[Warwithwheels]

Originally Posted by delhi2009

Honda wants 5% of the value of the vehicle as estimate issuing cost :o Never heard of such costs ! Any idea on such costing for the guy started at 15% and now is asking 5% and still ready to negotiate. I think this is not asked for by any workshop or is it ?

I don't know if they are technically right or wrong in demanding that fee. But damn!! why can't Honda do it for free as a goodwill measure?

Even the recent VW Vento fire accident thread doesn't talk about anything of that sort. May be since it was a new car, VW wanted to step in and salvage their brand value at their own cost.

BTW: I presume that fee is reckoned on the IDV of the car as stated in the latest insurance policy plus the prorata depreciation for the interim period.

[NinadJoshi]

Exact reasons for car fires are very difficult to find out, given that everything happens so abruptly and the car invariably gets gutted completely, leaving no easy clues.

I'm sorry hear about your brother-in-law's loss, but glad there was no injury in the episode. On the flip side, car fires are pretty rare, so there should not be a reason to panic even though your family may be owning many Accords.

Do you know if anything was on a recall for that particular year of the Accord, and if that was attended to on your bro-in-law's vehicle? There are about 5 to 6 different highly flammable liquids under the hood, not to mention a myriad of vulnerable wire harnesses and rubber pipes and hoses that can cause and fall prey to fire quickly and unpredictably. Unfortunately nobody investigates car fires with the required diligence - not the insurance agency, certainly not the manufacturer, and less said about the police.

Honda Accords have had potential issues that were covered by recalls in the recent past. In one such recent recall for 2003-thru-2008 year Accords in Australia, they determined (after several consumer complaints) that the power steering fluid leaking onto a hot exhaust may generate smoke and a burning smell, and could potentially result in an under-bonnet fire. The reason for the leak in power steering fluid was a cracked hose from prolonged exposure to high temps in the engine compartment.

[mayankjha1806]

While it will be interesting to learn why it caught fire in the first place, for owner, Honda customers and Honda itself, i can understand Honda's non interest attitude towards finding a cause. They have been in India for last decade plus and this is probably the first such incident (with my limited memory).

What is bothering me is why did the car lock itself. Glad folks came out safe.

[wild child]

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[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by delhi2009

The handbrake was down and the car was barely driven for 3 KM when this occurred. I Myself suspect caliper pin for this.

This is most probable cause. With spirited driving, this can easily cause fire.

Originally Posted by delhi2009

Honda wants 5% of the value of the vehicle as estimate issuing cost :o Never heard of such costs !

A.S.S. would be asking for this to avoid vehicle lying in the garage for extended periods. They reckon that car is total loss anyways and want to ensure owner has at least some skin in the game.

[kaush666]

Seriously weird incident. Anyway glad that the occupant is safe. The reason behind this if identified could help others. I didn't know much about cars catching fire due to brake heating issues. Geez! That's bad. Would like to know more though.

Drive safe!

[VCheng]

I think the front right side brake caliper seizing and overheating seems like a good candidate for the root cause of the fire from the pictures above.

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by VCheng

I think the front right side brake caliper seizing and overheating seems like a good candidate for the root cause of the fire from the pictures above.

In that case, wouldn't the driver of the car realize something is amiss - either the car would not accelerate as before, there could be a tendency to veer to the side where the brake is seizing, some smell or sound.

[VCheng]

Originally Posted by Ricci

In that case, wouldn't the driver of the car realize something is amiss - either the car would not accelerate as before, there could be a tendency to veer to the side where the brake is seizing, some smell or sound.

Not necessarily. A light drag would be unnoticeable in a FWD car, but over a few km at highway speeds, easily generate enough heat to cause serious issues. Overheating smell may not be appreciated from the inside if the windows are up, and there would be no sound either.

However, a complete inspection would be needed to confirm that suspicion. I am only going by limited information available.

[mempheS.D]

Thank god the passengers were able to get out safe. Pretty sure that Honda's lost out on a viable customer for life, especially considering the NOT-interested attitude Honda has shown in this case. It's not just HONDA. There was a recent incident of a BMW that caught fire, an S-class who's airbags failed to deploy in an accident costing the life of the driver. Geeez! What's going to happen to all the others when the premium brands as these start giving up on the very reasons for which people are enticed into paying a premium price tag?

One thing's for clear. This country favours the CAPITALIST and his interests more than it's CITIZENS. The consumer always always has to bear the brunt of any untoward accident, and MOVING ON is our USP. Way to go India!

And what's that 5% estimate nonsense all about? Is that from an authorized Honda service center? Or was that the insurance company? Didn't quite get that clear. But, these are the things I normally hear on a 'Skoda' thread.

[jinojohnt]

I once had a sticky-brake issue on one wheel, but I never felt anything wrong while driving. Only when I walked near the wheels did I notice the radiating heat, otherwise I would have never known.
Once I also heard about a car that had a leaking fuel pipe (due to care-less attaching at the joint by the mechanic), and the resultant spray on the hot engine caused a fire.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

What I have experienced with the Civic (which uses a similar braking system to the Accord) is if I park the car overnight with the handbrake pulled, the brake-pads, especially in front, make a noise when brake is released in the morning. Its like they get stuck on the discs. If instead of doing this, I park overnight with the shifter in 'P', there is no brake-sticking noise in the mornings.

My Ikon 1.6 started doing this when it was a little over a year old. When I released the handbrake in the morning there would be a dull clang sound that happened when the brakes released. I had it checked out and the Ford Service Center said all Ikons do it, and it was no cause for alarm. 6 years later, it's never been a problem.

Originally Posted by mempheS.D

Thank god the passengers were able to get out safe. Pretty sure that Honda's lost out on a viable customer for life, especially considering the NOT-interested attitude Honda has shown in this case. It's not just HONDA. There was a recent incident of a BMW that caught fire, an S-class who's airbags failed to deploy in an accident costing the life of the driver. Geeez! What's going to happen to all the others when the premium brands as these start giving up on the very reasons for which people are enticed into paying a premium price tag?
One thing's for clear. This country favours the CAPITALIST and his interests more than it's CITIZENS. The consumer always always has to bear the brunt of any untoward accident, and MOVING ON is our USP. Way to go India!
And what's that 5% estimate nonsense all about? Is that from an authorized Honda service center? Or was that the insurance company? Didn't quite get that clear. But, these are the things I normally hear on a 'Skoda' thread.

You'll hear lots of these issues on Honda threads as well. I remember about 4-5 years ago my ex-GF was sitting in her Accord (same model as the one in this thread) when the driver dozed off at the wheel and veered into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision at a combined speed of over 100 km/h. NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG DEPLOYED. Honda gave them some BS story about the dynamics of the impact and then gave them a massive runaround on the repair till her dad pulled some strings and got it passed.
What's scarier here is that the doors locked on their own. If the OP's brother in law hadn't stepped out of the car this thread he could have gotten seriously injured or worse.

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

A.S.S. would be asking for this to avoid vehicle lying in the garage for extended periods. They reckon that car is total loss anyways and want to ensure owner has at least some skin in the game.

This is where we get a raw deal as Indian consumers. First we overpay for cars and then we get shafted by the manufacturers AND the service centers AND the insurance companies. I've never heard of this 5% BS for a quote. This situation is simple... the car's a total writeoff, so let the insurance surveyor come and validate that it's a wreck, and then pay the premium holder his IDV. Case closed.

[NetfreakBombay]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

situation is simple... the car's a total writeoff, so let the insurance surveyor come and validate that it's a wreck, and then pay the premium holder his IDV. Case closed.

Insurance company would pay IDV to customer.

Who would pay storage + parking charges to A.S.S. ?

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Insurance company would pay IDV to customer.

Who would pay storage + parking charges to A.S.S. ?

That's my point. After incurring a loss on the car, now he's got to pay unnecessary charges for storage and parking.

[fre2bpowerless]

I've seen this video a couple months back, I doubt its possible for a car to catch fire this way. Note brakes at 100% force and car freewheeling and it would be hard to not notice that happening.

Rotor Burns Until It Explodes - Car Videos on StreetFire


@ants.bin
@ghostrider
Guys who clean our cars in the morning have this habit or throwing water at the wheels to clean them, the water splashes on the discs and causes them to lock up. I'm 'guessing' rust is an issue.

Had this annoying problem with the Audi, after instructing the cleaner - no sound, no brake lock up in the mornings.