Mechanical Breakdown Insurance

There are numerous types of insurance. There is life, health, car, and other insurance policies. Mechanical Breakdown Insurance is just one option you have regarding your vehicle. Under mechanical breakdown insurance repairs to your car´s mechanical parts will be covered. Mechanical breakdown insurance is a contract between a repair or replacement service. This type of insurance is different than breakdown cover. Breakdown cover is more of a roadside assistance service. Companies rescue you from a breakdown by helping to tow the car, change a tyre, get a locked car open, or change batteries. Mechanical breakdown cover actually helps you to pay for the issues your vehicle may have on certain types of mechanical equipment. The insurance is designed to help cover the repair costs you have as a result of mechanical, electrical or electronic breakdown. They do not cover repairs on worn out components. For example a fan belt, tyre, or air hose is not going to be covered under the breakdown insurance. These aspects of a vehicle tend to wear out over time and need to be replaced. Thus most insurance and warranties will not cover the replacement. Mechanical breakdown insurance also does not cover the breakdown of parts prior to the policy. If you know that your transmission is having trouble you cannot buy a policy and expect it to cover what damage has already been done.

 

We have a list of what items are not generally covered on your mechanical breakdown insurance.

 

• 1. Bodywork
• 2. Brakes
• 3. Clutch
• 4. Contaminated Fuel
• 5. Batteries, fuses, other electrical components
• 6. Distributor cap, rotor arm, spark plugs, wiper blades, bulbs, belts, grease, fuel, oils, antifreeze.
• 7. Suspension
• 8. Sticking valves, exhaust manifold, gasket exhaust pipes, catalytic converter, hoses, cables, etc.

 

These items are typically parts that will get worn over time; therefore they are not going to be covered under most mechanical breakdown insurance. Under the policy you can expect for certain parts to be insured. It will depend on the company you have your policy through, but the list below are the most common elements insured.

 

• 1. Engine: cylinder block, cylinder head gasket, pushrods, camshaft, piston ring, etc.
• 2. Manual transmission
• 3. Differential and driveline such as crown wheel, pinion gears, etc.
• 4. Clutch- release bearing, pressure plate, centre plate (not all policies will include clutch repair)
• 5. Propshaft
• 6. Carburettor, fuel pump, fuel injection, metering unit, air flow meter
• 7. Turbocharger
• 8. Casings on the cylinder block
• 9. Brakes- master cylinder, servo (not all components of brakes will be covered, and some policies will not cover brakes at all).
• 10. Starter motor, alternator, water pump

 

There are often different levels of policies that you can purchase for mechanical breakdown insurance. These levels can change the price and what is covered. The more coverage you have the more expensive the policy will be. If you want full coverage you should expect to have all of the above covered, plus some other aspects of the listed objects. For example we mentioned that the clutch could be repaired under certain policies. With full coverage policies you can expect all parts of the clutch to be replaced under the insurance. Some of the insurance policies will include frame work if damage has been caused by impact or corrosion. Major oil leaks in which the engine must be removed may be covered under certain mechanical policies. The mechanical breakdown insurance is there to ensure you are not paying an out of pocket expense on a mechanical problem. Most of the policies will be an 80/ 20 in which you are responsible for paying the monthly premium, deductible, and then 20 percent of the repairs needed that are covered. Like breakdown cover you can expect certain perks from the insurance. If your vehicle needs to be recovered the insurance will cover the cost of the tow to a repair shop working with the insurance company. If you need a replacement vehicle while the repairs are being made the insurance can also cover up to £50 for the car hire for seven days. Policies generally do not cover the first 24 hours of car hire, longer than 7 days, nor fuel, damage, or insurance for the car hired. Hotel expenses can also be paid if you need a room for overnight. £100 of the hotel expenses are normally paid for this instance. These small attributes of a policy are similar to roadside assistance cover, but it is the difference in having the repairs covered that makes mechanical breakdown insurance a better coverage option.