alright, rip rx8:

(been reading a lot of information off this forum, helped greatly. i do appreciate all the ppl that put their time into diy/topics in general.)

i got the car in February 2012. carfax(not that it really matters >_>), test drove/etc. got everything i needed beforehand thanks to this forum.
took it mazda(not that they much about the 8s themselves...), got diagnostic test done/comp test. everything was as it shouldve been. surprisingly.
car had 62k when i got it.

alright heres where the horror starts...
july 27-28th/car has been off for about 12hrs, parked on my driveway. been babying it, apparently not enough.

july28th/got to the store at 12pm, nothing out of the ordinary with the 8. been parked for about 9hrs. at 8:50pm, i start the car to warm up a little bit before i head out. head back inside the store to get a drink. wasnt even in there for a minute. saw smoke through the window of the store... (yeah, can you guess what happens next?).
...rx8 on fire.


be prepared, horrific...






seems electrical def...
read another 8 owner where his caught fire when he just got it. about 5k miles or so...

obvs started on the top right(from pic view.)

just want some opinions, whats done is done... totaled def(obviously.)

 

Yeah, I think I'd agree with electrical. The other two possibilities are oil fire and fuel fire. Both of those are usually far more destructive to the car.

Our most common fires are shortly after engine replacements from having the fuel line pop off and hose the engine bay with fuel, but as noted, the damage is usually far more extensive.

The hood indicates that the fire probably is sourced at/under the vicinity of the throttle body. Perhaps plug wire that frayed and was shorting out to the block and ignited oily residue or plastic/rubber there?

 

that's painful to look at.
My guess would be electrical as well but it's tough to know for sure. Was there any aftermarket parts installed on the car? (mainly concerned with anything in the engine bay) Audio / Video type mods needing extra power?

how are things going with the insurance adjuster?

 

I can't believe it stayed in the engine bay and didn't just ignite the car.

 

Just wanna say I'm sorry. I've been through a car fire and it's a sad thing to see happen to an 8. Good luck with the insurance.

 

tyvm for the reply.

im guessing thats what it is, when i got the car did a tune up, like i shouldve. got all that done at mazda... >_>
they got a good word from me, also getting one from insurance comp.



there wasnt any aftermarket at all. all stock.
though the car had damn "underglow" on it before i bought it... not into that ****. but dealership took all that off for themselves i guess. wrapped the end of the wires with electrical tape, but there was a switch inside the car, so idt it shouldve been a prob.
eh, not sure yet. filled out some paperwork, sent it in a few days ago, still waiting on call/decision.

 

ikr?

most of the interior was still in decent condition... til it rained.
they didnt tow it till about a week after... hated having to look at it for another week.

ty.
it is, agreed.
tyvm.

 

Take a look at the hood. It's almost as if one particular part got much hotter than the rest. Now compare that to where the fuel line comes into the bay ... might not be electrical.

 

Right, I don't think it was fuel line. The front half of the car would be gone, rather than just toasted with some melted internals.

 

here's what a fuel fire did to Rotary Rasps' car. Did the fire department give you any ideas as to what they think happened?

 

Check out this post https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discuss...-claim-218419/ for some help getting the most you can from your insurance company.

 

Sucks man, sorry to see that. It looks like the fire suppression material attached to the hood worked to some degree so that is good.

 

This sucks! Good luck with insurance. Do you plan to replace with another 8 I hope?

 

So weird seeing a picture of a Renesis that was on fire! Like seeing a pic of a melted laptop or refrigerator or pencil sharpener. Odd, unusual and surreal.

 

damn..
fire dept said "its hard to tell, but looks electrical." when they were talking with the cop.

tyvm, appreciate it!

heh, yeah.

i would, honestly. was a much more fun to drive than the 350z. not as torquey as the z, but def fun.
my dad was like **** it, dont get another sports car. lol, trying to find some seden car... been looking at a4s, heard they have plenty of electrical probs though..
we'll see i guess.

 

Did the car have a reman engine in it? If so, the dealer likely screwed up the reinstall of the fuel lines, they are technically supposed to be replaced not reused.

 

my vote goes to fuel fire.

there is no ******* way an electrical short can cause the 8 to burst up in flames like this.

I'm with 9k, is this the original engine or reman? if its reman then the dealership probably didn't replace the fuel line and just reuse the original one, those quick connector is a joke and should never be reuse

 

I gotta disagree with you guys on this. Doesn't look hot enough to be a fuel fire, and the localized burning on the driver's side (hood, engine bay contents) tells me that this actually started slow, not fast like a fuel fire.

If it was a fuel fire, not much was dumped and it was extinguished fast, which doesn't sound like the case here.

 

just realized it's a (was) sunlight silver too

 

it was the original engine.

:\

 

Electrical fires are not common with any Mazda...I cant remember a recall for a 'Mazda' re-chance of electrical fire, just does not happen...that is a standard Mazda....

Having said that, who knows what the previous owner(s) had hooked up under the engine bay to cause a short...like non genuine/approved Alarm, Horns, LEDS, etc,etc.

 

i apologize for the late update, but the insurance company did give me more than what i expected. thanks to xexok for the link. bought the car for 10.5k with 60k miles(too much imo), insurance company ended up giving a little over 13k. i do miss the 8 greatly, atm i am driving a honda accord coupe it is somewhat depressing considering the lack of power compared to the 8(obviously), but **** happens i guess. after a couple more years i do plan on getting another rx8. only had the thing for 4 months. if possible find one with much lower miles than the one i had, also would like the r3(very nicee ;p).
thank you all very much.