Help please - horsebox fire insurance claim

[Rachmeister]

Has anyone successfully made an insurance claim for a fire in their horse box engine that seems to have started spontaneously? I've got fully comp insurance on my Iveco 715E built by Solitaire through broker SEIB. The starter motor caught fire for no apparent reason whilst on a dual carriageway and then proceeded to burn through the wiring loom. Fortunately it didn't set the whole engine alight and occupants and ned were fine (though the police, bless them they were fab, had to shut the road to allow for unloading of my friend's slightly crazed ned).

I now need a new engine loom and starter motor and its going to cost £3,750 aaarrrgh! My insurers are saying it won't be covered if it is mechanical failure but cant tell me yet whether this is or is no until an engineer looks at it. Anyone had anything similar? Will have to sell horse to pay if insurers do not pay up!

 

[dieseldog]

Blimey - that's a bit awful. Good Luck with the insurance claim.

 

[Thistle]

Friend had a similar incident in his Aston which caused his airbag to blow. whilst parked in the garage.

He claimed.

 

[iconique]

Insurance in this area is a really tricky thing - it always seems like the insurers are trying to avoid paying out. The way that they usually see it, is that if a mechanical fault is found to be the proximate cause, then the damage caused as a result to the engine would not be covered under your fire part of your policy. ie the starter motor had a problem which caused it to set fire, which in turn damaged the enginge = mechanical failure.

However if you had an accident with a ciggarette or something like, where it fell into the engine and caused a fire, then the case would be clear and damage due to fire.

I hope that your insurers are one of the nice ones that don't see it in this way and pay out for you - nightmare! Good Luck.

 

[PeterNatt]

I can't quite understand how the starter motor could have caused a fire. While the vehicle is moving there would be no electric current going to the starter motor as it would be switched off. The starter motor only operates when the vehicle is being started.

 

[Rachmeister]

Thanks Iconique - I have a nasty feeling that it's going to be mechanical. Not willing to lie about smoking!

PeterNatt - I don't understand much to do with engines sorry, but the starter motor may have shorted out when the box was started about 5 minutes before the fire? This may of course be pure speculation and I haven't a clue about the innards of a lorry!

 

[Vicky4567]

If the starter motor was the cause of the fire and it then caught the wiring loam or vice versa then the insurance should cover the subsequent damage and not the cause.