Yeah, I think you nailed it with the record-keeping. I do the same—got a folder in my glovebox and I just email myself receipts and stuff so I can search later. It’s honestly saved me a couple of times when I couldn’t remember exactly what got done at the last service.
I’ve wondered about those firmware updates too. My car nags me about them but I’m not always quick to hit “update now.” Like you said, unless the missed update is directly tied to the failure, I doubt they’d deny a claim. I guess if you’re really unlucky and the battery dies because you skipped a critical update, maybe then it’s an issue, but that feels rare.
Insurance is definitely its own thing. My policy only covers the battery if it’s damaged in a collision or something—not just regular wear or random failure. Extended warranties seem to want every scrap of paperwork, though. I get a little anxious about missing something, but at the end of the day, you can only do so much. Sounds like you’re already on top of it.
Record-keeping really is a lifesaver. I’ve seen claims get held up for weeks just because someone couldn’t find a basic oil change receipt or proof of a recall fix. One time, a guy had his battery go out right after a software update he’d skipped for months. The manufacturer tried to pin it on that, but he had screenshots showing the update wasn’t even related to battery management. That kind of backup made all the difference. Extended warranties are picky, but honestly, most insurance policies are pretty clear—collision or external damage only. Regular wear? You’re on your own, unfortunately.
Extended warranties are picky, but honestly, most insurance policies are pretty clear—collision or external damage only. Regular wear? You’re on your own, unfortunately.
That’s spot on for most policies. Just to clarify, here’s how it usually breaks down:
- Sudden battery failure from normal use? Not covered by standard auto insurance.
- If the battery’s damaged in a crash, fire, flood, or vandalism—then yes, that’s typically covered under comprehensive/collision.
- Extended warranties might help with defects, but they’ll want every bit of service history you’ve got.
I’ve seen folks get tripped up thinking insurance is a catch-all. It really isn’t when it comes to wear and tear. Keep those receipts and service docs handy... they’re more useful than people realize.
Yeah, that lines up with what I see all the time. People are usually surprised when their claim for a dead battery gets denied, but unless there’s some clear outside cause—think tree branch through the hood or flood water—it’s just not gonna fly. Had a guy bring in a stack of charging receipts once, hoping it’d help... neat record-keeping, but didn’t change the outcome. Insurance is really about those unexpected events, not stuff just wearing out.
Yeah, I’ve seen folks get frustrated about this too. There was this one time a guy came in convinced his battery dying was a “sudden loss,” like it should be covered just because it happened out of nowhere. But when we dug into it, there wasn’t any accident or outside damage—just regular old battery failure. I get why people feel like it’s unfair, especially with how expensive those EV batteries are, but insurance is really about covering you when something unexpected and external happens. If it’s just wear and tear, or the battery’s reached the end of its life, that’s more of a maintenance thing.
I’ve had people try to argue that a sudden failure should count, but unless there’s proof of something like a manufacturing defect (and that’s usually a warranty issue anyway), it’s a tough sell. Honestly, it’s not all that different from an engine blowing after 200k miles—frustrating, but not really an insurance thing.
