https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/articles/car-modifications-car-insurance-prices/
A few surprises to me.
And a couple take it down
A few surprises to me.
And a couple take it down
Last edited:
General what modifications affect car insurance
- Thread starter koalar
- Start date
-
- Tags
- insurance modifications
Currently reading:
General what modifications affect car insurance
Yep, some bizarre ones there.
Best practice is phone up and ask them. It'll be heavily age/car/company dependent anyway.
OP
OP
Air filter and exhaust I expected
Stripes I felt are bit harsh
But wheel chair clamps is just disgraceful.
And roof rack was unexpected.
Stripes I felt are bit harsh
But wheel chair clamps is just disgraceful.
And roof rack was unexpected.
Very unexpected, didn't know you had to declare a roofrack. Do you have to tell them every time you fit or remove it?
Tow hitch I can understand as it's a permenant fixture and will change how the vehicle behaves in a rear-end shunt.
OP
OP
Think the tow hitch going down is because drivers stay further back when a big spike is in their face. So less likely to get rear ended.
Roof rack I understand. As the contents are generally insured as well. Direct line you need to inform them if you occasionally use one, but your premiums don't go up.
Didn't know this was classed as a mod until a few days ago.
Pretty much anything that add or changed can invalidate your insurance.
Including stickers in your window. Maybe I should have some printed " Baby on board and not insured"
Could be worse. In Germany if you fit a none OEM size tire and you get pull into a check not only do you get fined and points but you can't move the car until the tyres are changed.
Five or six years ago I found out that my insurance company, Churchill required notification each time I changed to winter tyres and back again, there was no change in premiums. I got shot of them as soon as the insurance was renewed, LV didn't require notification, Churchill may have discontinued this as winter tyres are less of a novelty nowadays.
OP
OP
Factory optional extras have to be declared to some insures. Guess roof bars fall under this.
Pretty sure there plenty fall fowl of this
I wish to incorporate LED lighting to my car’s exterior. How can I do this legally?
The only way is to use a complete lamp unit that has been tested and wears a Type Approval Mark from an approved maker, such as Ring Automotive.
However, GEM has come across complete LED lamps that do not wear any form of Type Approval Mark and such kits admit in the very fine print on the packaging that they are not for road use. Buy with care.
Any modification, however, must be declared to your insurance company.
Pretty sure there plenty fall fowl of this
I wish to incorporate LED lighting to my car’s exterior. How can I do this legally?
The only way is to use a complete lamp unit that has been tested and wears a Type Approval Mark from an approved maker, such as Ring Automotive.
However, GEM has come across complete LED lamps that do not wear any form of Type Approval Mark and such kits admit in the very fine print on the packaging that they are not for road use. Buy with care.
Any modification, however, must be declared to your insurance company.
glenn2602
Member
It would appear that any changes made to a vehicle after it rolls off the assembly line will affect your insurance. Any modification work carried out - i.e a recall - must be done by the dealership.
I owned a 1998 4 litre Jeep. That model was subject to a recall because in the event of it receiving a rear end shunt it was liable to burst into flames .. ruptured fuel tank and all that .. The recall was to have a towbar fitted ..
On the other side of the coin, many, many years ago a friend of mine had his car stolen. The insurance company vastly reduced his payout simply because he'd had new alloys fitted along with a boot spoiler.
And on a different coin ..
Many many many years ago I used to play around with 3500cc Rover V8s. So did my friend, who rebored his engine to 4 litre, fitted super-dooper exhaust manifolds and air filter, along with a high performance camshaft. When he finished the work he took it for a test run (30mph area).
In court the police said that the car had landed 10 feet from the brow of a hump-backed bridge before careering down the road, clipping a lamp post, before careering even further down the road and ending upside down on a roundabout opposite a police station (so he didn't have far to walk to report the accident..).
Unsurprisingly, his insurance didn't pay out because of the modifications. Following the court case they put his premium up .. It's a good job he hadn't fitted a sunroof and go-faster stripes to his car ..
I owned a 1998 4 litre Jeep. That model was subject to a recall because in the event of it receiving a rear end shunt it was liable to burst into flames .. ruptured fuel tank and all that .. The recall was to have a towbar fitted ..
On the other side of the coin, many, many years ago a friend of mine had his car stolen. The insurance company vastly reduced his payout simply because he'd had new alloys fitted along with a boot spoiler.
And on a different coin ..
Many many many years ago I used to play around with 3500cc Rover V8s. So did my friend, who rebored his engine to 4 litre, fitted super-dooper exhaust manifolds and air filter, along with a high performance camshaft. When he finished the work he took it for a test run (30mph area).
In court the police said that the car had landed 10 feet from the brow of a hump-backed bridge before careering down the road, clipping a lamp post, before careering even further down the road and ending upside down on a roundabout opposite a police station (so he didn't have far to walk to report the accident..).
Unsurprisingly, his insurance didn't pay out because of the modifications. Following the court case they put his premium up .. It's a good job he hadn't fitted a sunroof and go-faster stripes to his car ..
