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what do YOU declare on your insurance ?

Steve-V6-D61

New Member
Just out of interest and not to say that you would mislead any insurance company but what should you declare and what do you not declare.

For example

Steering wheel
Seats
Exhaust
Colour change
Cat C or D repaired
Different Wheels
Air Filter
Harnesses
Roll cage

I think if you dont know, like air filter or exhaust thats OK, but what about a colour change or a roll cage. I know if your unsure you should declare it, but its can get exspensive or un-insurable.

Of course this thread is all hypothetical
 
Steve-V6-D61":3rwfhmhw said:
Just out of interest and not to say that you would mislead any insurance company but what should you declare and what do you not declare.

For example

Steering wheel
Seats
Exhaust
Colour change
Cat C or D repaired
Different Wheels
Air Filter
Harnesses
Roll cage

I think if you dont know, like air filter or exhaust thats OK, but what about a colour change or a roll cage. I know if your unsure you should declare it, but its can get exspensive or un-insurable.

Of course this thread is all hypothetical

My opinion Steve is declare everything modification/non standard wise ... Sky insurance do modifications with little impact as they are a specialist, both my cars are with them - most majors won't touch mods though ... People may get away with not declaring things in a simple accident but if someone dies or vehicle inspectors are involved then it's potentially a different story if modifications are found not to be declared ...

Martin
 
I declared everything I could think of and they only made a note of the coilovers. They charged me £10 extra for every 20bhp I had added with the engine mods.
 
James":t5fdz9lp said:
I declared everything I could think of and they only made a note of the coilovers. They charged me £10 extra for every 20bhp I had added with the engine mods.

There would have been a recording of your declaration for your protection - but you got off lightly cost wise :approve: I tend to send of a list of modifications which are kept on file ... comes from having a Japanese import on specialist insurance ...

Martin
 
hummm...I've declared the following.

Coilovers
Seats
Steering wheel

But not:

IK
Exhaust
Disks
Headunit
Remap

i've got harnesses and a cage to go in, which will most certainly be declared...Admiral are arsey about mods. The above 3 cost about £80!
 
i declared everything with my old insurers (greenlight). they didnt charge any extra for the mods, but charged £25 for amending the paperwork mid policy.

might aswell declare it all, i remember hearing a story of a local lad who crashed a skyline R34 and hadnt declared a dumpvalve. rumour was they didnt pay out as it was modded. could of been chinese whispers, but i guess its possible!
 
Steve-V6-D61":xd4vfi69 said:
Just out of interest and not to say that you would mislead any insurance company but what should you declare and what do you not declare.

For example

Steering wheel
Seats
Exhaust
Colour change
Cat C or D repaired
Different Wheels
Air Filter
Harnesses
Roll cage


Fackin'ell , you need to declare all that shit mate , K1ano is perfectly correct , if it gets nicked or crashed into you can claim and you'll probably get paid out a fair amount , . but if you get in trouble and your own insurance has to pay out big time they'll do what they can not to pay out and undeclared modifications will be top of their list!
I use a loophole in the law , I insure the car for £380 in my brother's name as a 2nd low mileage car reflecting his NCB, and drive it on my normal policy.
The extensive modifications to my V6 are irrelevant with regards to any possible,serious 3rd party claim, as it will be my policy paying and not that of the V6 !
... Only ; don't crash it , you'll have to pay for that

I think if you dont know, like air filter or exhaust thats OK, but what about a colour change or a roll cage. I know if your unsure you should declare it, but its can get exspensive or un-insurable.

Of course this thread is all hypothetical
 
James":2h5hif89 said:
I declared everything I could think of and they only made a note of the coilovers. They charged me £10 extra for every 20bhp I had added with the engine mods.
JAMES, how did you know the hp figure that you declared did you dyno? how do you think that would impact me if i had an extra 40hp bearing in mind i only started with 207hp. i am not being funny on this just realistic, people are probably declaring mods with hp figures that they havent really got.
 
Well I was given a printout which looked like a power graph thing. Didn't understand much of it. Summary said what the bhp was before and after the engine mods. I told the insurance people what the new bhp was, paid the difference between before and after figures.

The car is back to standard now bar the bespoke exhaust.
 
Car modifications

If they are not declared, then in the event of a claim your insurance policy could be voided which will lead to all sorts of problems. If you have a heavily modified car it is recommended that you get insured with an insurance specialist that deals with modified cars.

The cost for different car modifications varies massively between insurance companies.

Before purchasing a modification we recommend you check with your insurance company how much it will cost. It is also worth noting that in most cases in the event of a claim the modified part will only be replaced by the standard part.

Why does it Cost Extra to Insure a Modified Car?

There are two main reasons why mods cost extra on insurance policies. Modifications tend to fall into two categories, each category is explained below and why it increases the premium.

1. Performance Modifications such as suspension, engine tuning, filters, exhausts and induction kits put up your insurance as they make the car faster which means you are more likely to crash. Roll cages suggest you expect to crash !!!!

2. Aesthetic Modifications such as body kits, tints and spoilers increase your premium as it makes your car more attractive to thieves and vandals.
What do Insurance Companies class as a Modification?

99% of insurance companies will class any modification to a car after it has been manufactured as a modification.ie 255 rims on a 230

It is worth nothing that some insurance companies will class factory fitted extras as modifications. I had his with a BMW that had factory option m tec wheels fitted and they refused to insure it saying it was modified.

Most insurers will only ever repair/replace parts of a car to factory spec. Reason is most modifications are hard items to find. You’re not going to get an insurance company buying Clio 182 leather recaros off Ebay to repair your car.

Bell did offer a modification insurance, which was a separate policy attached to the cars policy, and you could claim the cost of the mod if it was damaged/stolen. Meaning if the non standard rims were stolen off your car, you would claim be able the £1000 to buy a new set off Ebay.

Most insurers will insure you with mods, so that you are legally insured on the car with those mods. It doesnt mean your induction kit or Janspeed exhaust will be covered and paid for in a claim.

So as long as your 255bhp Clio looks like its only going to produce 255bhp you should be OK, they are VERY unlikely to put on a rolling road to check it, its really hard to do with only one wheel on the back of the car. :rofl:

I think the answer is don’t take the p*ss, if it’s visible declare it. if not ? your call.

The Clio's didn’t have many factory options so its petty clear cut what’s a mod and what’s not to us, but most insurance inspectors would not know what’s standard, but if you kill someone they will get in experts in who WILL know. After all they would love to wash there hands of a 1 million compensation payout by proving your car was modified, but they would have to prove in court that the mod had been a major contributory factor in the accident and you had not declared it and the judge will need to agree to this point as well, then you are in a world of hurt.
How do I know allthis, a friend works for direct line and deals with there 1 million+ pound payout cases. He is always in court regarding bad accidents and sorting out the size of the payout and he says they are always looking for an out.
 
SPIKE":1xwezdcv said:
James":1xwezdcv said:
I declared everything I could think of and they only made a note of the coilovers. They charged me £10 extra for every 20bhp I had added with the engine mods.
JAMES, how did you know the hp figure that you declared did you dyno? how do you think that would impact me if i had an extra 40hp bearing in mind i only started with 207hp. i am not being funny on this just realistic, people are probably declaring mods with hp figures that they havent really got.

I would think the opposite Spike, I don't think people would 'big up' or overstate figures to insurance companies for the very reason that it costs more - insurance companies may very well make an assumption that a modification increases power ... but specialist brokers are more realistic and aware of what modifications have what impact etc ... Sky Insurance, for example, don't tend to charge much more for a heavily modified car v a lightly modified one - most of their staff are enthusiasts in their own right also ...

Martin
 
I also remember playing down the bhp a wee bit as I was told never to take any figures as fact. I suppose you have a good point there Martin, some people might simply lessen or not overstate their bhp for a cheaper policy.
 
Back in the 80's you could get away with a few things ...

Someone ;) used to have 2 minis painted the same and with the same wheels. One was a 998 high revving stage rally car for sub 1000 cc class, the other was a 1430 road rally car - need I say more about reg plates, tax, insurance and MOT opportunities ... Not good if one car is parked behind the other though in public [smilie=icon_eek.gif]

A friend of mine fitted 13 inch wheels on the front of his mini (this really wasn't me) and didn't declare them or his larger engine. He had an accident as a result of landing over a brow and he tried to steer on landing but the larger wheels couldn't turn in the arches as the suspension had compressed. He ended up writing it off in a ditch, fortunately the insurance company didn't notice the larger wheels nor the bigger CC engine - it was a 1275 insured as an 850 :rofl:

Those were more reckless times and with the police and insurance companies more aware and dilligent now aswell as moral judgement being better as people get older - this is less likely to happen ... It was in North Yorkshire too - only sheep and rally cars around on the roads back then ...

Martin
 
k1ano":had3ysuf said:
Those were more reckless times and with the police and insurance companies more aware and dilligent now aswell as moral judgement being better as people get older - this is less likely to happen ... It was in North Yorkshire too - only sheep and rally cars around on the roads back then ...
Furthermore back then your insurance cost tup'pence and a bag of gravel ;). These days they ream you on the premium, wriggle like buggery on a claim because you've got an undeclared sticker on your window, and then sell your details to a "no win no fee" company for a bloody personal injury claim thus driving the premiums up :rollseyes:.
 
k1ano":2yzud7yh said:
Back in the 80's you could get away with a few things ...

Someone ;) used to have 2 minis painted the same and with the same wheels. One was a 998 high revving stage rally car for sub 1000 cc class, the other was a 1430 road rally car - need I say more about reg plates, tax, insurance and MOT opportunities ... Not good if one car is parked behind the other though in public [smilie=icon_eek.gif]

A friend of mine fitted 13 inch wheels on the front of his mini (this really wasn't me) and didn't declare them or his larger engine. He had an accident as a result of landing over a brow and he tried to steer on landing but the larger wheels couldn't turn in the arches as the suspension had compressed. He ended up writing it off in a ditch, fortunately the insurance company didn't notice the larger wheels nor the bigger CC engine - it was a 1275 insured as an 850 :rofl:

Those were more reckless times and with the police and insurance companies more aware and dilligent now aswell as moral judgement being better as people get older - this is less likely to happen ... It was in North Yorkshire too - only sheep and rally cars around on the roads back then ...

Martin
hmm, some northern folk might take offence at that! listen here wee laddie, us old uns were around and driving in the 80's and 70's and i can assure you that there was a lot more than sheep and rally cars.
some of us even broke the speed limit! :violin:
 
interesting topic, ive never declared any mod just because of it putting my insurance up. i had a 106 gti which i spent around £13k on modifying and a skyline which i spent around £10k on making it to a 450bhp beast.
i think when it comes down to my vee tho if i do make any modifications then i will tell my insurance company.
 
® Andy":vrat006o said:
Furthermore back then your insurance cost tup'pence and a bag of gravel ;). These days they ream you on the premium, wriggle like buggery on a claim because you've got an undeclared sticker on your window, and then sell your details to a "no win no fee" company for a bloody personal injury claim thus driving the premiums up :rollseyes:.


And still they lose money writing motor insurance [smilie=icon_eek.gif]
 
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