Full Coverage is technically meaningless . . . WHAT?

Everyone does it!   Even agents!  I’ve done it too!   We all have said the term “full coverage,” but what does that mean really?

The most commonly presumed meaning is that the vehicle would be covered for Collision and Comprehensive.   We see this most often metioned when there is a loan on the car because the loan company or bank wants to make sure their collateral, the vehicle, will be repaired or replaced by insurance in the event of a covered peril loss.

First, Collision coverage. . .  the easiest way to remember how this coverage works especially compared to it’s partner Comprehensive, is to think anything that collides with your vehicle will be covered under Collision (almost everything – in some cases if you hit an animal even though you collided with them it may still be covered under Comprehensive instead of Collision but stick with me here.)   Mostly if another vehicle its your car, if you hit another car, if you drive over a pothole and bottomed out your car, if you hit a tree, if you backed into your neighbor’s mailbox, if you hit a pedestrian, and on and on and on . . . if any of those things happen then your vehicle would be repaired or replaced under the Collision coverage subject to your deductible.   Keep in mind that fault is not always an issue here like it is cut and dried in the liability portion.   You may be at fault and get your car fixed from the payment of Collision or someone else could be at fault but you never knew who hit you or they didn’t have any insurance and you live in a state that Uninsured Motorists does NOT fix your vehicle.  How about if a shopping cart scraped your car after denting it in the WalMart parking lot because some bozo didn’t take it to the cart return spot, letting it roll down into your car causing $900 worth of damage to your new mustang.  It happens!  When it does it is most likely going to be covered if you have Collision coverage and certainly not paid out by WalMart no matter how much money you spend in their stores!

Comprehensive. . . I like this coverage because there is an even greater deal of weirdness to the claims.   Naturally, this could be storm, flood, theft, vandalism, windshield, other glass, but then also could be falling objects, crazy birds, gravel from dump trucks driving faster than you and even snakes in your dashboard.  EEEK!!!   What a variety huh?   One time an insured was driving along the highway and the person in front of them through out a Coke can and the can was sucked into the insured’s motor and caused a hole fist wide in the radiator.   If the radiator had blown on it’s own – no coverage – mechanical failure – however the can was airborne directly causing the damage to the vehicle and there Comprehensive saves the day.   A particular noteworthy aspect for Comprehensive to keep in mind especially from state to state is the glass coverage portion.   Some states have “full glass” where no matter which glass is damaged there is no deductible and yet in other states only the windshield is a 0 deductible.   Know which way your state gets you on the whole glass thing specifically if you have moved to a new state and your new agent has not told you!