Caught a car on fire!

Caught a car on fire!

Me and my gf we're out test driving a car, a 2002 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T to be precise. Sivler car, black interior, full loaded except for leather, 60 000 miles on it, 5 speed and disc brakes all around. We we're driving down the highway and came to a set of lights, and we could smell something that spelled like heated up brakes, but we just kind of ignored it, figuring the car either sat for a while maybe had new pads or something. While waiting at the light, a van in hte lane next to mine just behind me started honking his horn, so I looked back and he was pointing down to the ground, then I saw the smoke. Opened the door looked back, and saw flames coming out from the wheel in the back. So I promptly cut through traffix and parked on the side of the road and we got out of the car, looked at the rear wheel on our way to getting away from the car and it looked like the actual brake pad had caught on fire. So we got out of the car and got about 100 feet away and called the dealership so they could come and get us. By the time someone from the dealer came to get us (about 10 minutes) the fire had went out. There was some marks left on the alloy wheel from the heat. My gf refuses to get back in that car now, heh. Just thought i'd share that story with you guys, since it was the first time a car actually caught on fire on me.

this isn't the first time i've heard of a volkswagen with a turbo catching on fire....

probably one of the brake lines was loose and squirted brake fluid on to the caliper and with heat caught fire.

i'd be so pissed if i was the dealer tho cuz the car hasnt even been sold yet. lol...but on the other hand, glad ur ok

no, it was probably a locked up caliper....... brakes catch on fire frequently..... the dealership might look at the caliper.... then clean up the wheel, and put it back on the lot

LOL, another hottest VW of the year.

Precisely why I hate VW man... my ass almost caught on fire on my dad's 04 Jetta with the seat heaters man that shit was crazy..... glad u guys r okay though man.

Only if they are semi-metallic and organic. rarity when its ceramic or carbon pads.usually about 70% of the time is the calipers from what I have seen and experienced. just lettin' you know

HEHE true,true

dunno what you're trying to prove to me or prove me wrong.... because i didn't say anything specifically

Yah, they we're trying to say I forgot to put the handbrake down, but I know I put it down cause when I took off, the car kinda jerked against the handbrake and I realized I forgot it on, and my gf saw me put it down too, heh... yah, I think it was a brake caliper and they are just trying to pass blame on a faulty part on the car, but whatever, especially since they tried to pass the blame, I won't be buying a car there now...