Care for your car or watch it burn

Friday’s incident of two cars catching fire in one day has raised questions on how we maintain our cars.

Friday’s incident of two cars catching fire in one day has raised questions on how we maintain our cars.

HT Image

While new cars get special treatment, the old ones aren’t even taken for regular servicing.

Experts say poor maintenance is one of the main reasons why cars catch fire. “We are careless when it comes to car maintenance. Instead of replacing worn out components with original parts, we get spurious parts installed by mechanics who are not trained enough,” automobile expert Tutu Dhawan said.

Experts say most incidents of cars catching fire happened in CNG- or LPG-run vehicles. “Ideally, gas kits should be avoided. No alterations should be made in the original make of the car,” said Rajeev Gupta, manager, Basant Motors, an authorised Maruti workshop at Janpath.