Foxtons billionaire sues garage re exploding Miura

Foxtons billionaire sues garage re exploding Miura

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User33678888

Original Poster:

1,141 posts

136 months

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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The reality - "Two insurers disagree over who should pick the tab up, so go legal" - is so much less headline-worthy, isn't it?

jammy_basturd

29,776 posts

211 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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Doubt spark plugs alone could cause a fire like that. I guess they are suggesting it backfired, which then ignited something in the engine bay?

Ebo100

482 posts

203 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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When I clicked on the link above I got a pop-up the I hade been hacked by the Syrian Electroninc Army. A quick look on Wikipedia has got me worried. Is this a dodgey link?

Bodo

12,368 posts

265 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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“The fire was caused by the ignition of fuel. Such ignition could not have taken place unless the fuel system was not intact or the spark plugs were not properly adjusted or fitted."

My car does only run when fuel is ignited by spark plugs. How times have changed. Clearly, the lawyer doesn't give the impression that he's well prepared.

Rockettvr

1,804 posts

142 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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Mr Scarrott continues: “On December 19, 2012 Mr Hunt delivered the vehicle to the defendant’s garage on School Road, North Acton.

“The defendant thereafter purported to perform the services and in particular carried out a service of the vehicle and replaced the engine oil, filter and spark plugs.

“The defendant notified Mr Hunt that the services had been completed and the vehicle was ready for collection.

“On April 5, 2013 Mr Hunt, by his son, attended the garage to collect the vehicle.


5 months to do a routine service Wow!!!

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Thursday 27th November 2014
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Rockettvr said:
Mr Scarrott continues: “On December 19, 2012 Mr Hunt delivered the vehicle to the defendant’s garage on School Road, North Acton.

“On April 5, 2013 Mr Hunt, by his son, attended the garage to collect the vehicle.

5 months to do a routine service Wow!!!
Umm, Dec 19 to Apr 5 is three and a half months. And it doesn't say when the car was ready, just that it was...

kylegordon

9 posts

165 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Rough running, "wisp of white smoke", and the photos show flames coming off the exhaust pipes...

My money is on a fuel leak or a massively screwed up carburettion, and as the engine warmed up the fuel started to vapourise until "whoomph" and fire everywhere. The fuel will have been all over the manifolds and running down the exhausts by this point, hence the flaming exhausts.

All it takes is a return pipe to be missing, etc. Preaching to the converted methinks

Skater12

507 posts

157 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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So this car was owned by the former owner of Foxtons.

His son was driving at the time it went up in flames.

His son is reputedly behind "taxtherich" and thrashes rare and expensive cars.

Take one recently serviced Muira, add cold weather and a guy that drives like a bit a d**k sometimes and here's the result.
An old car that probably got driven way too hard straight after a service.

Speculating, but i'd say the driver was more likely at fault than HR OWEN, who are a well respected garage and dealer.

spikey78

701 posts

180 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Does driving an old car too hard from cold make it catch fire then?

sparkythecat

7,898 posts

254 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Apparently the salvage value after the fire is £200k yikes


pad58

12,543 posts

180 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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spikey78 said:
Does driving an old car too hard from cold make it catch fire then?
Tell you what, I'll go and give mine a thrashing form cold and report back.
I hazard a guess it won't make a blind bit of difference, something else is afoot methinks.

Skater12

507 posts

157 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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spikey78 said:
Does driving an old car too hard from cold make it catch fire then?
Not necessarily, but lets say you owned nearly £1m worth of 40+ year old italian supercar.
Would you in reality, drive it hard straight away or go a bit gentle on it at first.
He was about 1 mile from the dealership when it went pop and there are witness reports that the driver floored it right away.
You would't do that with a recently serviced 4 year old hatchback, let alone a delicate supercar with notoriously temperamental Italian electrics.
Or, compression in the block could have, in theory, forced a spark plug out which then ignited un-burnt fuel.

spikey78

701 posts

180 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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Skater12 said:
Or, compression in the block could have, in theory, forced a spark plug out which then ignited un-burnt fuel.
I'm not sure about that

spikeyhead

17,223 posts

196 months

Friday 28th November 2014
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I'd put far more money on a split fuel hose or a stuck jet in the carb than on a loose spark plug.

cardigankid

8,849 posts

211 months

Friday 12th December 2014
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User33678888 said:
Took long enough for the brigade to get there.

roygarth

2,673 posts

247 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
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That's not the first Miura to catch fire. Idiots for not having a fire extinguisher in a car of that age/era/value.

tortop45

434 posts

159 months

Tuesday 10th February 2015
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My moneys on the fuel we use today,due to the ethonal which is in petrol today it eats rubber fuel lines ,all you classic car owners out there should no that and if not checked after a car has been standing for a while you could have a leak,and with an engine like that in the back which are prone to catching fire thats what happens.shame...............

markymarkthree

2,236 posts

170 months

Sunday 15th February 2015
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tortop45 said:
My moneys on the fuel we use today,due to the ethonal which is in petrol today it eats rubber fuel lines ,all you classic car owners out there should no that and if not checked after a car has been standing for a while you could have a leak,and with an engine like that in the back which are prone to catching fire thats what happens.shame...............
Like what tortop45 says, check your pipes.
This fuel pipe was only 6 months old on my Cortina.




roygarth

2,673 posts

247 months

Sunday 15th February 2015
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markymarkthree said:
tortop45 said:
My moneys on the fuel we use today,due to the ethonal which is in petrol today it eats rubber fuel lines ,all you classic car owners out there should no that and if not checked after a car has been standing for a while you could have a leak,and with an engine like that in the back which are prone to catching fire thats what happens.shame...............
Like what tortop45 says, check your pipes.
This fuel pipe was only 6 months old on my Cortina.



Yep, this happened in my 2CV.