"Insurance denied it straight away—claimed it was unrelated wear and tear."
Been there, done that... had a similar situation after someone rear-ended me lightly. Three days later my AC compressor died completely. Insurance said it was "just coincidence" and refused coverage. Paid out of pocket in the end. Honestly, unless you've got concrete proof or a mechanic willing to back you up strongly, you're probably wasting your breath (and money) fighting them.
Haha, reading this thread makes me feel like I just stepped into the adulting club. I literally just bought my first insurance policy last month, and now I'm low-key terrified of ever needing to use it. 😅
"Insurance said it was 'just coincidence' and refused coverage."
Honestly, this sounds exactly like something that would happen to me. Like, I'd sneeze too hard while driving and suddenly my transmission would fall out... insurance would probably say it's allergy-related wear and tear.
But seriously, is there even a way to prove stuff like this? Unless your mechanic is Sherlock Holmes or something, seems like you're pretty much stuck paying out of pocket. Guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope my car stays healthy... or at least doesn't sneeze.
Honestly, insurance isn't quite as arbitrary as it seems. Usually, if something breaks down due to regular wear and tear or mechanical failure, that's on you—not the insurer. They're mostly there for sudden accidents or unexpected events. But yeah, proving what's coincidence and what's accident can get tricky... mechanics' reports help, but even then it's not always clear-cut. Still, doesn't hurt to push back a bit if you think they're wrong.
"Still, doesn't hurt to push back a bit if you think they're wrong."
True enough. I had a similar situation a while back when my first car—a beat-up old Civic—decided it didn't want to start anymore. One morning, just nothing. No warning lights, no weird sounds, just dead silence. Had it towed, mechanic said it was the alternator going kaput from regular wear and tear. Of course, insurance took one look at that report and said "nope."
At first, I figured fair enough—like you said, mechanical failures typically aren't covered. But here's the kicker: literally two weeks earlier, I'd hit this massive pothole downtown that rattled the whole car. Didn't think much of it at the time, but when I brought it up later, the mechanic admitted it could've contributed to the alternator issue. Suddenly, things weren't so clear-cut.
I went back to insurance with this new tidbit, not expecting much honestly. They pushed back at first—said it was a stretch—but after a little back-and-forth, they agreed to cover part of the repair cost. Not everything, but hey, better than nothing.
Point is, insurance claims can be messier than they seem at first glance. Sometimes it's worth digging a bit deeper or questioning their initial decision. Even if you don't get a full reversal, you might end up with something better than just shrugging and accepting their first denial.
I had something kinda similar happen last year. Insurance immediately denied my claim after a storm flooded my engine, saying the car wasn't parked in a "covered area." Took some pics, showed them how their policy wording was vague...and after a bit of back-and-forth, they finally budged and covered most of the repairs. Sometimes you just gotta calmly push back and see what happens. Glad it worked out somewhat for you too.
