Ive just been reading a couple of stories where peoples engines have caught on fire. I am thinking of buying one (just in case) i know a guy that has one in his 180sx, but he was more worried about his stereo shorting out and causing a fire. Do you think it would be a wise idea?
yep especially when you start messing with fuel lines as I have recently, only like $20 at supercheap.
go for it!! definitely a wise idea. as mikeh said, i got one from $20 from supercheap auto, mounted in the passenger footwell. i got mine also on the basis of stereo fault. a mate of my dad's had his car catch on fire and reckons the $20 extuingisher he bought at marlows is what saved his car being destroyed. small price to pay which could possibly make a big difference.
may i suggest you buy two... keep one in the zed (obviously in reach) and use the second one as a trial run... if you have never used one before you will be surprised how fast they run out... whats the point in having one if you don't know how to use it.
I've got one, it's mounted just behind the drivers seat, basically I can pull it out with one hand as I'm getting out of the car if need be.
Re: Yep. On the street I carry one, doing motorsport I carry 2. mines in the glovebox at the moment, i'm gunna mount it in the passenger footwell as soon as i get around to it :thumbsup::thumbsup:
Couple of small points to remember....>>(longish) ....I am the Senior deputy captain of our Rural Fire Service Brigade, and a Group Leader within the RFS, and part of our brigades job, is to respond to MVA's (car accidents) and car fires. Some of the things, that have become painfully obvious to me over the years, is small car fire extinguishers, are only good for about 1 minute, and quite often only delay the fire (incorrect use main reason). Some of the car fires we have been called to, have taken over 3000 litres of foam and water to extinguish. Another problem, is most car fire extinguishers are dry powder type. These will extinguish a small fire, used correctly, but in most of the cases I have been involved with, were electrical in nature to begin with, and some have been extinguished with a small extinguisher, only to restart some minutes later because the electrical fault was still there, (didnt disconnect the battery). Dry powder extinguishers have two major drawbacks, one is the vibration and jolting makes the powder settle, and although they go off, only the CO2 comes out, without the powder. The remedy for this is once a month, remove the extinguisher and invert it several times, to
Couple of small points to remember....>>(longish) ....I am the Senior deputy captain of our Rural Fire Service Brigade, and a Group Leader within the RFS, and part of our brigades job, is to respond to MVA's (car accidents) and car fires. Some of the things, that have become painfully obvious to me over the years, is small car fire extinguishers, are only good for about 1 minute, and quite often only delay the fire (incorrect use main reason). Some of the car fires we have been called to, have taken over 3000 litres of foam and water to extinguish. Another problem, is most car fire extinguishers are dry powder type. These will extinguish a small fire, used correctly, but in most of the cases I have been involved with, were electrical in nature to begin with, and some have been extinguished with a small extinguisher, only to restart some minutes later because the electrical fault was still there, (didnt disconnect the battery). Dry powder extinguishers have two major drawbacks, one is the vibration and jolting makes the powder settle, and although they go off, only the CO2 comes out, without the powder. The remedy for this is once a month, remove the extinguisher and invert it several times, to "fluff" the powder up again. The other problem with dry powder extinguishers, is when the powder has been exposed to heat (in other words it has done its job), the powder residue absorbs moisture from the atmosphere, and becomes extremly corrosive, and can do much more damage than a small fire. So what do you do? Best remedy is to fit circuit breakers (ask an auto electrician) to high power amps, and fit a battery isolator. Remember, with an engine bay fire, they are very difficult to put out, especially if it happens when driving. More people have been seriously burnt, when lifting the bonnet to see where the smoke is coming from. The sudden inrush of fresh air, fuels the fire, and creats an explosion..... Carry a fire extinguisher by all means (but you will note, that insurance companies no longer offer discounts for having a vehicle mounted fire extinguisher), but, unless the fire is really small, and doesnt involve burning petrol, plastic or rubber, dont expect too much from it. Regards GT
Worth mentioning - if you are going to approach a vehicle on fire - 1. approach from a corner and keep low - this helps avoid all the things that can go bang, like tyres, tailshafts, tanks, shocks, airbags, batteries, etc. 2. Don't open the bonnet - just crack it and use the extinguisher thru the small gap (or thru the grill on some cars)- this helps the extinguisher deprive the fire of oxygen. 3. What a small extinguisher won't do is cool things down enough - so the fire can still reignite - be careful. 4. If in any doubt - leave it to the experts - a car is replaceable, people are not.
Very good points. The reason I have one in my car at all is because of motorsport. Both get taken out at least once a month when inspected at vehicle scruitineering for events, I generally give them a good shake while inverted at that time. In all seriousness though, if my car is on fire, Im not going to try and tackle it with a 1kg extinguisher, I'll be sitting back sighing, watching and thanking God that I didn't get burnt (badly)!
for all you guys that have one in ya car,where have ya put them. please post some pics if ya can cheers
I searched lol I know this thread is a bit old but I was just wondering if the cabin temperature could cause the extinguisher to rupture? It gets pretty hot inside a car if you leave it in the sun and as the extinguisher is pressurised could it explode if it got too hot? Also what type of fire extiguishe do you have? Dry, foam etc. and what type of fire extiguisher is used in what situation? electrical, petrol etc. Thanks
Yeh my old Zed caught alight due to electrical issues.. I drove for about 2 minutes without realising it.. then luckily I pulled over at a construction site and they happened to have an extinguisher... even so, there was over 500$ damage..
i've had mine for a couple of years now in the zed and its still all fine. they can handle quite a bit, its usually written on the side. fire extuingishers are made to cop a bit of abuse - not intentional though
I don't have one but I should and will - on the to-do list now. I do carry a flare though. Does that count? Sorry, ........not funny.
