When we have a car, we allways think fire will never affect to our car. However, that not always happens, in fact vehicles fires cause more fatalities than appartment fires. Said so, good news, vechiles fires fallen by more than 80% in the past 4 decades. That’s why in this article, we will check how comprehensive coverage will protect your vehicle from fire damage, and let you know what sort of fire damages are covered by comprehensive coverage and what not.
Some importnat facts about fire damage:
Vechiles fires fallen by more than 80% in the past 4 decades.
The passengers tend to be reponsible to cause most of fires inside cars, as same as freight trucks.
Most fatalities by fire were caused after collisions with other cars.
Car fires caused twice deads than appartmen fires.
What is Covered?
Wildfire
If you’re in the middle of the fire, you parked your car in a safe zone, but wildfire begins and that fire spreads and catches your fire. That is considered as an act of God, so comprehensive coverage will cover this sort of fire damage.
Vadalism
Let’s say a riot started in your city, and some people were angry for something or someone, and they decide to break into your car and set fire on it. That will be also covered by comprehensive coverage due it’s considered vandalism.
Engine malfunction caused by rodents
Let’s say rodents bite the electrical wires of your vehicle, and it sets fire. Once your car insurer’s adjusters finds out, in thta case, your comprehensive coverage will cover it.
Garage fires
If your car got burned inside your garaje, comprehensive coverage will be the only way to cover your vehicle, because your homeowners policy won’t cover it.
What is Not Covered?
Arson
If you intentionally set the fire inside your car, your comprehensive coverage policy won’t cover the damages. Arson is a crime, and your insurance company will allways find it out. Don’t even try to do it.
Neglect
If the fire was caused by your negligence, your insurance policy may not cover the damages. For example,, one of your passengers forgot to extinguish a cigarret, and that cigarrete ends up setting a fire inside your car. In that case, your comprehensive coverage would not cover it.
Collision
As you already know, comprehensive coverage will only protect your car against non-collison damages. If your car sets on fire after an accident, your comprehensive coverage won’t cover it. You must add collision coverage for that.
What happens if my car is totaled by fire?
It’s a fact, in most scenarios, if your car is damaged by fire, your car will end up totaled because car insureres will check the total repair bills will exceed the actual cash value of your vehicle. In that case, after your car insurer’s adjuster appraisal, they will give you a settlement within the 30 days after you file the claim.
How to File a Claim?
If you suffered fire damages in your car, the first thing you must to do is park your car in a zone out of the rest of the vehicle, then stop the engine, and run away from the car. Once you’re a safe zone, you must contact the authorities.
While you’re waiting for them, you should take pictures of your car. If you know a trusted body shop, you should also contact them, they would give you an stimate appraise of the repair costs.
Once you know how much would your car cost to be repaired, you should check your deductibles. If the repair costs are way higher than your deductibles, you should file a claim.
So you file a claim, your car insurer’s adjuster will check the claim, and investigate the damaged car and the scenario where you and your car got that fire damage. That adjuster will also ask you several questions, you must answer him or her. But remember, that person works for your car insurer, that means they will look for the best choice for your car insurer, not you. Feel free to contact an attorney to defend your case if you need.
Once your car insurer’s adjuster finish the investigation, your car insurer will give you a settlement. Remember that settlement check also includes the payment of the taxes. That means, if you see your car insurer gives you $10,000, and deduce the taxes, you will only receive around $9,200.
If you feel your car insurer gives you the right amount of monye, you can sign the check.
Conclusion
Having insurance coverage for fire damage is a good option for your car. Remember, passengers tend to be reponsible to cause most of fires inside cars, as same as freight trucks. Most fatalities by fire were caused after collisions with other cars, that means your comprehensive coverage won’t cover it. Comprehensive coverage will protect your car against different fire scenarios like wildfire, vandalism, engine malfunction by rodents or garaje fire. In the other hand, comprehensive coverage won’t cover arson, collision or neglect.
Other readers were also interested in the following posts:
Does Comprehensive Car Insurance Cover Rodent Damage?
Comprehensive Coverage and Engine Failure: Expert Tips and Analysis
Real-life scenarios where comprehensive coverage would be necessary or beneficial
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