Gran's lucky escape as faulty car blows up

Aug 31 2008

WILMA Beveridge watched in horror as her parked car went up in flames...minutes before she was to give her grandson a lift.

Moments later the Vauxhall Corsa started to melt and flames were shooting 10ft into the air.

Traumatised Wilma, 62, is now locked in a battle with Vauxhall and insurer More Than over who should fix the damage.

The car is one of 250,000 Corsas recalled because of a fault that can cause them to suddenly catch fire.

Wilma said: "I had a lucky escape. It could had been so much worse. I had just offered my grandson a lift and the car was full of petrol. We could have been in it when it blew up."

When water gets into the faulty Corsas' anti-lock brake system it can cause a short circuit fire.

I first exposed the problem three years ago when mum-to-be Suzanne McDowall saw her Corsa explode outside her office.

Vauxhall agreed a £6000 payout after I got involved.

Gran-of-six Wilma's 53-plate Corsa had been recalled but the work had not been carried out when it burst into flames in June.

The first she knew of the fire was when a neighbour arrived at her door screaming.

Retired shopworker Wilma, of Kincardine, Fife, said: "He came running up the path and was hammering the door like mad.

"I ran out and could not believe my eyes."

The blaze was put out quickly by fire-fighters but Wilma and husband Allan, 66, a retired oil process worker, were left with a wreck.

The couple, who have driven Vauxhalls for 30 years, had bought the car outright from an approved dealer when it was less than a year old and had it regularly serviced.

They got straight on to Vauxhall and insurer More Than to submit a claim for the damage.

The next day Wilma's car was towed away to an accident repair centre for inspection.

But that was two months ago and Wilma is no further forward.

She said: "The insurance firm say a mechanical fault is to blame and will not cover me.

"But Vauxhall refuse to sort out the mess. Each time I phone I get through to a call centre and they keep telling me they are waiting for a report from the accident repair people.

"I'm sick fed up with it all. I have no car, I'm still paying for insurance on the wreck and it's clocking up a fortune in storage charges.

"I am at the end of my tether. Please help."

I got on to Vauxhall and they sprang into action.

They said: "We are keen to resolve this matter as soon as possible and are making arrangements with Mrs Beveridge and the salvage company to make a full inspection of her Corsa.

"We want to establish the precise cause of the fire, which will determine our course of action. " Wilma said: "Thanks for getting things moving."

If this is not sorted pronto you'll be hearing all about it next week.

As the wee mascots from the Vauxhall Corsa TV adverts would say: "C'MON!"