Archive for the ‘Mercury Insurance’ Category

Include Repair Insurance In Your State Farm Auto Quote

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

In addition to traditional car insurance coverage, you can also purchase mechanical breakdown insurance to cover unexpected auto repairs.  This information is from Fox Business’ article “Auto Repair Insurance Pledges to Pay Your Breakdown Bills,” by Michele Lerner.  A State Farm auto quote can include the cost for this additional insurance.  An alternative to buying the insurance through your car insurance company is to buy it through a car dealership, bank, or credit union.  It might be easiest adding the insurance with your car insurance company, so check to see if they offer mechanical breakdown insurance.

There is a wide array of coverage that you can get for repairs, but none of it will cover your basic maintenance or wear and tear.  This coverage is meant to protect you in the case of major breakdowns and can be in addition to a warranty or can continue warranty coverage after expiration.  You can choose mechanical breakdown coverage that lasts either a certain number of miles or a certain time frame.  Most of the coverage will include towing, rental car services, and roadside assistance packages.

Mercury Insurance VP of the mechanical breakdown unit gives an example of what their coverage has to offer.  They have four levels of insurance from basic bronze to a platinum level that covers nearly all breakdowns.  Costs depend on what type of car you drive, how long the contract will last, how many miles the contract covers, and which protection you choose.  Six years or 100,000 miles is the most Mercury offers.  Some plans have a deductible while others do not.  Since you pay for this coverage up front, claims will not increase your cost.  Also, there is no connection between your traditional car insurance and mechanical breakdown coverage.

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What Do Top Car Insurance Companies Think About Pothole Warning Signs?

Tuesday, July 5th, 2011

A car insurance company in the United Kingdom has an interesting idea for a pothole sign.  They have designed a sign that would alert drivers of upcoming potholes and help them to avoid the pothole, hopefully avoiding damage to their car.  In the Edmunds’ Inside Line article “U.K. Car Insurance Company Proposes Pothole Warning Signs,” Rene Wisely talks about the new sign idea.  Top car insurance companies may be in support of such a sign since it could keep their costs down by avoiding costly damage to cars.  There are more than 2 million potholes spread out on the roads of the U.K., which is a plight with which many Americans can relate.

Obviously it seems like a better idea to simply fix the potholes than spend money on warning signs, but statistics have shown that it would take 11 years to fill all of the potholes in the U.K.  Warning signs could be erected much more quickly than that and could save money on car insurance claims to companies like Mercury Insurance.  This idea came from a resident in the U.K. who put a similar sign up in front of his house after seeing a lot of damage to cars from a large pothole.  The government made him take the sign down though, saying that it was causing a distraction to drivers.  After finding out that 82% of U.K. drivers would be in favor of a pothole sign, the car insurance company who created it is launching an online petition for support.  I wonder what the top car insurance companies in America would think of such a sign.

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Top Car Insurance Companies Reward You

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Good behavior is rewarded by top car insurance companies, according to a recent article by Motley Fool writer Selena Maranjian.  In “5 Car Insurance Surprises,” some benefits and downsides that you may not be aware of are highlighted.  Some insurance companies offer accident forgiveness for your first at-fault accident.  While you may have to be with the company for a few years before you qualify, there are insurers who offer this type of plan right away.

Having a good driving record free of accidents and violations means you will pay less for car insurance than someone without a clean record.  State Farm car insurance quotes may also give you a better rate if you have a high credit score.  You can purchase breakdown insurance which will cover repairs to your car that are not included in any warranty you may carry.  This does cost a good chunk of money though and isn’t available for cars that are too old.

More expensive cars typically cost more to insure, but rates can actually vary significantly from company to company based on your make and model.  That is why it is so important to shop around and get numerous quotes from companies like Mercury insurance.  As long as you were not at fault in an accident, fourteen states have the option of diminished value insurance coverage.  This will compensate you for any difference between what was covered in damage to your car and what value you may have lost.

Gap insurance is available to cover any difference between what your insurer pays you for the value of your totaled car and what you actually owe on the car.  It is possible that without this coverage, you would have to pay the difference out of pocket between your loan or lease amount and the money covered by insurance.  That is in addition to buying another car.  Shop around online for car insurance because Consumer Reports says that 14% of you could pay less with another insurer.

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Estrella Insurance Will Protect You

Sunday, September 26th, 2010

Whether shopping for car insurance or warranty programs, finding a reputable company that will be around is crucial.  Recently Great Lakes Warranty Corporation filed for bankruptcy and went out of business, according to “Car Insurance Company Leaves Customers Out In Cold.”  The story is from The Pittsburgh Channel as reported by Paul Van Osdol.  They have left thousands of car owners with warranties that most likely will be useless because of the demise of the company.  According to court documents, there are more than 24,000 consumers holding warranties with this now defunct car insurance warranty company.

The Better Business Bureau has already received hundreds of complaints regarding claims that have gone unfulfilled.  Filing a claim with the bankruptcy court is really the only way to try and recoup some of the money spent on a now useless car warranty.  While bad luck happens to good people, researching the history of the company you are purchasing any type of insurance through is crucial.  Estrella Insurance and Mercury Insurance are smaller car insurance companies with good reputations for protecting their customers.  By researching through the company’s website, the Better Business Bureau, and other consumer recommendations, hopefully you can avoid the problems that these warranty consumers are dealing with.

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Unitrin Auto Insurance and Stolen Cars

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) put together a list of the 20 cities and metro areas where you are most likely to get your car stolen, according to Insure.com’s Joe Taylor.  In “The best places to get  your car stolen,” California cities show up 11 times in the top 20 list.  For Mercury Insurance and other California insurers, this is unfortunate news since more stolen cars mean more money being paid to consumers who have car insurance.  With the exceptions of Detroit, Michigan and Yakima and Spokane, Washington all of the cities are located in the south.  Most are actually in western states.  Laredo, Texas came in first place.  Living in one of these zip codes can significantly increase the amount that you pay for car insurance.

Unitrin Auto Insurance and other car insurance companies have tips to help consumers avoid getting their cars stolen.  Have a visible or audible alarm system arming your car.  Whether they hear the sound or see a tracking code on your windows, an alarm system might be enough to deter a thief.  There are electronic devices like “smart keys” available for purchase that will immobilize your car if someone breaks in and tries to hot-wire it.  Through satellite systems and cell tower technology, police can track and relocate stolen cars so having one of those systems can be beneficial.  Basic common sense is also very important in keeping car thieves away.  Park where it is well-lit, don’t leave your keys in the car, and always lock your car and put all windows up.  Keep those thieves away.

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Mercury Insurance Chairman Talks Prop 17

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Proposition 17 will be on California voters’ ballots in June, according to Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times.  Lopez sat down with the Chairman of Mercury Insurance, George Joseph, for his article “Talking car insurance with Mercury’s top man.”  Joseph is bankrolling Prop 17 because he says it is in the best interest of California drivers.   While Mercury often gets bad press in California, they offer customers low rates and have been the leading independent car insurance broker in California for nearly 50 years.  Maybe the bad press comes from competitors’ attacks?  As a Mercury Insurance customer, Lopez wanted to talk with Mr. Joseph to get his side.

Proposition 17 would offer loyalty discounts to customers even when they switch companies.  If a good customer was insured through Bristol West Car Insurance for years and switched to Mercury Insurance, or vice verse, they could retain their customer loyalty discount.  This sounds like a great advantage for California drivers, but Mercury adversary Consumer Watchdog believes differently.  The company  said that along with that small discount to some consumers would come large increases for others.  They believe that a lot more uninsured drivers would be on the road because of the surcharges that would be implemented for drivers who do not have the industry standard ‘perfect’ records.  This battle will remain strong until the vote in June.

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