Car Insurance for modified cars - tips and a guide

[StevieDB9]

im with admiral as they are by far the cheapest for me but they can be a pain. for one a woman ran into the back of me whilst sitting at red lights; even though she admitted fault and her insurance company covered all the costs, my insurance went up £40 (checked online making claim vs no claims), enquired about it and apparently even though it was not my fault I must obviously be a higher risk driver. go figure. also they charge extra for optional extras but dont replace them should they be damaged, how that works when there's a factory fitted body kit i'll never know :S

[admin]

We have some insurance deals in place and I've added them to the original post in this thread. So if you want a good deal try those links first when your policy is due.

[manracer82]

i agree but also think there is a distinction between what is their business and what is yours as its their business if you mess around and start lowering the suspension but none if you are actually improving safety at garage and have 12 month mot thats yours i wouldnt inform them every job had done to the car i would be on the phone to them every week it comes down to safety if you make engine more powerful then tell them if you feel you need to

[pgarner]

so your saying if i put on a huge 6 pot set of brakes on the front with racing pad, braided lines etc then i shouldnt need to tell them ? because im making the car safer

[T9 man]

Originally Posted by manracer82

i agree but also think there is a distinction between what is their business and what is yours as its their business if you mess around and start lowering the suspension but none if you are actually improving safety at garage and have 12 month mot thats yours i wouldnt inform them every job had done to the car i would be on the phone to them every week it comes down to safety if you make engine more powerful then tell them if you feel you need to

Well it's not just the alleged safety aspect that you need to notify the insurance company about, but claiming back the cost of these expensive items if God forbid you have an accident and you need to claim replacements. I for one have told the insurance company everything that has been fitted on the beast, and the moment something gets fitted I am on the phone again getting the premium adjusted to suit the equipment installed.
This is because I have spent tens of thousands on my car and if I get involved in an accident, I want every single thing replaced like for like!

[manracer82]

yes modifications should always be declared but i just wonder how often people do this in reality i have specialist insurance for modified cars meaning about same price as standard business full comprehensive about £ 425 year also i would like to see more emphasis on vehicle safety maybe mot being a compulsory qualification beforehand so they run 12month simultaneously this would make roads safer in my view less accidents from faulty cars being insured

[Prince]

I think the reason we have so many accidents in the country is because the the quality of driving is generally quite poor (except us TC lot! :lol).

Everything should be declared unless you quite like going to court and being prosecuted.

[manracer82]

yes driving quality is a major part of the equation but logic should tell you car quality is the other half of the equation

[SLEEPER]

Its realy simple - Maybe we should just be honest

People with bodykits drive on average faster and sillier than those without
And insurance companies know from there records that more cars (as a %) with bodykits have accidents than without .(for the same reason )

Same with mods ON AVERAGEl

If you are going to take issue with the above please read what I said carefully first -

And before anyone replies telling me they have been driving modded cars for years accident free that doesnt change the statistics because yuo are already included in them.

[Brainscan]

Originally Posted by cheryl_88

i completly agree with u, it is safe to no that your completly insured, howeva, why is it, that when i tried to insure my car, because i have onli just passed my test, i had alot of trouble finding a company that wud insure me knowin that my car had alloys and a body kit, i dont think this is fair. i understand that rates may go up, but it givs the impression that we cant have the cars we want as insurance is too high! opinions any1?

Insurers don't want to insure anyone who has held a licence less than a year as 8/10 people have a crash in their first year, couple that with the under 21's being involved in 90% of all RTA's, insurers make a loss on almost all first year drivers. Even if you're paying a couple of grand for your policy, if you hit the barrier on a dual carriageway the repair bill is around £20,000 per meter damaged once everything is replaced. Hope this helps highlight why first time driving is so risky.

[Brainscan]

Originally Posted by pgarner

so your saying if i put on a huge 6 pot set of brakes on the front with racing pad, braided lines etc then i shouldnt need to tell them ? because im making the car safer

Brake modifications do not make your car safer!!!! This is a false truth!! Insurers see bigger brakes as a gaurantee you're going to speed. They will not see this as improving safety in anyway and trying to get away with not telling them based on this will result in fraud. I've worked in insurance for years and any alteration from the standard is a modification and will invalidate any policy. Even if the mod is a standard part from a slightly better model, even trim detail is a mod and an insurer can refuse to pay based on this.

[Brainscan]

Originally Posted by StevieDB9

im with admiral as they are by far the cheapest for me but they can be a pain. for one a woman ran into the back of me whilst sitting at red lights; even though she admitted fault and her insurance company covered all the costs, my insurance went up £40 (checked online making claim vs no claims), enquired about it and apparently even though it was not my fault I must obviously be a higher risk driver. go figure. also they charge extra for optional extras but dont replace them should they be damaged, how that works when there's a factory fitted body kit i'll never know :S

You can report any company charging you extra for a non-fault claim as it is DISCRIMINATION. The magic word. It's the same as a company charging extra for a disabled person. Compensation me thinks or some free insurance. Oh and anything fitted by the factory has to have been done at purchase not afterwards, but a body kit fitted at purchase will be replaced like for like and is not a mod it is an option.

[Brainscan]

Originally Posted by HDi fun

All insurance underwriters HATE car insurance. And any excuse to inflate premiums will be used. As will they use any excuse to refute a claim. This applies across the insurance business in general and stands to reason.

Car insurance is a necessary evil for insurance underwriters - if it was not available then no one could go anywhere in their cars and thereby not be able to afford to buy any other insurance service because they couldn't get to work in order to earn the money required to pay for that service or policy.

Modified cars are difficult for underwriters. How do they quantify the owner/driver? Not qualify - that's different.

You might think that people who modify cars are all intent on going as fast as possible at all times and therefore make the risk/stakes higher.

But, you could argue that driver/owners of modified cars have a better attitude to driving standards and safety. It's fair to say that anyone who modifies their car(s) has an interest in their driving of them. Perhaps they take more care than someone who drives a standard vehicle?

If you have a good history then you shouldn't have problems getting insurance for a modified car with a sensible insurer.

Don't buy on price of policy alone. But don't be ripped off either.

I've been with Privilege for 10 years (it's a Direct Line company) and they have been more than accomodating.

Endsleigh are currently offering me a guaranteed saving of £70 upon taking a policy with them. So, I made the call. They wanted all my details.

I said "NO, you don't need that. I just tell you the price that Privilege has quoted for renewal and you can subtract the £70 from it."

They didin't like that at all. yet that's the offer they made.

Did you actually expect a company to just insure you without asking any details? You do realise they are potentially risking £20 million on you and your car. Plus if people who mod their cars we're safer, better drivers the stats would show this. I mean are you honestly saying the car park boy racers are really attentive sensible drivers? They account for most £1 million+ claims and multiple fatality RTA's.

[pgarner]

Hey and welcome to the site mate

Originally Posted by Brainscan

Brake modifications do not make your car safer!!!! This is a false truth!! Insurers see bigger brakes as a gaurantee you're going to speed. They will not see this as improving safety in anyway and trying to get away with not telling them based on this will result in fraud. I've worked in insurance for years and any alteration from the standard is a modification and will invalidate any policy. Even if the mod is a standard part from a slightly better model, even trim detail is a mod and an insurer can refuse to pay based on this.

This i know, my comment was aimed at the one above where if your making the car safer then you shouldn't have to pay.
All my mods have been declared apart audio mods as theyve always been covered in the policy.

Originally Posted by Brainscan

You can report any company charging you extra for a non-fault claim as it is DISCRIMINATION. The magic word. It's the same as a company charging extra for a disabled person. Compensation me thinks or some free insurance. Oh and anything fitted by the factory has to have been done at purchase not afterwards, but a body kit fitted at purchase will be replaced like for like and is not a mod it is an option.

wish id known this a few years ago. might have saved me a little

[waynne]

Originally Posted by Brainscan

You can report any company charging you extra for a non-fault claim as it is DISCRIMINATION. The magic word. It's the same as a company charging extra for a disabled person. Compensation me thinks or some free insurance. Oh and anything fitted by the factory has to have been done at purchase not afterwards, but a body kit fitted at purchase will be replaced like for like and is not a mod it is an option.

Not criticising this point but just adding some extra info from a case study I had whilst working as a broker.

We had a client who had 4 non fault claims in one year. The car was parked outside her house each time and someone drove into it. It was decided by the insurer that the location of her home and the fact she always parked on the end of the row was a high risk factor and one they wanted to load the premium for. We tried the discrimination route with them but the underwriters were undeterred at imposing terms.

Also as a note to those not in the industry you only truly get a non fault claim if you/your insurers can recover their costs.

Then to clarify the point about adding "dealer options" after purchase. Most insurers are happy for drivers to add dealer options to their car after purchase (wheels, radio, seats, ABS, HID lights and various internal trim levels etc...). The key here IMO is whether the car is modified from it's standard or usual specification. As long as your car could have come with those options from new you should be ok. IF IN DOUBT ALWAYS ASK THOUGH.

[gummy]

With the price of insurance it makes me wonder how many people tell insurers about mods done to there cars?.

[T9 man]

Originally Posted by gummy

With the price of insurance it makes me wonder how many people tell insurers about mods done to there cars?.

Well ME for one! I have invested 10's of thousands in my baby to date and I fully intend to spend much more in the future. Every single thing is fully declared to Adrian Flux and is covered on a like for like basis.
If God forbid some Neanderthal runs into the Beast and the police arrive at the scene in time to save the cretin, then I want everything put back onto the old girl in the fastest possible way and with zero fuss!

For me, that is money well spent

[Brainscan]

Originally Posted by waynne

Not criticising this point but just adding some extra info from a case study I had whilst working as a broker.

We had a client who had 4 non fault claims in one year. The car was parked outside her house each time and someone drove into it. It was decided by the insurer that the location of her home and the fact she always parked on the end of the row was a high risk factor and one they wanted to load the premium for. We tried the discrimination route with them but the underwriters were undeterred at imposing terms.

Also as a note to those not in the industry you only truly get a non fault claim if you/your insurers can recover their costs.

Then to clarify the point about adding "dealer options" after purchase. Most insurers are happy for drivers to add dealer options to their car after purchase (wheels, radio, seats, ABS, HID lights and various internal trim levels etc...). The key here IMO is whether the car is modified from it's standard or usual specification. As long as your car could have come with those options from new you should be ok. IF IN DOUBT ALWAYS ASK THOUGH.

If all the claims were outside her house then her policy will have been loaded due to the address not her claims. Having 4 claims against the post code means everyone in her street will have enjoyed this jump in premium. If the underwriter was loading her policy solely on the non fault claims and not the post code then they would be breaking the law. If she had taken this to the MIB they may have upheld her case. I've worked on a few where they have and massive payouts were made in compensation.
Also I understand where you're coming from on optional extras but most insurers won't be happy even If they are options at time of first purchase. Buying a second hand base model and putting the smarter parts on isn't acceptable to insurers unless you declare it as modified, because that's what it is. Just because the car could have had those parts doesn't mean you can just stick them on for free. The different models have different insurance groups based on these parts and will affect the price. If you work in claims/assessing or adjusting you'd find that out pretty quickly. Hope this helps.