Hydrostatic lock insurance cover is a must add-on feature

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Monsoons are here and we are seeing lot of coverage on electronic media of the news of flooding of the roads in Mumbai ,New Delhi and many other places. The under passes (which are generally at low depth in U shape and without automatic pumping set up, blocked drains and sewer lines) are responsible for this.

This is the time when we start hearing complaints from owners of premium luxury car owners about their car being towed to service station and estimate being given for Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 8.5 lakh. The question arises, why such complaints are not received from owners of low end or medium segment cars. The reason why such problems are faced by premium cars owners is because of the car design. These cars are designed in countries like Germany, France and Sweden where there is no flooding on the roads.

Infrastructure woes

In India, when a car is on a road with two-feet knee deep water, then problems arise. The solution is that let the water level go down — but in this world, everyone is in hurry and the driver tries to restart the car. As a result, water is sucked into the engine and it is seized. Let us cut it short — the repairs at the authorised service station for premium cars are costly as they are using genuine spare parts and have trained technicians .

In technical terms, an expert describes this “due to excessive flooding, water seeps inside the car’s air valve and blocks the engine, not letting it start. This is called Hydrostatic Lock. Once the vehicle breaks down, the driver makes constant attempts to ignite the engine, which results in severe damage to engine parts like the cylinder wall, piston and the connecting rod.”

This is a risk factor for vehicle owners that is often overlooked and can dig a big hole in the pocket especially when the insurer informs the client that it is not payable claim as policy does not cover engine protection add-on .

You may not be knowing that standard motor insurance policies do not cover losses due to a hydrostatic lock. For that matter, a comprehensive car insurance policy does not cover the damages car’s engine or its parts like crankshaft, piston, pins, cylinder, gearbox, etc.

Add-ons

In recent years, we have seen the concept of add-ons. One such add-on is hydrostatic lock coverage. This is generally covered under the engine and gear box protection add-on. Other than hydrostatic lock, this add-on feature also protects against the damages to the car’s engine due of leakage of lubricating oil, water ingression etc.

The cost of the cover is calculated on the basis of vehicle’s Insure Declared Value (IDV) and may be varying from company to company therefore it is advisable to deal with an insurance brokerage firm so that you are made aware of different companies and take a decision accordingly.

For your information, we did the calculation for this add-on for Mercedes Benz 2018 having 35% NCB and value of Rs 74 lakh.

Engine protection figures are:

— HDFC Ergo: Rs 11,851

— ICICI Lombard: Rs 22,962

— Digit: Rs 26,604

This add-on is part of many add- ons ,which are available and are extrapolated figure. Final quote comprises OD, add-ons, third party and GST. So take decision keeping into account all factors.

Happy safe motoring to all of you.

(The writer is Director and founder, RIA INSURANCE BROKERS. Views expressed are personal)