Well, I think she's gone!

[Dr. Kill]

It seems to me like the most honest thing to do is full disclosure to the insurance company. I think it would be good though to call the shop and let them know what happened to you also.

[bnorman]

Originally Posted by chgolatin2

Wondering if I should tell the insurance that my car was being worked on 4 days prior to my engine catching on fire or talking directly to the mechanic and asking him for a refund for my repair bill plus my deductible for the insurance. Most like and accoding to most ppl that I talk to the car will be declared a total lost, most insurance companies dont want to deal with fire problems however i am not 100 percent sure.

So what do you guys think? Inform the insurance company directly or just talk to my indy shop directly and gently inform him of the options?

Lastly, talk to an attorney???

Thanks!

By all means tell your insurer. If they can prove that the fire was due to the negligence of the repair shop, they should attempt to recover from the shop's garage keepers liability insurer (including your deductible).
Since you will only be out your deductible at most, it will not likely be worth any lawyers time.

[chgolatin2]

Well, my indy tech was installing aftermarket parts on my car so I am wondering if I should tell the insurance about this or just keep my mouth shut and take my losses. Or fully disclosed what was done and see what happens...

[jhandy]

read your policy to see if aftermarket modifications are covered.

You need to be realistic, your insurance company is just that, a company. They will be looking for any way to get out of paying for the damage.
I think that a good argument can be made that if you would not have had the NON_OEM modifications done, there would be no fire.

If my wheels come off because of my spacers and I wreck the car, they should not cover it because my spacers are not OEM equipment and therefor not approved for use. It increases the risk and if the would know about it, I am sure that they would put a ryder in my policy.

If you have been drinking and wreck your car, is it covered? Nope. because alcohol was not an approved method of driving.

IE... something else caused the fire, not a mechanical failure of the car itself, but rather something that you did to it.


Just my 2 cents.
James

[bnorman]

While the after market parts may not be covered (they are usually excluded), the damage to the vehicle will be covered even if it was directly caused by the after market part. I have been in the insurance business many years and we pay these claims every day, just as we pay for vehicles owned and damaged by drunk policyholders.

Originally Posted by jhandy

read your policy to see if aftermarket modifications are covered.

You need to be realistic, your insurance company is just that, a company. They will be looking for any way to get out of paying for the damage.
I think that a good argument can be made that if you would not have had the NON_OEM modifications done, there would be no fire.

If my wheels come off because of my spacers and I wreck the car, they should not cover it because my spacers are not OEM equipment and therefor not approved for use. It increases the risk and if the would know about it, I am sure that they would put a ryder in my policy.

If you have been drinking and wreck your car, is it covered? Nope. because alcohol was not an approved method of driving.

IE... something else caused the fire, not a mechanical failure of the car itself, but rather something that you did to it.


Just my 2 cents.
James

[jhandy]

Bnorman,
While not in the insurance business myself I will have to take your word on it. I would hope that they do cover it. I deal with health insurance daily and I can tell you with out a doubt they do not care about you or your problems and if they can find a way not to pay for your surgery or medications they will not.

Maybe I am just jaded to the whole insurance company thing.

[bnorman]

J,
I hear you, but car insurance is different. Generally, people choose who they buy their auto insure from, unlike employer provided health insurance. Our biggest source of new customers has always been referrals from existing policyholders. It is just simply bad business to nickel and dime the people who are your primary source of new customers.