Like thousands of people across the country, you may be hitting the road to visit family or friends for the holidays. Before you go, make sure you have the protection you need by updating your auto insurance. You don’t want to be caught unprepared in the event of an accident. The following coverage from CO Insurance Specialist in Wheat Ridge, CO can protect you, your vehicle and others in the event of an accident. 

Liability

Liability insurance protects the interests of others in accidents you cause. Like most states, Colorado has minimum liability insurance requirements. Minimum coverage, however, won’t be enough to protect you against serious accidents on the road. Holliday traveling increases your risk of an accident due to adverse winter weather and a greater amount of traffic on the road. Ideally, your liability coverage should be sufficient to protect your assets if you were sued for damages due to causing an accident.

Collision 

Collision insurance covers the cost of repairing your vehicle if you crash into another car or object. Many drivers choose not to purchase this optional coverage as it raises premium costs. If you don’t have this coverage, you may want to add it to your policy to protect you against collisions on icy roads during your long-distance holiday travels.  

Comprehensive

Comprehensive insurance is also optional. It protects your vehicle against theft, vandalism, and damage caused by adverse weather. If your vehicle is damaged by winter weather during your trip or stolen at a rest stop, you’ll be glad you had this extra protection to get you through the holidays. Uninsured/underinsured motorist and roadside assist can also come in handy when traveling far from home for the holidays. 

To learn more about car insurance coverage and costs, call or visit CO Insurance Specialist in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Homeowners who are buying their first condo may wonder if the insurance requirements are different when compared to insuring a home. The answer is that they are. Condominiums are different from homes because they may share walls, ceilings, and floors with other condos. They also share the common areas. The insurance risks are shared too.

Master Insurance Policy

When considering condo insurance consult with an agent at CO Insurance Specialist serving Wheat Ridge, CO, and the surrounding area. Be sure to request a copy of any master insurance policy that covers the condominium building and property, so you can share this policy with your insurance agent.

The building owner should be able to provide a copy of this master insurance policy or if there is a management company or a condominium owners’ association (COA), ask them for a copy.

Individual Condo Policy

For adequate coverage, your individual condo insurance policy picks up where the master insurance policy stops. Many types of damage may be covered in part by the master policy, perhaps in part by another condo owner, and perhaps in part by your condo insurance.

A slip and fall accident illustrates one difference between home insurance and condo insurance. For a homeowner, if someone falls anywhere on their property there may be a claim made be made against their home insurance. 

For a condominium owner, if someone falls in the common areas of the condominium property the master insurance policy for the condominium building is the one that may see the claim. If someone falls inside the condo then the individual condo policy may be responsible for the claim.

Summary

To make sure you have adequate condo insurance get an insurance review with the help of your agent at CO Insurance Specialist in Wheat Ridge, CO. Talk about the details and have your agent look for gaps where coverage may be missing.  Be sure to discuss the benefits of having replacement cost coverage and sufficient protection for personal property in your condominium.

If you are storing a classic car in Wheat Ridge, CO, there are some things to keep in mind so your car is ready to go come springtime. Even while your classic car is in the storage for the winter, you want to make sure it’s protected with a policy from CO Insurance Specialist.

Detail the Car: It’s important that the vehicle be clean and dry before being stored. You don’t want to forget the underside to protect the chrome as well. Don’t forget about the inside and the rubber areas so they don’t crack in the cold.

Replace Engine Oil: A car should be stored with fresh, clean oil, even if you recently changed it. The vehicle should be warmed up before you change the oil so contaminants are flushed away.

Lubricate Everything: Oil the trunk, hood, and door hinges to help keep pivot points in check.

Stabilize the Fuel: You will need to add a fuel stabilizer before you store the vehicle. It’s impossible to fully drain the engine so the remaining tiny droplets can be exposed to air and lead to engine problems when springtime comes.

Check the Coolant: Verify the radiator is filled with the right mix of water or coolant or you could have ice in the system.

Prepare the Battery: Run a trickle charger but be sure to always exercise safety when dealing with a battery. Store the battery in an unfrozen place off the ground and not on concrete.

Pay Attention to the Tires: Avoid flat-spotting the tires by having the tires be lifted off the ground, overinflating for storage, or allowing enough room to start the car and move it once a month.

Be Mindful of Rodents: There are plenty of home remedies you can use to make sure rodents won’t disturb the car.

Store in a Safe Location: Be sure your classic car in Wheat Ridge, CO is in a secured facility that is dry and doesn’t have a lot of light. Check windows and doors for watertight seals and security. Visit your car regularly and keep an eye on things.

Contact CO Insurance Specialist to get a quote on classic car insurance. 

When you drive a classic car, you tend to want to give it special care in every way possible. You don’t just take it to any old mechanic. If you can’t find an expert in Wheat Ridge, CO, you’re not above driving your car to the next town over to meet with someone who specializes in classic cars. You don’t just take it to the car wash, you scrub it down by hand and dry it with a chamois to keep it from streaking.

The same goes for your insurance, but here’s what a lot of people don’t know: Classic car insurance tends to be cheaper.

Obviously, there are a lot of factors that play into this. A classic car owner with a bad driving record is going to pay more. A classic car worth six figures is probably going to cost more to insure than a standard vehicle. But classic cars tend to be cheaper to insure, despite their special maintenance needs and value, primarily because classic car owners can be trusted to take excellent care of their cars. Someone who drives a classic Mustang isn’t just getting from point A to point B, their car is their hobby, their passion, they love driving and they’re going to take much better care of their car, on average, than someone driving a 2016 SUV.

Of course, to get a good deal, you need to get covered by an insurer that specializes in classic autos. A standard insurer is likely to treat your classic car like any other. CO Insurance Specialist knows what goes into owning and driving a classic car, and what goes into insuring it, so get in touch and see what we can do for you.

Condo insurance is different from home insurance for a detached single-family home because there may be shared walls, floors, ceilings, and common areas. To make sure you have adequate condo insurance, it is important to know what part of the facilities are the building’s responsibility and who is responsible if something goes wrong.

Get a Condo Insurance Review

The easy way to figure this out is to get a copy of any master insurance for the property from the facility management. Keep a copy for yourself and make another one to give a copy of this policy to your insurance agent at CO Insurance Specialist serving Wheat Ridge, CO and the nearby area.

If there is a condo owners’ association (COA) and some rules published by them, give a copy of the rules to your insurance agent as well.

Your agent will then do an insurance review and evaluation to be able to make recommendations of the condo insurance needed for adequate protection for the condo itself.

Make an Inventory of Personal Property

Not only will you want to insure the condo, but you will also want to get replacement cost coverage for its contents. Make a list of all the personal property you have. Include model numbers and the cost paid for the items. If you have receipts, make copies of these for your insurance agent.

Make a videotape and record yourself describing all the items as you walk around the condo. Be sure to videotape everything and zoom in to get a close up of all the items. Give a copy of the video to your insurance agent.

Update Condo Insurance as Needed

If anything changes substantially, such as you buy an expensive item, call your agent to inform them about the change.  At least once each year have another insurance review to make sure the coverage remains at the proper level.

To get a quote for condo insurance contact your agent at CO Insurance Specialist in Wheat Ridge, CO today.

Your brakes are one of the most important parts of your vehicle for driver safety. Brake failure can cause a horrendous collision with the vehicle in front of you. Such an accident can total your car and cause either severe injury or even death.

CO Insurance Specialist, serving Wheat Ridge, CO, has a few tips to make sure your brakes keep operating the way they are supposed to.

Your brakes will be checked as part of your scheduled maintenance. It, therefore, behooves you to take your vehicle to a reputable garage to get it checked out according to the schedule set out in your owner’s manual.

In between scheduled maintenance, it is a good idea to be alert for signs of impending brake failure. If your brake light comes on while you’re behind the wheel, you need to pull over immediately and call your auto club to get a tow to the mechanic you use for maintenance.

Strange noises coming from the wheels, such as scraping, squealing, squeaking are good signs that you need your brakes looked at and repaired. If your vehicle vibrates or wobbles when you brake, you need to take your vehicle in at the first opportunity.

If you notice leaking brake fluid on the wheels or the pavement of your driveway, brake failure will happen very soon.

Other signs include the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy, the vehicle pulling to one side, or bouncing during a hard stop. A burning smell could mean brake failure, along with a lot of other things that you need to get looked at right away.

For more information on auto safety and auto insurance, please contact CO Insurance Specialist, serving Wheat Ridge, CO.