Many Arizona shop owners think General Liability (GL) and Garagekeepers Liability are the same thing — but they protect totally different parts of your business.
Take this quick 10-question quiz to test your knowledge and make sure you’re covered where it counts.
For Each Situation below, decide whether it’s covered by General Liability (GL) or Garagekeepers Liability (GK).
| # | Situation | Your Answer: GL or GK |
| 1 | A customer slips on oil in your parking lot and breaks their wrist. | |
| 2 | One of your techs accidentally scratches a customer’s car while backing it out of the bay. | |
| 3 | A vendor trips over an air hose in your shop and sues you for medical bills. | |
| 4 | You finish a brake job, but later the breaks fail and cause a fender-bender. | |
| 5 | A fire in your shop damages several customer vehicles inside overnight. | |
| 6 | Your outdoor sign blows off during a monsoon and hits a customer’s car. | |
| 7 | A customer’s truck is stolen from your fenced lot while waiting for parts. | |
| 8 | You spill coolant on a customer’s leather seats during service. | |
| 9 | A customer claims your waiting area coffee burned them. | |
| 10 | You’re accused of damaging a customer’s engine during a repair. |
SCORING
- 8-10 Correct: You’ve got a solid handle on how liability coverage works in a shop setting.
- 5-7 Correct: You understand the basics, but some gray areas could cost you.
- 0-4 Correct: You might have major coverage gaps –and wouldn’t know until it’s too late.
(Answers at the bottom – no peeking!)
Quick Refresher
General Liability (GL) Covers:
- Injuries to people on your premises (slip/fall, burns, etc.)
- Damage to property other than customer vehicles
- Lawsuits related to completed work (after the customer drives off)
Garagekeepers Liability (GK) covers:
- Damage to customers’ vehicles in your care, custody, or control
- Fire, theft, vandalism, or collision while on your lot
- Accidental damage caused by your employees during service
How to Use This
If you missed a few questions – that’s normal. Most shop owners don’t realize how exposures overlap until a claim hits. That’s where working with an independent agency (like Wilson Insurance) helps: we can show you where GL ends and GK begins, using examples from real-world Arizona claims.
Next Step (No Pressure)
- Check out our Auto Repair Shop Insurance Checklist
- See if you need Workers’ Comp coverage by Taking the Quiz
No calls. No sales pitch. Just information to help you keep your shop covered.
If you would like a more hands-on approach or if you haven’t had a local agent review your policy in the past 2-3 years, we would love to talk with you at a time that fits your busy schedule. We are actively trying to work with shops in the metro Phoenix and Tucson areas. Call us at 480-964-2400 or email Justin at [email protected].
Answer Key:
- GL. Covers bodily injury on your premise.
- GK. Damage to a customer’s car in your care, custody, or control.
- GL. Injury to third-parties not tied to customer vehicles
- GL (Products-Completed Ops). Covers damage or injury caused by your completed work.
- GK. Customer vehicles damaged while you’re responsible for them.
- GL. Property damage caused by your premises operations.
- GK. Covers theft of customer’s cars from your lot.
- GK. Damage to a customer’s property while under your care.
- GL. Standard bodily injury to a visitor.
- GK. Damage to a customer’s car due to your operations or negligence.
