Insurance Time

[Panda]

I came across this on msn:

"Any change in the specifications from the ones your car left the factory with could result in hefty price hikes. Adding a rear spoiler or respraying the car would jack up the premium by a quarter, tinting the windows adds 50%. Fitting bull bars to an SUV or changing the alloy wheels would cost the driver nearly a third more. The real no-no as far as insurers are concerned is altering the suspension – lowering the car means a whopping 171% increase."

Full story http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news...mentid=3005474

My best quote so far is less than 200 quid on a classic policy but I'm thinking of lowering the car later this year. Does anyone know of any UK insurers that accept modded cars without giving silly qoutes?

As for the rest of the world.... Do you have the same problem with insurance companies?

[632 Regal]

dont report that the car was modded, if you total it usually the adjuster just looks at damage not the mods or stance of the car.

[GJPinAU]

I put on the policy that it had 1. Factory tint 2. Msport suspension and wheels. All of these are OEM.
What? I lied!
Not really.

[632 Regal]

sortof

I put on the policy that it had 1. Factory tint 2. Msport suspension and wheels. All of these are OEM.
What? I lied!
Not really.

[Dave M]

I'm not in the UK (Canada), but interested if they actually do give a flying rats a$$ about the state of your car prior to giving you insurance. Our cars are 12-18 years old and should have received numerous 'replacement' parts by now. Not sure what point msn is trying to make, but the increases they're quoting are ridiculous. By their calculations, the basic mods to my e34 would cause a 200% increase, and thats just the tint and lowering (which one could argue makes the car safer).

As Jeff said, if you can tolerate the guilt, don't tell them anything. I've been hit while parked (no fault) and they either didn't catch the mods or didn't lose any sleep over them when they fixed the car (and I had a 'fine car' appraiser go over it with the proverbial comb). I'm still paying just over $600/year

Dave

[Dave M]

Are we talkin 200 quid a month? Yeesh

[TC535i]

Insurance goes up just because you lowered your car?



My insurance thinks my supercharged 318is on coilovers, Sparco seats/racing harnesses, etc. is a "1992 318is 2-door".

[JerseySi]

Insurance companies, especially over here (jersey, uk - uk companies but with local brokers) will find any reason they can not to pay out for a claim.. And technically yes, you're breaking the law if you don't declare stuff.. However, my last modded car was a 325iS (E30), lowered to the deck - they didn't increase the premium at all when i told then, thankfully (they increased it after i punted it into a granite wall after owning it 2 weeks! ) My insurance costs £187 a year, fully comprehensive on the 535i - good enough for me

[Dave M]

My insurance costs £187 a year, fully comprehensive on the 535i - good enough for me

Booooo, thats cheap ins. You could spend that much in 'petrol' in a couple a weeks, eh?

Dave

[markus]

the way i see it is if u get into any major accident the cars will be totaled anyway. **** em