Things You'll Need:
- 5 Minutes of time.
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Step 1
As per your policy with your insurance company, you have the option to cover comprehensive coverage on your policy coverage’s. Your comprehensive coverage protects you against someone breaking into your vehicle, stealing the vehicle, breaking the glass, an object falling on your vehicle, your vehicle starting on fire, and floods. There are other things as well that are not as common as if your vehicle is struck by a missile.
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Step 2
With your comprehensive coverage as I mentioned it protects you against vandalism. So let's say your vehicle is parked and someone breaks your driver’s door window, steals your GPS system and stereo and shifts your dashboard all out of place in the process. With your comprehensive coverage you have the option to add what’s called "full glass coverage", which means you could have the glass replaced in your vehicle without paying the comprehensive deductible. Now, if you want to claim for the GPS system, the dashboard to be fixed, the stolen stereo, and the glass you would file that as a whole claim. So here's the kicker, so you call your insurance company and report that it happened thinking well, I carry insurance so I should have no issues now that the $1000 GPS system was stolen. Your comprehensive coverage will cover you for "item's factory installed in the vehicle", which means when your bought your 2001 Ford Focus, it probably did not come with that $500 Stereo or $1000 GPS system, so you find out you have a $500 deductible for your comprehensive claim, and the only thing that will be actually covered is your glass, and your dashboard re-alignment.
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Step 3
So now you’re asking, well I though the vehicle is protected against theft and vandalism? Once again it's only for "item's factory installed in the vehicle", so your after market GPS system and Stereo are not covered and now your without them. So what do you do to protect yourself? As per your policy you can add what’s called an endorsement to the policy which puts the after market GPS system and stereo under the comprehensive coverage’s, it's usually cheap to add them, and once there added your protected against a loss. I know, that no one wants to read some boring contract, but you'll be amazed what you learn when you read it.
Comments
OMahony said
on 5/17/2007 "No one wants to read some boring contract, but you'll be amazed what you learn when you read it." I KNOW!!!! It's happened to me in small ways -- but when it happenes in a bigger way, like when the insurance companies argued against paying on flooding and wind damage after Katrina, it's downright immoral.
alexb said
on 5/9/2007 I never knew! Thanks for sharing.
jcar said
on 5/8/2007 Thanks for the tips. It is amazing at how the 'fine print' which identifies what is and what is not covered makes all the difference.
djtonyfatado said
on 5/4/2007 tommyboy2k, it is amazing what is and is not covered under coverage’s. There are a lot of things that are covered under comprehensive that you wouldn’t think would be, and a lot of things that just are not. My best suggestion would be to call your insurance company and ask them what there policy is on having after market items covered. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
tommyboy2k said
on 5/4/2007 I did not know that comprehensive coverage had some of the limits mentioned above. Non factory items are a common thing...stereos and GPS