Hi,

A few weeks ago i was driving my roomster 2008 near the beach and i got stuck in the sand. While trying to free my car from the sand smoke started to come out of the engine cover. After cooling down a bit (the car ) i opened the cover and so that there was fire near the engine. I immediatly turned away from the car since i was afraid it will blow up. The car got burned very quickly.

Did anyone hear about a similiar accident?

Thanks.

Edited 25 September, 200817 yr by eldadas

Perhaps the engine overheated or there was a fuel leak?

Thanks.

I have no idea - i only tried to pull my car with another jeep for a few seconds. not more than that.

Insurance might claim it was my fault, and i am trying to understand if there is some technical issue with the car or maybe a design issue in terms of location of feul or oil pipes that could have caused this fire.

Was it just sand you got stuck on or was there was small plants in the sand?

Was it just sand you got stuck on or was there was small plants in the sand?

i can see where your going with that thought, tbh it was my first thought too.

i once lost the heat sheild for my cat on a old rover and i was driving over long grass, little did i know the cat so setting fire to the grass and as i drove along i was leaving a trail of fire!

luckily i drove off the long grass and then wasted some beer putting it out!

My only car fire story is once I took an aging and very leggy A6 2.4 in part ex against a Superb and I had it underwritten with a local trader, anyway car came in and I offered to drive it down to the traders house, all the way there I can smell burning, I thought maybe it was just the brakes getting a little hot. When I pull up to his house I notice very dark smoke coming from the wheel arches if it was light coloured smoke I would have dismissed it as brake pad smoke but it was thick black so I opened the bonnet and low and behold the engine is on fire and had been for quite some time all the engine cover was burnt and melted and in a very sorry state, we managed to put it out using water and a fire extinguisher. Very exciting - Needless to say he didn't buy it off me and I'm not sure where it went in the end.

luckily i drove off the long grass and then wasted some beer putting it out!

:eek:Thats alcohol abuse:eek:

Once had a Mk 3 Escort go on fire - my own fault, I left the oil cap off after changing the oil and after some fairly hard 'boy racing' (Well, I was only 20-odd) I pullled up outside my mates house and noticed the smoke etc.Lifted the bonnet and the oil had splashed on the manifold and I had a lovely set of burning plug leads! Unfortunately his neighbour had a fire extinguisher and put it out.I'd have been happy to see it go up in smoke and could have claimed off my insurance then!

From just reading your posts, I have to say that if I was your insurer I would want a lot of questions answered before I paid out. Good luck.

John