[Geo_Ipe]

I remember when my friend had got his Polo 1.2 from Chennai almost a year ago, he mentioned something about not being able to fit an aftermarket remote locking system, since the local accessory vendors were reluctant to mess with the wirings of a Volkswagen.

Has any other VW owner had similar experiences with aftermarket fittings?? It would be nice if VW owners could come up in this thread and clear the air a little regarding this debate about aftermarket electricals being fitted!

[invidious]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

This is a classic case of head vs. heart...

...These are questions you need to answer for yourself but feel free to voice your thoughts and we will be happy to help resolve your doubts on this forum.

Regarding Air travel - air travel is safest only when calculated as "# of deaths per passenger mile" used by air lines to advertise their safety but the insurance firms use" # of deaths per passenger journey". Just for your information.

Note From Team-BHP Support-Team: Please avoid quoting entire posts, as it may inconvenience small-screen/mobile users. Thanks.

[formel_eins]

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

I remember when my friend had got his Polo 1.2 from Chennai almost a year ago, he mentioned something about not being able to fit an aftermarket remote locking system, since the local accessory vendors were reluctant to mess with the wirings of a Volkswagen.

Has any other VW owner had similar experiences with aftermarket fittings?? It would be nice if VW owners could come up in this thread and clear the air a little regarding this debate about aftermarket electricals being fitted!

I own a 1.2 Polo and done aftermarket fitting of amp, speakers (both front and rear) and sub-woofer. I did tell them not to mess or cut any wires as it would affect the warranty. Guy is professional and promised me he wont do any such thing. Its been a year and I have not faced any issue. I always recommend to get such aftermarket fittings done by professionals who do charge a bit of money but their work is up to the mark. I have seen some really terrible wiring works carried out on my cousins Honda city by an off-the corner guy. I was shocked to see naked wires, no tapes on open ends, no clips just winding the wire around terminals , a disaster waiting to happen. He got those things fixed only after I advised him to do so, personally he never noticed it.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by Sudden123

Is there a chance that the photo is a photoshop job? My doubt is because i cannot see any charred surface and the fire seems superimposed on the car. May be i am imagining but just had a thought

one of the members has earlier commented about driving by the accident site. if it had been a PS job, sure he would have commented on it.

[adimodi]

I too had complete new set of wires running through out the car, not touching the factory provided wires on my Rapid TDI Ambition 2012. ICE installed by super professional @bass&trouble .

[GTO]

Skoda has the following to say:

Post the technical evaluation, we can confirm that there was no manufacturing defect in the vehicle and the fire was caused due to external factors.

Word awaited on what exactly the external factors were. After-market equipment? Dealer error? Rodents messing up the wiring?

[h@r$h@l]

I am no expert here but when i discussed this issue & showed this & other Vento thread to my regular Car Accessory person, he told me that some of the accesorry shop workers are not aware about the recent / modern or rather updated wireing setup in new cars. And one small error during installation of reverse parking sensors or ICE setup could lead to a severe issue such as the ones reported here.

If i remember correctly, initially when VW launched Vento they made "aftermarket" installation a major hype and customers were clearly warned that their Warranty would Void if they did any after market installation on their Vento's; be it a simple ICE setup.

Regards,

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by adimodi

I too had complete new set of wires running through out the car, not touching the factory provided wires on my Rapid TDI Ambition 2012. ICE installed by super professional @bass&trouble .

You are already in trouble. I guess your meant treble.

Originally Posted by GTO

Word awaited on what exactly the external factors were. After-market equipment? Dealer error? Rodents messing up the wiring?

Why could it not be the case of internal short circuit? The link says below that the front of the car was completely burnt which could point out the engine area as the source. Is Skoda providing wrong information?
Skoda Rapid Burns Due To Short Circuit

[adimodi]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

You are already in trouble. I guess your meant treble.

No, I did mean 'trouble' and not 'treble' as that is what is his TBHP id -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/member...d-trouble.html

[parrys]

Insider information hints toward the open electrical cables over which the car was parked. People near the incident site apparently reported this too.

[GTO]

^ Yup. Now the question is : If it is indeed the open electrical cables, how exactly did that lead to the fire? Additionally, how many other cars on Indian roads (IF at all) have caught fire in the same manner?

[jalsa777]

Originally Posted by parrys

Insider information hints toward the open electrical cables over which the car was parked. People near the incident site apparently reported this too.

Well, if this is true. Why isn't Skoda making this information public. If I were skoda, I would be releasing this information to the Press immediately, just to rub the dust off my shoulders.

Either the information is incorrect, or there is some pressure from somewhere on Skoda not to deface the department which let open electric cables lie there.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by jalsa777

Well, if this is true. Why isn't Skoda making this information public. If I were skoda, I would be releasing this information to the Press immediately, just to rub the dust off my shoulders.

Either the information is incorrect, or there is some pressure from somewhere on Skoda not to deface the department which let open electric cables lie there.

People touching livewires and dying is common in India. I dont think the authorities are that sensitive to force a auto company to not let it go public.

Also, there are no repercussions on the concerned department. That is how they work and its termed as accident.

[sriramr9]

Originally Posted by piyushrm

One would never expect such incidence from a German brand.
As the components are shared and almost same for Vento and Rapid the reason could be the same and comparatively easy to pin point any technical flaw.

Wayback in 2009, a luxury car Lamborghini Gallardo caught fire after it was left idle to empty the half tank fuel before it had to be loaded into the Cargo plane, the engine was damaged entirely, I am sure the tech guys would not have tested the car in such a test condition where it will be subjected to extended idling (12 hours of idling) as it happened to the case above when parked in the Chennai International Cargo section.

I am sure the radiators would have failed to cool the engine causing the 12 cylinder engine to burst up. No matter what company it is be it German or Italian or American, thorough testing of all possibilities cannot be done @ factory premises.

[bloodred]

While this isn't an incident of Rapid catching fire, its yet another example of product failure in my opinion.

My colleague bought a Rapid Elegance TDI in late April / early May 2012, partly because of my recommendation (I too drive a Skoda).

In early June, he noticed a weird noise coming from rear wheel. A visit to the workshop detected a faulty hub, which was replaced under warranty. After this, he'd taken the car out 3-4 times within the city limits. Last Friday, he was driving with his wife on NH1. A biker around 150 mtrs ahead decided to change the lane abruptly. My friend braked gently to slow down from cruising speed of 85 kmph. As per him, the car suddenly wobbled and went out of control, pulled to the right side, hit an electricity pole near driver side rear door, spun crazily and finally stopped on the left side of the road with it's front facing the oncoming traffic. Thankfully, there was no vehicle following the car and the it didn't cross the road divider.

The C pillar has broken, one rear wheel (different from the one on which hub was replaced) got detached from the car and was found in nearby fields, two other rims broke, all four tyres (OEM Apollos) burst, windscreen and rear glass shattered. The car has totalled with repair estimate at over 90% of ex showroom value.

While the seat belts and air bags helped occupants survive the crash without much physical harm, we're wondering what could make a 2 months old car wobble upon gentle braking and completely go out of control. Some concession may be given to the exactness of recall, given the shock that occupants faced and speed with which events unfolded, a wheel detaching from the car at 85-90 kmph on a smooth highway is unheard of, at least as far as I am concerned.

While I always believed Skoda to be tank solid and safe, this incident has made me sit up and rethink.