Can I use insurance to replace a failed part?

T

the graduate

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My car's radiator is about to go...its damn expensive...R4900...

can I put in a claim with my insurance to finance the part?

The car is 17 years old....1993 Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3

I have comprehensive insurance on the car...and yes, I've not read through the fine print....I hope its in the fine print....
 
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No... that falls under wear & tear.
You could drive (or in your case push) into an object that just damages the radiator and then claim:D
 
or you could get someone to break open your bonnet and steal the thing out, if there is physical damage they should also cover the replacement & repairs.
 
get one from a scrap yard or a pirate parts dealer... dont start defrauding insurance companies, next thing you end up in jail for 6 months!
 
Go to Silvertons in Salt River. They'll fix it- cheaper than replacing. Big old copper thing hey? You could sell it for scrap otherwise...
 
no, I don't want to defraud my insurance...

I remember that years back one of our geysers at home malfunctioned...it was replace by the insurance...my Dad would have paid for the geyser if not for the insurance broker who pointed out to him that under certain conditions, he can claim the expense from is short term insurance....(my dad happened to meet him on the street and told him about the faulty geyser)...

it will take years to read through the fineprint of our policy....so I though someone on here would have done something similar...
 
PythonFSi said:
Where did you get that quote for the radiator from?

Have you shopped around?
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Mercedes Benz SA....

and yes, I've shopped around. My particular model radiator (2.3 liter + aircon) is made by Behr/Silverton and Silverton charges R3710 excl VAT for the part. The part is classified as low volume/import....I asked a friend in Germany to find the part and its 370 euros there....so..I guess that's the price...
 
Budza said:
Go to Silvertons in Salt River. They'll fix it- cheaper than replacing. Big old copper thing hey? You could sell it for scrap otherwise...
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No, aluminium core....the core is 100%, its the inlet pipe, on one of the adjacent plastic tanks, that is cracked.....they are unable to repair it...
 
Sucks dude. Is there no Pratley Putty type hack job you could do yourself? How bad is the crack? There must be something out there that bonds Aluminium- if it's the plastic bit then I'm almost certain you could get it fixed...

Anyone have experience with bonding agents and the kind of heat likely to be experience in a radiator??
 
Budza said:
Sucks dude. Is there no Pratley Putty type hack job you could do yourself? How bad is the crack? There must be something out there that bonds Aluminium- if it's the plastic bit then I'm almost certain you could get it fixed...

Anyone have experience with bonding agents and the kind of heat likely to be experience in a radiator??
Click to expand...

I've created a thread on my problem on one the specialist site:
http://mercedes-190.co.uk/topic/6607843/1/#new

I've been to Silverton radiators and they said that there's nothing they can do about that inlet pipe on the tank.....they made the radiators for Mercedes Benz in the 1990s....the 124 series radiator for my engine cost just a little more than R1000...

however, its one of those parts on my car, that expensive....I would love it if some would be able to help me with a fix to my cracked pipe...just to buy me some time till I have enough to replace the radiator....
 
I don't if this helps but the PVC piping used for plumbing (waste pipes etc) works OK on the cold (outlet side) of a radiator - don't know about the inlet side. I once drove for a month with a piece replacing a section of rotten hose before I could source the correct part.
 
Also, do you have to use a genuine replacement part? Why not just whack in any old radiator? They all do the same thing. Otherwise go and check out some old junkyards- take a screwdriver and some pliers :)

I got a radiator overflow thing (whatever the clear plastic bit is called) for R30 from a yard full of wrecks. Can't remember what the place was called though...
 
I was advised to stay clear of scrapyard parts...

my car is in a very good condition and I would like to keep it as "unbastard" as possible...
 
the graduate said:
I was advised to stay clear of scrapyard parts...

my car is in a very good condition and I would like to keep it as "unbastard" as possible...
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...by the guy who wants to sell you a radiator for R5k no doubt :rolleyes:

A radiator is hardly a uniquely Mercedes Benz part AFAIK. Its not like you are adding pimpin mags or chipping the ECU, you have to get the car fixed and from what you have posted: money is tight. comprehensive insurance does not cover mechanical failure so 'bastard' would seem like exactly what you are needing.

You could aslo have a 'parking mishap' in which an iron bar or tree branch (WTF am I typing?) passes though the grille and destroys the radiator? :D
 
Its for these reasons my next car will only have cover for me...when my car is damaged...I don't want comprehensive ****e...I'll pray that God keeps me clear of any misdemeanor like bumping into someone else which has never happened...or if it does I'll jsut pay for it myself...

I have so many friends who have to fix things themselves coz insurance don't wana pay...like dents etc...its a load of bull
 
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