[vinodvayyat]

My Punto's (90HP Sports - Nov 2012 registered) insurance is due for renewal this month and the current policy is from Royal Sundaram (RS)(bumber-to-bumper with IDV of 6.9 Lakhs - IDV is tad higher than other company offerings. But I settled the deal since it was much better than those of other companies.). The renewal quote from RS is for an IDV of 5.25 lakhs and the premium I have to pay is a little less than 14K. The problem though I have here is:
1) FIAT is not listed under Cashless workshop brands in Bangalore - not sure why. Last year, as I remember, RS was fine with any workshops we choose for cashless settlement.
2) RS doesn't give an option to increase IDV during renewal - I confirmed this with their call center.

Can any one help me on the above two issues? Especially if any of the FIAT Bangalore owners have bought/renewed policies from RS.

[shankar.balan]

Ever since I bought the Yeti I ve been with Bajaj Allianz. I also have a Zero Dep policy additional.

Im wondering is it worth moving to some other Insurer now, three years down the line?

There don't seem to be any special prices available at all - Ive been checking.

The renewal is slated for later this month so Im just thinking aloud.

[drmohitg]

Hi,

I have to renew the insurance for my BMW 3 series by this month end and was looking for quotes on Policybazaar. The sales rep from the company called me today to confirm the details and wanted the existing policy number of the car. Is it ok to share the same with him? I don't remember them asking me for my policy number the last time I got my Altis insurance renewed from Policybazaar 2 months back.

[kalpeshc]

My car's ECM is giving me issues of fluctuating/increasing RPMs. I am facing an ECM replacement of around 40K. I have a zero-dep insurance with Tata AIG since the last 3 years without any claims. Is it possible to claim insurance for a faulty ECM which needs replacement? The car company is informing me that this is not a wear and tear part, but since there's no accidental damage, I am not sure whether insurance company would entertain a claim in the first place.

[Altocumulus]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

My car's ECM is giving me issues of fluctuating/increasing RPMs. I am facing an ECM replacement of around 40K. I have a zero-dep insurance with Tata AIG since the last 3 years without any claims. Is it possible to claim insurance for a faulty ECM which needs replacement? The car company is informing me that this is not a wear and tear part, but since there's no accidental damage, I am not sure whether insurance company would entertain a claim in the first place.

I guess the answer will be no. Insurance is not for running repairs.

So is your car out of warranty ?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

....
I am not sure whether insurance company would entertain a claim in the first place.

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

I guess the answer will be no. Insurance is not for running repairs.

So is your car out of warranty ?

As Altocumulus mentions, no. You cannot claim insurance unless it is an accident damage. Electronic or any other parts failing of "natural causes" are never covered. If you have warranty / extended warranty - this replacement should be done free of cost (assuming there was no tinkering made with the software) by the A.S.S. If the car is out of warranty, I'm afraid you'll have to pay for it. See if you can source it online somewhere as a used item from someone who has replaced the stock ECU to some full fledged race chip. Should save you some bucks.

Secondly, are you 100% sure that this is an ECU problem? May even be some basic sensor issue. I'd suggest checking with another service station / FNG before taking the plunge.

[kalpeshc]

Thanks for the info.
The car's warranty expired 4 months back. I am more comfortable in getting the new ECM rather than opting for a pre-owned one as I am not sure what unknown issues I may get in the future. Also, the car's mechanical condition is quite good and I plan to keep it for 3-4 more years (it's a sparingly run car), and hence a new ECM seems more rational to me at this stage.

There was no tinkering done and the ECM has not completely died. It's causing increased RPMs in neutral and on depressing clutch. I too thought that it may be a sensor issue, but the tell-tale sign is that the car is working perfectly with a replacement ECM in trials.

[kutlee]

Is the fluctuation (hunting) happening only in idle? then it may not be ECM. You may check the Idle control valve or throttle body. May be one of the air flow sensors or TPS concked off. Make sure the issue is due to ECM. IS this Japanese or Non Jap car. If Japanese ECU failures can be less of a probability.
A replacement ECU for testing can be non conclusive since ECU takes some time to learn. Try to run around for a week with replacement ECU before deciding.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

My car's ECM is giving me issues of fluctuating/increasing RPMs. I am facing an ECM replacement of around 40K. I have a zero-dep insurance with Tata AIG since the last 3 years without any claims. Is it possible to claim insurance for a faulty ECM which needs replacement? The car company is informing me that this is not a wear and tear part, but since there's no accidental damage, I am not sure whether insurance company would entertain a claim in the first place.

ECM is not covered under warranty.

Refer to Maruti discalimer:

"ECM costs in range from Rs. 20K-40K and is not covered under warranty. Hence - manufacturer recommends selling its partnered brands and accessories wherein installation done from there inhouse dealer professionals. "
(http://www.mycarhelpline.com/index.p...=685&Itemid=10)

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

ECM is not covered under warranty.

Refer to Maruti discalimer:

"ECM costs in range from Rs. 20K-40K and is not covered under warranty. Hence - manufacturer recommends selling its partnered brands and accessories wherein installation done from there inhouse dealer professionals. "
(http://www.mycarhelpline.com/index.p...685&Itemid=10)

Don't just quote 1 line from that link! The above post is very misleading!


I am quoting the entire matter.

Why is the Warranty been void by Car Manufacturer
Normally during installation - some fixing of wires to be done, any in event of cutting of any wires connected to batteries - it may damage the ECM (Electronic Control Module).
ECM costs in range from Rs. 20K-40K and is not covered under warranty. Hence - manufacturer recommends selling its partnered brands and accessories wherein installation done from there inhouse dealer professionals.

ECU/ECM is like the heart/brain of the car!
ECM is very much covered under warranty and extended warranty as long as the car isn't modified (Modifications which directly affect ECU )

Before going in for an ECM replacement, I would try what kutlee suggested.

[kalpeshc]

Originally Posted by kutlee

Is the fluctuation (hunting) happening only in idle? then it may not be ECM. You may check the Idle control valve or throttle body. May be one of the air flow sensors or TPS concked off. Make sure the issue is due to ECM. IS this Japanese or Non Jap car. If Japanese ECU failures can be less of a probability.
A replacement ECU for testing can be non conclusive since ECU takes some time to learn. Try to run around for a week with replacement ECU before deciding.

The idle control valve, sensors, throttle body, etc. have all been checked and confirmed working. I've showed it to two service centers (HASS) and both have concluded that ECM is at fault as the car only runs smoothly when a replacement ECM is used. Logically this means that if there was any issue with the current/signal not being received from the sensor to the ECM, it should have caused the same issue with the new ECM too as the same current/signal would have passed to the new ECM. And I believe ECM has to be set to neutral and recoded for each car.

Mine is a 2010 Hyundai i20 Petrol and it has a Kefico ECM unit.

EDIT - Also the fluctuations are not just happening in idle. Once the car is running, anytime when clutch is depressed fully or when I go to neutral, the RPMs keep increasing up to 3K and hovers between 3K - 2.5K. The moment I engage the clutch and start running in gear, the RPMs normalize back again

[drmohitg]

I am under the process of renewing my BMW's insurance policy. Now the query is that I wanted to know whether Iffko Tokio covers hydrostatic lock? I am interacting with 2 insurance agents and one is saying it does where as the other is saying it doesn't. Can anyone throw some light on this?

[carzealot]

Hi! Dr. Mohit,

Iffco Tokio doesn't cover hydrostatic lock. Please PM me your no. Shall be able to provide more clarity.

[E90-E250]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hi,

I have to renew the insurance for my BMW 3 series by this month end and was looking for quotes on Policybazaar. The sales rep from the company called me today to confirm the details and wanted the existing policy number of the car. Is it ok to share the same with him? I don't remember them asking me for my policy number the last time I got my Altis insurance renewed from Policybazaar 2 months back.

drmohitg

Its not an issue at all. Which insurance are you with presently and hope you are on a zero dep policy. I had a bike bang into my rear of my bmw, unfortunately I wasnt covered by the zero dep.........

[glenmz]

My Fiestas insurance is up for renewal this month. CUrrently on SBI General.
Now, I get 2 different quotes from the same company.
The head office quotes 8600 off for IDV of 3.86l while the office which insured me quotes 8000 for 4.5l !