Recall Shock

[Andypandy TFSI]

aww man, that's bad.....hope the dealers do the right thing and replace the car with same or better!

[blueR36]

Incompetant or what, really sorry to hear of your news, It was unfortunate people saying "Gutted" for you as well :no:

[vRSuper1]

Hope they do a better job of the check than they did on mine today!!! this was within 5 miles of collecting it!!!

I m totally gutted only had the car a week!!!

Simon

Sorry to see that happen to you mate! Got me worried now - I've got the exact same engine and model year / reg year as you and mine's booked in to be checked for this in a week or so

I hope you get it sorted mate and get the car replaced by them. Keep us posted.

[Phil-E]

Woah. Not good. Feel for you!

As said above I would leave it in their hands. As long as you have use of a car (what car they given you?) and it's up to them really I think to source you a car of similar/greater spec etc.

I would definitetly be writing/contacting SUK though just to make them aware of the situation should you need their help further down the line. What did your insurance company say too? Hope it's not going to affect your no claims or anything at all.

Phil

[Tech1e]

Holy proverbial poop.

[mantamad]

The problem is now proving it was some thing that they did!!! My insurance company are not interested in going after the dealer all the ywant to do is pay me out and load my insurance for the next few years!!! Waiting to hear back from a couple of solicitors but not looking good at the moment!!!

[Phil-E]

So are they denying it was something they had done?! Bit of a coincidence isn't it!?

I think an investigation into the cause of the fire needs to be carried out.

[mantamad]

To be fair to them they are not denying its there fault, but at the same time they are not accepting its something that the did either.

My main gripe is with LV insurance now who seem totaly unwilling to chase up the claim with the dealers insurance!!!

I have spoken to the dealers insurance company today and the are waiting to hear from LV to start the ball moving. I intend to contact SUK on Monday to see what they can do to help as I can't see them wanting the bad publicity from this.

The whole thing is starting to get to me now, all I want is an equivalent car to what I took in for the checks

[Tech1e]

So are they denying it was something they had done?! Bit of a coincidence isn't it!?

I think an investigation into the cause of the fire needs to be carried out.

That's the problem, investigation can cost upwards of £1500. The insurance company won't cover it and neither will the dealer as why would they?

[Andypandy TFSI]

it's a shame the dealer/SUK won't be a bit more proactive and get to the bottom of the problem, surely they would be somewhat curious as to what they've done to put your life at risk!

[Dolla]

Feel bad for you fella,you may get fed up of phoning around chasing after the dealer etc.But with things like this you just have to be persistant and you may come out on top at the end of it,or just cut your losses accept the insurance pay out,and hope they won't sting you too much for it on your next car.

[wraggvrs]

did you have gap insurance so at least you will get back what you paid for your car?

[wraggvrs]

got mine booked in for injector recall on wednesday....

hope they dont mess it up too!

[mantamad]

did you have gap insurance so at least you will get back what you paid for your car?

No I don't, but no finance on the car so apart from my excess on my policy I should be ok.

[Davidsr20]

Can I ask what actually happened? They only replaced injectors so how would this cause a fire?

[andyvee]

Can I ask what actually happened? They only replaced injectors so how would this cause a fire?

and what do injectors connect to - a high pressure fuel line. All it takes is for them to have cocked it up by not tightening a fuel line connection correctly and you wil be on fire in no time at all.

As the OP had only done 5 miles since it was at the dealers and the fire started in the engine bay I know where my money is for the cause. What if someone had left an oily rag on the turbo - that would be a nice way to start an engine bay fire as well.

Of course, they will deny it unless it can be proved otherwise. I would give the dealer a miss and be hammering on the door of SUK, Watchdog, local press etc as well as getting a solicitor involved.

Did you have legal cover with the insurance? If so, get in touch with them as they are normally independent of the insurance company and may pursue a claim against the dealer.

[nick74]

and what do injectors connect to - a high pressure fuel line.

But that's the strange thing - they don't on a PD. There is no high pressure fuel pump, no high pressure fuel lines and the injectors and their fuel supply are all contained within the cylinder head on a PD system. Even the tandem pump feeds fuel directly into the head, and at a fraction of the pressure found on a CR.

A PD is really one type of fuel system where you wouldn't expect this sort of thing to happen.

The worst a PD injector will usually do if it leaks is dribble diesel into the engine oil.

I think you may be onto something with the oily rag on the turbo though...

[andyvee]

But that's the strange thing - they don't on a PD. There is no high pressure fuel pump, no high pressure fuel lines and the injectors and their fuel supply are all contained within the cylinder head on a PD system. Even the tandem pump feeds fuel directly into the head, and at a fraction of the pressure found on a CR.

A PD is really one type of fuel system where you wouldn't expect this sort of thing to happen.

The worst a PD injector will usually do if it leaks is dribble diesel into the engine oil.

I think you may be onto something with the oily rag on the turbo though...

I know, but if the injectors aren't seated or sealed correctly............

It could have been an electrical fault, who knows.

But - it happened within 15 minutes at the most of collecting the car from a main dealer who had been performing work in that area of the engine bay. I would expect the dealer would be trying to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that they were not at fault. The negative publicity that things like this can generate can put people out of business.

I know this as many years ago my cousin (who runs his own garage) was accused of causing a gearbox failure by not putting enough oil in it. Luckily, one of his customers was a professor of metallurgy (or something like that) at a university who acted as a professional witness and also analysed the fragments from the gearbox, which proved that my cousin was not at fault and that it was a fault with the gearbox itself. If it hadn't been for his luck in having a customer who could act as a professional witness he would have been out of business.

[Davidsr20]

Andyvee I know how an injector works I am a mechanic! What's ur profession?

It takes an awfull lot for diesel to ignite so I'm not convinced its anything to do with the injectors themselves.

[wraggvrs]

just a quick post - dont let what happened to MANTAMAD put you off going for injector recall

had new injectors fitted today (i paid for wiring harness £82 not included in recall anymore, thought have a new 1 fitted for free whilst their in there)

driving home and what a difference! engine feels smoother, more responsive and it feels stronger!

plus an added bonus my mpg has gone up approx 5-8mpg

[Legend]

Andyvee I know how an injector works I am a mechanic! What's ur profession?

It takes an awfull lot for diesel to ignite so I'm not convinced its anything to do with the injectors themselves.

I have to agree with Davidsr20. I'm a mastertech at a VW dealer and the injectors starting the fire is a really really long shot...... BUT I've seen a DPF cause a fire similar to this that's where I would start looking...That said it is a really horrible thing to have happened to mantamad & I totally feel for him.

[silver1011]

I once returned home from having my Octavia Scout serviced.

As I pulled into the street I saw that the binmen had left my wheelie bin in the middle of the drive so I jumped out and moved it.

When I walked back to the car I noticed something hanging down underneath the car.

Reversed onto the drive and popped the bonnet to see an old oily rag smoldering down at the back of the engine bay.

Had it been summer or even if I'd have got stuck in traffic I'm sure it was only a few degrees from setting alight :S

[nick74]

It's amazing what can get left in and around engine bays. My best find to date was a large LED inspection lamp, caked in mud, up behind the plastic wheel arch liner of a Citroen I used to own. The remnant of some long ago service or MOT I presume, as it certainly wasn't mine (well not originally...)

[andyvee]

Andyvee I know how an injector works I am a mechanic! What's ur profession?

It takes an awfull lot for diesel to ignite so I'm not convinced its anything to do with the injectors themselves.

I am not a trained mechanic, I admit. But I have worked in the motor trade for over a decade at main dealers in my younger years and some of the things I have seen beggar belief. I also spent over a decade building highly tuned mini's as a hobby.

I admit, it does take a lot to ignite diesel, but a nice hot turbo or exhaust would do the trick nicely. Just like those diesel powered space heaters. Doesn't take a lot to get them going does it?

The point made about DPF is a valid one.

I think my points have been misunderstood, it is all speculation, but if I had collected a car from a main dealer after they had been working on the fuel system and it burst into flames within 5 miles I would be wanting them to prove that it wasn't something they had caused, rather than me having to prove it was something they caused. It could have course been coincidental.

But oily rags in engine bays aren't uncommon, as well as tools that get left behind. Or soundproofing not secured correctly and left flapping onto hot or moving parts.

The cause could have been anything, it is the fact that someone has just been working in that area for an hour and then within 15 minutes it has turned into a fireball and could have killed someone.

I am not tarring all mechanics, or dealers, with the same brush.

But when you have had to explain to a customer why the oil cap was left off their car after a service and it had emptied itself of oil within a few miles; or why the protective grease hadn't been cleaned off of brake discs and they couldn't stop when leaving the car park you realise that almost anything is possible. I have even had a main dealer not seat a water pump correctly on one of my own cars when changing the cam belt and water pump, and the car got half a mile before emptying itself of coolant.

[andyvee]

I have to agree with Davidsr20. I'm a mastertech at a VW dealer and the injectors starting the fire is a really really long shot...... BUT I've seen a DPF cause a fire similar to this that's where I would start looking...That said it is a really horrible thing to have happened to mantamad & I totally feel for him.

I agree with it being a long shot, as I said above, just pure speculation. It is the attitude of the dealer that is quite amazing - when I have worked at main dealers and anything went wrong they usually bent over backwards to compensate or prove they were not at fault.