# A word of warning...



## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

when you buy a used car, it wouldnt hurt to check all the bulbs are the correct type and rating, my 7 series came with angel eyes and hids which have worked fine for the 6 months i had the car, what I didn`t realise was the main beam bulbs had also been swapped with 80w ones, and the previous keeper swapped the proper fuses for 20A ones. fine for flasing but when used for an extended period the wiring didn`t like it. seing smoke then flames coming out the bonnet while your driving is exciting but gets old after a while. PROTIP: carry a fire extinguisher.

Before:



After:


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## Maxtor (Feb 23, 2007)

:doublesho:doublesho

Lucky no one was hurt!


Maxtor.


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

So it had retro-fit HID and angel eyes, but 80W mains made it go up in flames? Hmmm.


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## Cliff (Mar 4, 2007)

:doublesho:doublesho oh dear


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## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

i suspect so. had the car 6 moths without any problems, didnt use the highbeams much through that time, used the highbeams for about 10 mins and this happened. the fire started in the wiring, and the fuses being swapped for the wrong ones suggests it was probably blowing fuses at some point. A friends cavalier caught fire a few years ago after he fitted 80/100w bulbs and changed the fuses to stop them blowing, the fire started in the wiring too. hids and angel eyes draw very little current, and even with a dead short on either of them the fuse should have popped long before any wiring had a chance to catch fire.


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

I think it's more than just the bulbs. BMW spec wire and a bit of extra current is not likely to melt the wire. I suspect a wiring problem. As you say the 20amp fuses won't have helped, albeit they support the theory that the previous owner had problems.


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Take it the white powder is Dry powder from the extinguisher?

Get it washed off NOW its corrosive! and it can have a laxative effect if you breath too much of it in,,,


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## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

yep got it all washed off the day after it happened, stripped out the damaged parts, sanded and sprayed the scorched metal, cut the wiring back to where it is undamaged, clayed/polished the smoke damage out the engine bay, just waiting for the new headlight, plastics and loom coming from the mail order scrappys. i checked the hid ballast and angel eye inverter today using the bulbs from the other side and even though they are scorched they still both work so i doubt it was either of them. I`m putting them back to standard anyway, no point in spending any more money on it, its just a cheap runabout we use cos part and parcel of my wifes job is that the cars at her work are always getting vandalised and we didnt like her taking the merc to work.


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Mates used to laugh at me for having an extinguisher in my car... Strange how one or 2 of them have since suffered from some kind of car fire or having their cars smoking a few have gone out and bought one..

If you need a replacement check out Lidl they have 1 kg powder units in at the moment for £7

(this one)

http://www.anaf.biz/estintori.php?ids=14&ext=70

:thumb:


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## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

thanks i`ll get down there today, good price. i usually get them from maccess but theyre £15+vat, carbon fibre look mind but i`ll paint that one black, sticks out less under the passenger seat


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

http://www.lidl.co.uk/uk/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20090409.p.1kg_Powder_Fire_Extinguisher.ar10

They work ok (as i can testify) when i set the underseal on my dads car alight when re straightening his exhaust bracket


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## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

all prepped, zinc primed, painted and rewired now and shes driving like a dream, even managed to save the angel eyes. with a 600g carbon fibre look fire extinguisher under the passenger seat and a 1kg on in the boot


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

magic919 said:


> I think it's more than just the bulbs. BMW spec wire and a bit of extra current is not likely to melt the wire. I suspect a wiring problem. As you say the 20amp fuses won't have helped, albeit they support the theory that the previous owner had problems.


I agree.

a 60w normal high beam would draw 5amps @12v and 4.16amps @ 14.4v

Now with an 80w bulb it would draw no more than 6.66amps @ 12v and less at 14.4v so guessing at an absolute minimum there should have been a 7.5amp fuse in it but i suspect more like 10amp or even 15 then i would guess you had bigger issues with you wiring than just the bulb drawing too much current for the wires.


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## Techgeek (Jun 7, 2007)

chunkytfg said:


> I agree.
> 
> a 60w normal high beam would draw 5amps @12v and 4.16amps @ 14.4v
> 
> Now with an 80w bulb it would draw no more than 6.66amps @ 12v and less at 14.4v so guessing at an absolute minimum there should have been a 7.5amp fuse in it but i suspect more like 10amp or even 15 then i would guess you had bigger issues with you wiring than just the bulb drawing too much current for the wires.


Not quite, 55w standard main beam, and with incandescant bulbs the current doesnt drop as voltage increases, it goes up, as they arent regulated as such other than the nonlinear v/r response of the filament. it looks like it started at the spade terminal, it probably was a bit loose after 12 years with a bit of resistance in it, the other side was blackened at the spades too. with the resistance and the higher draw it was probably too much for it, causing it to heat up, and either catch fire, or melt the bulb holder causing a short which then made the wiring catch fire, none of which would have happened if the proper fuses were in there. the fuse would have popped and that would be the end of it.


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