I woke up this morning and turned over the paper and sadness came over me because the front page story was of a burning kombi...
It belonged to an overseas backpacker who was on the way to the mechanic.. poor thing now she doesnt have anything.. She was planning on travelling around australia in it.
She said she wouldnt have been upset if it was any other car but a kombi was her dream car!! sad stuff!!
~air fooled~ ·
arrrgh! deepfried!! arrghh!!
nuffy ·
checked your fuel lines lately.:cry
ratty 63 ·
...and of course you all have a fire extinguisher in your car, don't you?
(Hint, if you don't, take another look at the pic above and imagine how you would feel if this happened to you - then make your way down to your local parts supplier (Supercheap, Autobarn, Kmart, etc) and spend the $20!!)
It's $20 well spent - even if you never use it.
R 🙂
carisma ·
is it common for VWs to catch fire, have heard this from people that dont like VWs ,,thought they might be spinnin me a line,,,,,but after that pic i wonder.....................colleen
sax ·
Not that unusual, if the fuel line leaks onto the exhaust it's barbied beetles for tea.
Not hard to prevent but a lot of people don't bother.
MUD BASHING ANYONE ?? ·
well thats it change you fuel lines once a year instead of when it catchs on fire and make sure the little bit of tube that goes into the carby is not lose and buy a fire extinguisher
scottbugged ·
I think every VW owner has been told a story like this one, a simple fire extinguisher can save a dream and can also be used to cool a case of beer in an emergancy.
ancientbugger ·
A hose clamp (jubilee clip to us poms) is a cheap safeguard!
buzzbug ·
if you have a look at the pic on page 2 you will see that it could have been contained.
The front page pic is of it fully alight, the page 2 pic is of it just getting started.
If she had an exstinguisher that could have been a bus saved not a bus lost.
nuffy ·
carisma,
they usually only catch fire when not maintained. if you buy a new (old) one, replace fule lines staright away or check exhisting lines closely.
ratty 63 ·
...its also worth checking that the brass hose fittings (that are part of the carb and fuel pumps) are not loose. These fittings are just pressed in place and rely on a tight fit to stay there - over many years of heating and cooling they WILL work loose and eventually fall out of the fuel pump/carb .... with the fuel line still firmly attached.
I have seen this happen many times on my own vehicles and with carbs that have I have found at swaps. This is also how my Grandmothers one owner '68 caught on fire (thankfully my brother was driving it at the time and he managed to put it out before too much damage was done - still needed the engine bay to be re-wired, new hoses (fuel/heater/etc), new dissy cap, new ignition leads, engine lid repainted and a new 'VW 1500' badge for the back)
I check the fuel hose fittings on the carb and fuel pump at every service (and then once or twice between services), just for piece of mind.
I'll post a pic of the offending fittings when I get my digital camera back from the repairers (grrrr!)