ICBC Question.. just curious..

[Ohkun]

Don't Scream 'Is This Your First Fire?' At The Firefighter Trying To Save Your Vintage Camaro

I was watching this video and question came across my mind.

Does car insurance cover mechanical damage or engine fire?

ie. engine fire, blown engine due to over rev.. etc etc..


Given that you have regular ICBC insurance with comprehensive coverage and there's no criminal activity or any deliberate action.

[TRDood]

"explosion of the combustion chamber" or something along those lines are exempt from insurance coverage... I think

[godwin]

Ask Lomac! and his MX6.. I think he was covered by ICBC

[Gridlock]

In regards to the video...why start yelling now? At the start of the video, the car is already toast(pun intended)

Reminds me of our volunteer fire department that came when we had a chimney fire. The "chief" needed to inspect the rest of the chimney so I take him to the attic access, next to the other chimney. Took me 5 minutes to explain that we had 2 chimneys, he was standing next to the one NOT on fire, and the one in the large cloud of smoke was the one he was interested in.

It, quite literally, was a parade of fools through our kitchen.

[shantz]

ICBC does not cover mechanical damage, though they will cover an engine fire.

[tofu1413]

my old ITR actually caught an engine fire ... burned engine harness and all the belts..

the new owner was still covered by ICBC.

[N8]

^ nice.. good to know - TRdood got me worried

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by godwin

Ask Lomac! and his MX6.. I think he was covered by ICBC

Yes, when my car burnt down, it was covered by ICBC. I'm not sure how deeply they investigated into the cause of the fire, but my own opinion is that it was caused by a fault in the charging system, which resulted in the battery catching fire.

Now, if the same issue resulted in nothing more than mechanical damage (say, the alternator's coils some how melting due to too much power [lol i dunno?]), then I would have been on the hook for the repairs.

[Eff-1]

Yes. I read about this last year.

Guy's corvetted burned due to engine fire. ICBC originally dismissed the claim because they said it was mechanical failure. Under the Insurance Act, they aren't responsble for such damage.

However, the guy had comprehensive coverage, which covers damage due to fire. So he sued ICBC. Originally he lost the case. But then he appealed and he won.

Here's the story:

ICBC Denies Coverage But Court of Appeal Orders Payment for Car Fire Loss « Holness Law Group Blog

Section 132(1) of the Regulation, which is the focus of the parties’ dispute, stated:

The corporation is not liable to indemnify any person under comprehensive or collision coverage for loss or damage

(a) to tires,

(b) consisting of, or caused by, mechanical fracture, failure or breakdown of any part of a motor vehicle, or

(c) caused by

(i) explosion within the combustion chamber,

(ii) rust,

(iii) corrosion,

(iv) freezing, or

(v) wear and tear,

unless the loss or damage is coincidental with other loss or damage for which indemnity is provided under comprehensive or collision coverage or is caused by fire, theft or malicious mischief.”

[Lomac]

As the Court of Appeal stated, “While the provision is clumsily worded, its meaning is clear. If the loss or damage was caused by mechanical fracture, failure or breakdown the exclusion will ordinarily apply, unless that loss or damage was caused by fire. Here, while the trial judge found the broken axle caused the fire, the exception permits fire to supercede that finding as to cause and allows Mr. Swailes[the claimant] to recover indemnity for loss of the vehicle due to fire.”

The claimant was successful against ICBC and the insurance company was required to pay for the loss under the insurance policy.

While I usually don't like lawyers and how they love to work loop holes, it's certainly interesting to see how they do it in order to win those legal battles.