Engine damage is a real disaster for any car owner – especially if the warranty has expired and the car is used. What to do? Paying the expensive costs for a new engine or repair respectively? Or maybe buy a new car right away? An alternative is the repair cost insurance for used cars. Here is a compact overview of the most important information on this subject.
Damage to the engine: What are?
Engine damage can be caused by a variety of reasons. There is the natural wear and tear that can affect all components of a vehicle. Accidents can also involve engine damage and cause a vehicle to be inoperable. It is also possible that a vehicle may be equipped with a technical defect from the outset, which later manifests itself in engine damage. It is also a possibility, of course, that a vehicle becomes unusable due to water damage or a lightning strike.
Typical engine damage to a vehicle is:
– the piston seizure
– Damage to the transmission
– the engine destruction by falling trees
– the broken timing belt
– Engine damage due to wilful destruction
– Cylinder head damage
Which engine damages are covered by the normal insurance?
Engine damage is particularly costly. But most of them are not covered by classic insurance contracts. In this context, a basic distinction must be made. In the case of so-called operational damage, the three models of car insurance – third party liability, partial cover and fully comprehensive – do not pay. Operational damage includes classic wear and tear as well as defects in the technical area or engine damage for which the vehicle owner himself is responsible. Typical examples: Oil was not topped up regularly or the vehicle was constantly driven in the high speed range. The insurance only covers engine damage for which the vehicle owner is not responsible. This includes vandalism, but also storm damage, for example engine destruction due to a storm, such as flood or lightning strike. The repair cost insurance: what is it exactly. In which cases it is worthwhile?While new cars come with a generous warranty, the warranty on used cars is usually only one year. Despite all the checks, it is impossible to predict whether or not engine damage is imminent. A vehicle then becomes unusable, even though it may have been purchased only a year ago. Repair cost insurance is one way to protect yourself against such cases. It is to be selected however with caution whether it is really worthwhile itself for the concrete case also.
An important factor with which this can be assessed is the value of the vehicle. If the vehicle had a high value at the time of purchase, it makes sense to have repair insurance that can cover the costs of engine damage after the warranty expires. It covers not only the cost of the material needed for a repair, but also the labor costs of the experts who perform it. The age of the vehicle must also be taken into account. This is because the share of the costs paid by the repair insurance generally also depends on. Here it applies to weigh: Because the reimbursement for older vehicles reduces, but at the same time increases the likelihood that repair needs occur.
In addition, repair cost insurance is particularly worthwhile if a vehicle is intended for private use. It then acts as a follow-up warranty after the first year of purchase. For one year there is the statutory warranty on the purchase of used cars. After that, repair cost insurance can make a significant contribution to the car owner's peace of mind that he will not be faced with high costs in the event of engine damage.
Comparisons are worthwhile!
In addition, it is a significant criterion to check and compare the cost of insurance. Independent comparison portals are particularly suitable for this, because they filter out insurance solutions from the available offers according to need and are not tied to a particular provider. Who entrusts itself to a special offerer, approximately a bank or an insurance broker, must count naturally on the fact that only the products available there are suggested to it and it so good offers escape.
Conclusion: Online comparisons make it possible for consumers to filter out the best personal offers for repair costs insurance according to individual criteria. Then the offers can be compared with each other. The actual costs can be calculated in an uncomplicated way.