Can A Car Insurance Company Deny Coverage For A Neglected Car?
Car insurance claims are a hassle, and if your claim gets denied, you can quickly find yourself in financial hot water. If you paid for a good amount of coverage on your car insurance policy however, you’re unlikely to get denied by your car insurance company-unless of course, you fall into one of the exclusion categories set out in your contract. Many drivers are completely unaware that their contract refuses coverage for certain conditions, especially drivers that pay for comprehensive coverage. After all, isn’t that what comprehensive coverage means?
Well, not exactly. Damage to your vehicle in an accident is usually reimbursed under comprehensive coverage (or collision coverage) in your insurance contract, but this isn’t the case if you’ve neglected routine car maintenance that might have led to the accident. For instance, if your car breaks down due to lack of oil changes, and your engine simply dies on the road, causing you to get into an accident, you can’t count on your car insurance policy to bail you out. Other types of maintenance are also important-if there’s a problem with your car, and your insurance company can prove that you knew about it but didn’t fix it resulting in a car insurance claim, you’re probably not going to get any payout. This is, of course, a pretty massive inconvenience for drivers.
It’s therefore important to follow the maintenance schedule included with your car (it’s usually in the back of the car’s user manual). Keeping your car well maintained will make you a safer driver, decreasing the probability of a car insurance claim in the first place. It will also give you a written record that you can use to prove to your insurance company that your car was being kept in good condition if a mechanical failure does result in an accident. This can save you quite a bit of money in the long run, and your rates will stay low if you ever decide to look fro a car insurance quote from another insurance company.
Remember, regular maintenance is much less expensive than the costly repairs you’ll be shelling out hard earned cash for if you don’t take the time to get your oil changed, your fluids replenished, and your tires rotated. You might also save yourself some expensive medical bills, and you’ll be a generally safer driver with a vehicle that responds to your driving. This is especially important on older cars as well as any vehicle with comprehensive coverage in its car insurance policy. Maintenance might be a pain, but it’s a much better alternative to filing numerous (expensive) car insurance claims and endangering yourself.
