My Renault Clio 1.5DCi Dymanigue went on fire on Thursday night in my driveway. The Fire Service came to put the fire out and told me they thought it was probably caused by an electrcal fault. I had work done by the local dealer two weeks ago costing £800. The car needed a new timing belt and the dealer were doing a special offer so I booked it in with them. It also needed new rear wheel bearings and I got them to do that work at the same time and also got them to do a silver service while they were at it. I thought it would be less hassle killing three birds with one stone (as opposed to two), though as it was the dealer I knew it would bit on the pricey side. A couple of days before leaving the car in it started leaking oil so I asked the dealer to have a look at that also. This turned out to be the heat exchanger (though they told me it was the radiator at first) and they would have to get one from France. When it arrived the next day it turned out the one they had ordered was for the later model and didn't fit my car so they had to order another one. This took three days to arrive! I didn't therefore get my car back until the Friday (I'd left it in on the Monday!). They didn't even offer me a free courtesy car during all this time. I think it is too much of a coincidence that two weeks later the car goes up in flames don't you? Spookily I got a text from the dealer the morning after the car went on fire saying my car may have been involved in a safety recall campaign. I phoned them (I had already phoned them earlier about the fire which they of course they said had nothing to do with the work they did) and they said the recall was to do with the bonnet catch, however, the dealer had texted me about that several months earlier and I had already left the car in with them to get a new one fitted. I e-mailed the photos of the fire to the dealer and they contacted me and said they would forward them to Renault UK.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
I had to take a couple of days off work to clean up the mess! The tarmac is in a bad state and will need resurfaced at least.
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Sorry but you bought a Renault, kinda predictable something would go wrong.
Only car ive seen catch fire on its own was a new Alfa 147 although I seem to recall something by Nissan did this trick a while ago and was reported on here?
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Stu, having a bad morning? Not one of your usual helpful responses?
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Sorry but you bought a Renault kinda predictable something would go wrong. Only car ive seen catch fire on its own was a new Alfa 147 although I seem to recall something by Nissan did this trick a while ago and was
you haven't had your eyes open then. I have seen 5 fire wrecks this year that ignited and 3 of them were Vauxhauls. You just couldn't resist having an unhelpful poke at Renault could you
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>>You just couldn't resist having an unhelpful poke at Renault could you<<
Nah, its shooting fish in a barrel really, but I have owned a Renault and it was a shocking pile of junk. As have the Renaults owned by other people I know. So one setting on fire, sounds like a message from God to me :-)
Scary stuff but really, if you stand of the train tracks, you would expect, at some point, to come across a train wouldnt you?
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yes but the point is stu, that Renaults are no more likely to catch fire than any other car. According to you none of them are running long enough to do so.
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Since christmas on my travels I have not seen a burnt out Renault but I have seem a VW Touran burnt out in a car park appartantly started on its own and a a BMW 3 series petrol that appartanty took fire as well. Seems the usual pop at Renault by the usual Renault haters on the site.
All modern cars can take fire if they have an electrical fault no matter who made them.
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>>I think it is too much of a coincidence that two weeks later the car goes up in flames don't you?
Can you give more info please. i.e. faulty workmanship ? / electrical fault
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I'd suggest that if you are trying to put the blame on the dealer then you need more evidence than what you've got so far... Surely the best way is to get an independant report from an expert who can trace the root cause of the fire and then you'll have a good idea whether they are too blame or if its "just one of those things" - I haven't got a clue who could do such an investigation but a good starting point would seem to be the Fire Brigade who may be able to do it or know someone who could?
Otherwise its just your word against theirs... also wouldn't your insurance policy would pay up?
Edited by b308 on 22/11/2008 at 12:04
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These things are impossible to deal with remotely. As I have been involved in several vehicle fire investigations I'll make one suggestion - this covers about 60% of the fires I've investigated.
Check the timing belt replacement procedure and see if it involved disturbing the alternator or its main output connection or the starter motor. If so, get the evidence examined very carefully by someone who knows what to look for.
659.
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Don't know the exact cause yet, an insurance assessor is still to examine it
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DCO
I'd have got more out of your post if it had been readable - paragraphs, paragraphs...
The brigade are no experts in car wiring; but may be correct in this case. I find it difficult to believe that an oil fire could burn for four hours without being noticed - even if there was a leak.
As said; where did the fire start? Front panel? Underbonnet? Dash?
There are not that many unfused permanently-live cables on a car; can sabotage/arson be completely ruled out?
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How did you know about the four hours, I have made no mention of it in my post?
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Genius is mysterious.....
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hello my name is salvatore Gargiulo and i'm writing you from italy.
i had some bad experience, fire on car, with my renault clio. i'm take contact with all people had some experience and i can say you that in italy there are more 10 people that had the same experience. please we are thinking to invite renault in a famouse italian talk show so all people know that there are problem on electric circuit of renault car. if all people had my same bad experience, fire on car , can contact me we could ask Renault to pay all damage in italy aboutr 9 years ago died a person on Renault shenic and court of CALTANISSETTA CONDEMNED rENAULT TO REFUSE ABOUT 1000000 EURO relatives of died.
please write me on my personal e-mail salvatoregargiulo@fastwebnet.it or you can call me on my mobile phone 0039 3288981069 my english isn't so fluent but i'll try to understand you.
thank you for everythinks you could do for me.
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Mate had a Citroen Bx do the same thing, he bowling and was told the car was in flames in the car park...total writeoff.
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There has been history of 306's catching fire, VW tourans, even bendy busses.
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>>Car goes on fire!
>>and they said the recall was to do with the bonnet catch,
Well Well ! Do I recall a TV program on the subject of Clio bonnet catches?
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=48891
>>So one setting on fire, sounds like a message from God to me :-)
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Friend of mine, a consultant trickcyclist, had a brand new Alfa Spider a couple of years ago. Bowling up the M61, he smelled something, looked down and saw an orange spot growing on the floor by the pedals. Pulled over, grabbed briefcase and off down the hard shoulder a safe distance whilst the car went up in flames. It was the day after it's first service at supplying main agent ! Car gutted. He was gutted and the agent denied any fault. Never got anywhere with them.
Ted
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