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#1
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SVX caught fire - now dead
Hi everyone.
I have had my gorgeous maroon SVX for 2 weeks. Today I left Devon at 6am and was driving to my parents in Surrey when near j5 on the M3 (8.07am) i noticed white smoke from the rear of the car. Head gasket I thought!! I stopped the car on the hard shoulder, looked underneath the car and at the back near the back axle (Diff??) there was fire. the girlfriend and myself ran to the SOS phone and within 5 minutes we had 2 fire engines and 2 police cars. The fire was put out and the car was hosed down for the next hour to ensure the rear of the car cooled down. Seems the axle had caught fire and the gaskets and oil was ablaze and the fuel lines were very very very hot. Car was recovered home to Devon just now (4pm) and now does not run at all. What a shame as i loved this car and now because of teh fire i now have no car. Looking at the car from above all is okay but underneath it is just black. aarrggghhhh Regards Ian |
#2
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I feel with you Ian .
Peter |
#3
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Ouch...sooooo sorry for your loss...
I honestly hope you have good insurance. I had a car fire in '98 with Progressive, and they definitley follow truth in advertising...they were "not what I excpected from an insurance company"...I expected coverage. I hope you have better luck.
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'92 Pearl White LS-L Touring SOLD 4.44 Swap, trans cooler, trans filter, trans temp gauge Color-matched rear body and spoiler, X-drilled and slotted rotors, Axis pads, s/s lines Raxles front axles |
#4
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Sad news
Hi Ian
Sorry to hear this news. You must have been very lucky. I would have expected the petrol tanks to explode for a fire back there, and the car to burn out totally. Hopefully your insurance covers it, nearly all have Fire and Theft included. Make sure the assessor is aware of the value and condition of your car. don't despair if the car is beyond repair. There are usually about 12-15 on Autotrader any time you log on. Commiserations Joe
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Black Betty [Bam a Lam!] '93 UK spec, still languishing Betty Jersey Girl Silver '92 UK [Channel Isles] 40K Jersey Girl @ Mersea Candy Purple Honda Blackbird Plum Dangerous White X2 RVR Mitsubishi 1800GDI. Vantastic 40,000 miles Jersey Girl |
#5
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Ian,
I'm shocked and saddened by the news. I hate it that this would've happened. I'm happy, however, that you weren't injured in the incident. Take heart, however, that your SVX fuel tank has been tested under extreme conditions and found to be more resilient than a standard fuel tank. Again, sorry to hear. Especially in such a short period of time as an owner. Fuel Tank Test:
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Randy Johnson 3rd Registered Member 02-21-2001 First Member to Reach 10,000 Posts First to arrive at the very first Reading Meet Subaru Ambassador 1992 SVX PPG Pace Car Replica 110+k 1993 White Impreza L 240+K miles 2001 Legacy Outback Limited Sedan 250+K miles 2013 Deep Indigo Pearl Legacy 3.6R 49+K miles "Reading is my favorite Holiday" Mike Davis -- at Reading VI |
#6
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Wow Randy
Now it makes sense. A plastic tank. Fiendishly clever Nipponese!! An awful pity the tank designer was not let have a go at designing an automatic gearbox for the car. First picture of a sawn-off SVX I have seen. Thanks Joe
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Black Betty [Bam a Lam!] '93 UK spec, still languishing Betty Jersey Girl Silver '92 UK [Channel Isles] 40K Jersey Girl @ Mersea Candy Purple Honda Blackbird Plum Dangerous White X2 RVR Mitsubishi 1800GDI. Vantastic 40,000 miles Jersey Girl |
#7
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Quote:
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#8
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Such a sad end for a great car, glad you and your girlfriend were safe though.
So what exactly caused the fire? How does a rear axle burst into flames? Is this something we should all be checking our cars for?
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The Monzta '96 Subaru SVX (111K) - UK spec '85 Opel Monza GSE (71K) '86 Opel Monza GSE (95K) '93 Toyota Estima Lucida (37K) - JDM import My psychiatrist says I'm suffering from paranoia........but he's always hated me!!! |
#9
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Quote:
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Black Betty [Bam a Lam!] '93 UK spec, still languishing Betty Jersey Girl Silver '92 UK [Channel Isles] 40K Jersey Girl @ Mersea Candy Purple Honda Blackbird Plum Dangerous White X2 RVR Mitsubishi 1800GDI. Vantastic 40,000 miles Jersey Girl |
#10
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further update
I have rung the insurance company. Seems they will only cover bodywork damge and not mechanical damage. Car is being towed away in 45 mins to be assessed.
The firemen reckon that something caused friction at the back on the diff or axle and as a result caused the rubbers (?) and any gaskets to melt and as a result caused oil to escape which again caught fire. He was guessing and had never seen such an incident at the back of the car. In case the insurance company say they are not paying, does anyone know how much i am going to pay out for a new rear axle or rear diff (sorry not mechanically minded - is it called a diff)? Should i repair it or let it go say for spares? Thanks to everyone who has replied and for good wishes. Regards Ian |
#11
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Quote:
Here's the link to the Road and Track guide that's been put up on the web. This person has done a great job and is providing a great service to SVXers who don't have the guide. http://dcss.dyn.dhs.org/svx_iw/road_track/
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Randy Johnson 3rd Registered Member 02-21-2001 First Member to Reach 10,000 Posts First to arrive at the very first Reading Meet Subaru Ambassador 1992 SVX PPG Pace Car Replica 110+k 1993 White Impreza L 240+K miles 2001 Legacy Outback Limited Sedan 250+K miles 2013 Deep Indigo Pearl Legacy 3.6R 49+K miles "Reading is my favorite Holiday" Mike Davis -- at Reading VI |
#12
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There was an SVX being broken for spares on the Yahoo site - Dec last year or Jan this year. They may have the bits you are after. Also, a salvage yard where I just got a front driveshaft from - 01759 372727 - engine and box has gone amongst other stuff, but might be worth a try. Think that this was a 96 car.
Good luck! |
#13
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Re: further update
Quote:
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The Monzta '96 Subaru SVX (111K) - UK spec '85 Opel Monza GSE (71K) '86 Opel Monza GSE (95K) '93 Toyota Estima Lucida (37K) - JDM import My psychiatrist says I'm suffering from paranoia........but he's always hated me!!! |
#14
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Does that price include the actual CAR also ....???
/Sonny
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Internal name: "SuperSonic" -92 ebony black with 170k KM *** -Stress is when you wake up screaming & you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet. *** |
#15
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Scary isn't it?
__________________
The Monzta '96 Subaru SVX (111K) - UK spec '85 Opel Monza GSE (71K) '86 Opel Monza GSE (95K) '93 Toyota Estima Lucida (37K) - JDM import My psychiatrist says I'm suffering from paranoia........but he's always hated me!!! |
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