estate and an ex-demonstrator 2023 2.0 TDI Tiguan, both around £25k.

To wrap up the story, insurance offered me £2000 for the 2011 TDI 1.6 Roomster SE. Think it is probably fair as I have seen online prices ranging for similar spec Roomsters from £1200 to £4500, but the latter with much lower mileage and, it seems from the photos, well looked after exteriors and interiors. Considering I bought it reduced from £13.5k to £11k as it was ex-demo, I think I got good usage out of it. RIP little/big Roomy, you'll be missed....

I got an interesting reply from the owner of the Audi A6 that had a very similar fire to my Roomster. I am posting it here in case it rings any bells with anyone regarding a similar recall or to act as an alert about a possible issue lurking in VAG engines and cars for others:

Thanks for the reply. That helps me understand the situation a little more. Could some kind of rodent chew through the insulation? Or any other parts rub on it and chafe it? Father-in-law had to have his BMW rewired after rodents chewed through cables in his engine bay a couple of years ago.

Any suggestions for a similar type/spec car would obviously be very welcome too, if anyone has any ideas. Only cars that come to mind are Citoen Berlingo or C3 Picasso. Caddy is too pricey

Makes sense, but still wondering why in-car fuses would not have blown if there was a short-circuit. Even the battery had fuses on it.