[B747]

Thats really scary and we all will be with you to until you get justice. Lots of Laura on road and if this is due to some manufacturing defect as you pointed out then it is going to give sleep less nights to many.

[Freon911]

vineetkr, I feel sorry for the loss and harrowing experience you had to face.

Did Skoda technical team assess the wreckage and offer any sort of concrete explanation on what started/caused the fire? From your discussions with Skoda management do they plan for such an initiative.

OT - I know a recent case in BLR where a MS swift caught fire. The SA attributed it to after market 90/100 headlight fitment where wire of lesser gauge was used and the headlights were used considerably longer period of time. I had seen part of the video on mobile phone that showed the wreck but cannot share further details now as I don't know the owner.

[drmohitg]

Vineet the pictures look really scary but thanks for uploading them since they add credibility to your posts. Now I believe you are anyways planning to drag them to court. So would it be possible for you to share all the other information you possess with us here like the Email exchanges, Skoda's response, the insurer's report etc.

[Freon911]

Vineet, to add to my questions earlier since this incident has occurred on 04th April 2013 and now its almost a year and five months - where do you stand with Insurance compensation? Has the insurance agency paid you in full because car was totaled? Since it was a new vehicle (registered in Jan 2013) I presume you would have a Zero Dep policy.

Like B747, its perplexing to me as to what caused the explosion after you initially noticed smoke and stepped out of the car. Anything about this in the report?

In the interest of further exploring the causes - I quote you

Originally Posted by vineetkr

that actual fire seemed to have erupted due to short circuit of the vehicle which origin has been located to EGR-valves. It was further recorded by the Forensic lab in his report that due to overheating in the rubber hosing connected to the EGR valves due to a mechanical fault an electrical short circuit occurred which resulted in further overheating and which caused further smoldering of rubber.

Rubber hosing connected to the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve is designed to take the hot exhaust gases and I think if due to some reason the EGR valve malfunctions it should result in emission problem. What could have caused overheating to such an extent? Were there any engine check lights on the previous day in case you noticed? It would help if you could please share findings of the report in detail. Possible that its still due to short circuit but I doubt if its malfunction of EGR valve.

I don't mean to offend you in any way but would like to understand the cause of the accident with more clarity. Thanks

[Gannu_1]

A really dreadful sight! Vineet, I am really sorry (and equally frightened!) to see those snaps. I hope and pray your health returns to normalcy soon.

I'd request mods to copy the uploaded pics to the opening post.

[SaurabhSaran]

Dr. Vineet, thank god you just came out before this happened. Hope you and your family will recover from this shock soon.

You should have started this thread on Team BHP a long back, you are a member for a long time on Team-BHP, anyways there is never too late.

Originally Posted by vineetkr

I will next also take this to press & will also be sharing the details extensively so that the whole country knows what Skoda is upto.

In March/April 2014 I saw this on the backside of an auto in Greater Noida.

[JoseVijay]

Originally Posted by SaurabhSaran

In March/April 2014 I saw this on the backside of an auto in Greater Noida.
Attachment 1279446

Those are the same pictures that were posted by Vineet. Scary indeed.

Vineet, thank God you are alive. Team Bhp prays for your speedy recovery and as you go through this ordeal, we extend our support to you. Request all those who post here to see the magnitude of the accident(a bhpian physically disabled) before commenting on the owner of the vehicle.

[nitinbose]

Wow... Those pictures resemble scenes from some Hollywood movie! It was GODs grace that made you get out of the car before it went into flames. Just imagine the fire starts and you're unable to get out because the doors cant be unlocked!

What is the insurance company mentioning now? I've read in the ICICI Lombard policy document that accident due to fire are covered.

Hope you're well compensated.

[F150]

Originally Posted by Freon911

In the interest of further exploring the causes - I quote you

Rubber hosing connected to the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve is designed to take the hot exhaust gases and I think if due to some reason the EGR valve malfunctions it should result in emission problem.

Sorry, the rubber hose connected to the EGR circulates coolant to cool the EGR and doesnt carry the exhaust gases. Who gave this explanation that rubber hose carries the exhaust gases ?

[Freon911]

Originally Posted by F150

Sorry, the rubber hose connected to the EGR circulates coolant to cool the EGR and doesnt carry the exhaust gases. Who gave this explanation that rubber hose carries the exhaust gases ?

Sorry, my mistake. Apologies for the error. I had discussed with one of my friend who owns a Skoda and since reading this incident I had been referring to online data about EGR especially with Skoda and VW vehicles. If I am not mistaken there is also a rubber hose which connects the intake air from intercooler to the EGR. The one you have mentioned is the hose that goes from engine block to EGR cooler which basically helps to cool the exhaust gas before its fed to EGR valve? Thanks for correcting me.

I suppose other Skoda owners could share the type of EGR valve used in this Skoda and who is the manufacturer.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by nitinbose

Just imagine the fire starts and you're unable to get out because the doors cant be unlocked!

That doesn't happen in the VAG cars (atleast in the models which I am aware of). Doors can't be locked from inside unless some aftermarket provision has been done. Though the rear doors can be locked from inside by triggering the child lock.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

That doesn't happen in the VAG cars (atleast in the models which I am aware of). Doors can't be locked from inside unless some aftermarket provision has been done. Though the rear doors can be locked from inside by triggering the child lock.

Doors get locked automatically after attaining a set speed. Of course this is a VCDS option and many here have activated this feature including myself for my Laura. But I am sure some cars will have this feature activated from the factory itself. Now in a fire if the electronics that operate these locks get fried then there is every possibility of the doors not opening when you pull the handles.

[selfdrive]

Whoa!

You must count yourself as fortunate to get out of that fireball alive. I have no words that will help you in any way, but of course should you choose to continue your valid fight against Skoda I am sure we will have experts here who can help

This attitude is despicable. I am reminded of a vento that caught fire in Pune a couple of years ago but that person did not survive. I think there is a thread here on tbhp for that too

I wonder how the judiciary allows such companies to even sell cars in India.

[Chetan_Rao]

If the OP is in the process of filing suit (he mentioned criminal proceedings on top of a civil case), won't he be prohibited from divulging evidence publicly while the case is sub-judice?

[Trojan]

Dr. Vineet, I'm shocked beyond words, thankfully by the grace of god you have escaped and have decided to take Skoda to task.

I think as a major global manufacturer, its their moral responsibility to do a root cause instead of reminding you that you got compensated.
In a developed country with the forensic report stating a manufacturing defect, the auto major would have paid dearly and would have been forced to have a recall of all vehicles. I hope similar sanity prevails in your case as well to prevent such catastrophic incidents from occurring.

A few people are questioning the manufacturing defect on EGR, guys google is not the answer to everything. Pray, google won't tell us how and why Vineet managed to get out of the car at the right moment.

Skoda should have offered to help/work on the forensic investigation along with the insurance company. But that doesn't seem to be the case here.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

If the OP is in the process of filing suit (he mentioned criminal proceedings on top of a civil case), won't he be prohibited from divulging evidence publicly while the case is sub-judice?

I doubt as most/all of the things mentioned by the OP are facts which are provided by Institutions and/or documentary/pictorial.

For e.g. the insurance claim and the forensic report, those belong to the OP and
was provided to him. If Skoda has a problem with that, they would need to approach ICICI Lombard for the same.


Trojan