View Full Version : declaring mods on Insurance
bobphatboyphat
13-07-2007, 18:40
What modifications can you do that you do not need to tell insurance company.
Apart from changing the air filter to a green one, totally unsure what you can do to a LCR that is not going to icrease the insurance......
mrcoyote
13-07-2007, 18:43
Technically any modification you make that deviates from standard specification should be declared to the insurance company.
bobphatboyphat
13-07-2007, 18:46
technically aside, what could you get away with that will not turn you insurance invalid if you had to make a claim....
have had a bad experience of modifiying a car and then it been written off and my mods not been covered.. even thought they said they would be....
mrcoyote
13-07-2007, 18:48
technically aside, what could you get away with that will not turn you insurance invalid if you had to make a claim....
have had a bad experience of modifiying a car and then it been written off and my mods not been covered.. even thought they said they would be....
You pretty much have your answer there...
Also you need to read the insurer's small print when it comes to replacing mods, i.e. are they like for like or back to standard?
technically aside, what could you get away with that will not turn you insurance invalid if you had to make a claim....
have had a bad experience of modifiying a car and then it been written off and my mods not been covered.. even thought they said they would be....
I'm with Golf plus/HIC
All mods declared and insurance covers everything up to £1,500 and as long as doesn't make more than 10% power raise which for LCR is 23 BHP
So unless you get re map nothing else will be out with this
sandy1981
13-07-2007, 19:01
[QUOTE=So unless you get re map nothing else will be out with this[/QUOTE]
If you crashed your motor and someone came out and inspected it,I doubt they would plug into the ecu so surely there's no way of them telling if you've had it remapped? Unless they get it towed towed away to inspect the ecu,personally never heard of this happening.
You could get away with murder, but I wouldn't recommend it as if you get caught, you're fecked.
If you change anything on your car you must tell your insurance company. I've given this speech so many times on this forum I'm bored of it, so please do a search. But in short... if you change it, tell them about it. They might not care, they might. If they care and you don't tell them, you'll risk trouble.
If you crashed your motor and someone came out and inspected it,I doubt they would plug into the ecu so surely there's no way of them telling if you've had it remapped? Unless they get it towed towed away to inspect the ecu,personally never heard of this happening.
I have
I picked up my car after a crash repair, spoke to the insurance assessor (sp?)
who pointed out a corsa that was not insured for having aftermarket wheels, this car had crashed and the guy reconed he was going to knock back the insurance claim due to this!!
These guys are there to save the company any money they can, if they can by plugging in a OBD11 port and speak to the ECU......I wouldn't take the risk
£10,000 is too much to risk for me
There are numerous ways of finding out if it's been remapped, so don't risk it. If found out that youre trying to defraud your insurance company you'll find it very hard to get insurance in the future.
Get it all declared. You'll be found out otherwise.
matt-drummer
13-07-2007, 19:35
I think that losing your car is the least of someone's worries if they don't declare modifications to their insurer. Hit someone and you're in big trouble even if everything about the car is legal. They will go over it with a fine tooth comb, the police know all about remaps. Kill a pedestrian with an uninsured vehicle and I'm absolutely certain you will be going to prison - even if everything else was legal, you were driving sensibly etc etc. How can it be worth the risk, it would ruin your life, like I said the insurance company not paying out on your car is the least of your worries!
As said everything must be declared, remaps, wheels etc. However its easy to preach that when say all you have is a uprated DV or remap.
stewbie55
13-07-2007, 20:23
On my IHI powered LCR, the insurance company were mainly interested in the BHP rather than detailed physical mods, other than I mentioned it has uprated suspension and brakes and looks externally "standard".
I'm not planning on telling them when I swap the FSD's for KW coilovers and add bushes and ARB's as all they know is that it has "uprated suspension".
Maybe this is an oversight on my part but they didn't ask me fo a full spec sheet on everythig that was changed - also where do you draw the line - I have a Fabia wiper and Alpine HU - does this invalidate my insurance?
What about when I get a ATB diff fitted - should my insurance drop as it is (arguably) safer to drive?
To be honest my main concern is that the insurance value is only covered for what I paid for the car which is much less than it would cost to replace with all the mods on.
Thing is though a new flash head unit means it is more likely to get broken into in their eyes.
matt-drummer
13-07-2007, 20:40
The main purpose of vehicle insurance is not to protect the owners investment but to protect the rest of society from what you could do to them should the worst happen.
The reason for declaring modifications to your insurance company is not really to ensure that you get adequately compensated for the additional cost of those modifications but to fully inform the insurer of the risk they are exposed to when you are driving your vehicle on the public highways.
I would advise my insurer of any changes made from standard specification just to safeguard my position should I be involved in any accident.
I can't think how risking ruining my life is worth it for a relatively small amount of money. If you can't afford the extra insurance costs the I don't really think you can afford to modify your car.
sandy1981
13-07-2007, 21:22
[QUOTE=stewbie55;1471340]- also where do you draw the line - I have a Fabia wiper and Alpine HU - does this invalidate my insurance?
What about when I get a ATB diff fitted - should my insurance drop as it is (arguably) safer to drive?
[QUOTE]
Exactly.Another point,what if you bought a car and never knew that it had uprated/modified parts? Say you never got a receipt for a remap from the previous owner and you never knew about it and it turned out after a crash the insurers found it had been remapped,would this void your policy?:confused:
matt-drummer
13-07-2007, 21:28
I think the insurer/police would be able to find out who did the remap and when it was carried out, if it was before someone acquired the car and they clearly had no knowledge of the modification I think they would be OK. I would think that most if not all companies offering remaps keep records of which vehicles they are applied to, when, and the owner of the vehicle.
stewbie55
13-07-2007, 21:40
Don't get me wrong I am happy paying for the extra insurance cover and I do pay for it.
The thing that surprised me is that as I have a modified insurance policy I was kind of expecting the insurance company to send me a form to detail all the mods or for me to at least send them copies of receipts etc. Thankfully they seem to have a more "woolly" view on things and have weighted the risk in terms of BHP.
The problem now is what happens to any subsequent changes I make? - and at the moment I am adding something new almost every week - minor stuff like boost gauges, etc.
What if I change to uprated brake fluid e.g. dot 5.1 isn't "standard specification", or swap a miltek exhaust to a blueflame (not planning on doing that BTW) surely they are the same risk and they wouldn't want to know?
Would you tell your insurance company if you filled up with BPultimate 102 (may want to tell your bank manager :) ) and changed your revo settings? then next tank you went back to 98! etc.. etc...
matt-drummer
13-07-2007, 21:57
Well, I think you have to be sensible.
A wiper blade is a wiper blade whether its brand x,y or z. All that is important is that its the same specification as the manufacturer supplied it with or quotes as suitable for the vehicle. A bulb is a bulb,as long as its the same specification as normal.
I actually wouldn't count a Forge diverter valve as a disclosable modification, its a direct replacement for the Bosch oem part, it doesn't do anything differently, its only the same as prefering Goodyear tyres to Pirellis.
A remap needs to be disclosed, a change in spring rates, ride height, damping etc should be disclosed. Coil over suspension is a fundamental change to the suspension, it doesn't really matter whether its Bilstein, Koni etc.
If I were an insurer I don't think I would touch anyone who wants an lcr remapped, surely it only sends out one message, you want to drive excessively fast! The car is more than fast enough as it is, don't get me wrong though, I love it!
If I were an insurer I don't think I would touch anyone who wants an lcr remapped, surely it only sends out one message, you want to drive excessively fast! The car is more than fast enough as it is, don't get me wrong though, I love it!
What are you suggesting?
I never drive above 70, I just have a medical NEED to get there in about 6 seconds...:lol:
Yup you need to declare all mods really, if only for peace of mind, and some of the companies recommended on here are very sensitive to this and practically expect it, so it won't hit the wallet too hard.
If I were an insurer I don't think I would touch anyone who wants an lcr remapped, surely it only sends out one message, you want to drive excessively fast! The car is more than fast enough as it is, don't get me wrong though, I love it!
In that case you wouldn't insure the LCR in the first place then, for the same reasons. Why do you need to go as fast as the LCR allows you, when the LC is a fast enough car anyway to drive at the speed limits? And why do you even need an LC, when a 1.6 will do 70mph on the motorway happily enough? Any more than that is illegal, as well you know.
How about somebody who has a trailer and needs the extra torque tow it, but doesn't want to buy a new car? A £500 remap will solve this.... but you're going to turn them away? There are other reasons to remap a car than just breaking the speed limit.
Triple D
14-07-2007, 10:50
I was stupid and nieve with my ibiza, i told them it had a full milltek exhaust, lowered suspension, bigger brakes and that was it.....
It infact also had uprated clutch, fmic, rs6 alloy wheels, hybrid turbo and a remap, along with front and rear strut braces aswell, also changed all the pipework in the engine....
When i crashed it the first thing i thought was OH F*CK! i thought my insurance is going to be invalid and im gonna be f*cked.
I was extreamly lucky though and i just lost what i had paid for the parts. They wrote the car off, and they then asked me how much i thought it was worth, i didnt want them to investigate it as i was driving like an absolute :w4nk: that night, so said aslong as you give me how much i owe on the car that will be fine (£9500) so they paid £9400, but i hadnt declaired my 3 points either, so they obviously found out about them aswell and charged me £1500 for not declairing them. I ddnt want to argue with them as i knew if i did they would investigate my car and then i could be up shit creak without a paddle and also maybe having to fork out for the damages i caused to the other vehicle, her whiplash and legal exspenses.
Belive me, declair everything, as you will get found out one way or another, and it really isnt worth the risk or the mental strain, that i myself now know what its like.
I was lucky, you may not be..........
Good advice there, very honest of you too :yes:
GREY 225
14-07-2007, 18:41
Hi all
I have done a fair amount of mods to my car,told insurance company about most of them,like remap,in which case all they wanted to know was power increase ie 20%,increased premium abit but not as bad as i had thought,told them about air filter and also anti roll bars,apparantly this increased the premium because although i had not lowered the car it changed the handling of the car from standard,they also stood out like a sore thumb.Didnt mention the bailey dump valve mainly cos i was just replacing a unit that fails anyway and i replaced it with a better one that does the same job,also i got black so it looks no different in appearance really,didnt mention the mintex rear pads or ferodo fronts cos most car companies fit these brands to new cars anyway and if you took car for a service chances are that they would fit different brands of brake pad compared to the factory anyway.A brake pad is a brake pad,these just work better.I think i have been fairly honest with them.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
tdi sport
17-04-2008, 00:39
hi just reading the thread great argument i have a remapp but dont now the bhp it was 170 but i had to get it turned down because the clutch was slipping so would would i tell them when they asked for a bhp figure?
Well my problem lies in the mods ive made, Swiftcover allow any wheels and ice up to value of £1000 each, fair enough rs6 wheels and a stereo covered.
But do i declare my colour coded bits? they are modified but they add no value or performance.
just look a bit nicer. I have tinted my rear lights but they still are rear lights and still pass an MOT. so Hmm do i declare those.
No the only thing i plan on declaring is when i lower it. as springs that are bright blue stick out so bad lol.
Im also in the same boat with the break pads. Tell them about uprated breaks and i bet they will charge more. So i refuse to be forced to pay out more on something they wont notice and only make my car safer.
On my old car i had an agreed value of 3k with HIC with every mod declared.
If you can't afford the insurance when modified, don't do it or you might come unstuck.
Go with Greenlight - they add the remaps on for free :)
traumapat
17-04-2008, 08:56
Don't get me wrong I am happy paying for the extra insurance cover and I do pay for it.
The thing that surprised me is that as I have a modified insurance policy I was kind of expecting the insurance company to send me a form to detail all the mods or for me to at least send them copies of receipts etc. Thankfully they seem to have a more "woolly" view on things and have weighted the risk in terms of BHP.
The problem now is what happens to any subsequent changes I make? - and at the moment I am adding something new almost every week - minor stuff like boost gauges, etc.
What if I change to uprated brake fluid e.g. dot 5.1 isn't "standard specification", or swap a miltek exhaust to a blueflame (not planning on doing that BTW) surely they are the same risk and they wouldn't want to know?
Would you tell your insurance company if you filled up with BPultimate 102 (may want to tell your bank manager :) ) and changed your revo settings? then next tank you went back to 98! etc.. etc...
i got the same with mine. i think its policy related. perhaps once the bhp gets past a certain level per car it becomes the overiding factor. risk of crashing as opposed to the wheels getting nicked.
i was told i was a good risk as id already had the car 2 years running 242bhp without issue (the insurers obviously had never been in an ihi`d leon :D)
although they may not be bothered about my new boost gauge or whatever they still get a phonecall as if anything bad happened i dont want them to have any excuse re payout.
i did tell them i`d upgraded the brake fluid. tried to make out my car was now safer:D didnt reduce my premium though :(
I have found if your honest with them its the best policy.
As said above if you have the worse case senario and you knock down some old granny, dam sure they will be all over your car like a rash, it would be very nieve to think any less.
But as I've said before why buy a car for £10,000 and scrimp on the insurance cover, its a stupid thing in my book but each to their own
DannyC87
17-04-2008, 22:06
Out of interest, have people declared HIDs? I don't want to start the whole legal debate though! If so have you just stated "uprated bulbs"? cheers.
tdi sport
18-04-2008, 00:04
i was reading this thread and decided it was best to tell my insurance or at least ask them if a remapp would raise my premium so i emailed my broker to ask wat would it cost if i got a remapp done (even do i have it done nearly a year now) the sent a reply saying that if i moded my car in any way at all from the standard they would not cover any claims made so now im stuck in a bit of corner i only got insured in january any ideas any1
coopsman1
18-04-2008, 00:18
i was reading this thread and decided it was best to tell my insurance or at least ask them if a remapp would raise my premium so i emailed my broker to ask wat would it cost if i got a remapp done (even do i have it done nearly a year now) the sent a reply saying that if i moded my car in any way at all from the standard they would not cover any claims made so now im stuck in a bit of corner i only got insured in january any ideas any1
i gota say this mate, but its your own fault and there is no way out. Always be up font with the insurance company because if you crashed already:
you wouldnt be covered & liable to prosecution due to not being insured not to mention liable to being sued by the other party involved
tdi sport
18-04-2008, 00:36
yeah i will have to take the remapp out untill next year at least
coopsman1
18-04-2008, 00:54
yeah i will have to take the remapp out untill next year at least
either that or cancel your premium early and go else where, its a loss but only a couple of months.
tdi sport
18-04-2008, 10:16
yeah definitley doing somthing straight away bout it not worth it cheers mate