Car fire ... will ruin your day
- Thread starter Donald
- Start date
A nuclear Bomb is really funny, but when it comes your way, and fall down on your breakfast table, can disturb your day...hahaha
Patman
Staff member
Back in 1988 I was visiting a friend in Calgary and one of her friends had an old Ford Torino that had a power steering leak that he had been ignoring, even though he would smell smoke every time he drove it. He was the one who gave me a ride back to the airport and when he got to the parking lot, this time the leak was much worse and it caught fire. The car burnt to a crisp 
I just think with EFI and a higher pressure the fuel line and connectors are of better quality and less likely to leak. But you are right in that if there was a leak more fuel would come out in a short period of time.
I was surprised cars were parked anywhere near this burned car. I would not. But that tells me that the fire was put out awhile ago.
If your car caught fire parked next to a car that was the one that started the fire, while your insurance company would pay initially I assume they would go after the other guy and his insurance.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a post on Facebook that showed a pickup completely engulfed on fire at the local WalMart parking lot. (I live in a rural area. I guess it was the news for the day 
) Of course, my mind instantly thought of an older Ford vehicle. Nope. When I zoomed in, I saw it was a new GMC pickup. It went up fast and was gone before the fire department could arrive.
) Of course, my mind instantly thought of an older Ford vehicle. Nope. When I zoomed in, I saw it was a new GMC pickup. It went up fast and was gone before the fire department could arrive.
A neighbor's Audi Q3 caught fire back in November. It was less than a year old with less than 5k miles on it. A short in the fuse panel sparked a fire while he was driving. He was only a mile or so from the fire station but the bridge between him and that station was destroyed by Helene the month prior so the fire truck had to go way around out to get to him. It was fully engulfed by the time they got there.
The worst part is Allstate gave him the run around for months afterward. They first tried to accuse him of intentionally setting it on fire (in not so direct words), wanting to conduct their own investigation into the cause. After several weeks of that, they "determined" that the fire, which sparked from the fuse panel, by the firewall under the hood, was a result of aesthetic damage suffered in the hurricane, which he failed to report and thus not covered. The vehicle wasn't damaged in Helene as it was secured in his garage which also suffered no damage. The car was charred to a crisp so I don't know how they even determined something like that anyway. It took several months of jumping through hoops to get them to cover it. Even then, they tried to lowball him. Then they promptly dropped his coverage.
The worst part is Allstate gave him the run around for months afterward. They first tried to accuse him of intentionally setting it on fire (in not so direct words), wanting to conduct their own investigation into the cause. After several weeks of that, they "determined" that the fire, which sparked from the fuse panel, by the firewall under the hood, was a result of aesthetic damage suffered in the hurricane, which he failed to report and thus not covered. The vehicle wasn't damaged in Helene as it was secured in his garage which also suffered no damage. The car was charred to a crisp so I don't know how they even determined something like that anyway. It took several months of jumping through hoops to get them to cover it. Even then, they tried to lowball him. Then they promptly dropped his coverage.
Or a leak from the transmission cooler spraying onto something hot.
2x, city folks with oil leakers have no issues in town. A long uphill pull gets things hot and those leaks ignite. I would see fresh burn spots on the shoulders every Mon. morning in the summer on Rt 17 in the NY Catskills on the uphill side. It did lessen some as newer better sealed cars came into play though. Lots of crispy station wagons back in the day.
Probably just got serviced at the dealership!
This why I avoid Allstate.
"Are you in good hands?" Evidently not.
What makes and models are prone?
The ones that have electrical systems.
Seriously, vehicle fires are very often classified as "undetermined" due to the huge costs associated with proving the cause. Theres what you know vs what you can prove in court. Insurance companies take the path of least resistance.
Off hand that I directly know of is the current generation Wrangler and Gladiator. There has been numerous instances of unexplained vehicle fires that just start with origins in the area of the electric power steering pump motor. A few lawsuits over the wiring and pump connection are ongoing.
Been speculated on other makes and models but as with most fires, it tends to burn the evidence up with it. I am not claiming anybody with EPS has a fire hazard, just that it is a potential point to inspect.
Even on non EV vehicles, there is a lot more high amperage wiring associated with EPS, electric drive AC compressors and Electric Start Stop (ESS) systems, especially ones with dual batteries that has created more avenues for vehicle fires to occur.
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Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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This is total malfeasance or incompetence worthy of a department of insurance complaint.
Most likely the effect of senior and experienced employees being purged for iPad baby / Zoomer employees that don't care about performance or results.
If a fire is suspicious, SIU (Special Investigation Unit) would be assigned and potentially a forensic review of the vehicle can be made. This doesn't have to be CSI level work, SIU employees (retired cops / detectives / ins co employees) can use test kits to search for accelerant byproducts and there are methods to pinpoint the source of the fire.
Bouncing around from accusation to accusation is unprofessional especially if there was plenty of proof to the contrary. I would have made a DOI complaint, but after the end of the day that's all you can do and the ins co can drag it on until the state steps in but those actions take around 20 - 30 days.
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Que the "Which oil is best for an incinerated car?" thread drift/argument.
Group I is the most combustible.
