Keeping
Your Ride Safe and Insured
By
Justin Wynn
Stolen.
Totaled. These words will send chills up
the spine of any auto enthusiast. The mere
thought of seeing our pride and joy in pieces,
except by our own hands, is practically
unbearable.
However, all is not lost. There is still
hope for your poor ride. That hope is car
insurance.
Car insurance can be a wonderful tool IF
the correct policy is chosen. What many
of us may not realize is that although our
ride may be covered, the hours of custom
body and suspension work may not be. Unfortunately
for most auto enthusiasts, insurance companies
have a tendency to "overlook"
many of the personal touches to our ride.
However, there are measures one can take
to get the most out of their policy.
When it comes to insurance policies, most
people tend to believe that their ride will
be covered with a good full coverage or
comprehensive plan. Sadly, most insurance
companies will only give you the bluebook
or cash value of your vehicle if totaled
or stolen, which means everybody rolling
around in their pimped out s10's could be
in trouble. This isn't always the case,
however, and that's where doing your homework
can really pay off. Do not be afraid to
ask your insurance agent about what is covered
and what isn't on your ride. Try to shop
around before finally choosing an insurance
company, making sure to ask the company
which policy would best suit your needs.
You'll be surprised at the differences between
one company's definition of "full coverage"
compared to that of their competitors.
KEEP ACCURATE RECORDS! This is something
that I cannot stress enough when it comes
to customizing your ride. Take pictures
of everything done to the vehicle, including
the parts used, and keep all receipts. By
keeping proper documentation, the insurance
company can provide you with a more accurate
estimate, meaning more money for you. Although
you'll never be able get all of you money
back, proper documentation is a necessity
in order to help protect your investment.
Probably the most important reason of all
to have insurance is to keep you and your
ride on the road: period. It is illegal
to drive without car insurance in most states,
which means saying "goodbye" to
those late night drag sessions if you get
caught driving without it. Although finding
the right insurance policy for you may take
some time, if you really want to insure
the safety of your investment, then consider
it time well spent.
Resources
Basically,
I figured in order to get an accurate feel
of what the policy would be for a custom
vehicle, I called several of the more popular
insurance agencies and talked to agents
directly, asking them what would be the
best policy for our type of vehicles, using
the examples of a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado
and my own truck, a 1987 S10.
Questions
asked
1.
What would be the best policy for a vehicle
with many aftermarket parts and custom work
done to it?
2. What exactly would those policies cover,
if they covered any aftermarket accessories
at all?
3. If they did cover aftermarket parts,
up to what point did they stop coverage?
4. What would be the difference between
the coverage of a full custom, purely show
vehicle versus a ride with custom work done
to it but is driven daily?
Basically,
all of the insurance companies interviewed
stated that they stuck to the bluebook value
and gave little consideration towards aftermarket
parts. However, if proper documentation
could be shown, such as pictures and receipts,
then they would be taken into consideration.
However, with companies such as State Farm
or Progressive, this means nothing to them
and they still only take the bluebook value
of the vehicle
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Columnist
Justin Wynn
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