Whilst sat (luckily) outside my house yesterday a friend of mine arrived in his Audi S4, much to our shock smoke starting to billow out of the front right wheel arch.

 

We all suspected a stuck caliper at first, but the wheel was stone cold after 30 seconds or so we realised it was something more serious, popped the bonnet whilst I and another friend ran into the house to find something to put water in (kettle and mop bucket...)

Another mate dived underneath it and could see embers! So we doused the rear of the engine bay/turbo housings with litres and litres of water until the smoke and steam subsided... Scary stuff couldnt work out what was on fire at first.

 

Once the drama had settled and could get a closer look, appeared that some lazy arse garage had left a very oily rag on or near the turbo housing/heat shield. As you might imagine it had got hot enough to ignite, amazingly and luckily it had started to smoke about 600 yards from my house. If he had been on the motorway at speed, the wind would have fanned the flames and probably have been too late by then. Or even not near a friends etc could have been game over!

 

Needless to say we fished the rag out from it and hes going to take it back to the last place that did any work on it!

 

So check your engine bay thoroughly after all work at garages for any debris left in there

that's nuts....and VERY lucky good work!

id now be concerned that the rapid cooling from the water hasn't cracked anything, which is also the reason you should take it slowly when crossing a ford with a hot engine.

 

But yeah, lucky guy that it was just a rag though. but could of lead on to other things had it not been put out.

id now be concerned that the rapid cooling from the water hasn't cracked anything, which is also the reason you should take it slowly when crossing a ford with a hot engine.

 

But yeah, lucky guy that it was just a rag though. but could of lead on to other things had it not been put out.

 

Well it was either watch it burn or douse it in water...!

 

Aye, they are very complex engines on that model of S4, similar to a zed in many ways rats nest of wires, vacuum hoses and sensors. It doesnt seem to have bothered it much but I've suggested he gets it all checked out first.

Yeah I know, just need to make a through checkto see if anythings cracked or not but garage should repair

that was lucky, hope there isnt any lasting damage

wouldnt take my pint glass there to washed after that.

that was lucky, hope there isnt any lasting damage

 

It appears not, we took it for a little drive after it had cooled for a couple of hours and it seemed happy enough and sounded fine. Idled well and provided smooth predictable power up to around 3000rpm, i warned him against any spritied driving until its been checked out and to make sure nothing else is lodged up in there and no damage has been done.

 

wouldnt take my pint glass there to washed after that.

 

No well its always the pitfalls of garages, I know we all make mistakes but that could have been VERY serious!

Sounds like he got away with it, lucky fella. I have had a few cars with spanners and screwdrivers left in the engine bay! and I remember doing a service on a BMW and after removing the air filter I found two cigarette buts in the airbox:sad:

My experience of an ex-trader garage on here a few years back cost me a re-build. I could never prove it, but the bolt that was sucked into my right turbo was left there by the same clowns that removed the airbox to fix my oil cooler a couple of months prior. I realised it must have been them after they did the re-build and after 500miles the flywheel snapped two and sheered 6 bolts that wern't torqued or loc-tighted in! If they'd had a pot to piss in i'd have had someone else do it and chased them for the money, as after a new crank and 2nd re-build, they still ballsed loads up that i had to fix! Long live Ryan and his brother craig....Still owes me a brand new battery they nicked, Cost of recovery and Fuel back and forth to chase them up, as well as various other bits they nicked off my car whilst in their custody.....I'm not bitter though, I have a habit of bumping into old friends...;-) Anyone seen Ryan lately?