Does car insurance cover air conditioning?

If your air conditioning breaks on your car, you will eventually need to get it repaired. The cost of the repairs can be expensive depending on the level of damage. Your first thought might be to file a claim with your car insurance.Unfortunately, insurance will often reject such claims because a typical air conditioning malfunction is categorized as normal wear and tear.Compare car insurance quotes right here by entering your ZIP code above. It’s free and you could save hundreds of dollars!

Maintaining Your Air Conditioning

How your air conditioning brakes will determine whether insurance will cover the repairs. Some of the parts that most commonly break on an air conditioner include:

• Condenser
• Compressor
• Evaporator

If your air conditioning breaks because you have an older car or because you have failed to replace an air filter, this situation is identified as normal wear and tear. The expense to repair the air conditioning would be yours alone.However, if you are involved in a car accident, there are all sorts of things that could happen to your air conditioner. The compressor could crack or there could be various other problems.You are likely to need a variety of repairs to your car, not just for air conditioning.You need to identify how your air conditioning broke in order to determine whether insurance will cover the repairs.

What coverage do I need to repair my air conditioner?

The kind of coverage you have on your car insurance policy will help to determine whether you have sufficient coverage for how your air conditioning broke.

No auto insurance coverage will provide you with financial protection if your air conditioning breaks as a result of normal wear and tear.

If you have a manufacturer warranty or an extended warranty, you might have coverage for your AC through that, according to Edmunds. Otherwise, you will not be able to file a claim of any sort.Every state requires you to have auto insurance, the Insurance Information Institute reports. The level of coverage is identified on a state-by-state basis. You will need to have liability coverage for both property damage and bodily injury.The state-required minimum insurance will not provide any financial protection for your own vehicle. You must purchase collision coverage if you desire insurance protection for your own vehicle.If you cause a crash and your air conditioning is damaged, your insurance will pay for the damage if you carry collision coverage.If you were the victim of a crash, the other party’s property damage liability coverage will pay for your repairs.

Working With the Insurance Company To Replace Your AC

Dealing with no air conditioning and insurance won’t be easy, but even so, it is important to try to negotiate. When your air conditioner breaks, you need to work with your insurance company. However, before you contact the insurance company to file a claim, you have to be realistic about how the air conditioning broke.If your air is not cooling or the unit is not blowing out air, there is likely something wrong with the system. Your mechanic might explain that there is a specific part that is broken and needs to be replaced.If it is because of the age of the unit or because of poor maintenance, you don’t need to file a claim because insurance will not be able to help you.If you have been involved in an accident to an extent where your air conditioning has broken, you are likely bringing your car down to a collision center in order to have all the damage assessed.It is at this time that you will learn that your air conditioning is one of the many systems that need to be repaired. The adjuster assigned to your insurance claim will help you to learn about the entire process. This assistance includes helping you to learn the total cost of repairs and what your deductible will be in order to get everything fixed.

Case Study 1: Accident-Related Air Conditioning Damage

John was driving his car when another driver ran a red light and collided with his vehicle. The impact was severe, causing significant damage to the front end of John’s car, including the air conditioning system. John filed a claim with his insurance company, providing all the necessary details and documentation of the accident.

Since John had collision coverage as part of his car insurance policy, his insurance company covered the cost of repairing the damaged air conditioning system, along with the other repairs needed for his vehicle.

Case Study 2: Normal Wear and Tear

Sarah had been experiencing issues with her car’s air conditioning for a while. After consulting with a mechanic, she learned that the air conditioning system had simply worn out due to its age and lack of maintenance.

Since normal wear and tear is not covered by car insurance, Sarah understood that she would have to bear the cost of repairing or replacing the air conditioning system on her own. In this case, car insurance did not provide coverage for the air conditioning repair.

Case Study 3: Extended Warranty Coverage

Mark had purchased an extended warranty for his car, which covered various components, including the air conditioning system. One day, his air conditioning stopped working properly. Mark contacted his warranty provider and initiated a claim for the repair.

The warranty covered the necessary repairs to fix the air conditioning system, ensuring that Mark didn’t have to bear the financial burden himself. In this case, the extended warranty played a crucial role in covering the air conditioning repair costs.

Case Study 4: Manufacturer Warranty Coverage

Emily had recently purchased a brand-new car, and it came with a manufacturer warranty that covered certain parts and systems, including the air conditioning. However, shortly after buying the car, Emily noticed that the air conditioning was not functioning properly.

She contacted her car’s manufacturer and filed a warranty claim. The manufacturer’s warranty covered the necessary repairs, allowing Emily to have her air conditioning system fixed without any out-of-pocket expenses.

Does auto insurance cover air conditioning? The Bottom Line

Air conditioning is covered by car insurance, though it has to break because of being involved in an accident. Normal wear and tear repairs are not covered.  For example, if your AC isn’t working because it’s old, or it was not maintained properly, there’s no need to contact your carrier, as they will not cover the cost of the repair cost.Generally (and unfortunately) speaking, most insurance providers will not cover your car’s air conditioning. You will need to purchase an extended car warranty, which extends the length of a new car warranty or can be purchased to cover a used car.Whether or not a damaged AC is covered by car insurance depends on the situation. You need to be aware of how the AC broke before you go through filing a claim with your insurance company.Compare car insurance quotes right here and see how much you could save on the coverage you need! Just enter your ZIP code into our quote comparison tool today.