Auto and Car Insurance

Vehicle insurance question. If you can help PLZ read?

Heres the story: I woke up to go to work one morning and my car wasnt there. I made sure nobody was screwing with me first then I called 911 to report my car was stolen. They ask me all sorts of questions and then tell me they found my car overnight parked at a street light in the middle of the road. They said the keys were found in the ignition and it was reported abandoned. The police department had my vehicle impounded. So I went to pick up my truck at the impound yard. It wouldnt start. The engine was fried and blown. My insurance company sent a man to look and asses the truck. He said my oil pan was cracked and they prolly ran it with no oil causing it to blow. My insurance company says that it was poor maintanance that caused my engine to blow, not the car being stolen. The body shop my vehicle is at says they hit something causing the crack. My insurance company wont repair my vehicle. Is their any more action I can take? what can I do? The keys in the ignition were a spare set that I lost almost 2 years ago.

Public Comments

1. My only advice is get a good lawyer.
2. Good news for the consumer! All insurance companies are held to a higher authority. Every state has a Department of Insurance for complaints, concerns or disputes. If you feel you are not being treated fairly by your insurance company, the Department of Insurance will investigate the matter on your behalf and the insurance company has 30 days to respond to their inquiry. California Department of Insurance phone number is (800)927-HELP. Good luck to you!
3. Well, it was clearly someone who knew you, or they wouldn't be able to match your keys to your car, two years later. Normally, a blown engine IS a maintenace issue. But if they hit something with that oil pan, you're going to be able to SEE that on the pan. SO, it's time to call your agent, and have them have the adjuster take another look at that oil pan. And have the body shop guy put it in writing, that clearly, something COLLIDED with the oil pan to make it crack. AND, dig out the receipt from your last oil change, to verify when the last time was that the car was topped off with oil. Worst case scenario, take the written statement from the body shop, and write to your state insurance department with the declination letter from the insurance company.
4. Someone was messing with you...and it was most likely one of your friends or someone very, very close to you. The chances of someone finding a random set of keys and then randomly finding the car it goes to, is like WINNING THE LOTTERY...the chances of that happening are too remote to even consider. It was someone you knew or they think it was you....the only thing that is wrong with your post is that you didn't call 911 first...how would someone take your car for a joke? Does this happen to you often? However, I would appeal the claim b/c it DOESN'T MATTER why the car was damaged...you have expert testimony from a mechanic, not some college-grad they sent through a 6 week technical course. Even if your car was defective...who is to say that YOU would have actually driven the car that morning? Someone stealing the car wouldn't have known about the oil issue. Your insurance company should pay the claim unless they can prove your statement isn't true.