Do you really like writing hundred dollar checks? Of course you don’t. No one does. There are so many other things you could be doing with that money that sometimes it’s almost physically painful to drop the check in the mail each month to pay off the bill to your auto insurance. But the consequences of not having insurance coverage really doesn’t bear thinking about, especially if you live in a high crime neighborhood.
The question is, if your car is broken into how much is your auto insurance company really going to pay for?
What It Will…
Most people have a wonderful image in their mind of walking out of the mall to find their car window smashed and their car stereo stolen, only to see the blissful image of an auto insurance fairy floating in to pay all their replacement costs and save the day. Unfortunately, real life doesn’t work like that. Since auto insurance companies have a vested interest in staying in business they have to have some stringent guidelines about what they’re willing to pay for and what they’re not, and it pays to know where those guidelines are BEFORE you have the opportunity to be the victim of petty larceny.
All auto insurance companies have their own policies when it comes to their insurance claims. A good rule of thumb is that if it wasn’t put in or on the car by the manufacturer, your insurer will probably cover it. That means that they should pay for the broken window, bent door frame, smashed windshield and broken door locks after the thieves have managed to find their way in. They’ll also pay to replace the car if our resident larcenists manage to get it hot wired and moving down the road.
What It Won’t…
If it’s not part of the car, most auto insurance companies are probably going to say forget about it. That means that if your custom made, installed CD player gets ripped out they’re not going to pay to replace it. Subwoofers? Forget it. Speakers? Not so much. Laptops, iPod, cell phone? Nope, nope and nope. The good news is, most homeowners insurance policies consider your car to be something of a mobile extension of your house. That means that everything inside your car is basically a part of your home and therefore replaceable under the terms of your “other” insurance policy.
Which is good news, because your auto insurance isn’t going to touch it with a ten foot pole.
The Best Defense is a Good Offense
Even though your auto insurance company will pay for the damages to your car after it’s been broken into, you’re going to keep paying for it as you watch your auto insurance rates rise. Since you’ve probably got enough bills to worry about each month, the best thing you could possibly do for yourself is try and stop theft in its tracks.
1) Don’t leave high priced electronics in your car, especially out where anyone passing by can see.
2) Lock your doors!
3) Cover your speakers when you’re away from your car.
4) Take off your stereo faceplate, if that’s an option.
5) Install a car alarm.
There’s no way to guarantee you’re going to stop a thief, but these simple techniques might help discourage would-be thieves and will definitely go a long way toward helping you keep your auto insurance rates down and your replacement bill to a dull roar after the fact.