Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 12:14:44 -0400
Reply-To: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: EMZ <vw4x4@FYI.NET>
Subject: Re: Fire ruins my day...
In-Reply-To: <371C9A70.D9C0AADB@candesa.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
I would start by getting a good lawyer and sueing
the nozzle nuts. They cause more damage than the fire
sometimes. It's a wonder they didn't try to cut the roof
off the Van and look for bodies. Or maybe the Jaws of life
on a door post, to get in to a perfectly fine unlocked door
to get to the fire.
Chances are the engine is not dammaged. It's all the
wiring, hoses, int., and plastic that is a problem. Sounds
like my parts Syncro and your Van would now be a good
match up.
Eric 86-VW4x4
vw4x4@fyi.net 72-240z
Pittsburgh, PA USA 1936-Chrysler
On Tue, 20 Apr 1999, tonyd wrote:
> Well fellow dubbers,
>
> My vanagon is no more. Saturday evening it
> caught on fire. Not quite sure what caused it. I
> was driving, and had gotten about a half mile
> from my house, when I experienced some serious
> hesitation in 4th gear. I put it up into 3rd,
> and it picked back up, but as I approached the
> stoplight, and put in the clutch, it died
> completely. So, with the momentum I had left, I
> coasted into Taco Bell's parking lot, and out of
> the way of traffic. As soon as I stopped, smoke
> engulfed the bus. I ran around back to discover
> flames coming out of the license plate cover,
> and drops of fire dripping onto the ground
> underneath. I popped the hatch, and scrambled
> to get all of my stuff out of the van. Running
> into Taco Bell screaming like a maniac for the
> fire extinguisher, I waited while the MINIMUM
> WAGE IDIOT, WALKS!!! to get the extinguisher. As
> I was trying to contain the blaze, the van tried
> to start itself, and was lurching itself towards
> the parked cars. People began flying out of the
> place to move their cars. Luckily the fire dept.
> showed up and pulled the ground off. I didn't
> dare lift the deck lid before that, in fear of
> the whole thing going up in my face. Anyway,
> after 20 minutes of soaking the engine and the
> interior of my van, I assessed the damages; The
> engine is fried. All the wiring is fried. The
> poor computer is nothing but left over micro
> chips. The right rear plastic molding melted
> into oblivion, not to mention anything else that
> was plastic in that area (tail light cover, rear
> park light cover, vent, etc.) The outside right
> rear of the van is charred. The interior
> sustained heavy water damage: There was water
> half filling the gauges, glove box and door step
> up areas. The upholstery is soaked and wreaks of
> barbeque. Really though, the damage didn't pass
> the engine compartment, and the rest of the van
> (outside of the water damage) is untouched. In
> fact, from one side, you wouldn't know. So, I
> wait for the insurance to show up and reimburse
> me. Here are some questions for the list; What
> would it cost me to replace the engine, the
> wiring (all wiring in the engine compartment,
> and make sure everything works front to back)
> and paint the rear (or whole) of the bus? What
> about water damage (smell, etc.) I would just
> like to know in case I want (or they let me) to
> keep the bus after I get the money. Also, any
> thoughts on what may have caused this to happen.
> I'm thinking fuel line problem.
>
> This has been an unfortunate loss for us. The
> bus ran perfectly (I thought) and everything
> worked. It had served us well on many a trouble
> free trip. We will be sad to let it go if we
> have to. Please check your fuel lines and hoses
> regularly. I'm lucky it was me driving and not
> the wife and kids.
>
> Thank you all for your input over the past year.
> I will remain on the list however, because I
> believe in it and will soon replace this bus
> with another. After 8 VW's this is my first
> fire, and it hasn't soured me a bit.
>
> TonyD
> '87 GL (barbeque style)
>
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