Let me be the first to say THAT SUCKS. I hope everything comes out o.k.

 

Don't you think it might have something to do with what your mom did? Sorry about what happened. Keep us posted.

 

Can a car catch on fire after being cold for at least 4-5 hours? Well police and firefighters not sure what caused the fire. Firemarshall will be here in the morning. Will post pics then. A poor brand new 2003 passat just bit the dust.

Sucks to hear that dude... It's something strange if your car was stopped for 4 or 5 hours. I've heard similar problems with Peugeot's 307, but that had happened to several people . This is the first time I hear on a Passat (parked for so long time).

Anyway hope you deal ok with insurance and can get a 2004 asap.

good luck

 

I am sorry to hear this. I hope everything works out and no one was hurt and that the fire did not damage/destroy your home.

Check these threads for other cars that caught fire:
http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40912&highlight=caught+fire

http://www.clubb5.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=24827&highlight=caught+fire

 

......man sorry to hear what happened. i hope everything works out for ya :wink:

 

Can a car catch on fire after being cold for at least 4-5 hours?

Yes, check the other threads above. Had the car been driven in the 4-5 hours prior to the fire? If so, it might've been caused by something touching the turbine housing. Had you or anyone else been under the hood in the past couple of days? :nervous:

An unlikely cause: electrical short in the main fuse panel (if fire originated in the passengers compartment).

Sorry to hear about this...I'm beginning to think bad luck follows you around (but then again I also believe people are responsible for 75-80% of the "luck" they have).

After what you've been through in the last year, insurance payments are really gonna suck for whoever has to foot the bill.

 

 

Are the seats burnt badly?

No, I'm not asking because I want your old seats, :weirdo: but rather, to try and figure something out.

Automotive seats are designed to be flame retardant, and will therefore resist catching fire unless a generous amount of explosive material (gasoline, kerosene, napalm, methane, etc.) is applied to them beforehand. Usually one of the big things to check for is the condition of the seats. If the fire was SET, often times people (being the morons that they are) will try to light the car on fire that way. However, since they're not supposed to burn, you can always tell if that's how the fire was started...

Just another possibility to consider, thought a rather disturbing one. Do you know of anybody who would want to do this to your car? Or are you pretty sure it was just one of those weird (and depressing) things...

 

oh..that's horrible!!! I remember reading about it in the posts above when it happened. Hopefully nothing burned down in either instances...and hopefully yours as well!

 

bummer man. That really sucks. Let us know what they find out as the cause.

J

 

bummer man. That really sucks. Let us know what they find out as the cause.

J

Sucks...that fluid leak seems like a likely culprit. The turbo stays hot for a long time if the hoods closed.

 

damn thats ruff kid!

 

Yea, my mom's luck with cars is like REALLY NOT VERY GOOD... At least my car's ok... Well here is a picture of the passat, other pics can be found here
http://students.washington.edu/lazyboi/total/

You can see my nebio blue passat in the background. my mom's silver one is a total loss...

2003 VW Passat 1.8T RIP after 8 months of service.

 

That sucks.
My question is, was it parked on the lawn??

You NEVER EVER park a car on grass.
A few years ago I was at a Porsche Club track day and a guy in a brand new 928 GTS came off the track and parked his car in his spot.... on grass. About 20 minutes later the whole thing looked like your car. The heat from the exhaust dried out the grass and caught the whole thing on fire. Didn't happen right away, either.

Since the burn marks towards the rear seem to originate from under the car, this may well have been your source!!
The background shows lots of dry grass!

 

Are these Passat fires common? Err...I need a Passat to last for 6 years/200K if I bought the used ones I'm looking at....being 16 and having my car catch on fire wouldn't be so great for insurance either?

 

Car is not parked on grass. That is gravel that is underneath the car with some weeds here and there... It was a electrical malfunction. Well its going to sit there for a while until the insurance company comes and checks it out.... i gotta drive my mom around again... :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

Maybe it was the other passat in the background! Just look at it, its just sitting there all innocently in front of the garage. I bet it got jealous and set the new one on fire! :evil:

:lol:

I am assuming insurance will cover the car 100% since it is so new or if it was a VW problem, VW will. Maybe now get a 2002 GLX for the same price.

 

:shock: :shock: Holy-Moly!!! I am so sorry to see and hear that. I hope you get things straightened out quickly. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

eh? my passat lighting my mom's passat on fire? why would my passat be jealous? It gets a parking space in the house. my mom's doesn't. Well it was an electrical fire started from where the air box is around that area.... We were leasing that car... don't know what happends next. how do they do this for a leased car? start you on a new lease on a different vehicle?

 

bummer man. That really sucks. Let us know what they find out as the cause.

J

Sucks...that fluid leak seems like a likely culprit. The turbo stays hot for a long time if the hoods closed.

sounds like a design flaw, to me. almost like there should be a cool-down fan that runs for a while after the car is turned off.

 

Sorry to here about your moms car. In looking at alll of the photos the fires was concetrated outside the car and in the engine compartment. The interior looks like it fared pretty well.

What did the Fire department say? That car look like it was intentionally torched, my opinion only. I could be wrong and hope that I am, and I am no expert but the burn patterns on the drivers side look very suspicious to me.

Again sorry to here about the car.

Pete

 

About cooling down the turbo, I've heard of system's that keep the engine running for 2-3 minutes after the key has been pulled out. Supposedly this is supposed to help cool down the turbo. I've seen it used on anything from 400bhp (dynoed) turbodiesel Land Cruisers (overseas) to modified Supra's. Anyone tried that or think it might help?

 

Anyone tried that or think it might help?

Already been done. They are called TurboTimers. They tap into the ignition, and other connections to enable the car to stay on for a certain amount of time, and then turn off. Probably a good $100 investment.

 

Let me be the first to say THAT SUCKS. I hope everything comes out o.k.

What he said.

 

Has anyone personally had experience with TurboTimers? Do they affect the alarm system, or anything like that? If I bought a 1.8T Passat (currently looking as some may know), it would probably be my first 'mod' to the car.