[model-t]

An excellent and very informative thread. I do not know whether it is the weather or something else ; but I have noticed 3 burning cars in the Delhi-Gurgaon stretch that I do daily in the last four days. The cars included a Tata Indica , Tata Indigo and an Omni .

I have been doing this stretch for a long while now and this is the first time have noticed so many cases of Vehicle fire. The last car which I saw today (Maruti Omni on the Punjabi Bagh crossing ) was meant for carrying kids school kids. Imagine what would have happened in case it was loaded with school going kids.

I wonder when we will implement the WOF (Warrant of Fitness) wherein every car has to take the test every 3/6 months in order to be legally allowed to ply on the roads. Till the time such strict methods are not applied, the perception of safety will not grow. At the end of the day , lot of us use office cabs/Car pools/Taxis to travel where we are never sure of the maintenance of the vehicle being used.

[itwasntme]

To AVOID a fire in the first place:

Strictly avoid carrying 'emergency' fuel in random containers in the boot etc. Any spillage could have catastrophic consequences especially if carrying petrol and/or in a petrol car.

In the West, legally speaking only approved secure containers can be used which are 100% leakproof. Here, the 'approved' containers are 1lt soft drink bottles :-)

[sudeep11787]

I have had my shares of engine oil leaks from gasket and distributor, CNG leaks from filling valve (minor ones and major 'whoosh' ones), burnt bulbs but was fortunate enough to have not any mishap.

Still, car fires scare the hell out of me. They are totally inconsistent nowadays. Well built modern cars are catching fire, it's a shocker !
To avoid the same only i have always opted out of remote locking. My prev esteem once developed a glitch and 2 rear doors couldnt be opened. Even the manual unlock was trying to get back in locking position, post that, i never installed Central locking.
BTW as my battery is quite new, the plastic covering is still there except at the top. Do you think engine bay temp is high enough to pose a fire threat ?

Also, i guess after every fire incident, there should be a small analysis of cause of fire and that should be made public officially either by government (i have no hopes) or by manufacturers.

[Eminenttismo]

Can someone confirm this? Can't we override electronic door locks? Many low end cars have pull/ switch type door locks which can be manually opened(I suppose), but some other cars like fords, skodas, vws don't come with these. How can one manually control these without the intervention of electronic devices? Owners please throw some light!

[Arch-Angel]

Excellent thread eminenttismo. This article was informative and well put out.

With regards to your question, there have been instances where central locking fails to unlock in the event of a mishap. Another curious factor was that in a few incidents, the autolock feature has played the devil. The main issue is that during a fire, you might have a maximum of a minute before the electricals of the car go kaput, which means your central locking actuators are having no power and they cannot be opened manually. Only way to escape would be to break open the windows and try and crawl out. If one is incapacitated then his/her fate is nearly sealed. I have heard from some online forum that in some cars the central locking automatically unlocks at times.

[Eminenttismo]

Originally Posted by Arch-Angel

Excellent thread eminenttismo. This article was informative and well put out.

With regards to your question, there have been instances where central locking fails to unlock in the event of a mishap. Another curious factor was that in a few incidents, the autolock feature has played the devil. The main issue is that during a fire, you might have a maximum of a minute before the electricals of the car go kaput, which means your central locking actuators are having no power and they cannot be opened manually. Only way to escape would be to break open the windows and try and crawl out. If one is incapacitated then his/her fate is nearly sealed. I have heard from some online forum that in some cars the central locking automatically unlocks at times.

Thanks! But we can manually override the pull type door locks(in case of cars having them), ain't it?

[Arch-Angel]

Originally Posted by Eminenttismo

Thanks! But we can manually override the pull type door locks(in case of cars having them), ain't it?

In the pull type ones, yes. In cars like ford figo where there are no pull type levers. Game over .

[ankurdon]

An Excellent thread.

I got hold of a second hand Mitsubishi Cedia for myself recently and finished a Delhi-Ahmedabad-Delhi trip recently. After reading the topic I was searching for a car glass hammer on ebay India. This is what I came across: -

http://www.ebay.in/sch/i.html?_odkw=...ammer&_sacat=0

At the end of the page there is an orange colored hammer for 2,643 and this is available on amazon US for $4.99 though not sure if the brand is same.

http://www.amazon.com/Ostart-Window-...r+glass+hammer

I have ordered a hammer and seat belt cutter for myself. Not sure of the fire extinguisher purchase online. Will buy it from brick and mortar store.

[fine69]

I recently got myself Motocop's Emergency Rescue Device.

Its a 5 in 1 tool - Digital Pressure Gauge, Hammer (windshield breaker), Compass, Emergency Light, Seat Belt Cutter

Its very ergonomic, good firm grip and has everything one can ask for in a emergency rescue device. It also has one year warranty.

A MUST HAVE in your car, no price is bigger than your loved ones' safety.





While it is available for 950 on ebay I got it for 750.

http://www.ebay.in/itm/Emergency-Kit...item2a3db5dc43

[FrozeninTime]

I saw this youtube video about car fires Interestingly this video was is nearly 25 years old long before complicated electronics stated appearing in the cars.
The video also shows various fire suppression system which can be retrofitted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F67rIHYdrpg.

[FarPatel]

Just came across this thread while browsing elsewhere and thought of sharing a product I found on Rogermotors:

http://www.rogermotors.com/safety/3-...11-85169675419

I haven't seen it in use except in the video but it seems to be really effective in breaking the glass without any great effort. Especially useful for someone who cannot swing a heavy object against the glass in confined conditions.

Further, after seeing the video in the post above mine, I remember reading about someone who had fitted a small (CO2 I think) fire extinguisher on the firewall under the dashboard, with a long steel pipe extending into the engine bay, activated by a pull, on detecting smoke under the hood. As described above, opening the hood in such a situation would only make the fire worse, blowing straight into your face.
Thanks Eminenttismo.

[NPV]

Came across the Z-REX product from Leatherman - combines glass breaker and seat cutter functions.



Link

[KiloAlpha]

Excellent thread, very informative. I would like to add one more bit of safety information related to vehicle fires.

Vehicle catching fire while fueling: This happens mostly due to static electricity discharge. Static electricity build-up is more during dry weather. As a precaution, when fueling and as long as the nozzle is not securely seated in the pump:
- people who want to stay in the car must stay in
- people who have got down from the car must remain outside

Repeatedly entering/exiting the car will lead to static build-up.

[agelesstravelle]

I have more than ten year old car that is used by my family for various short trips - groceries, malls or dropping kids to school etc. Although the car is well maintained and there are no modifications done to its electrical wiring, I am still pretty afraid of car fires for the sake of my family. It concerns me that more than 90% of the time I am not driving the car and other members in my family cannot use safety kits like fire extinguisher, seat belt cutter or window glass breakers in the time of emergency.

I recently found these fire extinguishing balls on Amazon. I would like to know everyone's view on keeping them in the car for emergency use. I see the following pros and cons -

Pros -
1. Do not require any human intervention to use when kept in car - assume under driver seat or in the trunk.
2. Auto blast at 85 degrees and can contain the damage before it reaches very high temperatures
3. No maintenance required and have long shelf life of 5 years -simply keep them secured in car and then forget about them - peace of mind.

Cons -
1. Reliability and efficacy of the product is unknown. Internet search provides mixed information and not helpful. YouTube videos seems to be promotional videos from the manufacturers.
2. They are not recommended for use by any known institute or government body. It is not clear why fire safety departments are not promoting them when they are so effective.
3. If they malfunction and auto blast when there is no fire it would lead to spread of hazardous materials in the car.

Amazon links for such products -
1. https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0832Q6KWR
2. https://www.amazon.in/ECO-FIRE-Extin...dp/B0868SCR2N/
3.https://www.amazon.in/AFO-AUTO-FIRE-.../dp/B07S9T43Z3