Insurance modifications

[Dr Strangeglove]

Just getting a quote of the internet for my mum and saw a box giving info on vehicle modifications - a few more things than I expected!:shock:

Modifications are any changes which have been made to the vehicle which affect the vehicles performance or make the car more attractive to thieves.

Below is a list produced by the Association of British Insurers of some of the typical modifications. If any of these apply to your vehicle we will not be able to provide you with a quote on-line. Please telephone us for a quote.

Alloy wheels
Badges indicating increased performance
Blueprinting
Body kit
Bonnet bulge
Bored-out engine
Bull bars
Car phones
Chipping - engine management system change
Crash bars
Dashboard changes
Decals/stickers
Driving lights
Dual controls
Engine casing changes
Exhaust system changes
Flared wheelarches
Flared wings
Fog lamps
Front spoiler/airdam
Gearing change
Hand controls
High level brake light
Larger speakers
Locking wheel nuts
Miscellaneous engine alterations
Murals
Nitrous oxide kit fitted
Non standard paint work
Non-standard engine
Non-standard re-spray
Radiator bars
Rally lights
Rear roof spoiler
Rear spoiler/aerofoil
Rear valance
Replacement seats
Side skirts/sills
Slick tyres
Sports steering wheel
Spot lights
Standard engine replacement
Steering change
Stripes
Sunroof
Supercharging
Suspension changes
Tail lift
Towbar
Transmission changes
Trial tyres
Turbocharging
Upholstery changes
Uprated brakes
Uprated stereo systems
Wheel trims
Wider tyres
Wider wheels

[Evilgoat]

There's a work beginning with B I'm thinking of....

[mmgemini]

Yes a certain company refused to insure me because I have standard alloy steel wheels fitted. No alloy wheels of any description were allowed.

[Evilgoat]

Yes a certain company refused to insure me because I have standard alloy steel wheels fitted. No alloy wheels of any description were allowed.

Well that covers me on:

Alloy wheels (Stock)
Badges indicating increased performance (Stock Quttro Badge)
Car phones (Aftermarket h/f fitted to comply with the law)
Chipping - engine management system change (Ottinger, stock on older S-lines)
Dashboard changes (Ottinger, stock on older S-lines)
Driving lights (Stock on a LOT of cars)
Fog lamps (rear, legally required, again, stock on most cars)
Exhaust system changes (Audi speced exhaust, prettry much stock but I have actually declared this)
High level brake light (Legally required)
Larger Speakers (Yes, 1 Sub, again, declared)
Locking wheel nuts (err worry, I'm not allowed to stop scrotyes theiving my alloys, oh sorry, I'm not allowed alloys)
Miscellaneous engine alterations  (Ottinger, stock on older S-lines)
Non-standard engine (See up)
Rear valance (Stock on most cars now)
Side skirts/sills (see below, you cant MOT a car without sills, I've tried)
Sunroof (stock on most cars)
Suspension changes (Ottinger, stock on older S-lines)
Turbocharging (Ottinger, stock on older S-lines. Stock on a lot of cars, almost standard on deisels)
Uprated brakes (Porsche, stock on older S-lines. So I'm not allowed to be able to stop in a more controlled, safer manner?)
Uprated stereo systems (Arguable, declared anyhoo, have these people realised that some manufactureres STILL fit AM only radios?)
Wheel trims (Err, What? Stock on just about every car ever made since 1980)

Wider tyres (see brakes)
Wider wheels (see brakes)

Curiously, I thought:
Fog lamps
High level brake light

Were legally required, and
Side skirts/sills
Rear valance
Wheel trims
Locking wheel nuts  
Badges indicating increased performance
Alloy wheels

Rules out most cars. not to mention Locking nuts shoud REDUCE insurance and I have tried to MOT a car that had no sills, and it went badly :) Also curious that severaly changes made ot make the car safer are labelled as bad too.

[Terranosaurus]

[ Also curious that severaly changes made ot make the car safer are labelled as bad too.

Firstly they are not saying they won't insure you with these mods or that it will cost you more simply that they want to know about them. It more than likely will cost you more. Statistically people who carry out such modifications may well have more accidents - I don't know. But insurance is all about statistics. Actuaries spend a lot of time working it all out - then the insurance company just puts the cost up anyway.

[RCRockCrawler]

Insurance is becoming a bit of a pointless affair, really. The companies know that we need by law, so they make it expensive, more so if the car is non-standard. Then when you have an accident, (when you actually need the insurance company) they can still turn around and say:

'Nope, you never declared you locking wheelnuts, we're not paying'

[welshlaner]

[ Also curious that severaly changes made ot make the car safer are labelled as bad too.

 Actuaries spend a lot of time working it all out - then the insurance company just puts the cost up anyway.

Some might still do, but years ago i was employed by a software house to write computer programs which worked out "risks" from existing claims

From data we were given to test all kinds of thing came out, certain people claim year in year out yet others go for years with no claims, older cars had less minor claims, women had less serious accidents but more minor ones, single women more likey to claim than married.

Done on everything job discription, place of work,milage area post code car type age colour (black worst yellow best) usage

[Evilgoat]

[ Also curious that severaly changes made ot make the car safer are labelled as bad too.

 Actuaries spend a lot of time working it all out - then the insurance company just puts the cost up anyway.

Done on everything job discription, place of work,milage area post code car type age colour (black worst yellow best) usage

Thought Red was worst?

[datalas]

how, exactly, do stickers make a car a more dangerous vehicle to insure ?  unless you stick it over the windscreen I guess...

[Thrasher]

Stickers? dangerous?

Oh hang on does this mean that twonks that put Supercharged badges on oil burners have no insurance? Cool - bring it on :-)

[Terranosaurus]

how, exactly, do stickers make a car a more dangerous vehicle to insure ?  unless you stick it over the windscreen I guess...

They don't but the statistics must show that people who put stickers on their cars are more likely to have accidents. Not because of the stickers but because the are the sort of person who puts stickers on their car -chavved up corsas for instance.

[Thrasher]

<cough>

And we don't put stickers on our 4x4's?

[Terranosaurus]

It was an example of who is putting the statistics up

[Bush Tucker Man]

Slick Tyres??

Hardly road legal anyway

What a series of 'get out clauses'!!!

[Sider]

Curiously, I thought:
Fog lamps
High level brake light

Were legally required

Only the rear fog is a legal requirement. The 3rd brake light is not as yet compulsory (advisable, though) for older cars.

As for the rest, you will find that most companies consider any Optional Extras (i.e. whatever is not clearly specified on the literature for that trim as standard) a modification. Nevermind that it was done by the manufacturer before the point of sale, it is still a modification.

If you have a Quattro, most of the add/ons are standard anyway, so they wouldn't count as modifications. And as for the car phone, I believe that insurance company has not updated the website since the 80s, when you actually had to install the phone into the car, and in some cases, even fit an ultralarge reel of wire in your boot :D

[Bulli]

TBH on bikes and with the disco i got cheaper insurance as they are on modified policies. Once you reach a certain point you can class it as modified(as in properly modified not a badge, sticker and tyres, the bike has to have alterations to chassis,bodywork and engine to qualify) and then the insurers believe you will take more care of your pride and joy.
Thats true of the Bike but they clearly arent aware of the abuse offroaders get...and you cant really claim if you roll it on a pay and play day!

[Thrasher]

It gets funnier.

When I insured the RR it was not possible to have it done *without* a tracker. So I told them I'd sort one. Got one sorted, rang back.

We go through the form again, get to modifications - I state none, as I haven't even had it delivered yet. Girl moves on to next question...

"Has it got a tracker fitted"

"Yes"

"Oh in that case we have to go back to the last question and state vehicle is modified"

"Eh? But you TOLD me I had to have a tracker fitted so I could insure it...."

Cue sounds of someone banging head on desk .....

[Mudlark]

TBH on bikes and with the disco i got cheaper insurance as they are on modified policies. Once you reach a certain point you can class it as modified(as in properly modified not a badge, sticker and tyres, the bike has to have alterations to chassis,bodywork and engine to qualify) and then the insurers believe you will take more care of your pride and joy.
Thats true of the Bike but they clearly arent aware of the abuse offroaders get...and you cant really claim if you roll it on a pay and play day!

In one of the issues of TOR last year there was an article on someone that had drowned his truck on a Pay&Play and managed to persuade his insurance to shell out for a new engine - I believe he successfully argued that it was being used on a social or domestic outing when it happened :shock:  :shock:

[S188]

TBH on bikes and with the disco i got cheaper insurance as they are on modified policies. Once you reach a certain point you can class it as modified(as in properly modified not a badge, sticker and tyres, the bike has to have alterations to chassis,bodywork and engine to qualify) and then the insurers believe you will take more care of your pride and joy.
Thats true of the Bike but they clearly arent aware of the abuse offroaders get...and you cant really claim if you roll it on a pay and play day!

In one of the issues of TOR last year there was an article on someone that had drowned his truck on a Pay&Play and managed to persuade his insurance to shell out for a new engine - I believe he successfully argued that it was being used on a social or domestic outing when it happened :shock:  :shock:

Insurance companys are getting wise to that now, mainly due to performance cars on track days.

They are usally not insured on the track other than for liability.  Insurers have however noticed a large number of performance cars are being "crahsed" on the public road not very far from the gates of the track.  I bat theres usally drag marks comming out the gates too from when a land rover dragged the wreck off site.

[Yoshi]

And the reasons the stickers push the premiums up are the following, if you were going to steal a range rover and there was 2 identical ones, but one (like thrasher see's constantly) has stuck an aftermarked supercharged badge on, which is most likely to get stolen, basically the higher end sri's and such like of this world are desireable to car thieves.

You are all so far basing the insurance on an accident, dont forget it also covers theft.

[Thrasher]

...and imagine their disappointment when they find a diesel under the bonnet. Pass the C4 please......

[Yoshi]

That is very true, but it still makes it more desireable to car thiefs, cos they dont have time to see if its a tractor under the bonnet or not!

[Bulli]

i would say a car theif going after that kind of motor would be very very car savvy. You cant drive em away nowadays not with the security so they would have to transport it...they will spot the diff a mile away and will prob have followed the car home.

if you catch one hang em, no thats too good for em