My brother and I were driving down US 27 coming back from visiting our parents in sleepy Sebring, Florida. I was commenting on how many personal injury attorney billboards we saw. “Injured, you may be entitled to compensation!” read one.
We were chatting away when I heard what sounded like a gunshot. Then at 60 miles per hour, the sound of rushing wind, like a window was open. I literally looked around to see if I cut off a Taliban member and he had gotten off a round from his AK 47.
I retracted the fabric sunshade to look at the panoramic sunroof. Here’s what I saw.
Turns out, spontaneously exploding sunroofs are a thing. However, Volkswagen couldn’t be convinced they were at fault. They held the position that it was from flying road debris or the aforementioned Taliban. So they weren’t going to cover it as a warranty issue.
So what do I do? Should I call my car insurance and tell them my harrowing tale. I’m caught in a moral and financial pickle. VW says it’s road debris, but I know it’s not. I can tell my car insurance it was road debris, but that’s not true.
Did I also mention it was raining? Yeah, good times.
I called my insurance guy and he pointed out something interesting. I was paying almost $3500 every six months for two cars. My ten year old doesn’t drive yet. Hat’s off to parents insuring their teenage kids. I’m embarrassed to say, like a frog in hot water, I didn’t realize my car insurance premiums were boiling me alive.
As it turns out, the national rise in car insurance premiums is almost 20% since last year. It doesn’t matter if you are a great driver with a spotless record. The law of large numbers means we all got to do our part.
Rates have gone up, in part, because inflation means it costs more to fix your car. The parts are made of things that, unlike the US Dollar, you can not print out of thin air. The other cost of repair is the labor. Inflation means workers need more money to keep up. Wages rise, benefits get more expensive.
Another factor is the personal injury lawsuits. Every time a fender bender turns into a call to Saul Goodman an insurance company gets sued. That costs money to defend. And if the insurance company loses, we all get to pay. We all like to make fun of ambulance chasers, but when your family needs to made whole again, I hope you get every penny you’re entitled to.
My insurance guy Steve also pointed out that even if this was from a Taliban’s AK 47 it may not be worth reporting. My deductible is $500. The cost to fix the sunroof would be about $1300. So the insurance company would be helping me with about $800. However, what would that do to my future insurance premiums? At $7000 per year already, I’m not interested in another hike. And, given my penchant for rolling right turns, I get a few traffic camera tickets every year. There’s a chance they’d drop me altogether.
So a few takeaways. First, check your car insurance premiums. Shop around and make sure you aren’t over or under insured. Second, the next time the government promises PPP loans, massive spending bills or stimulus checks remember that you will pay for it later. Third, if you aren’t passing stay out of the left lane, lest you anger the Taliban.