Are mechanical breakdowns covered by my car insurance?
I live in northern Michigan and it gets REALLY cold in the winter. My radiator fluid froze overnight and it caused my engine to overheat and crack the engine block. Why won't my car insurance cover it?
Your car insurance policy has an exclusion that does not cover damage caused by wear and tear, freezing, mechanical or electrical breakdown or failure, or road damage to tires. Your car insurance policy is intended to provide coverage against accidental losses, not wear and tear or deterioration of your car.
There is an exception to the wear and tear exclusion, and that is if your vehicle is stolen and the thief abuses your vehicle in the ensuing police pursuit, then those loses would be covered.
Other incidents that would not be covered under this exclusion would be running over a screw and ruining a tire, your alternator shorts out the electrical system, a broken axle or other mechanical issues.
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