Will Car Insurance Cover a Blown Engine?

Last Updated on August 19, 2019

If you are a car owner, there are several concerns when it comes to the maintenance of your car. Even if you have good insurance coverage, you may not be protected against everything. If your car engine is blown, obviously you cannot drive it. But how much will it cost to repair it and will your insurance cover this?

How Did the Damage Occur?

You may be able to get your insurance provider to pay for engine damage but only provided the damage has occurred during an accident. If the blown engine is as a result of general wear and tear, an insurance company is unlikely to pay for the damage. General wear and tear is bound to happen over time and it is your responsibility to prevent them as far as possible. But unless it is as a direct result of a collision or some other accident, the company will not accept the claim.

If a company does find that the damage is from an accident, it will get covered under the physical damage coverage clause:

Physical Damage Coverage

Physical damage coverage comes under the spectrum of full insurance coverage. There are two types of insurance under physical damage coverage:

Collision Coverage

Collision coverage protects you against damage from collisions and accidents. If you hit an inanimate object or another vehicle on the road by accident, you can file a claim under this and the insurance provider will pay for the damage if your claim is accepted. If the engine damage is as a direct result of an accident, you can file a claim under the clause.

Comprehensive Coverage

Comprehensive coverage covers everything that is not a ‘collision’. So for example, if there is flood damage, if your car gets stolen or if somebody vandalizes your car, you can file a claim under this clause. If the damage done to your engine is due to any of these reasons, you can file a claim. Unfortunately, general wear and tear are not covered under this.

What Are Your Options?

So if your insurance policy will not cover your blown engine, what are your options? There’s a good chance a claim to pay for a blown engine will be rejected unless you can present categorical proof that the damage is not simply from general wear and tear. The following are some alternatives you can consider:

Warranty Coverage

If your car is under warranty, you may be able to get the dealership you purchased the car from to pay for the repair. There are a few different kinds of warranty you may have. A new car will, in all likelihood, have a warranty. A new warranty, typically, will cover up to 10 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Used cars will have the remaining warranty of the previous owner or the extended warranty.

There are several options you may have under this unless you’re driving an old car that has exceeded its warranty.

Mechanical Breakdown Insurance

There is also some special insurance you can avail. Mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI), for example, takes care of several kinds of maintenance issues your vehicle may have. If there is any corrosion or mechanical issues, you can file a claim under MBI. Even under MBI, however, general wear and tear are not covered. Unless you can prove that there is some environmental factor that exacerbated the process, MBI will not cover general wear and tear, which brings you back to square one.

Is It Worth It?

The final question is whether the repair is worth it. If it is a new car, it is probably worth finding a way to repair the engine at as low a cost as possible. But even if your insurance does cover it, if the damage is too severe, the cost to repair may exceed even the insured value of the car. The insurance company will, in all likelihood, declare your car as a total loss. The state will issue a salvage title and your insurance company will pay you the value of your car as per the policy coverage. If that is the case, then a repair is too expensive an ordeal to fight for.

If it is an old car, consider trading it up for a better model. Either way, measure the pros and cons to see whether finding a way to repair the damage is worth the effort.

Final Thoughts

If general wear and tear are what caused your engine to stop working, this could be entirely preventable. Especially, since your insurance will not cover damage from general wear and tear, it is your responsibility to find ways to prevent it as much as possible. Keep in account the climate you live in and take measures accordingly to oil, clean and maintain your car. The best way out would be to prevent the damage instead of finding ways to repair it once it has already happened!