Policyholders aren’t certain whether certain specific incidents are covered.
Though most policyholders have a good grasp on the basics of what their auto insurance provides, many still feel left in the dark in terms of certain specific circumstances such as whether or not they have coverage for a bad tank of gas that requires the car to be towed so that a mechanic can drain the tank and lines and replace the fuel.
The answer isn’t as simple as some policyholders would like as it does depend on the policy.
Although an actual mechanical breakdown, by itself, may not be covered by auto insurance, when contaminated fuel is the culprit, a comprehensive coverage policy might provide protection against that circumstance. However, this doesn’t mean that every policy will pay you back for the actions that are necessary to get your car on the road again after it has had contaminated gas.
State required minimum property damage or bodily injury liability auto insurance isn’t enough.
When you have liability coverage on your car, it only means that your auto insurance will pay for the damage that you do to another person’s vehicle or harm caused to an individual, not the damage that your own car suffers.
If you have collision and comprehensive auto insurance, there are physical damage coverages in case of various kinds of circumstances that can occur. Since a bad tank of gas isn’t the result of being hit by another driver, then your collision insurance wouldn’t apply here. However, comprehensive does include other events and perils aside from collisions and crashes.
The typical types of perils covered by comprehensive policies are events such as broken glass, fire, vandalism, and other similar circumstances. However, other situations may also be covered, depending on the terms of the auto insurance policy. The best way to know if you can make a claim about an event such as a bad tank of gas is simply to speak with your agent, or to call the insurance company and ask questions about the policy that you have. Whatever answer you are given, make sure to write it down, as well as the date and time of the call, and the name of the person with whom you spoke.
