Car fire
05-13-06, 05:29 PM
#1
TRUST PWRD
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Welland
Posts: 969
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Car fire
Well, today was an ubber bad day.
Last night I went out drinking, so I left my car at my friends house. He's only a block away, so i t was fine. I drove my g/f home at like 5 am, and went to bed, waking back up at 11:30.
Around 12, I went for the car, waked over, and drove it home.
When I got out, I noticed that there was a very strong smell in the air. Having done fire restoration on homes since I was 13, I knew the smell or burnt plastic. Its a smell you only have to smell once to know how putrid it is. I imediatly think its an electrical short under the hood, so I popped it, and took the battery cable off. I start to check everyhting out, when i notice smoke coming from the water drain holes from the top. I quickly ran for the hose, and start to spray the water all around inside, hoping to get it out. It isnt working though, and I see that the smoke is also coming from under the car.
I get down , and see the smoke is comiung from the trunk.
****.
The trunk has always had the cable broke, and the key had just crapped out, so I knew I was in trouble. I ran to my neon, got out the angle grinder and started to cut the metal where the spare tire goes on a normal FC. Doesnt work. The metal is very thick at this part, After 20 seconds of diggining it right in, I've yet to get through. I start to panic.
I go back amnd grab my pry bar, knowing that its bretter to **** up my trunk than it is to lose the car I've worked so hard for. I punch out the 3rd brake light, and see there 2 bolts, and a newly formed hole into the trunk. The smoke starts to billow out. and i get nervous. I reef on the trunk, hoping to break the latch, or even tear it clean off. This also doesnt work, but I now have a space to spray the trunk down. I thnk at this point I have most of it out, sao i focus on opening the trunk. I funble through the sockets I could find, none will clear. I go back, grab all the loose wrenches I can find, and run back to my car.
The smoke has started again, so I know I have to act fast. I grab all the wrenches, and franticly fublle trying to get them to fit. I find the top is a 13. good, it should just wrench off. nope, the other bold is sliding, and I cant get anthing on the bolt to hold it. I jamb the prybar into the trunk, and pry up, getting enough clearance to get a 10mm in to hold the bolts. I slowly get one off at a time, I try to take my time, but I'm so nervous right now its hard to concentrate. I get them off, and pop it to see the mess.
The plastic guard going around the back is completely toast, the carpet is pretty much fryed, and I lost 2 text books. In my haste, I also broke the licience plate cover. The trunk smell horrible, but really, there not much to fix. The trunk itself is toast, as is the licience cover, and carpet. But these are all easy to replace, and, there was no structureal damage done. I figure it must be my lucky day, as this easily could have killed the car in a heartbeat.
As I walk into the house, my g/f phones, and I tell her the whole story. Shes consoles me, and says she'll help pay for the parts. BLESS.
I'm going to start a thread in the forum wide F/S section, but if you have parts, like
(prefer red, but if not I'll make due for exteriour, gray interior.)
-The trunk
-The plastic thing that goes around the back, covering up the taillights.
- the cable to open the trunk
-carpet for the trunk
PM me, or reply here
Also, Because of this, I cant go to the mosport meet, the first meet this car would have even gone to, and prolly one of the greatest times of my life. But unlike some rx-7 fires, or accidents I can remember, at least I still have the car.
Last night I went out drinking, so I left my car at my friends house. He's only a block away, so i t was fine. I drove my g/f home at like 5 am, and went to bed, waking back up at 11:30.
Around 12, I went for the car, waked over, and drove it home.
When I got out, I noticed that there was a very strong smell in the air. Having done fire restoration on homes since I was 13, I knew the smell or burnt plastic. Its a smell you only have to smell once to know how putrid it is. I imediatly think its an electrical short under the hood, so I popped it, and took the battery cable off. I start to check everyhting out, when i notice smoke coming from the water drain holes from the top. I quickly ran for the hose, and start to spray the water all around inside, hoping to get it out. It isnt working though, and I see that the smoke is also coming from under the car.
I get down , and see the smoke is comiung from the trunk.
****.
The trunk has always had the cable broke, and the key had just crapped out, so I knew I was in trouble. I ran to my neon, got out the angle grinder and started to cut the metal where the spare tire goes on a normal FC. Doesnt work. The metal is very thick at this part, After 20 seconds of diggining it right in, I've yet to get through. I start to panic.
I go back amnd grab my pry bar, knowing that its bretter to **** up my trunk than it is to lose the car I've worked so hard for. I punch out the 3rd brake light, and see there 2 bolts, and a newly formed hole into the trunk. The smoke starts to billow out. and i get nervous. I reef on the trunk, hoping to break the latch, or even tear it clean off. This also doesnt work, but I now have a space to spray the trunk down. I thnk at this point I have most of it out, sao i focus on opening the trunk. I funble through the sockets I could find, none will clear. I go back, grab all the loose wrenches I can find, and run back to my car.
The smoke has started again, so I know I have to act fast. I grab all the wrenches, and franticly fublle trying to get them to fit. I find the top is a 13. good, it should just wrench off. nope, the other bold is sliding, and I cant get anthing on the bolt to hold it. I jamb the prybar into the trunk, and pry up, getting enough clearance to get a 10mm in to hold the bolts. I slowly get one off at a time, I try to take my time, but I'm so nervous right now its hard to concentrate. I get them off, and pop it to see the mess.
The plastic guard going around the back is completely toast, the carpet is pretty much fryed, and I lost 2 text books. In my haste, I also broke the licience plate cover. The trunk smell horrible, but really, there not much to fix. The trunk itself is toast, as is the licience cover, and carpet. But these are all easy to replace, and, there was no structureal damage done. I figure it must be my lucky day, as this easily could have killed the car in a heartbeat.
As I walk into the house, my g/f phones, and I tell her the whole story. Shes consoles me, and says she'll help pay for the parts. BLESS.
I'm going to start a thread in the forum wide F/S section, but if you have parts, like
(prefer red, but if not I'll make due for exteriour, gray interior.)
-The trunk
-The plastic thing that goes around the back, covering up the taillights.
- the cable to open the trunk
-carpet for the trunk
PM me, or reply here
Also, Because of this, I cant go to the mosport meet, the first meet this car would have even gone to, and prolly one of the greatest times of my life. But unlike some rx-7 fires, or accidents I can remember, at least I still have the car.
05-14-06, 01:56 AM
#5
ogm, that sucks *** dude!
Did you find the cause of the fire?
Also so you know for next time (not that there will be lol): you can get into the trunk through the rear of the car pretty quickly/easily if you remove the spare tire cover and spare tire, right at the back there is a metal panel and beside it is the plastic from the trunk, bend it out if the way and you're in!
It will probably be easier to repair your trunk lid unless you've really really ruined it. 3rd brake light is the same as any FC. The rest is all vert-specific.
Do you have fire insurance on the car? It may be in your best intrest to claim it.
Did you find the cause of the fire?
Also so you know for next time (not that there will be lol): you can get into the trunk through the rear of the car pretty quickly/easily if you remove the spare tire cover and spare tire, right at the back there is a metal panel and beside it is the plastic from the trunk, bend it out if the way and you're in!
It will probably be easier to repair your trunk lid unless you've really really ruined it. 3rd brake light is the same as any FC. The rest is all vert-specific.
Do you have fire insurance on the car? It may be in your best intrest to claim it.
05-14-06, 09:12 AM
#6
Grey-Bruce Rotorhead
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Chesley, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,484
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
With the way that car insurance is these days, it maybe better to not let the insurance company know at all. You are now a higher risk as a client. I once reported a cab hitting the side of my old shitbox Honda Accord but decided not to make a claim as the damage was only a couple of hundred bucks. The result: they cranked up my premium as I was now a higher risk. Unless the damage is extensive in terms of dollars and cents, I would go the route that you have started: getting help/parts from everyone on the forum. Good luck. Post some pics of the restoration if you can.
Trending Topics
05-14-06, 07:22 PM
#8
TRUST PWRD
Thread Starter
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Welland
Posts: 969
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I ddint know about the plastic being liftable, the last time I was in there I though there was only a little hole. maybe s5's are different.
Cause is unknown, but I started it up and drove it out of the driveway, so................who knows. BUt anything that could have caught fire was noow washed of its flamibility, as I soaked it all down for a good 20 mins.
I will not be going through insiureance, as am availible for low risk in 3 months, and it should drop me by about 70 bucks a month, andI dont want to even think about jeprodising that.
Ive got almost all the parts, all i need is the carpet. sucks because it is all vert specific, except the light. Alll the parts are coming in from ky, so post is a bit, but i got a really good deal me thinks, and ill have better stuff that what i had.
The only bad part is that feds was disipointed in the smallness of the fire. bastard.
BUT! he did bring me to the mosport meet, so all is forgiven.
Cause is unknown, but I started it up and drove it out of the driveway, so................who knows. BUt anything that could have caught fire was noow washed of its flamibility, as I soaked it all down for a good 20 mins.
I will not be going through insiureance, as am availible for low risk in 3 months, and it should drop me by about 70 bucks a month, andI dont want to even think about jeprodising that.
Ive got almost all the parts, all i need is the carpet. sucks because it is all vert specific, except the light. Alll the parts are coming in from ky, so post is a bit, but i got a really good deal me thinks, and ill have better stuff that what i had.
The only bad part is that feds was disipointed in the smallness of the fire. bastard.
BUT! he did bring me to the mosport meet, so all is forgiven.
05-14-06, 07:26 PM
#9
400WHP or bust
iTrader: (7)
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Walkerton, Ontario Canada
Posts: 4,048
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I hope you didn't buy the parts from a guy named Josh Thompson or something like that, he's been known to rip people off on Teamf3s a few times.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
zuesskroph
2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992)
0
08-13-15 06:05 PM