Insurers- Do they REALLY need to know?

[Hangar 18]

I was mulling over in my mind after speaking to a few friends about the matter- do people actually insure mods these days? I know people that have written their cars off with mods as extensive as added FMICs, upgraded engine interns, lowered suspension, spoilers, straight-through pipes, Re-maps, tints, alloys and strut braces in different combinations- and some have written their cars off in accidents- and had to claim.

I'm aware that a few of the examples I was thinking of were 3rd party insurance- so the cars needn't be valuated.

But do they ACTUALLY check nowadays? or is there different tolerances?
Does an upgraded panel filter or a window tint constitute insurance invalidation? is the £9999 modified up from a £1500 factory standard quote from my insurance company for a remap worth it (I'm not kidding- only wish I'd screen shotted that one when it came up- +40hp remap on a Bora 130PD [year or so ago])

How many of you guys have got away with it- and what trouble have these issue previously got you into if any?

 

[T9 man]

Well I for one! have all of my mods declared through Adrian Flux :love:
The cover is for the exact replacement parts/equipment that I had fitted and by the people who originally fitted them.

Why risk losing out on a possible claim because you need to save a few pounds on the premium?

Cost was only £200 more on top of the original premium as well

 

[obi_waynne]

It's not worth the risk. I worked as an Insurance broker for years and saw loads of claims refused.

Our clients car crashed into another car causing damage and an injury. Our client had not disclosed his alloy wheels and the insurance was declared void from inception. He was prosecuted for fraudulently obtaining a certificate of insurance, charged with driving without insurance and faced his own repair costs and had the insurers chasing him for the third party costs (Injury and repairs). He did get a refund of his premium but also lost his no claims bonus as he wasn't insured for 3 years! (Try getting insurance again after all this! - not easy he was stuck TPO with some obscure lloyds syndicate for an extortionate rate.)

Another insurer refused a theft claim because the photo of the car showed that it was covered in stickers (a sort of rally style effect with sponsor stickers!)

If they can void a policy and avoid a claim THEY WILL. People who have had accidents have been known to list "bodykits, vents and alloy wheels and a boy racer exhaust" in their description of your car.

 

[Yugguy]

Well.

On a MK4 VAG car there is no counter for ECU flash so the only way of telling if it has been remapped is to download the ECU data, which IMO is highly unlikely.

Panel filter you'd not need to declare, IK you probably should.

That said, before I knew you were supposed to, I didnt declare that I'd changed the suspension on a car to lower and stiffen, and someone kindly wrote my car off for me not long after, but the insurance assessor did not notice the changed shocks/springs. Maybe I was lucky. Insurance was fully comp.

 

[HDi fun]

Totally with Waynne on this. You should declare everything.

 

[pgarner]

Well.

On a MK4 VAG car there is no counter for ECU flash so the only way of telling if it has been remapped is to download the ECU data, which IMO is highly unlikely.

.

yes there is but i think its only the VAG diagnostics can pick up on it, i know this as a mapper has spent time getting it to -1 the counter after loading the code.


but yes i would declare everything, somethings will add huge amounts others not.

 

[Yugguy]

yes there is but i think its only the VAG diagnostics can pick up on it, i know this as a mapper has spent time getting it to -1 the counter after loading the code.


but yes i would declare everything, somethings will add huge amounts others not.

Are you sure that was on a Mk4 and not a MK5 mate?

 

[Loz]

A few years ago you may have got away with it. But now the Police are able to know straight away whether your car is insured, taxed & MOT'd it's just not worth it.

 

[stamford]

Why risk getting sued or prosecuted? For what it costs you either pay up or don't do the mods. All of my mods are declared including the remap, because my policy is a like for like cover why would I not tell them what I have fitted? As had been already said, if you get caught out with undeclared mods your cover will be invalid and the law will come down hard on you, then begins the slippery downwards spiral.

 

[pgarner]

Are you sure that was on a Mk4 and not a MK5 mate?

might have been, it was a while back but i think it was mk4. im certian it was on the ukmk4 but i hate the search over there so not even going to try and find it

 

[misenthrop]

A test drive of the car which an assesor can do will soon reveal that the car is not standard even if the mods are invisible ones.

I'd never chance it, tell them everything.

 

[HDi fun]

Definitely tell them everything. The law requires that you have ADEQUATE insurance. If you render the policy void through non-disclosure, even though you have paid up, your insurance is not adequate.

Therefore you have committed an offence and you will be charged as such.

Personally I'd report an uninsured driver without hesitation.

 

[lutonmatt]

i told my last insurer everything that my trans am had to do with kitt and he said its noted but dont really matter as if it was smashed none of the kitt stuff would go back on it would be all standard bumpers ect

but now i dont bother having trade insurace they dont ask for anything other then the reg

 

[jarrus]

i told my last insurer everything that my trans am had to do with kitt and he said its noted but dont really matter as if it was smashed none of the kitt stuff would go back on it would be all standard bumpers ect

but now i dont bother having trade insurace they dont ask for anything other then the reg

well then surely thats a false ecomonmy then?

Why declare all your hard work on your insurance and then find that it's not actually insured?
If I got an insurance quote for my car with all mods I wanted to do to it and they said, Ok your car is insured now (so there are no undeclared mods or anything) but if it get smashed then I would only get standard parts then I would still them where to shove it! I would want all my mods replacing like for like surely that what insurance is... to ensure that you get it back in an unfortunate insicident

 

[lutonmatt]

it was just easyer at the time to swap my insurace over as it only had half a year left to run then look for one that pays out for the mods

but it is very hard to get a new bumper for a 82 trans am anyway and the kitt ones will be cheaper and what would be going on so was not worryed
plus if it did get written off was insured for a lot more then it was worth

 

[pgarner]

you can get like for like policies but most are replace with standard ones

 

[HDi fun]

The far bigger part of car insurance is the 3rd party liability part and it's imperative that you do not compromise that part. An engine can be replaced for £15,000 but if you damage property or injure people the claim can potentially run into millions.

 

[Hangar 18]

The far bigger part of car insurance is the 3rd party liability part and it's imperative that you do not compromise that part. An engine can be replaced for £15,000 but if you damage property or injure people the claim can potentially run into millions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/7511157/Driver-crashes-528000-supercar.html

LOL!
Proof

 

[obi_waynne]

I bet he was a bit sick after that one! I heard about a new BMW which got stolen from a forecourt. The guy left his keys in the ignition and went into pay. When he came out someone had made off with his car. It wasn't covered because he left his keys in the car under the "take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of a claim" clause.

 

[bigbadjoe]

Wouldn't like to see next years quote after that one! lol