GEICO denied coverage(autocrossing BRZ)

[mdm]

Originally Posted by canadaRS1.0

so basically unless you completely total your car. it's not really worth it. I'm thinking you'd be better off dropping that 250 bucks on some driver training so you're less likely to crash in the first place.

Well motorsport ain't cheap.

[MrDinkleman]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

This is much how I feel for this particular case. I do not believe that Stang70 would abuse the insurance but have little to no doubt there are many out there that would.
"Honest somebody hit my car while it was parked. Must have been service truck because it left big streaks of orange plastic up my rocker panels"

Funny you should post this. A month or so ago I actually nailed a fricken cone that some equally fricken contractor had dropped and left in the middle of the freeway. Left a big ass dent in the lower lip of the front end. now I am thinking of buying a lip spoiler to cover it up...

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by MrDinkleman

Funny you should post this. A month or so ago I actually nailed a fricken cone that some equally fricken contractor had dropped and left in the middle of the freeway. Left a big ass dent in the lower lip of the front end. now I am thinking of buying a lip spoiler to cover it up...

My one commute currently has cones down the middle of the highway for about 10 miles. Not looking forward to whatever they are going to do but at this point it is damned tempting!







Oh and why the hell does this show up when image searching "cones on highway"?

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Oh and why the hell does this show up when image searching "cones on highway"?

It's an adaptive search that gives results based on the other searches you've been doing.

So what kind of searches have you been doing to get a fishy-smelling naked blonde?

[ZionsWrath]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

But see that is sort of the catch 22 on this topic. If everybody was honest and got track insurance when they tracked then the insurance companies would not be so quick to cancel regular insurance. It is the very fact that some do not and then try to make claims that causes them to be leery.
As far as autocross being called "racing" it is not a matter of if we agree or not. That is what they define it as and therefore it should be covered as track days.

Originally Posted by canadaRS1.0

maybe it's different in 'merica. but i did some research on track day insurance in canada (more specifically in alberta). and it's kind of a huge rip off/waste of time.

- 250 bucks a day for a $30k vehicle
- deductible is 25% of the value of the car (you can go as low as 10% for a deductible if you pay more per day)
- doesnt cover any timed event. so not even valid for autocross
- doesnt cover fire (unless your car catches on fire during an impact)
- doesnt cover "Mechanical, electrical, or computer breakdown, howsoever caused." .. which leads me to believe if i go off track and bend/break suspension parts they would easily deny coverage for that too.
- doesnt cover "Damage to the interior of the car as a direct result of airbag deployment." so if i hit the wall and my airbags go off.. new air bags and interior damage is all on me.

so basically unless you completely total your car. it's not really worth it. I'm thinking you'd be better off dropping that 250 bucks on some driver training so you're less likely to crash in the first place.

I used to get track insurance when I started out. But I quickly got over the fear and realized how expensive it would be to insure every event. The money not getting it easily covers all consumables and more. Also track wrecks are not like the street. I'm not gonna be on the line for whiplash chiropractor bills for 6 months and a totaled vintage ferrari. Track insurance is useful for people who don't go often and have expensive cars.

In that regard even though autocross more closely fits into the definition of racing, IMO HPDE carries a higher risk of fucking up your car with the higher speeds, other cars on track, and things to run into off the paved surface (track dependent). I seen a BRZ completely stuffed it in the uphill esses at Watkins Glen. Almost every HPDE I been to there has been some kind of incident from blown motors to a rollover. One good thing I haven't seen any car to car incidents in HPDE groups so far.

I can understand the insurance company decision in this case and similar ones. But at the same time it is fucked up because insurance on the street is compulsory.

I am very happy I don't have social media, remove my plates on track. But there is enough info out there if the insurance wanted to they could find it and I could be in this same situation as that guy. I probably pay too much for my coverage but this is exactly why I make zero contact with them unless paying my bill. "No news is good news"

[shellslinger]

Originally Posted by billwot

True story:

When I lived in that frozen wasteland called Ohio, I autocrossed with a local sports car club in a NE Ohio city. They held events on banked stock car track. And the layout usually included a (overly) fast straight down the back of the track. (I drove a 390 AMX at the time, and would get in 3rd gear down that stretch)

One Sunday, a young couple showed up in nearly-new Cortina. It was their daily driver, and their only car. Long story short, the young lady smeared the Cortina along the back wall of the track.

A local Dr that trailered in his prepared BMW loaded the the Cortina on his trailer and carried it downtown and "parked" it on the street and the young couple said it had been sideswiped while parked.

I have no idea what the outcome was, but really doubt if that story passed the insurance co's smell test.

As a claims adjuster, we see a lot more crazier and fishier things than this.

[mdm]

Originally Posted by shellslinger

As a claims adjuster, we see a lot more crazier and fishier things than this.

Tell us a few stories!

[RichardsFRS]

So stupid when people take their only car or their brand new only car out on tracks and smash them to hell. Saw a girl let her boyfriend take her brand new 325i down the 1/4 mile ended up tearing it all to hell, she slapped him and went off crying, he never got out of the 60' box because he dropped half the bottom end out of the car BOOM SMOKE SMACK! CRY. If this were my hobby I'd buy me a little beater because that all race cars are anyway are beaters, cash out for a miata and race the hell out of it knowing you can assume the total loss

[GeorgeJFrick]

I disagree with the idea of keeping your mouth shut and not disclosing to the insurance company. I would rather be open and up front; giving my money to the insurance company willing to be mature and responsible in regards to my hobbies.

It's not if you crash your car, it is when. It's an expensive thing to be involved in, and when you do the financial math; it'll always point towards beating an old Miata to death. By tracking and autocrossing my BRZ, I'm inherently giving up my insurance during those times.

Anyways, I think a better rule than not speaking up, for insurance in general; is if your policy does not specifically say something is covered; it isn't. If you've dealt with home insurance, you probably have a good idea of what I mean.

I have an anecdotal example. This year things changed and I have to travel for work, so the BRZ is no longer a leisure only vehicle. So I called my insurance agent and made sure the change was clear. Turns out it wasn't, and I was paying less. It raised my covered by a whole $6 to update the policy to include the extended mileage. Much better than crashing out 150 miles from home and getting my claim denied.

imho of course.

[justatroll]

Originally Posted by billwot

True story:
...
A local Dr that trailered in his prepared BMW loaded the the Cortina on his trailer and carried it downtown and "parked" it on the street and the young couple said it had been sideswiped while parked.

I have no idea what the outcome was, but really doubt if that story passed the insurance co's smell test.

Kind of like this:

Originally Posted by stugray

"Ok sir let me get this straight... Your car was fine when you went into walmart, and when you came out, your car had one whole side smashed in by ..... looks like a tire wall, all four of your tires were flat spotted, and someone jammed a bunch of weeds up under your air dam......?" "Ok, let me get going on that paperwork!"

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by justatroll

Kind of like this:

Those damned parking lot islands at Walmart have taken out many a car!

[CatScan]

Depending on where you live, a Trump or Sanders sticker should be all the explanation you need for a battered wreck.

[ZionsWrath]

Originally Posted by RichardsFRS

So stupid when people take their only car or their brand new only car out on tracks and smash them to hell. Saw a girl let her boyfriend take her brand new 325i down the 1/4 mile ended up tearing it all to hell, she slapped him and went off crying, he never got out of the 60' box because he dropped half the bottom end out of the car BOOM SMOKE SMACK! CRY. If this were my hobby I'd buy me a little beater because that all race cars are anyway are beaters, cash out for a miata and race the hell out of it knowing you can assume the total loss

I have a daily. It is very comforting. Especially when you working on one of them and need to run to the parts store because you fucked up haha

Originally Posted by GeorgeJFrick

I disagree with the idea of keeping your mouth shut and not disclosing to the insurance company. I would rather be open and up front; giving my money to the insurance company willing to be mature and responsible in regards to my hobbies.

It's not if you crash your car, it is when. It's an expensive thing to be involved in, and when you do the financial math; it'll always point towards beating an old Miata to death. By tracking and autocrossing my BRZ, I'm inherently giving up my insurance during those times.

Anyways, I think a better rule than not speaking up, for insurance in general; is if your policy does not specifically say something is covered; it isn't. If you've dealt with home insurance, you probably have a good idea of what I mean.

I have an anecdotal example. This year things changed and I have to travel for work, so the BRZ is no longer a leisure only vehicle. So I called my insurance agent and made sure the change was clear. Turns out it wasn't, and I was paying less. It raised my covered by a whole $6 to update the policy to include the extended mileage. Much better than crashing out 150 miles from home and getting my claim denied.

imho of course.

It's not that simple. Did you read the guys situation? It's not a matter of the insurance covering a track accident. It's about the insurance not renewing because he takes his car to the track.

I'm not going to call my insurance and say "I know you don't cover my car on track but I'd like to inform you I regularly drive my car to, from, and on racetracks. Have a nice day!"

What is the point of that. What is that going to do besides get someone dropped from their insurance or their rates hiked or something. If I wreck driving to the track are they going to deny my claim because I was going to "race". If I wreck driving to work are they going to deny my claim because I was at a track last weekend?

No good can come to the customer by bringing it up. So why should they?

Me personally, I got t-boned by someone ran a stop sign at a track day when I went off the premises to buy lunch in town. I was on a public road in a street legal car like anyone else. Do I not deserve coverage because I was "racing" that day?

[86-tundra]

Originally Posted by Braces

I'm not a fan of insurance companies. They pick and choose who the best bets are to insure. This to maximize their profits. They're a for profit business.

As I've said in another thread. People need to SHOP their insurance needs. Every year ... my premiums magically go up for no reason. Their reasons: inflation, multiple pay outs in your area, act of nature, etc. etc. Ever notice they raise your premium for those reasons, but they never lower the premium when they've had a good year. If anything ... Insurance companies should REWARD customers who have good records.

Therefore ... I shop all my quotes. You would be surprised how much money you can save. I do this for every insurance policy I have.

u wot? Don't like free market capitalism? It's obvious you know that you have the right to shop around for a company. So why complain that they are making money? Absolutely nothing wrong with a CAR insurance company being a for profit company.