FAO Owners of Modified Cars - Insurance warning

[flutterby]

This is a true story, just thought i would let you know...........

a friend of mine was pulled over on a random stop check last week. The police asked him for his insurance details and asked him he had declared all his modifications on the insurance. He told them yes ( in all honesty he thought he had) how ever after them checking with the insurance it turns out he hadnt decalred that he had tinted windows. The police asked if this would now void the insurance and they said yes. becasue of this my friend was given 6 points and £300 fine there and then! He was then escourted home to take the vehical back.

Be care full, the police have found an easy way to make money.

[rickgti]

sneaky. i didnt think tints would matter unless they were really dark

[flutterby]

it would seem they do. everyone in our local area is bricking it if they havnt declared things

[flutterby]

it would also seem that maybe i might have posted this in the wrong section. sowwwey

[Sam]

...and your local area is...?!

[gazza57]

I got caught in a similar way, over alloy wheels, I have a Golf 1.9Tdi which came from the factory in Wolfsburg with steel wheels.
Bought some original VAG alloys which were considerably more expensive than pattern ones from halfords or similar.
Came to insurance renewal time, went through normal renew questions, mentioned about alloys only in passing.
Thank you that'll be £50 extra, first excuse was that the car was now worth more despite market value being the same.
Second excuse was that car had departed from originally built spec and therefore constituted a bigger insurance risk.
Fine, I said insure without the wheels being covered, can't do that.
Finally they said that many people plead ignorance and state that the alloys were fitted when they bought them but the car codes printed in the label in the bootwell define exact accessory fitment to vehicle on the production line and any cars with fitments other than that fitted even ones with OEM wheels constitute a bigger risk and therefore any policyholders who have cars without the original factory fit spec will possibly invalidate their insurance without the extra premium being paid.
I even have once instance where steel wheels were fitted on a car which had factory fitted alloys and they still charged a top up premium.
The excuses are 100% bovine effluent, just another example of creative insurance companies.
Gazza57

[devonutopia]

So glad I have a policy where i can modify mine how I like, as long as I don't change the engine CC, which I've not. Real peace of mind modding. :)

[Veedubber]

So glad I have a policy where i can modify mine how I like, as long as I don't change the engine CC, which I've not. Real peace of mind modding. :)

Care to elaborate?

[Eshrules]

Care to elaborate?

he can remap, uprate or paint it pink with yellow spots if he likes, it wont alter his premium. the only thing he cant do is engine transplant, eg 1.9 up to a 2.0, i.e 1898 cc to 1998 cc

[CmdrBond]

This is a true story, just thought i would let you know...........

a friend of mine was pulled over on a random stop check last week. The police asked him for his insurance details and asked him he had declared all his modifications on the insurance. He told them yes ( in all honesty he thought he had) how ever after them checking with the insurance it turns out he hadnt decalred that he had tinted windows. The police asked if this would now void the insurance and they said yes. becasue of this my friend was given 6 points and £300 fine there and then! He was then escourted home to take the vehical back.

Be care full, the police have found an easy way to make money.


Further to this, the police have powers to seize the vehicle if the insurance is void or none existant, not only could you get hit in the pocket by the courts you could also have to stump up the cash to release the car after the police have seized it, average cost is approx £300 - this includes recovery fee, storage fee and release fee. They also have the powers to seize the vehicle if the tax is out of date.

With the increase of modded cars over the years, the police are getting more strict on uninsured or untaxed cars. Something to remember

[devonutopia]

Care to elaborate?

Indeed - it's what eshrules said. It's a policy that I was offered about 4 years ago - might be 5 years ago now. And I know for sure they now don't offer it to new customers, but have clearly stated that it's in place for me as a long-term customer. Basically I can perform any styling/engine mods (non CC increasing) and as long as I keep receipts they are covered. Chances are if I ever did bust this car big time it would be worth more in spares. The engine alone is worth more than my car's value (as standard) - in bits which are on it.

[flutterby]

...and your local area is...?!

sorry local area being Burton On Trent :)

Its amazing what they are doing people for now, makes you wonder if its all worth it if your gona get screwed over anyway

[onzarob]

Its amazing what they are doing people for now, makes you wonder if its all worth it if your gona get screwed over anyway

Isn't it just a case of informing the insurance company and your covered, they don't always charge more;).

[Eshrules]

Isn't it just a case of informing the insurance company and your covered, they don't always charge more;).

i agree, like i said above, i stuck some new rims and a FAI on my fiat brava, i informed Quinn Direct and as long as it had either had an MOT since the fitment, or the fitment had been done by a proper garage/mechanic, it wouldnt affect the insurance premium.

the statement above about 'screwing people over' is a bit of a generalisation... not every single insurance company charges and if they do, you dont have to accept it, complain or move your policy to a different provider :beerchug:

[cairnsie13]

I think the police were being extremly harsh in the case of tinted windows. You had done the correct thing in informing them of modifications and they simply penalised you for one what i would consider insignificant detail. The trouble is all this does is further alienate people from the police causing more problems than it does solve.

[SMEG]

I was once told by my insurance company after getting my car back after being repaired that they could have refused my claim because i had not declared a modification which was------------------------------- A TOW BAR.
Can you believe it!?

[gaz A]

I bought some new alloys for my seat leon, rang the insurance up and said i'm thinking bout changing wheels. they said fine but they'll be a charge. so went out bought wheels, put them on , rang insurance and they wouldn't cover me!!!!!!!! The bloke on the phone said i'd been given the wrong advise and that i should've read my policy booklet. i had done so i asked him to read out from the booklet what it said and he couldn't find it written anywhere. So i complianed in writing but after 3 months arguing the toss i gave up because i only had 1 month left until policy ran out. that was churchill. how many chavs do you think tell their insurance company (if they have one) bout their big bore 1.1 saxo with tints my girlfiends sisters pet rabbit could of put on better? Same old same old in this country. Tax the honest up to the eye balls and give to the scratters!

[dessimpson]

As far as the window tints go. If they're standard tinted windows then you'll be fine. If they're stick on tints then you're:- A. a pimp or B. a drug dealer and deserve all you get :D

A few years ago i got a cat 1 alarm fitted to my pug mi16. This dropped my insurance by £100. 9 months later at renewal time they'd added over £600 to my premium as i'd "modified" the car. Needless to say the AA lost a customer that day!!!

[davey_boy]

Bovine effluent, summs it all up nicely doesnt it