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Choosing the right policy
Whether you should buy mechanical breakdown
insurance depends on how likely you think it is that one of
the parts covered by the policy will suffer an unexpected
mechanical breakdown, and whether you would be prepared to
pay for the repair yourself if there was a breakdown of the
sort covered by the policy.
You should not buy mechanical breakdown insurance to cover
your car for repairs it may need as a result of getting old:
repairs due to wear and tear are not covered.
Likewise, do not buy mechanical breakdown insurance if what
you really want is breakdown
recovery insurance – although this may be included
in some packages, it is cheaper to buy separately.
However, if you are worried about the reliability of your
car and have decided that it is worth paying for insurance
to cover specific faults, you need to ask certain questions
before buying a policy:
• Which parts or repairs are specifically included and
excluded?
• How does the claims procedure work – do you
pay for the repair and then claim back the cost, or are repairs
paid for directly?
• What happens if you move house or sell the car before
the insurance expires?
• What are conditions for routine servicing –
does this have to be carried out by a franchised dealer and
will you need to provide proof that it has been carried out?
• Is there a limit on what will be paid out for each
claim, or a limit on the total amount of all claims?
• Are there limits on how much mileage you can build
up?
• Is breakdown recovery included in the price?
The answers to all these questions are
available from individual insurers websites. Be careful when
using an online comparison service as it will be unlikely
to have 'like for like' cover compared and quotes can be misleading
.
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