Insurance World

By Paul Bender, Co-owner of RV America Insurance

Since RV America assists more than 1,000 RV dealers nationwide, we generally stay current with dealership practices and procedures as well as new RV gadgets, warranties, protectants, cleaners, gizmos, and the occasional scam. One of the best new products we’ve recently seen on the market is a product called Diamon-Fusion.

If you’ve driven any vehicle – especially an RV – on the open road, you’ve no doubt experienced the head-whipping experience created by seeing a rock hurtling toward your windshield. You flinch, close your eyes, and simultaneously hear the inevitable popping sound made by the projectile. Instantly you open your eyes to inspect the nature and cost of the damage. We’ve all been there.

As mentioned above, there’s a new product on the market that many of our RV dealers are recommending, and that we wholeheartedly endorse as well. It’s called Diamon-Fusion. (RV America Insurance does not sell this product, nor do we make a profit from endorsing it.) Diamon-Fusion provides a four-year warranty, which covers the repair of any damage caused by road debris. You can purchase an upgraded warranty, which includes both repair and/or replacement of the glass.

So, how does this product work exactly? According to Diamon-Fusion USA, this product causes a molecular change in the surface of the glass. The process reduces the coefficient of friction and also increases its impact strength by as much as tenfold. I’ll explain.

Your windshield glass appears to be smooth, and it is, basically. But imagine for a moment that you’re looking at an extreme close-up of your windshield. Under a microscope, you’d probably think you’re looking at the surface of 80 grit sandpaper. Your RV’s windshield is constructed like that; it’s actually quite rough. You might say that the surface of your windshield is covered with millions of peaks and craters. So, here’s what happens when that projectile hits your windshield; the rock, let’s say, actually grips into one of these craters transferring its full force to that immediate spot on your windshield. If the force is strong enough, you’re left with a star, or crack in your glass.

How does Diamon-Fusion work? Although we could elaborate on the entire molecular process, let’s over-simplify at this point. The application of this product first creates a smooth surface by filling in the peaks and valleys. Then a protective coating is added which provides the durability. Simple, huh? Not only is your RV windshield now stronger, but the slicker surface significantly increases the chances that a rock will bounce/slide off without creating damage. In fact, lab tests conducted by the company show that it would take about 10 times the force to crack a Diamon-Fusion treated windshield compared with an untreated one.

While this alone is probably enough to capture your interest, there’s another added benefit. You can also expect to have improved wet weather visibility when your RV windshield is treated by Diamon-Fusion. Why? The smoother the surface of your RV windshield, the less likely it is that water droplets will be able grip your glass.

Because of the nature of the chemicals used in the process, the application of Diamon-Fusion is not a project you can do yourself. See your RV dealer for a quote and proper installation. The price can range anywhere from $400 to $2,000 for the largest of RV windshields.

If you consider the cost of a new windshield, and/or the cost of your RV insurance deductible coupled with the potential inconvenience of interrupting your vacation, you might come to the conclusion that Diamon-Fusion is a good investment for your RVing future.

Paul Bender
RV America Insurance Mktg., Inc.
1-800-400-0186
www.RVAinsurance.com

Paul Bender is the founder and Co-owner of RV America Insurance Marketing, Inc. in Simi Valley, CA. RV America Insurance is the largest RV insurance agency in the nation, and has long been recognized as the leading provider of specialty RV insurance through RV dealerships nationwide. RV buyers rely on RV America’s licensed agents to provide outstanding value and superior knowledge of RVs and RV specific insurance coverage.

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If you manage a small business you’ll dread the possibility of a member of your team being be taken seriously ill or dieing. Apart from the personal upset, your business would be hit hard. Sales or production could take a dive, key skills could be lost and the general pace of the business could fall. All this costs the business money.

Insurance is available to offset those financial risks, risks that can be especially serious for smaller businesses. After all in smaller businesses other employees can’t be moved across to fill the gap - there’s simply no one spare. So the problem remains until the person either returns to work or is replaced.

If the person is off sick with a serious illness such as a stroke or a heart attack you simply don’t know when, or if, they’ll return to work. It could be a month, six months even a year or more. Management is then caught in a cleft stick. Do you take on a temporary employee, contract out or recruit a permanent employee? Or are you forced to tread water and wait for matters resolve themselves? That’s risky. And how much will all this cost the business in terms of extra overheads, lost sales and profit?

Keyman Insurance has traditionally absorbed these very real financial risks but nine out of ten small businesses still don’t carry that insurance. It’s either because they haven’t addressed the problem or they’ve found Keyman Insurance to be too costly.

A Simon Briault, a spokesperson for the Federation of Small Businesses said, “In an ideal world, small firms would be insured against everything, but reality demands the businesses prioritise threats and occasionally take risks”.

But there is a cheaper alternative. It’s called Group Critical Illness Insurance. And it’s about half the price of normal Keyman Insurance!

With Group Critical Illness Insurance, the management decides which employees to insure and how much to insure them for. The business then pays the premiums and receives any lump sum payout. A claim can be made as soon as any of the insured employees are diagnosed with any critical illness which is scheduled within the insurance policy. As you would expect heart attacks, strokes and cancer are the biggest three biggest reasons for a claim but the full list of insured critical illnesses is much longer. For example, kidney failure, meningitis, paralysis and even blindness.

The important point to realise is that to make a claim, the insured employee must survive at least 28 days after their critical illness is diagnosed. (Some insurance companies have now reduced this to 14 days so please check before you buy.) Therefore, if the employee were to die before the end of the survival period, any claim would be invalid. In that context, it’s not as comprehensive as full Keyman Insurance – but at around half the price of there has to be some compromise!

Simon Burgess, the MD of British Insurance says: “Group Critical Illness Insurance is a real alternative to full Keyman Insurance - and at around half the cost, it’s great value for money. If managers find Keyman Insurance too expensive there’s little excuse for not covering the biggest part of the risk with Group Critical Illness Insurance. Don’t pay the price for apathy”.