Halon works well in enclosed spaces, not very well outdoors. It is also corrosive so it is not perfect either. It would not have worked well in the 8 or 10 times I have used an extingusher on cars. The dry chem worked on all but the tire on fire, but they did keep the fire supressed long enough for the FD to arrive. It would have been plenty of time to get everyone out even in an accident where you had to cut belts or remove a window (the car was in a parking lot and no one was inside). Although CO2 is probably best for vehicle fires (unless you have foam capability) dry chemical works OK. For engine fires a 10B
:C is usually enough (but I carry more than one). If the car is involved, particularly the fuel tank, the best you can hope for is to supress a pathway to get people out.

For carry I have a 10B:C mounted to the floor in front of the drivers seat mount (under the front of the seat) and a 20B:C mounted on the trunk wall.

Respectfully,

Jerry

That Poly Performance mount looks pretty neat... a little pricy though (considering multiple vehicles). I saw a thread in a 4x4 forum once....where a guy took an adjustable "water bottle" cage/holder made for bicycles that he bought at Walmart and the smaller sized fire extinguishers fit perfectly. I believe it had a rubber strap on it, the mounts they come with are pretty flimsy.
A long time ago in a far away land.... "somebody" forgot to put the oil fill cap back on an Toyota SR22 engine I was driving. I pulled into a Checker Auto Parts to inspect what/where/why there was smoke starting to come from under the hood.... opened the hood and ...whoosh..... flames. I dropped the hood down (not allowing it to lock) ran into the store and came out within a minute with a large fire extinguisher and it went out quickly. I don't know why anybody would not try to put it out.... fight or flight I guess.
Everything was fine and I went on my way... I now carry a fire extinguisher in every vehicle. At the very least to help anyone else out. When I took my C.E.R.T class I remember the Fire Captain showed us how to work the nozzle in a back and forth (left to rightish) or circular motion and it was very effective. Much more effective at putting a large fire down than just aiming for the center. For what it's worth;)

Well, if you want to save some cash and make something yourself, here's a write-up on a home-made version of the Poly Performance quick-release mount using $20 of parts:

http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31906


Generally speaking, if there's an engine fire you're going to need to replace all the wiring, hoses and belts. Things like the starter, alternator and AC compressor may/may not fail immediately, and so might be overlooked by a repair shop/insurance adjuster. On top of all that, there is the risk of personal injury involved in being close enough to a burning vehicle to try to put out the fire. I can't fault those who would rather stand back and wait for a professional to address the situation. After all, it's just a vehicle.

And yes, you do have to play the fire extinguisher around the fire, not just dump it in the middle. Aim at the front of the base of the fire and spray, work side to side, evaluate the effect and spray additional hot spots.

Mark_M,
Thanks for the DIY link... looks nice and easy to fab-up. Don't have any "bars" in my vehicles but I could mount this directly to/through steel.
Luckily for me I just had to clean-up, degrease and pull away a little insulation and drove that truck another 50,000 miles. I was 16/17 and the truck belonged to my boss so that probably helped motivate me to do what I did at the time. I definitely see your point and looking at this now.... with a family..... putting out the fire would be the last thing on my mind. Still would try but quite literally the last thing after grabbing my family and g.h.b's and taking them to safety, etc.
Again thanks for the link... second post here and I'm already surprised that I'm surprised by the wealth of knowledge and courtesy here. (it's late)

Godspeed

One more thing I remembered about fire extinguishers.... concerning them being stored in vehicles.
The Fire Department here dismounts them periodically to beat them with a rubber mallet while holding them upside down/sideways. They do this to "dislodge" the powder that settles at the bottom....... all of the vibration etc. caused by being in a vehicle really settles/concentrates the powder at the bottom. So much so that it's problematic.
I wonder if the same should be done for a smaller unit stored in a "regular" vehicle?.... their trucks rattle like crazy just idling.

i've got the same one. i keep it in the trunk, in the spare tire well. (my old car would be better dead than alive so i've got it more to help others than to save it.)