the deer that killed my car....

Scooby Doo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Location
New York
TDI
2001 jetta gls
this morning was a long one. i was driving, rubbing my eyes at 4:30AM, and heard a huge THUD. i hit a deer, on the passenger side of my car. i tured arroung and stopped. called the cops and got a report. it hit the headlight, and fender, and bumper cover.

its all good i was thinking, i have hit 3 deer with this car, no big deal. i drive away, because the car isnt that bad. i was noticing that the passenger side light was dimming and going bright on its own, i though it was just a bad bulb from the impact. about 15min later i smell smoke, i look down and the floor on the passenger side of the car is on FIRE >. i stop the car, by the time i was stopped and turned off the motor, the entire passenger side of the car was on fire. i took off my belt got out, and by the time i turned arround the drivers seat was burning.
never in my life have a i seen a car burn, but didnt expect it to spread that fast. the car was engulfed within 30 seconds of smelling the somke. i had a fire extingushier in the trunk, however it was not open, and i didnt have the key in hand.
then i remembered, last week i went out to target shoot my .308, i had about 100-140 rounds of ammo left in the car.... i ran, i ran hard and fast i got about 1500feet from the car called 911 and the fireworks beguin. every few sconds anouther would go off, with birialant display. the fire dept came and so did the same cop who wrote up the deer hit, we ALL kept our distance. the fire truck got a 2.5 inch hose, and hit it from about 800feet. then they realized they had only about 300gallons of water. they sat down the hose and waited about 15min for the pumper truck to arive. the entire car had melted, with a full tank of diesel, in a big ball of fire in the middle of the countryside. the valve covers, the intake, the rear bumper, both licence plates... all gone, just a blob of metal.

so i ask, what the heck caused this fire? was it the deer or just bad timing?
 

owr084

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Location
Northern Virginia (NoVA)
TDI
Passat GLS, 2005, Stonehenge Gray
My guess is that some wires started rubbing due to the accident. They eventually wore through and ignited something.

$@##@ deer. My neighbor struck a deer in her minivan just a couple of hours ago. The van is totaled...
 

Scooby Doo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Location
New York
TDI
2001 jetta gls
i will post photos when i get them of the finished car. BTW it took the cop 5 shots to finish the deer, in a residential neighborhood at 4:30 in the AM. on a positive note my mother went and got the deer, venison this week! 50lbs of meet at $14,000. a bad buy?
 

redmondjp

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Location
Redmond, WA
TDI
'96 Passat Sedan
Sorry to hear about this, man. Glad that you are OK. But that really sucks about the car. Imagine if it had been gasoline in the tank and not diesel!

I guess the lesson is, if something like this happens, pull over (if and where safe to do so) and check the damage. Maybe you would have had the time to grab the extinguisher and put it out, or maybe not. But that's my 20-20 hindsight talking :rolleyes:

Exactly where in the car did you first see the flames? Under the passenger-side dash? It would be very interesting to do the CSI-Detroit on this one (detroit - motor city - OK, it's a stretch!).
 

Scooby Doo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Location
New York
TDI
2001 jetta gls
i am curious what componants there are under the dashboard on that side.
if i had taken the time to pop the trunk release i would not be typing this, i had, not one, not 2 but 3 fire extinguishers in there, not for myself, but in case i came accross a house fire with people inside.
as it is i hurt my eye somehow? but otherwise unscaved.
i need to go buy a new camera today, as my other one is a pool of plastic on the floor of the jetta, should have photos up this week. also will know if the ins company will let me keep whats left of it. by the looks of it the motor is in good shape for the most part, the EGR and the intake are all that melted, the valve cover is a little distorted, the turbo and fuel pump look fine. might need a bit of work but should be good enough to sell for some cash.
they most likely will NOT be covering my personal effects inside, so i am out about 5K in stuff, my johnsonred chainsaw, laptop, dvd's navi, sunglasses, ECT. so maby selling the motor will help me recoup some.
 

compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
The only think I can thing of wiring wise on the passenger side is the HVAC. All the headlight wires come down to the fuse and relay blocks on the driver's side. But I could be wrong, I haven't been too far into the dash on my car.

-Jason
 

Jetter_Sprinta

Veteran Member - TDIClub Contributor
Joined
Nov 7, 2002
Location
Boston, Massachusetts
TDI
2 Peeps sharing 1 UseYerName//an array of cars
Is the totalled car the one in your sig or do you have a A3 or B4 as well?

Sounds like you and the rescue workers were lucky. I hope you the insurance company treats you well.
 

Scooby Doo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Location
New York
TDI
2001 jetta gls
this is the one in my sig, i hit the wrong fourm button. so yeah its my 2001.
the ins does not cover my personal items in the car. AKA i am out $5000 in lumberjack equipment. that sucks, but i will post the value they determine when i get there. photos in a few days.
 

owr084

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2004
Location
Northern Virginia (NoVA)
TDI
Passat GLS, 2005, Stonehenge Gray
Scooby Doo said:
this is the one in my sig, i hit the wrong fourm button. so yeah its my 2001.
the ins does not cover my personal items in the car. AKA i am out $5000 in lumberjack equipment. that sucks, but i will post the value they determine when i get there. photos in a few days.
Check your homeowner's policy. Sometimes they cover stuff like that. I don't know about renter's policies. But, it does not hurt to check.
 

Scooby Doo

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2007
Location
New York
TDI
2001 jetta gls
i dont carry homeowners ins, i carry a shovel. someone gets hurt in my huge lot (7arces) i will bury them. however i cannot cut down a tree until i go buy a new saw seeing as how it melted. i have noticed from the day i bought the car electrical problems.
first the heated seats only works on 5
the numerous sensors i replaced, coolant temp, brake light, 4-way flasher...
then the lights would dim when i hit the clutch at night for the first 2 min after i start the car.
the list goes on, and i hear that this is not just my experience. perhaps VW should spend more then 10 min to design the electronics of there car?

i am getting about 13MPG with my suburban now, i miss my 40+MPG of the VW, i think its the company to blame, not my old car.... thats my $.02
 
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