Insurance - Notifying about Modifications.

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Insurance - Notifying about Modifications.

If they are within the sapecifications set by the car manufacturers then they are not a mod. if they affect the cosmetics (appearance), performance (braking efficiency is still a performance factor - not just speed!), security or vehicle use (this includes taking out seats) then they class as a modification from manufacturers standard specification so need to be declared.

so according to your discription.. i have to declare all the cosmetic mods on the car.. like parts of the dash are painted a different colour from standard, ive got a centre console that wasnt there when the car was made.. outside bump strips have been colour coded.... etc etc
 
You are supposed to declare every modification to the car. This includes painted interior bits or a nice CD player etc. This is because as far as the insurance are concerned, they make your car more attractive to people wanting a steal it. Its not always down to how they think you will drive because you have a noisy exhaust system.

However, in the real world there is all sorts you can get away with.

Say you had an accident. Your car got written off and it wasnt your fault. Youve got undeclared mods and are ****ting yourself because the insurance want to send out an engineer to inspect the car.

Now, do you think it is practical to send an engineer from the Companies HQ in (lets say) London, to the policy holders house in Manchester?

No. Its not. Insurance companies hire independant companies from your local area to inspect THE DAMAGE. Not to inspect what mods you have on your car! The person inspecting your car doesnt know what mods you do and dont have. They have no information atall as to what your policy covers. All they know is that you have had an accident and they need to write a report stating the condition of the car so that the insurance company can declare it as a write off or not.

The only area this may become a problem is if a modification has been damaged. Say you have a massive great body kit that has been smashed to pieces. The engineer will inspect the car and make notes that the bumper has been damaged and will have to take photos. Now if the car IS a write off, it wont matter, the inspectors will tell the insurance co its a write off and they will write it off. But if it isnt, and the insurance co have to pay for the parts to be repalced, they wont be happy when they find out they arent replacing a standard bumper.

So what im trying to say is obviously stuff like bumpers and wheels need to be declared as they will get damaged in a crash. Stuff like brakes and performance mods neednt imo. Its a matter of using your common sence. If you crash your car, your insurance company arent going to come around and take your engine apart looking for uprated cams and larger throttle bodies etc. They will hire a third party company to come and look at your car and report WHAT IS DAMAGED, not what mods you have on your car.
 
However, if you crash and someone is killed, and the police seize your car and do a forensic examination on it... a report goes to your insurance company, and a death is an expensive payout for insurance company, they will look for every opportunity to get out of it. Thats when you could be in a lot of trouble.
 
To me the answer seems simple...

a) Ring up your insurance company.
b) Ask them the question.

.....or am I thinking too hard?
 
so according to your discription.. i have to declare all the cosmetic mods on the car.. like parts of the dash are painted a different colour from standard, ive got a centre console that wasnt there when the car was made.. outside bump strips have been colour coded.... etc etc

OMG. Any one who knows Panda's knows a 750L is the most basic car you can get. Now think of a 1000CL with a 750L engine. Thats basically what ours 750 Panda now is, its upto spec of 1000cl but with the origional 769cc engine in. That alot of different little extra's to tell the insurance company. Looks like it will be a long phone call when it next gets insured (SORN at mo).

But it therory although my CD player may make my insurance go up by £5, but the 3rd break light grille lights and alarm I fitted could bring it down by £10 because it makes the car more visable and secure? so I could be gaining, or is this unlikely?

o and can I point out, ANPR only reads number plates, it doesn't see whats on your car and store it! Just someone implied this on previous page.
 
Alarms and security devices can bring your insurance down, but normally only if they are approved and installed by a poffesional who will provide you with a certificate. Such as Thatcham approved etc. I dont think adding safety features will save you any money unfortunately.
 
i spoke to an advisor over the phone yesterday regarding the insuring of my Bravo when i pick it up on saturday, i started to fill in the form online then saved it and phoned them up, they cross referenced and asked me a few questions about the car and the modifications i was wanting to declare when i asked about interior modifications she stated that these do not need to be declared as they do not alter the performance of the car, only performance modifactions such as full exhaust (just backbox was ok) manifolds etc would need to be declared but stereo up to £500 doesn't need to be. to be on the safe side i declared the kit, exhaust, suspension and wheels which didnt alter my policy :D
 
that was with quinn-direct i'm on there with my polo at the moment which is £1100 tpft all mods declared and i wanted to change over no charge for going up 600 cc's well shuffed :D
 
:)my fiat sei, got write off after christmas it wasnt my fault,

im fully comp however iv had the Sei S, i had the abarth rear bumper and a new back box coming out the middle of the bumper, they havent said anything and are paying out more than i paid for the car
 
The underwriter decides the amount of risk you and your car presents based on certain factors and information you make available to them, from this they calculate the premium and state the terms and conditions of the policy. In simple terms........... they make the rules.
 
The underwriter decides the amount of risk you and your car presents based on certain factors and information you make available to them, from this they calculate the premium and state the terms and conditions of the policy. In simple terms........... they make the rules.

So that would have been what they were on about when I notified them about the 3 points I've now got.
 
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