Good bye... Van on fire.

[flyaway]

That was it for me with Delicas, at least for the time being. Yesterday night I used the block heater for the first time this winter, plugged it in at midnight, and at quarter past 1 the van was in flames. It's completely done. Will see if ICBC will cover this (I do have comprehensive), but I guess all said and done I won't be able to afford another Delica. Had quite a bit of uninsured contents (my tenant's insurance ran out two weeks ago!!) I'll have to replace, and everything I've heard and read about ICBC and Delicas points to me not getting half the car's worth

So, unless a miracle happens, I'm saying good bye to you guys for the time being - thanks so much for all the help with glowplugs, etc.!! If you do have inputs about claims and value and ICBC, I'm happy to hear about it. Will read some of the old posts, but currently am not too optimistic.

*very very sad and upset*

I might post a picture... it's quite impressive how much damage a block heater can do!!

[flyaway]

for the voyeurs amongst you.. apparently the flames went metres high. didn't see them myself, though, blissfully asleep.

[snelson]

Holy shit man - so sorry to hear and see that. Especailly re. your other contents.

I've never had to deal with ICBC, but I think you might be suprised regarding payouts - I recall reading some posts here saying they got fair payouts - sounds like you just need to stick to your guns regarding value and have decent examples of similar vans for sale.

Still trying to wrap my head around how a block heater catches on fire - I would have thought the coolant would douse the flames. Must have been a short in the cord or something?

Regardless, sorry man, hope things work out with the claim

[Dingus]

So sorry to hear, not good news at all. I don't know about ICBC, but I had a similar problem with one of my old Lada Nivas. The settlement was to be much less than the truck was worth until I provided them with a number of ads that showed current market value for the truck. My adjuster thanked me for finding the information and admitted that the original sum was based on a guess as he had no idea where to find the value of the truck. Good luck!

[thedjjack]

looks like an over achievement with the block heater!

Remember ICBC is not trying to give you the maximum. Figure out what it was worth first and then make sure the offer is what you expect.

Sorry for the loss.

[flyaway]

I have no idea either how the block heater could have caused the fire, but some online research showed that it does happen. I hadn't checked it before turning it on yesterday, since it was installed only two years ago and there were never any problems. Maybe it has something to do with the breaker of the electric system of the condo complex I'm staying at, a neighbour that's an elictrician suggested. I hope ICBC will take over that part of the investigation. It's just definitely suspicious if a car starts burning an hour after being plugged in. The extension cord I used was new, but maybe the cord of the heater itself had some damage? I mean, something must have been wrong.

Anyway, I'm going to be studying the sales sites again... Not too many older 5speeders out ther. Wish me luck with the adjuster

[thedjjack]

I guess you cannot sell the rear window out of it? I have lots of broken glass you can replace it with.


PM if you can (I would also love the tranny too)

Cheers
David

[luckydad]

Sorry to see your ride go up in flames.

I could not understand how a block heater cause a fire in just over an hour. Did you have a fuel or leak?

Looks like your van was parked outside. Is it possible someone tampered with the wiring or deliberately torched it? Just a thought and something to look into.

Good luck with your claim! Cheers.

[jessef]

The only way I can see a block heater causing an electrical fire (these are diesels, they won't burn like gasoline vehicles) is if the cord/wire had a cut or an exposed section that touched the frame somewhere. That would cause an arc like a welder and start burning very fast.

I haven't heard of a properly installed/maintained block heater causing an electrical fire ever.

I've seen some Delica's with block heaters that were not installed properly = cord only.

The cord should have a protective sheath over it, usually aluminum tape/foil to keep the heat away and shield it. At least from the block to the fender.

Sorry to hear about your loss. The most important thing is that no lives were lost. Everything else is replaceable, no matter how bad the damage is.

[flyaway]

i really have no idea how that could happen. then again, the repairs and things the previous owner had done to the van weren't all great, eg we were told the belts are done but then only one was done, so we nearly destroyed the motor. and in the first week the car had nearly burnt down due to faulty wiring in the manual glow plug switch. the block heater was installed by her (or rather a mechanic in whitehorse), too, and i've not used it before. maybe something was wrong there. that's speculation though.

anyway, thanks for the good wishes. i think i'm still in the denial phase, just starting to really get upset and understand that my home of over a year is gone. but you're right, since it's just money that burned, and it wasn't really my fault (=not too much guilt involved), i feel probably not as bad.

[RichD]

Don't give up. You might just get a new van out of it.