Auto claim after death of policy holder

[joesxm3]

My stepdad died last week and the day after the funeral I discovered mouse damage in the headliner of his car. The auto body guy says that headliner is the last place the mice reach and they must have tunnels all through the car.

He suggested filing a comprehensive claim and said they would likely total the car. That would solve the problem for me and probate.

But a quick Google gives me the impression that any claims after the death of the policy holder will be denied.

I am attempting to trap and poison the mice but the damage has already been done.

I have a call in to the insurace agent but figured to ask here.

 

[SecondCor521]

Can the auto body guy attest that the damage must have started a few weeks before your stepdad died and be willing to tell the insurance company that?

 

[pb4uski]

My stepdad died last week and the day after the funeral I discovered mouse damage in the headliner of his car. The auto body guy says that headliner is the last place the mice reach and they must have tunnels all through the car.

He suggested filing a comprehensive claim and said they would likely total the car. That would solve the problem for me and probate.

But a quick Google gives me the impression that any claims after the death of the policy holder will be denied.

I am attempting to trap and poison the mice but the damage has already been done.

I have a call in to the insurace agent but figured to ask here.

Gemini suggest otherwise and it makes sense since the estate owns the car and it might still be being used.

Does car insurance terminate when the policyowner dies?

No, car insurance doesn't automatically terminate when the policyholder dies. There are a few things that happen:

• You should notify the insurance company as soon as possible.
• The policy will likely stay in effect for a while, especially if the car needs to be used for estate purposes.
• You can then decide whether to terminate the policy or keep it going, depending on what happens to the car.

If there are other drivers on the policy, they may be able to stay insured, depending on the situation. It's always best to contact the insurance company directly to find out what the specific steps are.

 

[joesxm3]

The auto body guy suggested that it had to be going on for a long time. About a month ago I had a big mouse nest removed from my acura. The Acura guy said to put dryer sheets. At that time there is was some mouse poop in the Nissan trunk. I cleaned it and laid plastic with dryer sheets the next day there was mouse pee and poop all over the sheets. So they were obviously there.

I had been planning to call and try to get me added as a driver and remove him but he died more quickly than I expected.

I would have sold the car last summer but they DMV insisted on having my only original copy of the power of attorney document and I could not risk losing it. They would not even accept certified copies.

Things could be worse. I did not expect to get any money since the nursing home was $13000 a month. So even if the car is junked I am ahead of the game.

We shall see what the agent says if she calls tomorrow.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

There is likely exclusion for damage caused by "vermin" ETAL.

 

[HarveyS]

Please let us know the outcome after you hear from your agent. I recently read in the WSJ that vermin damage is becoming a big deal in NYC and in many other parts of the country. According to the article, one theory is that car wiring is using less plastic and more soy-based materials that, believe it or not, is tasty to vermin.

Insurance has been covering damage (according to the article).

 

[VanWinkle]

Damage from rodents is normally covered by the comprehensive coverage on the auto policy. The most common damage is chewed wiring causing electrical problems. I was in the body shop and insurance claims business for 40 years and mice in the headliner is a new one for me. If the policy was still in force(premiums paid) there should be coverage for comprehensive loss. An adjuster would have to confirm the cause of the loss and that it did not occur due to a maintenance problem. Sagging headliners are a common problem in older vehicles, but age is not the only reason for the damage.

 

[dirtbiker]

There is likely exclusion for damage caused by "vermin" ETAL.

Damage from rodents is normally covered by the comprehensive coverage on the auto policy. The most common damage is chewed wiring causing electrical problems. I was in the body shop and insurance claims business for 40 years and mice in the headliner is a new one for me. If the policy was still in force(premiums paid) there should be coverage for comprehensive loss. An adjuster would have to confirm the cause of the loss and that it did not occur due to a maintenance problem. Sagging headliners are a common problem in older vehicles, but age is not the only reason for the damage.

I had rodent (chipmunk) damage to my truck a few years ago. I didn't realize it at the time. All I knew was that my truck threw a bunch of codes and power was greatly diminished. I was near the Ford Dealership, so I limped there and dropped it off. They plugged in their code reader and told me that several sensors were bad and needed replaced, and estimated it to cost around $4k. At the time, the truck was only 4 years old with about 70k miles. I was not happy at all, with it being a rather new truck. I was pleasantly surprised to get a call later that week telling me that the sensors were fine; the wiring harness was just chewed to hell. Instead of $4k out of pocket, I paid my $100 comprehensive deductible, and let insurance pick up the tab.

I also did a comprehensive chipmunk reduction program at the homestead, via targeted lead poisoning...

 

[joesxm3]

The $350 on the 2004 Acura and now the 2015 Nissan is bad enough. The Acura got kicked out of the garage and the Nissan had to be brought here when we sold step dads house. Both were parked outside in a rural area and next to my rolling trash bin.

Now I am freaked out that they might get into my new Tesla. I have mice in the basement/garage level but never had trouble with the acura.

I am going crazy with traps in the house and peppermint spray. I think I will take apart the front trunk on the tesla which is where the forums say the mice go. The tesla has that tasty soy wire insulation.

 

[joesxm3]

I just ordered those peppermint/cinnamon oil pouches to put in the tesla and in the basement rooms.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Time to move...

 

[dirtbiker]

Time to move...

Is this a joke? Mice are everywhere. You can't escape them. You'll go broke if you're trying to run from mice by moving every time.

 

[freedomatlast]

I was in the body shop and insurance claims business for 40 years and mice in the headliner is a new one for me.

Actually mice in the headliner is quite common, at least in this area. The classic and antique car guys always park their cars over the winter when they aren't being driven, with the sun visors down. That way the mice don't have a nice platform to stand on while eating into your headliner.

Save your time and money with all the internet deterrents you read about like putting dryer sheets in the car, using bars of Irish Spring soap, peppermint, cinnamon, hot pepper flakes, etc. None of it works for very long. The best deterrent is sun visors down and vents closed. A couple of traps around the car that consist of either gallon jugs that are cut off at the top or 5 gallon buckets, partially filled with antifreeze and a platform for them to enter the jug or bucket works about the best so they won't ruin interior or wiring in the car. I'm sure YouTube has plenty of examples and variations of the same theme if you can't picture if from the description.

 

[street]

Interesting topic!
I would have not guessed that Auto Insurance would possibly cover rodent damage. I never have stored an auto at the ranch for very long because I would be concerned with that issue.
I also hardly ever see any evidence of them. I have a bucket trap in a woodshed by the cabin and in the 15 years or so since I owned the ranch I may have caught 3 to 5 mice. I never have had them inside of the cabin. I leave no food and some of the eatable things (coffee etc.) things are in a larger tin box. You also never store matches in a place that rodents can get to them also because they can chew and start a fire.

On the home place of the ranch is the same way. I have live traps there in old shop etc. and caught less then 5 in all of the years.

I credit very few mice because of bull snakes and weasels mostly. Coyotes, bobcats and avian help with keeping everything in check.

Maybe just lucky but I'm still very hesitant to store my old ranch truck there for years at a time even if I use it often for a mice issue.

 

[joesxm3]

I just got off the phone with the agent.

She says rodent damage is covered by the comprehensive with $500 deductible.

She says the policy continues to be active but I need to wait until the court appoints me as executor before I file a claim because they won't talk to me without papers from the court.

She says she is 99% certain it will be covered.

 

[dirtbiker]

I just got off the phone with the agent.

She says rodent damage is covered by the comprehensive with $500 deductible.

She says the policy continues to be active but I need to wait until the court appoints me as executor before I file a claim because they won't talk to me without papers from the court.

She says she is 99% certain it will be covered.

Great news!

 

[MichaelB]

Great news!

It is. This has also been an interesting topic, not one I recall ever discussing here.

 

[gauss]

I just got off the phone with the agent.

She says rodent damage is covered by the comprehensive with $500 deductible.

She says the policy continues to be active but I need to wait until the court appoints me as executor before I file a claim because they won't talk to me without papers from the court.

She says she is 99% certain it will be covered.

This all makes sense.

I had a similar problem in that, I suspect rodents chewed through some of my engine wiring. I took the car to the dealer and tried to make a warranty claim. They said "No... Not covered under warranty".

I didn't think to make a comprehensive insurance claim. I got auto my soldering iron and got things working again -- I was a bit concerned if this would be an issue when the lease was up and the car went back for the inspection. But I ended up perhaps dodging a bullet on that one. (Hood wouldn't open in the body shop the day the inspector came by).

The car was also part of a deceased mother / probate situation.


-gauss

 

[Kings over Queens]

There is likely exclusion for damage caused by "vermin" ETAL.

I thought so too, but read a policy and didn't find any such exclusion.

 

[Kings over Queens]

I just got off the phone with the agent.

She says rodent damage is covered by the comprehensive with $500 deductible.

She says the policy continues to be active but I need to wait until the court appoints me as executor before I file a claim because they won't talk to me without papers from the court.

She says she is 99% certain it will be covered.

the other thing you need to be aware of is that the vehicle can only be used in the process of administration of the estate, unless there is another named insured alive and able to provide permission to drive the vehicle. absent that, the vehicle shouldn't be driven.