Saw this on FB ...Ponte Vedra, Florida
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
What do you think caused the fire?....evidently looks like somewhere in the engine compartment...
Clogged idle jet and a backfire is the most likely cause. Or a leaky plastic fuel filter in the engine compartment.
Always pays to have a good fire extinguisher in the car with you, this one may have been saved....I hear there are a bunch out there now that are pretty good, but on the pricey side...$$$$...
PepeSpeed's VS burned 2 blocks from his house. He had fire extinguished but couldn't get engine lid open. The extinguisher wasn't large enough. Blaze-cut system might have saved both.
......Every Speedster owner needs to add an additional deck lid latch release wire:
Secure a piece of yellow ( so you can see it) emergency wire to the deck lid release, route it through the driver's side wheel well, make a loop in the end and let it hang.
WolfGang...Good point on opening up engine Lid unless you have heavy duty gloves that are readily available. In regards to the "Blaze-cut systems"....how much do they go for and are they easy to install?....just wondering.....
wow!..that's such a shame...i feel for the owner....having had VW's in my youth,i don't want to diss them in general...but we all know heat is the weak link in these engines...along with fuel lines and filters close to hot things....as well as said back fire through the carbs & air cleaner among other stuff which is avoidable with regular maintenance and proper tuning,,,,which is why i went liquid cooled and fuel injection...i also have a good extinguisher at arms length.....not saying this sad event still isn't possible, but the odds are lower ....just IMHO
How sad. Entire back end is melted, looks more like a chariot now 
i thought they were air cooled
Fire extinguishers are another type of insurance policy. Would you buy a policy from an offshore company that wasn't regulated by your state insurance commissioner? That's just what you are doing when you buy BlazeCut. They say they don't need to be approved, since extinguishers in cars are not mandated.
I am a retired fireman, and worked back in the '60's and '70's, when car fires, especially older VW's, were common. You will be struck stupid on your first car fire. It's always smart to have a portable extinguisher, but smart money is on the best fixed system you can afford. With a portable extinguisher, you will need to do several things quickly: undo your extinguisher, put on your gloves, release the engine lid, lift the lid, activate the extinguisher at the base of the fire. Does it sound easy?
I probably had to put out 10 car fires before I became proficient. I'm not a slow learner, but adrenalin surges don't help us learn.
All the US-made fixed systems I have seen (BlazeCut was made in the Czech Republic when I checked last) have UL Lab and NFPA approval. Save up for the right system, and hope you never need it. Every owner should also do a periodic safety inspection, using your sight, smell, touch, and hearing senses. Look for cracked or worn spots on your fuel lines, squeeze the rubber lines to ensure that they are still pliable, smell for gasoline, and listen for odd noises with the engine at idle that can indicate a loose fitting.
I don't even think BlazeCut is a halfway measure, since the owner will count on it to do the job of fire suppression, and it may fail.
my 63 bug caught fire way back when the fuel line leaked where it connects to the single solex, blew it out and repaint the rear deck.
Thanks, @Jim Kelly -
Every time somebody posts a picture of a burned Speedster (and I mean EVERY SINGLE TIME), somebody will make mention of how sad it was, and that "the car could have been saved by a Blazecut". But I'm still waiting to hear from somebody who's car was actually saved by one.
Has anybody on this site ever had a car fire actually put out with a Blazecut?
Lots of guys have them. They seem like a good idea. But my beef with the constant recommendation is that I don't know of anybody (either firsthand, second hand, or apocryphal tale) who's car was in actuality "saved by a Blazecut".
Anybody?
Jim Kelly is spot on with saying : You will be struck stupid on your first car fire, but adrenalin surges don't help us learn
I posted this previously.....Response to an engine fire:
~ You first notice the engine performance dropping off ( 4 - 5 seconds) then look at gauges ( 2 - 3 seconds)
~ Slow down and pull off onto the road shoulder 5- 7 seconds)
~ Realizing smoke and flames are rolling out from engine grill & the time to process this ( 7 seconds)
~ Shut off engine, fumble to get the fire extinguisher off the mounting bracket try to get the deck lid open only to find the heat has already gotten to the fiberglass area that the latch is mounted to and it won't open (10 seconds)
~ Fumble with the pull pin trying in vane to discharge the extinguisher into the engine grill to no avail ( 15 seconds)
You're now at a minimum of 47 plus seconds past the point you realized the engine fire (eternity) and wonder why you are holding the now empty fire extinguisher as the fire engulfs the car section of the car while you get that sickening feeling .
*************
It happened to me once ( bad push rod - engine popped through carb) and I was lucky had it not been for the Maryland Highway truck passing by at the right moment and two guys running to the car with large fire extinguishers ( fire out in 5 seconds) the speedster would have been history.
@Jim Kelly for the WIN!
I agree totally. Why do you think racecars are REQUIRED to have a fire bottle(approved and stamped and regulated!) installed?
Because when the crap hits the fan, all you need to do is pull the lever.
I've posted the same sentiments as Jim, Stan, and Alan. An extinguisher MAY help. A Blazecut might.
But a 5 or 10 pound fire bottle WILL extinguish the flames. It's a good idea to have an extinguisher handy, just in case of re-ignition. That's why every corner worker has one. But the fire bottle is primary. The best part? No danger of getting burned opening a lid and introducing MORE oxygen.
BlazeCut does have TUV certification. TUV is the European equivalent of the US UL certification. TUV is internationally recognized. It was developed in Slovakia (not Czech Republic).
Call me chicken, but the first thing I'll pull if my car is afire is a quick exit, stage left.
A man's got to know his limitations and I'm no Jim Kelly.
I do have a buttload of stated value insurance. What I don't have is interest in carrying a 10lb fire extinguisher, heavy gloves and the hope that I can crack the lid in time while dodging flaming, dripping polystyrene.
Let it burn if it's time, just keep me and my passenger safe. I can buy another one (car, that is).
.
I think I'm with Michael.
When I was a kid, I thought it would be neat to be a fireman, but that was mainly because you got to drive that cool truck and work the siren.
I've mostly outgrown that now, except for the part about the siren.
.
@WOLFGANG posted:BlazeCut does have TUV certification. TUV is the European equivalent of the US UL certification. TUV is internationally recognized. It was developed in Slovakia (not Czech Republic).
I think most of us know what TUV approval is...
The Blazecut does NOT have SFI(SEMA Foundation, Inc), SCCA(Sports Car Club of America), or FIA(Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), or PCA(Porsche Club of America) approval. That tells me I don't want anything to do with it.
The other thing to look at is VOLUME. Five or ten pounds of smothering agent versus what volume is in that skinny little tube? Maybe a half liter or half quart?
That's a pint glass full of beer. Any REAL fire would just laugh at that. What's that going to accomplish? DO THE MATH.