One of our commitments as car owners is sending our vehicles for regular cleaning to a car wash when they get dirty. When doing so, some of us wait and watch over our prized possessions as the workers do their jobs. At the same time, others leave their vehicles behind for a quick tea break or grab essentials from a nearby store because the waiting period for a car wash is quite long.
But what happens in the unlikely event that the car goes missing at the car wash? Can you file an insurance claim to seek compensation for the loss? Read this article to discover what you can and cannot do if this happens.
Insurance claim for vehicle theft
Car owners in Malaysia commonly pass their car keys to workers at a car wash and collect their vehicles minutes or hours later. Although the transaction is often unrecorded, we are used to this business style — surrendering our vehicle to a washer that doesn’t provide any written acknowledgement or receipt before and upon the completion of the transaction.
The underlying cause for this carefree attitude could be misunderstanding your car insurance policy. Maybe you have a comprehensive insurance plan, and you think it’ll save you from every trouble. But in reality, there are exclusions to what your policy can and cannot cover.
Now, let’s imagine a situation where a young woman named Aisyah visits a mall in KL to do some shopping. Aisyah wants to get her car washed outside the mall at an auto wash facility. Young Aisyah thinks it’s okay to pass her car key to one of the workers and leave the vehicle behind while she’s shopping in the mall. About an hour later, she returned to collect her car only to realise that her vehicle was lost.
One of the car wash attendants had mistakenly handed over Aisyah’s car key to the wrong person. Now that the car is lost, Aisyah does what every car owner would do. She contacts the insurer for help and files a claim for car theft since her comprehensive insurance policy covers theft. Unfortunately, the insurer rejected her claim because the incident had happened due to her negligence.
What and why?
In most cases, car insurance companies will not compensate for vehicle loss resulting from owners’ negligence. This is often stated in the policy. While it’s true that a comprehensive plan offers protection against vehicle theft, it only applies to situations beyond the control of the owner. For example, your parked car suddenly goes missing from the parking lot of a shopping mall.
But like in Aisyah’s case, willingly giving your car key to someone implies that you know the risks and will be responsible for what happens to your vehicle afterwards. So, in the unfortunate event of theft, insurance companies will identify the loss as a result of negligence and reject the claim.
What can you do?
Frankly, there’s nothing much you can do if your car goes missing at a car wash other than try to report the incident to the police. You can also sue the car wash facility for the damages incurred. But both of these may not result in a favourable outcome if you have nothing in black and white to prove the crime.
Hence, to prevent yourself from getting into such situations in the future, remember to do the following during your next visit to a car wash:
- Visit authorised centres – Make it a habit to visit authorised car wash facilities as much as possible. This can instantly save you a lot of trouble from those who operate without a valid licence.
- Insist on getting a receipt – Regardless of the type of car wash that you’re visiting, always remember to get a receipt or any written document from the car wash acknowledging the transaction. This is handy when you must report theft or damage to your car.
- Wait and watch over – Instead of leaving your vehicle behind, it’s probably a good idea to wait and watch over your car while the cleaning is done. This way, you don’t lose sight of what happens to your vehicle when you’re away.
- Take some pictures – If you need to leave your car behind, it’s a good idea to take pictures of the vehicle with the car wash attendants. Just like receipts, pictures can be a great source of evidence if you need to report theft or damage.
Protect your car
As you can see, losing your car at a car wash can be devastating as an insurance policy does not cover it. So, the next time you visit a car wash, please be extra careful.
Think twice before resorting to your old habit of giving the key to the workers and leaving your vehicle behind. Remember to follow the tips above to safeguard yourself and your car from mishaps.
Bjak is one of Malaysia’s biggest insurance comparison websites, offering policies from over 10 brands. Get your free insurance quote from Bjak today!
Read more:
