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Old 27th April 2006, 17:45   #1
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Maruti 800 INSIDE BURNT :(

Guys.. i got a sad story to tell u today....yesterday night parked my car in my building..nd today mornin ..hear the frantic rohan rohan from my gaddi dhone wala..as soon as i go down nd investigate... my eyes could not belive what they were seeing..full front drivers seat burnt..the small pillow i keep on the seat ...not visible..everythin is black ash..i can see the metal springs on my seat...the whole car was filled with smoke..nd that cause everythin from the foam of the seats(i guess) to turn yellow..all the back seats,glasss,steering wheel,speedometer,all the upholstry everythin yellow nd the whole car was smellin of burnt material..all the buildin crowd had gathered by then...just locked the car before anyone could point their fingers at me nd i would b*****y break their bones...went on top..silently changed my clothes...directly went the seat maker (drivin with a sheet of wood on the seat)..got the seat done for 900 bucks..went to maruti authorized service station..showed him the car ...he told me ..he would need to remove all the seats,carpet,mats..nd will need to also do the upholstry cleaning...all of which would set me back my 1000 bucks...nd also i had to get the car serviced..so all that would come upto 2000 bucks...MAN..i had already spent around 400 bucks last week to get the steering bushes,steering bearing nd silencer bushing replaced..told my dad about the whole cost thing..nd to my relief dad said with a smiling face..dude be happy..that the whole car did not burn..nd was relieved...after all its him whos gonna pay all the money...
Did not understand why all this happeneded....was in no mood of any more troubles..just asked him to change all the wirings he saw that could have cause the fire...nd asked him to tape all the wire from head to toe..He agreed on that ...lookin at the condition of the car ...yeah ..after givin the car for service..remember that the mp3 player was still in the car ..nd was workin (i checked it while goin to the service station)..went again to the service station..removed it (it was also yellow in colour..nd when removed the cd..the cd was also yellow in colour )...went to the dealer from where i had brought the player...he said he ll open it nd clean the entire thing for 100 bucks..agreed on that too...
Car is going to be given tomorrow in the evenin..lets see how much of the stuff is actually gone ..or how much stays..i hope everythin is gone..nd my baby is back as how she was...
Moderators..sorry did not know where to post this kind of thread so posted it here..please change it some other collum if u think this collum is not for these kinds of threads

This is a picture of me nd my car some days before this happaned

Last edited by humyum : 27th April 2006 at 17:53.
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Old 27th April 2006, 17:54   #2
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SORRY FOR YOU MATE......sad news.....well maruti does have problems with their electricals....i suggest u rush off a mail to the maruti customer care with a copy to a major magazine like autocar india or overdrive.....they'll get scared and help you out......
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Old 27th April 2006, 18:21   #3
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I'm sorry about ur dear one.
How old is ur car? Did u get any electrical component fixed recently??
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Old 27th April 2006, 18:53   #4
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here are a few things that could be the possible reason..!

Firstly if its the same car you have posted the picture off, it appears to be at least 3 years old..I'm just taking an average from the new model time..!
What all accesories did you install or do you remember any wiring changes you did to the electrical system such as adding a power supply for Amp/MP 3 system /Ciggrette lighter/Speaker installation on the side panel/Switch for Fog lamps..! Did you get this installation done properly, were all open wires covered properly with insulation tape, Was in any way the condition of your car wires under the dashboard appeared cracked or cut..!

Point to be noted is that the fire damage has been done more on the driver side seat..! So technically has to be something closer to the area..!

Did you notice any plastic damage in the dashboard or under it..By plastic damage I mean at any place the plastic has been burnt and appears distorted.

I'm sure the reason will be diagnosed soon,however if you want to save yourself a fully burnt car later or any further damages get the entire wiring replaced from a Maruti Showroom, Its worth anything the risk..!

I think you can rule out sabotage or any kind of accident of leaving a Burning Ash or Butt of a ciggrette..!

I would also suggest that you speak to your insurance agent and get this fire damage claimed from the company as Fire damage is covered under your insurance..!

About Maruti having electrical faults, I'm sorry that does not seem so..I have my uncles 1988 Maruti parked in lucknow which runs A1 , No electrical Faults till date..!

My Dad owned a Zen VXI for 3 years from 1995-1998, No electrical issues, Got fog lamps done in it.

Had an Esteem from 1998-2001, Again no such faults- had a CD changer,Fog Lamps and Ciggrette lighter installed

Had my personal Fiat Uno D from 2000-2002, Had alternator weak,Battery dead-changed..But No electrical faults...!

Currently own Lancer, 2001 - Nothing installed aftermarket..No electrical issues...!

In my understanding electrical faults in most cases are poor workmanship of having a device fitted or serviced...! Always ensure that electrical system is done by a service professional or reputed garage- It's not like a mobile phone that can be repaired by any Tom-Dick-Harry..!


regards

Last edited by wolfinstein : 27th April 2006 at 19:04.
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Old 27th April 2006, 20:25   #5
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hey humyum, sorry about this fire incident buddy. Do have a thorough investigation done on the causes of this accident so that it wouldn't repeat. You wouldn't want a fire to start when you are inside the car would you?!
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Old 27th April 2006, 21:23   #6
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hey nitrous..my car is 7 years old..nd in very good condtion..yeah..got a new headlight bulb fixed recently 90/100 GE..nd also got a horn relay fixed..checked out the wiring in the bonnet..everythin seemed normal..in the sense..no damage to the engine bay whatso ever..just the drivers seat that is burnt..spoke to the maruti guys he said it could have been the deck wire which connects to the rear speakers..they pass from under the drivers seat ..or back tail light assembly wires..which pass through the drivers seat..maybe they might have been eaten by the rats..left open was his suggestion..altough rats have eaten my wires ones..but that time it was the pressure horn ka wire..in the bonnet
Wolfisten bro...gettin all the wirin checked...nd replaced.....whatever the cost..i dont want my baby to suffer anymore...nd wolfisten thanks bro for callin my car atleast 3 years old..felt good that u thought that i must be atleast 3 years old..when it is actually more than double of that.
Amit yeah dude..gettin a throughout investigation done..goin 2 keep the car at the service station..until he fixes each nd everythin nd gives me a report..what happened...

Last edited by humyum : 27th April 2006 at 21:25.
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Old 27th April 2006, 23:55   #7
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Hey Bhai, Thats amazing how you've kept your baby looking younger than it actually is..Iski Sundarta ka raaz kya hain...!

Hmm, Seems like you've got it..Could be a short in wire under the seat, Take my HO and replace the entire wiring, as you may not know ki where else there might have been Rats chewing to glory..and such and such like you mentioned that Rats had a bite of the pressure horn wiring too..! Its going to cost..but it will be worth any risk...!

One thing, How did rats manage to come into the car in the first place,get it spray treated also to avoid the rats having a blast...! lol

Is it possible for you to share a photo of the damage...!

regards,
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Old 28th April 2006, 00:40   #8
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wolfinstein dude..i realized that i should have clicked some pictures through my phone..but then i was too disturbed then..to do anythin..i just kept starin at the thin..while the buildin people kept talkin somethin or the other..nd really pissed me off..so i just closed the car door nd went home..u wont belive it ..but i had tears in my eyes..i love my car ..more than i used to love my ex gf.....
Hmm the raaz of my baby bein younger is ..regular maintaince nd gettin each nd every small thin done..as soon as somethin goes wrong..my car has run like 62000 km till now...nd the engine is as good as new...still touches 135 km..without a hitch(although had some problems sometime back..but got it done)..anyways thanks a lot dude..for actually givin me all the suggestions that actually put me up..while i was feelin soo low....
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Old 28th April 2006, 06:53   #9
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Why am I hearing a lot of 800's catching fire mysteriously? This is the 3rd time i've heard of an 800 catching fire. Now i'm convinced that this is not a one off incident. I dismissed the first and chalked it up to bad maintainence, the second one seem to be well maintained and didn't know what to make of it and chalked it up to the chain smoker owner.

I know it would be wrong to assume that 800's are a death trap. Seen a lot more 800's that are almost maintainence free. But why is this happening only with 800's more often than not.
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Old 28th April 2006, 10:18   #10
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Dude..maybe its a coincidence..or maybe because 800 is a cheap car price wise..so owners would not want to invest money wise on takin care of the car properly....so maybe due to ill maitance it happens..
My car was like in mint condition..nd everythin was perfect(touchwood remains the same in the future)..just some rats played havoc..nd i had to pay the price..
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Old 28th April 2006, 11:01   #11
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well as your father said...
thank god only the seat got burnt and not the car...
your lucky...
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Old 28th April 2006, 11:24   #12
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yeah dude..i am daam lucky...hey guys wanted to enquire one more thing..as my mirrors have got hazed...due to the smoke circulating inside the car entire night..will the hazing go with the washing that these service people do?like my window mirrors with the film have hazed..will all this go ..or do i have to get he film replaced..?
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Old 28th April 2006, 11:51   #13
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Humyum, just read your posts. Can't tell you how sad I feel to read about something like this happening to one's car, particularly when one has not been actively involved in the accident.
I too drive an 800, 4 years old. I too look after it well and make sure all defects and dings are dealt with immediately. I can't pin point a single reason for what happened to your car. It must have been something electrical. Do please post whatever explanation you can find or learn from the service centre.
In the past 4 years, I have had no electrical problems with my car except for an engine bay light I got fixed at the time of purchase; the insulation of its wiring wore out and after coming into contact with metal body, burnt out. No other item was damaged. I decided it was too dangerous to install the light again.
Hope everything works out fine with you and your 800.
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Old 28th April 2006, 12:51   #14
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Prabhu..i already got to know what the problem is ...rats had eaten the wires which pass under the drivers seat(the rear speakers nd the tail light wires)..this caused the wires to come in contact with the seat railin..nd as it is a good conductor of electricity..current passed through it ..nd to the seat..which in turn burnt..yeah i hope so dude..that when i get my car today evenin..its in the same condition as it was when the fire had not happened(keepin my fingers crossed)..
Dude..get the wiring of the car checked at each service..nd whatever bits of wires which are dangling here nd there..get it taped..will save u from a lot of trouble..
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Old 28th April 2006, 13:17   #15
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pls give us update on how the car is after you get it back...
and post few pics...
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