Insurance - Tell them everything or not

[Pastymuncher 0]

Not all mods will result in an increase in premium, but the important thing is that they know about them.

 

From the point of view of covering yourself for third party liability (which can be expensive if you kill or injure someone, and as has been said, is not just for your benefit), because an insurance contract is based on information provided exclusively by one party (the driver), insurance contracts are subject to the legal principle of "uberimma fides" (the most perfect frankness). This allows the insurer to repudiate the contract if there has been any non-disclosure by the insured. Believe me, they will seek to rely on this if they can as it means no pay out. I've heard of claims being refused for non-disclosure of non-standard wheels, even though if you had told them about the wheels the premium would have remained unchanged.

 

I'm not sure about whether having no mods declared instantly makes you illegal for driving while uninsured. It depends on the wording of the policy and whether the insurer has a discretion as to whether the undeclared fact is regarded as material. Is the policy automatically void or just voidable? If the latter then its arguable that only when the insurance company refuses to honour the policy do you become uninsured, unless you knew for a fact that your undisclosed mod would instantly result in refusal (e.g. dropping a jet engine in and covering the bodywork with razorwire).

[HiAsAKite 0]

Do drilled brake discs count as mods?

 

And are they likely to impact the premium since if anything they make the car safer?

[Pastymuncher 0]

I would have thought anything done to the brakes to make them non-standard is a definate mod.

 

Also, remember that insurers are not just concerned about safety, but anything that affects their likely exposure. So not just anything relating to the chance of damage occuring, but also anything affecting the cost of repairs may also count as a mod (special paint, wheels, etc.)

[HiAsAKite 0]

Just to confirm... German LHD spec VR's didn't come with drilled discs as standard did they??

[vr6storm 0]

Just to confirm... German LHD spec VR's didn't come with drilled discs as standard did they??

 

 

All VR corrado's came with the 280mm vented discs

 

 

and as for brake mods........the insurers will look at this not as a safety feature but as something that encourages you to brake later so drive faster etc :wink:

 

 

the only brake mod that is not a problem to the insurance companies for a Corrado is the AtE power grooves

[trev-b 0]

Has anyone ever been left with no payout after being hit by someone else? For example if you didn't know anything about cars and it turned out the car you bought had non standard wheels and was lowered without you realising are you liable regardless of the fact that you didn't have a clue?

[Walesy 0]

...don't tell me you've bent it trev-b? :(

 

 

I had someone drive into me in my raddo (( not the one I sold to you I might add :wink:)) .. and I had he car repaired and no-one mentioned the fact that the suspension ( that they had to check after the knock ) had been changed and lowered, the only mention I had of the split rims I had was that they were noit prepared to pay for them to be repaired as they weren't standard.

[trev-b 0]

Fortunately not walesy i never even get a chance to take her out these days, but i "forgot" to declare the mods on mine and am now thinking about a full agreed value policy with everything declared just in case. Just can't see how they can stitch you up if you don't know the exact spec of your car etc. If so every second hand car buyer would have to do a hell of a lot of research just to make sure a car isn't 40mm lower than stock or whatever. Merry crimbo btw walesy.

[conleycrew3 0]

yeah non standard wheels are only insured if you say to your insurance you want them to be, on my mk2 golf i rang for a quote if i was to bang on some 17's and they said they couldnt provide me with a quote, i asked if i didnt want them insuring only the car would this be ok? they said yes thats fine, thanks for telling us about the mod.

 

cool eh!?

 

just state that you dont wish to cover the wheels etc on your policy, i.e if they were to be stolen, its not going to result in you making a claim etc, most insurers are cool with it

[Walesy 0]

and to you mate :D

 

 

Yeah, I sorta see it as a common sense thing, after all...how can you catogorise a modification?..would you have to use stock parts when changing everything?..even fuel filters or head gaskets and so on....

 

Any thing that you want to be able to reclaim for should be declared obviously. And anything performance enhancing in my opinion should really be declared, as I said beofore, the first raddo I had didn't have standard wheels and suspension and I didn't think to ring my insurance about it , but after my accident I got a policy that covered the lot. If you go with brentacre they insure you with mods up to a certain horsepower...thats the best way about it if you ask me.

[trev-b 0]

I'll try ringing for a quote and if they ask if its modded i'll say i don't have clue, you can send someone out to check? Doubt very much they would go to all of that bother but you never know eh. Just thinkit would be seriously shit if you got no payout for something you had no idea about. No car insurance specialists on here?

[Walesy 0]

They'l use whatever they can to get out of paying you if you total your car mate.

 

 

Im just chuckling at the thought of you trying to get away with saying that you reckon that thing is standard... :lol: ...

[trev-b 0]

Yeah would be pretty funny " i thought they all had 9" wheels on the back" and "standard exhaust mate, it must be blowing a bit to make it that loud" lol

[Orpheus 0]

Or... http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34938

[Trig 0]

They wouldn't send someone out to check, they just wouldn't payout if you had an accident. I was considering not declaring a couple of mods on my car to save £1-200 but I did in the end, worth it for the piece of mind IMO. :)

[funky 0]

you would be surprised at what the insurance accesors let go.as long as the car is well looked after and not an inch of the floor with 20 inch wheels and a max power sticker you would probaly be ok in a accident where no one was hurt

but i see a lot of claims get refused for illegal tyres and a lot of theft claims refused with undeclare alloys or expensive stereos

ive never seen one check and engine beyond the obligatory number check

[bristolbaron 10]

Worth declaring everything imo, but i have to say that, im a member of the CII!

[Guest]

I had an accident in my previous corrado when a third party hit me. The car was insured as stardard, but was far from that line. Lowered, wheels, charger modded, exhausted, brakes etc etc.

 

The engineer who came out checked the condiction of the car and nothing else. He did noticed the wheels and knocked money off for that.

 

Your call, but very fine line

[Musicman 0]

Yeah, I sorta see it as a common sense thing, after all...how can you catogorise a modification?..would you have to use stock parts when changing everything?..even fuel filters or head gaskets and so on....

 

That's nearly the way it operates in parts of Europe. In France, if you make changes to the technical specification of a vehicle that has been 'type approved' then you need to take it to a testing centre to have it re-certified before you can use it on the road. Effectively, any modifications, especially to mechanical components have to be declared to the state by law. The difficulties in getting this done have largely led to the huge amounts of money European dubbers put into their bodywork instead of their engines ;)

 

Some parts of the motor industry (notably the vehicle manufacturers) are wanting to head even further in the same direction and have been lobbying for legal protection of designs in the UK similar to laws that exist already in Germany and France so that third parties could not produce 'pattern' parts :roll:

 

My aunt's partner had quibbles over a claim with his insurers after an accident because he'd debadged the car without notifying them :shock:

 

For my part, in 'work to rule' style agit-prop, I've declared every change I've made to my Scirocco to my insurance company, down to the chrome door pins :)

[bristolbaron 10]

, I've declared every change I've made to my Scirocco to my insurance company, down to the chrome door pins :)

 

Mine are aware of my tinted side repeaters!

[corradostorm 0]

Look at it from the other side. If someone hit you and their insurance was invalid how would you feel.

 

(i presume an insurer will not pay out to a 3rd party?)

[double-6s 0]

or you can have a bloke who comes out and changes your car back to 'looking' standard before any inspectors see it???

just a thought. i wouldn't condone such things ;)

but it only takes a couple of minutes to whip an induction kit off and put the standard airbox back on for example......

[bristolbaron 10]

Look at it from the other side. If someone hit you and their insurance was invalid how would you feel.

 

(i presume an insurer will not pay out to a 3rd party?)

 

Insurers will generally pay out to the 3rd party. They are then likely to either:

BAD: Persue legal action to get the settlement amount from you.

Charge you the aditional premium for the undeclared mods.

GOOD: Not notice the mods

Notice, but not see them as performance or value enhancing and do nothing.

 

or you can have a bloke who comes out and changes your car back to 'looking' standard before any inspectors see it???

just a thought. i wouldn't condone such things ;)

but it only takes a couple of minutes to whip an induction kit off and put the standard airbox back on for example......

 

Try changing an airbox when the front panel has been pushed in 6". Or changing a bumper/alloys/lights...

 

Declaring is the only way.

Besides, this year my insurance was up for renewal at £410.

I asked for additional cover from last year, to cover 17" Alloys, Coilovers, mild engine mods and other bits and bobs, and increased from 5K miles per year to 15K. They charged me an extra £35 for everything.

To my mind, its worth it.

[double-6s 0]

personally i think he should make his own mind up on such matters. no offence meant to anyone, but he's got to do what he thinks is right.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah honesty is the best policy and having worked for an insurance company for many years, I know only too well how eager they are to avoid paying out and the loopholes they exploit. Some of the top end claims inspectors almost have police like powers!