Renault burnt to a crisp after getting new paint job, OBU: 'Car suddenly just caught fire for no reason'
A Renault Scenic was destroyed by fire in a multi-storey carpark in the Kaki Bukit area on the afternoon of July 7.
A Stomper shared photos of the vehicle engulfed in flames and firefighters at the scene.
In response to a Stomp query, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at Block 671A Jalan Damai at about 4:55pm.
The fire, involving the car's engine compartment, was extinguished with a hosereel and three compressed air foam backpacks.
There were no reported injuries.
The Stomper also shared photos of the charred wreck after the fire was put out.
"We are a used car dealer," explained the Stomper.
"We were touching up this used car for sale. We did a new coat of paint, installed the new OBU (On Board Unit) in the morning, brought the car to be cleaned up so we could take photos on the rooftop of the multi-storey carpark to advertise it for sales."
The Stomper shared photos of the Renault before it was burnt to a crisp.
"We have brought in this used car for about one month and there was no issue at all," said the Stomper.
"The car suddenly just caught fire for no reason. The only reason we can think of is the installation of the new OBU in the morning. I'm not sure if the wiring got short-circuited that caused the fire."
There have been previous claims that the OBU for the new Electronic Road Pricing system can get too hot, which the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has addressed.
Asked what will happen to what was left of the Renault, the Stomper said: "Cars that have caught fire can't be repaired or rather, it's super costly to repair. So at the end of the day can only bring it to a scrap yard and scrap it.
"Our insurance doesn't cover it because all car dealers' insurance is known as Motor Trade and it only covers Third Party Claims and even if it does cover this, usually we don't claim the insurance as it will greatly affect our future renewal premium for the Motor Trade Insurance."
The Stomper said his financial loss would be the cost of repairs already done to the car and the potential earnings, which would be about $5,000.
SCDF told Stomp the cause of the fire is under investigation.
