USAA insurance won't cover

[The Last Cowboy]

USAA used to only insure active duty active duty and retired commission officers and their immediate household family. About the time I got out of the Army, they expanded their coverage to NCOs (Non commissioned officers Sergeant (E5) and above). Then a few years later they expanded it to all active duty and retired, to include all ranks.

Before, they were only insuring people who had become steady and reliable in their military careers, so overall risk was lower.

Now they run ads on TV for a myriad of different ways to qualify, seems almost everyone does these days. USAA has assumed so much risk now that they need to have a secondary company that they may insure you under, Garrison.

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[guarnibl]

SO Progressive will cover Offroad Accidents? I know USAA wont and I currently have Geico but dont think they cover offraod damge. I heard that State Farm will but I havent looked into it.

Depends on what’s considered “off road.” If it’s an actual public road — I’d imagine they’d be unable to refuse coverage ( unless it was a timed event ), no matter how maintained it was. Off road parks, private land, etc I could see it becoming an issue.

— not an actual insurance agent but ask questions with the right context may yield different answers.

 

[JL Diesel]

Glad to hear this mentioned. I've been strongly considering making them my main bank.

I’d go with Navy Fed for banking if that’s an option. They give better interest rates on their accounts (even checking accounts). Also where I am there are Navy Fed branches everywhere while USAA is 100% virtual.

 

[Mtrctylarry]

I recently had a side by side stolen and learned I was underinsured on my added accessories. I didn't want to run into that problem if my Jeep was totaled so I called USAA to see just what my coverage was. I learned custom equipment was covered up to a $5000 limit with no way to increase that limit. That would barely cover my bumpers and winch let alone all the rest of the add ons. I hate to leave USAA but they aren't leaving me many options. Any recommendations for other insurance?

Don’t blame you! I’ve had very good service with Farm Bureau insurance.

 

[kbp810]

Another disgruntled formed USAA customer here - used to be awesome, rates far lower than anyone else... then they rapidly started to climb, but still lower or at least on par with others. For a while anyways. When our state changed some laws that should have translated to lower rates; contacted them, submitted the form they wanted... but instead of going down, they went way up. Made no sense. Switched, because virtually every other quote we received was less than half of what USAA was now quoting. As far as the aftermarket coverage, I think they only cover up to $5k in a comprehensive claim. I've had a collision claim where they would not replace a genright fender flare, said they would only cover an aftermarket OEM style replacement.

Of course the grass isn't always greener... let's just say the jingle should be changed to "NW will leave you dead inside". Incredibly difficult to get a hold of with little to no or conflicting direction on what to do after a claim. Was T-boned by someone going 55+mph, totaled the SUV, all air bags deployed, windows shattered, I'm bruised all over, hard time using my left arm, disoriented (concussion), said they'd cover my medical claims... but here we are 6 months later, and still going back and forth as they've deemed my trip to ER as unjustified and not medically necessary, LOL.

 

[beachbumm78]

SO Progressive will cover Offroad Accidents? I know USAA wont and I currently have Geico but dont think they cover offraod damge. I heard that State Farm will but I havent looked into it.

They should. And so should usaa. They told me they also cover. The way it was described to me is if you are on any type of “road” you are technically on a road and covered. If you’re literally driving across open land with no identifiable trail then you’re off-road.

 

[gato]

I recently had a side by side stolen and learned I was underinsured on my added accessories. I didn't want to run into that problem if my Jeep was totaled so I called USAA to see just what my coverage was. I learned custom equipment was covered up to a $5000 limit with no way to increase that limit. That would barely cover my bumpers and winch let alone all the rest of the add ons. I hate to leave USAA but they aren't leaving me many options. Any recommendations for other insurance?

Progressive too lets you add up to $5,000 coverage for aftermarket no questions asked (you can do it on line), but if you try to add more than that, then there needs to be a declaration and inspection. So I kept it at $5,000. Most of the cost was my hours of slaving on a cold garage floor installing the stuff. My parts net of what I recovered selling the OEM stuff (wheels/tires/etc) are not that much more than that.

 

[gato]

They should. And so should usaa. They told me they also cover. The way it was described to me is if you are on any type of “road” you are technically on a road and covered. If you’re literally driving across open land with no identifiable trail then you’re off-road.

ˆˆˆ This. Most people don't realize this and make a big deal with their insurance companies on off-road claims.

If you are visiting your uncle on his ranch, driving up his mile long driveway and hit a rock and flip, you are as much off road as if you flip in Moab. If you are on a Disneyworld parking lot and hit a curb and flip, you are also "off-road"

And no one here would make a big deal on filing a claim for damage on a driveway or Disneyworld, yet some make a big deal o saying they were wheeling/off-roading/whatever.

The claim should be filed as "I was driving just off or just inside (fill in nearest road, intersection or address of entrance to private wheeling land) hit a rock and flipped over." Vehicle can be inspected at xxxxx." Now pay me.

 

[acsak]

That's not uncommon, so make sure you're comparing apples to apples when you call other insurance companies. At some point a vehicle isn't a "production" vehicle if it has so much in "custom" equipment. Most insurance companies cover up to an amount, maybe $1,000 in aftermarket equipment, then they let you purchase additional coverage, up to $5,000 (maybe) and then they stop writing for additional equipment. What comes next is a "stated value" policy, which is different, you're buying insurance for an amount say $65,000 vehicle. The vehicle is less important than the amount at that point, and it's a different thing than your standard policy. You may not want to insure your JL, you may want to insure a $65,000 vehicle that is driven a specific amount of miles per year. That's a different thing...and I made up the amount obviously.

I have a stated value policy on my Jeep to cover the added upgrades. There may be different offerings/rules from state to state, but here in California Progressive does offer a stated value policy and that's what I have. I also asked them to check and double check that the vehicle is covered off road (service rep asked a higher up to confirm) and it is. I told them I do some rock crawling and I go way out in the back country and they said all of that is fine as long as I'm not driving in a competition.

 

[AcesandEights]

Wow, just dropped back in here and saw the whole off road on road thing again.

Please, for the love of all that is holy, post excerpts of your policy where it says you won't be covered off road.

Insurance pays for your negligence, your liability, and has very easy to understand definitions, coverages and exclusions. Insured person, covered vehicle, covered loss, collision, etc. Read the d*mned policy.

Post the policy that has an "exclusion" (yeah, that's what they're called) for an insured person driving a covered vehicle that has a collision "off road". If you haven't read your policy, please don't post that you're not covered off road. That guy you met at the rest stop that had a buddy who went to school with a guy who was related to someone that was driving down a gravel driveway, did not have his claim denied because it wasn't an asphalt surface maintained as a state highway. Racing, competitive event, timed event/course, intentional act, etc. You'll find those are the exclusions in most policies. Overlanding isn't an instance of "strict" liability.

 

[bohnster]

And to add insult to injury and pile on the USAA gripes, today the banking arm just killed the 2.5% Limitless Cash Back Visa card because they are "simplifying our current offerings to make way for new products in the near future ". Uh huh. I guess they lost too much on rebates on savvy customers not carrying a balance. It was good while it lasted...

 

[reedred]

Good luck! I briefly had Geico and when I talked with the agent was informed that they wouldn’t cover me if I went off-roading and had any damage. I could add on a few thousand for mods but can’t remember the amount. I switched insurances. I’ve had USAA off and on for years. (Depending on cost). There was a time that it was the best out there but I’ve found in the past years it has declined. Progressive has been the best for me. State Farm is a joke IMO. I’ve gotten screwed over by them and so had my family. Been members for over 30-40+ years. Dad was recently hit while sitting at a light. It’s been a nightmare in a half to get them to step up and get their vehicle fixed. You wouldn’t believe how crazy it’s been.

I have USAA and was under the assumption that I had no coverage offroad. I just called and confirmed that they will provide coverage at an offroad park as long as I'm not engaging in commercial activity or don't intentionally drive into a tree or something. Thanks for mentioning that!

 

[AlgUSF]

Progressive too lets you add up to $5,000 coverage for aftermarket no questions asked (you can do it on line), but if you try to add more than that, then there needs to be a declaration and inspection. So I kept it at $5,000. Most of the cost was my hours of slaving on a cold garage floor installing the stuff. My parts net of what I recovered selling the OEM stuff (wheels/tires/etc) are not that much more than that.

I'm assuming that it is an extra charge for the 5K, I have progressive and may do it if the price is reasonable.

 

[MtCamper]

I've decided to stick with USAA, at least for now. I've documented the mods I've made to the Jeep and decided $5000 will cover most parts if I keep the install portion to my free labor. A lot of the "stuff" isn't really attached to he Jeep but is "in" the Jeep and should be covered under my home owners if there is a total loss. I've been happy with USAA, but just got upset since they had no option for increasing the value of the mods above $5000. I'm in the process of gathering my declaration pages and do plan to shop my insurance in the near future. Something we all should do on a regular basis.

 

[engineXI]

Lots of hate for USAA in this thread. I've been a member for 36 years and I think they are awesome. I feel like they always do the right thing and error to my side when they can.

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