Expert: Richard Hixenbaugh - 5/4/2010

Question
About 3 and a half years ago, my van was significantly damaged by a flood.  $10,000 worth of damage.  I have just discovered that all 4 of my wheel bearings need to be replaced at the same time.  I asked the head of the repair facility what could have caused them all to go at the same time and he said the only thing would be water damage.  Do I have any recourse to ask the insurance company to repair the damage, 3 and a half years after the claim was finished?

Answer
Hi Shane,

You can certainly ask, however, you can pretty much count on the fact that the insurance company will deny the claim. The more time that passes between the time of a claim event and s subsequent issue that seems to be related to the original event, the easier it is for the insurance company to claim that the issue is due to use and wear and tear rather than the original event. The older the vehicle and the higher the mileage the easier this is.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh