Fire season: does your car insurance have fire protection?

The dense smoke and ashes from the fires do not only threaten those who breathe: the car parked on the street is also damaged. Filters clog up before the deadline, soot attacks the paint varnish and the smell of burning permeates the interior — and none of this is automatically covered by the insurance policy.

The alert falls on the most sensitive calendar in the country. In a report on July 21, the Ministry of Health placed 15 states on the list for monitoring hot spots and exposure of the population to smoke, with Tocantins, Mato Grosso and Bahia at the top of the count. The forecast until September is for below-average rain in the Center-North and above-normal heat in almost the entire country.

Clogged filters and anomaly light on

The respiratory system of a combustion engine resembles that of the human body: it depends on clean air to operate efficiently. With the atmosphere loaded with particulate matter, the engine air filter and the cabin filter saturate much faster, which compromises the mechanical performance and cooling of the air conditioning.

Near the fire fronts, the problem escalates: the volume of debris in suspension can overheat sensors and turn on the engine anomaly light, the well-known check engine.

On the bodywork, care is different. The ashes are abrasive and may contain acidic compounds that are harmful to the varnish. Removing them dry with flannel works like fine sandpaper: micro-scratches and the circular marks known as cobwebs come out. The correct thing is to wash with plenty of water to dissolve and drag the residue before any contact.

What Insurance Covers—and What It Doesn’t

In the United States, basic liability and collision policies do not cover fire or soot. In Brazil, fire is part of the basic coverage of auto insurance, alongside theft and robbery, and the comprehensive one adds collision and natural phenomena. Brokers heard by the specialized press say that the car hit by a fire is covered by this guarantee, as long as the insured has not aggravated the risk. If the repair exceeds 75% of the market value, the case becomes a total loss, indemnified by the Fipe Table.

The blind spot is damage without fire: changing filters and internal cleaning are not sinister, but maintenance paid for by the owner. Soot on the paint and odor in the cabin, without the flames having reached the car, depend on the reading that each insurer makes of the general conditions – reason to read the policy before activating the center. The factory warranty does not solve it either: it covers a manufacturing defect, not a natural disaster.

How to reduce damage

The recommendation is to check both filters frequently, anticipate the change in critical periods, keep the windows closed and use the air conditioning recirculation when the air quality worsens. On the road, there is a more immediate risk: the smoke drops visibility and causes collisions in stretches close to the outbreaks.