It is a frustrating thing to find that your car has been dinged in a parking lot or your windshield is cracked. It is even more frustrating to find out that your insurance will not cover the repairs because your deductible is too high. Here are five things your auto insurance may not cover when you have a low deductible.

Windshields

A stone falling off the back of a dump truck or debris spinning out from under the tires of the vehicle in front of you at seventy miles an hour can crack your windshield if the stone or debris hits it at just the right angle. The trouble is, even with a $250 deductible, most of the cost of a new windshield comes out of your pocket because the insurance company will only cover the amount that exceeds your deductible. You can file a claim, but the insurance agent can only take down the information and accept a receipt for the total replacement cost. While it may be advantageous to file a claim solely for establishing that you have already used most of your deductible for the year and the insurance company needs to pay out for other damages, it may increase your rates. It may just be better to eat the cost of a new windshield and let this one go.

Broken Windows and Car Audio Thefts

The problem with a smash-and-go theft of property in your vehicle is two-fold. Your window is damaged and will cost less than the vandalism deductible you currently carry, and the theft of audio equipment may barely make the lowest deductible amount available through your insurance provider. Since the replacement of a car window is definitely less than most of the deductible amounts available to you, that may be something you are stuck paying for on your own.

Additionally, unless you had a serious, top-of-the-line stereo system in your car and the whole thing was stolen (not just the dashboard unit), you might have a monetary loss there as well. Several dashboard stereo systems cost less than either a $250 or $500 deductible, with a few high-end dashboard stereos costing upwards of those amounts. The good news is that filing a claim with a police report and receipts for repairs and replacements proves to the insurance company that you paid your deductibles for the year.

Someone "Keyed" Your Car

Not surprisingly, the damage done by a sharp instrument to the body of your car is rarely more than a hundred dollars to a couple hundred dollars, unless someone keyed all the way around your vehicle. (Obviously, it may cost more if you own a more expensive vehicle or someone scraped your car with a fistful of keys.) There are several auto body shops that can fix the "keyed" markings by repainting your entire vehicle for under a couple hundred. 

How to Change the Deductible So That Your Damages Are Covered

Getting a lower deductible will increase your monthly premiums (that is just how insurance works). A few insurance companies also reward loyal customers by reducing your deductible and/or your payments over time. A lack of damages to your vehicle may decrease your insurance expenses while providing better coverage too.

Talk to a company like Powell Insurance Agency for more information.

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