HONDA HORROR?

Ever since I've seen television shots of cars burning on flyovers in Delhi, I've been wondering as to why do automobiles catch fire? So, checked and found this interesting post in some forum. I thought it would be useful to share it with others.

Well, the simple reason is that you have large amounts of fuel, electricity and other combustible material in close proximity. But the biggest reason for fires is the satisfied fools behind the wheel.
Consider. You buy a brand new car. You then cover the (fire-proof) seats with foam-padded seat covers. After that, you invest in plastic or rubber floor mats, on top of the (fire-retardant) carpet. You then take it to a back-street mechanic to install (grey-market) electrical accessories. And finally, you neglect basic precautions while taking (often adulterated) petrol or diesel into the fuel tank.
Of course, things get worse if the car is a Honda City, the only front-engined car in the world today with a petrol tank right under your front seat. About 50 litres of petrol, sloshing away a few inches away from your wallet. The problem is not the location of the tank. Frankly, if it is not under the front seat then it will be under the rear seat. The problem is that while the fuel line and fuel tank design of modern cars is simply a brilliant masterpiece of cutting-edge technology, the fact is that these pre-suppose a very high level of maintenance and care, as well as caution while filling and absolutely no over-filling.
This is where I have a problem with the long fuel line that ends up causing a venturii effect while filling petrol, which in turn forms a vacuum, which then generates fumes, which have to be “trapped” in a charcoal filter otherwise the cabin of your car will smell. Over-filling, or trying to push in more fuel into modern-generation pressurised filling tanks, will not just damage the charcoal filter, but also release petrol as well as fumes into the cabin of the car. And then all it needs is an accidental push of the inbuilt lighter, or a spark from a loose wire somewhere, or even an electrical arc from anywhere.
To then try to blame central locking is like trying to blame tobacco farming for causing lung cancer. Please take some of these simple precautions right away. Throw away those “foam padded” seat covers and “nylon” foot pads right away, and invest in fire-retardant fabrics. And most of all, please do not try to force extra fuel into the tank, that causes the biggest risk of fire.”