Will Comprehensive Cover my Rims and Body Kit?
Question: Last week I bought a brand-new 2011 Honda Fit Sport, and last night all four of my car rims and tires were stolen. The base of the car is damaged; I guess from dropping it on the concrete after taking the tires. Also, the side spoiler and body kit, which came with the car, are damaged. Will my comprehensive insurance cover the damage to the car or only pay for the stolen rims and tires?
Answer: Your comprehensive coverage should cover both the rims and tires being stolen off your new Honda Fit as well as the body damage.
The damage was done during the act of a thief, so it would be covered under your comprehensive insurance coverage. The issue that may arise is if any of the body kits are custom and your insurance company wasn't made aware of when you placed your new vehicle on your car insurance policy.
When a car has body kits or custom parts added on to it, it's prudent that you alert your auto insurance provider to that fact and make sure these parts are covered and don't invalidate any part of your car insurance policy.
If these kits were put on by the manufacturer and are standard parts for your model type, or installed by the dealer as part of the original sale, then likely they will be covered, but it's something to discuss with your car insurance company when you make your auto insurance claim.
If your rims were custom, and not stock from the manufacturer, then you'll need to speak with your insurer to make sure their theft will be totally covered by your comprehensive coverage.
If your car's parts weren't custom, then they should be covered without issue. If they were custom, though, it's possible that you would need custom parts and equipment coverage to cover them fully. This is added coverage that you pay extra for so that your custom parts are covered by your physical damage coverages. Without this coverage, you may only be covered for the monetary value of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts instead of the custom parts you have on your vehicle.
In some states, your collision and comprehensive coverages automatically give you up at least $1,000 of custom parts and equipment coverages. In other states, it's allowable that your physical damage coverages can exclude customized parts completely, unless you obtain the custom parts endorsement.
Hopefully you'll be fully covered but to find out, first have a police report taken on the incident, if you haven't already done so, and then make your comprehensive insurance claim. Your company will tell you what is covered, minus your deductible, since ultimately the terms of your policy and the guidelines of your insurer will dictate what coverage you have for these items.
The original article can be found at CarInsurance.com:Will comprehensive cover my rims and body kit?