The monsoons are the time of the year when car insurance claims witness the most significant surge. Water-logged streets, slippery road surfaces with more potholes and poor visibility are only a few factors that make any vehicle more prone to damage.
Water and mud penetration can further cause damage to the engine of your car, repairing of which can be financially and mentally cumbersome. It is, therefore, prudent to understand what precautions to take and the insurance cover needed to protect your car’s engine, when the rains are around the corner.
Water Ingression – How Bad Is It For The Engine?
At the time of monsoons, water logging is the primary reason why your car can halt in the middle of the road, leaving you stranded. It happens when water enters (ingresses) into the engine of your car, resulting in its breakdown. This is accelerated when you try to restart the engine in a water-logged street. The phenomenon is known as Hydrostatic Lock, essentially meaning the seizure or freezing of your car’s engine.
Water enters your car’s engine through the air filter. For ignition, the car needs its piston to function smoothly. But when water ingresses into the cylinder, it replaces the air-fuel mixture required for combustion with water. As water is non-compressible, the piston is not able to complete its reciprocating movement. The engine, therefore, is not able to function and your car does not start.
Possible Effects of Hydrostatic Lock
Your car is not vulnerable to damage because of a Hydrostatic Lock; it rather results in severe damage because of the action taken out of it. The water ingression does not let your vehicle start. However, normally in such situations the driver attempts to continuously crank the engine, posing a threat to its other parts and exacerbating the effect. The functioning of the cylinder wall, piston and the connecting rod can be considerably affected.
The extent of damage due to Hydrostatic Lock varies from engine to engine, also depending upon the degree of water ingression and cranking. Certain spare parts of a car’s engine, if affected, are difficult to be replaced and the whole engine or the particular damaged half would need replacement.
Protect Your Car’s Engine – Avail Engine Protect Insurance Cover
As explained above, damage to the engine of the car is more severe with more attempts to crank it up. This engine damage caused due to Hydrostatic Lock is classified as a consequential loss under motor car insurance regulations. Therefore, your comprehensive car insurance policy will not cover such damages to the engine and this could lead to substantial financial loss on your end.
However, vehicle insurance companies offer the Engine Protection add-on cover, which essentially equips your standard motor insurance policy to also provide protection for the engine. The Engine Protection or Hydrostatic Lock Cover is an affordable add-on, paying for the losses arising out of water ingression. The add-on also provides cover against damage due to oil leakage and gearbox failure, thereby going a long way in protecting the engine of your car.
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