Car Insurance

Why car insurance costs have soared (and what drivers are doing about it)

This looks like a good place for my car repair story.

One morning every light on the dash was on on my 2016 Honda CRV. When I opened the hood a squirrel jumped out. We live in the country and this had happened before on other cars. I figured a wire was chewed up so started looking. I found several chewed spots and eventually found one connector under the engine that had the wires chewed out of the back. I was pretty sure this was the problem.

I think I could have fixed it. It was easy to reach but 1. I couldn't find the connector at any parts store. 2. With all the dash lights on, I thought there could be a computer problem or at least a diagnostic tool would be needed and 3. I wasn't sure this was the only bad spot in the wiring. So off to the Honda Dealer.

After a day or two they called me. Yep the chewed spot I found was the problem but Honda doesn't sell just the plug, that's the main computer line with all the safety stuff, anti-lock brakes, radar cruise, etc, you have to buy the entire harness.

Estimate to replace? $8,800 !!

Cost of the harness? $4,400 !! 

The harness was about 10 feet long, maybe. It had a lot of wires in it but couldn't have had more than 150 feet of light copper wire (18-20g) and maybe 10 or 12 connectors.  150 foot spool of 18g wire is about 65$ at the box stores, 20g would be cheaper. Each connector costs a few dollars and there is labor to put it all together, I could believe 500$ but $4,400 is corporate robbery. 

In the old days, whenever that was, they would have got the connector from a junkyard, spliced the wires and I'd have been back on the road for a couple hundred bucks.

But today... Corporate doesn't want greasy mechanics splicing wires in safety systems that could get someone killed. The dealer can't go around a Honda recommendation or they would be liable. After the car VIN hit the Honda repair system, I was afraid to fix it myself. I didn't want to be liable. and... my insurance would pay for it.

So, $8,800 it was. Insurance paid all but my deductible. 

Insurance, for most things today, just leads to a crazy inflation circle. Anyone getting paid by insurance jacks-up the bill as much as possible because they know the money is there. The consumer doesn't really care, insurance is paying for it. Which leads to higher policy rates for consumers which lead to pissed off consumers who then try to get all they can anytime they have an insurance claim. Prices just spiral out of control.

Next time, I fixing it myself. 

Fuck American Crapitalism.