Car insurance Question

[speed12]

Hi,

Currently my car is standard, however i have modifications planned over the next few months.

Is it wrong to get a quote and take out a policy with modifications declared? even though the modifications are not yet fitted?

My theory is that if i took out the policy with the car as standard and then added the mods i would get stung badly for doing so (because once im on the policy i have no choice but to accept the increase). However in the quotation stages they may give a lower price to gain custom.

What do people think on this?

The plan was to take out a policy with the following mods declared;

Alloys, lowered suspension, Spoiler and ECU remap

THen fit the modifications over a few months.

[Ben]

ask them

also ask the forum sponsor chris knott. i declared all mine and they were cheapest.

[STEWY L]

is it legal to insure something you don't have?
or just illegal to claim for something you haven't lost?

[kimandsally]

You could go to the site for instance go compare.com fill the details in on the website then modify it to reflect each mod then you can see what they will increase by.
I did this before every mod I've done, alloy wheels can put more on the insurance than what they cost. And chipping can double the price on some sites.

[speed12]

Im not sure.

Im happy with the latest quote i got which was about £800 with all mods declared, the thing is if i were to take out a policy with my car as standard, (Which would be cheaper) then declare the mods as i put them on, would the premium shoot up really high (Because they know i cant go anywhere until my policy runs out) or would it still cost £800?

I guess i will have to ring them up, and say that the mods are planned within a month...

[kimandsally]

Im not sure.

Im happy with the latest quote i got which was about £800 with all mods declared, the thing is if i were to take out a policy with my car as standard, (Which would be cheaper) then declare the mods as i put them on, would the premium shoot up really high (Because they know i cant go anywhere until my policy runs out) or would it still cost £800?

I guess i will have to ring them up, and say that the mods are planned within a month...

Definately give them a ring and tell them exactly whats happening, then put it in writing.
I say this because if anything does happen it will look very suspicious and they will probably not pay out.
I wrote a car off in Jan this year ist one ever in 27 years of driving and they want their pound of flesh, they ask for the service book which I send in the they offer £3500 as it's only been serviced twice in 8 years, when I said better look in the book it's been done 14 times the they said doesn't make any difference to the price!!!!!!!!!

Honestly cover yourself, I did everything right and mines now with the insurance ombudsman, PS it's elephant.co.uk if you want to know where not to buy insurance.

[jonbaker]

Definately give them a ring and tell them exactly whats happening, then put it in writing.
I say this because if anything does happen it will look very suspicious and they will probably not pay out.
I wrote a car off in Jan this year ist one ever in 27 years of driving and they want their pound of flesh, they ask for the service book which I send in the they offer £3500 as it's only been serviced twice in 8 years, when I said better look in the book it's been done 14 times the they said doesn't make any difference to the price!!!!!!!!!

Honestly cover yourself, I did everything right and mines now with the insurance ombudsman, PS it's elephant.co.uk if you want to know where not to buy insurance.

I put in a claim through elephant once for a theft of a ford puma. They tried to shaft me at first with the payout price, but i provided proof of market value by way of autotrader ads etc and a glass's guide evaluation print out (which is what they should go by anyway so i am led to believe). Anyhow, they increased it by £600 but i was looking for a grand more, i took the £600 though. They got an investigator to ring me up to go over the details of the theft, he made me feel like i was up for murder!

[speed12]

Ok, I have another question regarding an ECU remap,

On Admiral website they dont have a "Remap" as an option but they do have chip upgrade 0-11% increase, 11-25% increase and 25%+ increase.

Now for my £800 quote i ticked the 11-25% increase, however when i treid it with the 0-11% increase the premiu dropped to £620.

My question is how can an insurance company find out what power increase you have had? Im assuming the only way is to put it on a rolling road, but even then they cant prove what the original power was due to tolerences etc.

I am aware that they can sense a remap by looking into the diagnostics etc, but will this tell them the power gain? What does eveyone think? would it be worth the risk declaring a 0-11% increase in power?

Regards

[jonbaker]

Ok, I have another question regarding an ECU remap,

On Admiral website they dont have a "Remap" as an option but they do have chip upgrade 0-11% increase, 11-25% increase and 25%+ increase.

Now for my £800 quote i ticked the 11-25% increase, however when i treid it with the 0-11% increase the premiu dropped to £620.

My question is how can an insurance company find out what power increase you have had? Im assuming the only way is to put it on a rolling road, but even then they cant prove what the original power was due to tolerences etc.

I am aware that they can sense a remap by looking into the diagnostics etc, but will this tell them the power gain? What does eveyone think? would it be worth the risk declaring a 0-11% increase in power?

Regards

all seems a bit fiddly to me mate, do you know the correct percentage then?

[kimandsally]

Ok, I have another question regarding an ECU remap,

On Admiral website they dont have a "Remap" as an option but they do have chip upgrade 0-11% increase, 11-25% increase and 25%+ increase.

Now for my £800 quote i ticked the 11-25% increase, however when i treid it with the 0-11% increase the premiu dropped to £620.

My question is how can an insurance company find out what power increase you have had? Im assuming the only way is to put it on a rolling road, but even then they cant prove what the original power was due to tolerences etc.

I am aware that they can sense a remap by looking into the diagnostics etc, but will this tell them the power gain? What does eveyone think? would it be worth the risk declaring a 0-11% increase in power?

Regards

Tell them the cars worn out and has 30% less power then standard and ask what the discount is.:beerchug:

[speed12]

lol,

like your thinking ;)

Well currently its a standard 130hp, i would aim for a custom remap to no more than 170hp i want to keep the torque down to a reasonable level aswell to preserve the clutch.

I think i would be fine quoting for up to 25% increase (Up to about 160hp).

I was just wondering if anyone knew if the insurance company coudl find out the Power just by looking at the remap? I doubt it.

[jonbaker]

lol,

like your thinking ;)

Well currently its a standard 130hp, i would aim for a custom remap to no more than 170hp i want to keep the torque down to a reasonable level aswell to preserve the clutch.

I think i would be fine quoting for up to 25% increase (Up to about 160hp).

I was just wondering if anyone knew if the insurance company coudl find out the Power just by looking at the remap? I doubt it.

I doubt it too, doesn't it have to go on a rolling road for that?

[speed12]

Yes i think a rolling road is needed, Would an insurance company really go through the trouble of getting a car on a rolling road?

I admit that yes they would probably want to know if it was remapped, and they could find this out. But when it comes to actual power would they go through the trouble? Not all remap companies offer rolling road either so many people may not know the actual power gains they have had.

So hence my question, would putting an 11% increase on the insurance quote put me in risk? when the actual gain is closer to 30%...

[jonbaker]

Yes i think a rolling road is needed, Would an insurance company really go through the trouble of getting a car on a rolling road?

I admit that yes they would probably want to know if it was remapped, and they could find this out. But when it comes to actual power would they go through the trouble? Not all remap companies offer rolling road either so many people may not know the actual power gains they have had.

So hence my question, would putting an 11% increase on the insurance quote put me in risk? when the actual gain is closer to 30%...

imo i'd go for whatever comes out the cheapest, but if they did go all crazy on you and start sniffing around the remap if you stacked it then they could void your insurance ! your choice :confused:

[kimandsally]

On a slightly different note contact Paul at RS Tuning (a site sponsor) he did a spanking job of mine he'll customise it exactly how you want it, you won't believe just how good it will be as your sights are very reasonable, he is a wizard trust me.

[STEWY L]

a very interesting subject lads, but at the risk of being "sent to coventry",or hung drawn and quartered, could i please respectfully request that when modding,or remapping your cars, that you inform your insurance company of the full extent of your mods.
i'm sure that i'm not alone in not wanting to be involved in an accident with an uninsured driver!
cheers.

[kimandsally]

a very interesting subject lads, but at the risk of being "sent to coventry",or hung drawn and quartered, could i please respectfully request that when modding,or remapping your cars, that you inform your insurance company of the full extent of your mods.
i'm sure that i'm not alone in not wanting to be involved in an accident with an uninsured driver!
cheers.

Absolutely agree no wonder your reps are so high, your definately a very constructive member, great advice as always.:beerchug:

[STEWY L]

Absolutely agree no wonder your reps are so high, your definately a very constructive member, great advice as always.:beerchug:
thanks for that mate. but to be honest, not a lot of thought had to go into that did it?
it's like a lot of things in life. if you have to think twice,go back to your first thought,and then forget it.:biglaugh:

[barnsleyman]

a very interesting subject lads, but at the risk of being "sent to coventry",or hung drawn and quartered, could i please respectfully request that when modding,or remapping your cars, that you inform your insurance company of the full extent of your mods.
i'm sure that i'm not alone in not wanting to be involved in an accident with an uninsured driver!
cheers.
just renewed my policy,at the local brokers and they DIDNT even ask me if mine was modded????????first time in years thats happened!suppose been in your very late 30s means your an old fokie now:aargh4:<no its not modded>by the way give your local broker a chance,for years ive been getting my insurance off the "net" thinking i was getting a good deal!!!!gave them a try this year and they beat the cheapest quote by £70:beerchug:

[speed12]

Well today i called Chris knott, and i was very happy with the result, I told them the full extent of my planned modifications, this included a remap to 170hp, 17" RS4 alloys, 40mm lowering and a rear boot spoiler.

They managed to beat the best internet quote by about £70.

Im still not sure what happens about my mods that are not actually fitted yet though... i think they said im ok for like a month but after that they should really be fitted.

so i will probably get all visual mods done over the next month or so and then get the remap during the summer months, hardly think i will get penalised for driving without a remap when i said i have got one.

[kimandsally]

Well today i called Chris knott, and i was very happy with the result, I told them the full extent of my planned modifications, this included a remap to 170hp, 17" RS4 alloys, 40mm lowering and a rear boot spoiler.

They managed to beat the best internet quote by about £70.

Im still not sure what happens about my mods that are not actually fitted yet though... i think they said im ok for like a month but after that they should really be fitted.

so i will probably get all visual mods done over the next month or so and then get the remap during the summer months, hardly think i will get penalised for driving without a remap when i said i have got one.

Very good deal and for sure I will check them out when mines due again.
Pleased your sorted it's peace of mind as much as anyhting else.

[Tim@ChrisKnott]

just renewed my policy,at the local brokers and they DIDNT even ask me if mine was modded????????first time in years thats happened!suppose been in your very late 30s means your an old fokie now:aargh4:<no its not modded>by the way give your local broker a chance,for years ive been getting my insurance off the "net" thinking i was getting a good deal!!!!gave them a try this year and they beat the cheapest quote by £70:beerchug:

Hi

Tbh, the fact they forgot to ask if your car was modded won't matter when it comes to a claim. If your car is modded, the insurance company will probably throw out your claim & you're left stranded.

It's up to the customer to declare relevant information, and the fact that a broker didn't ask won't help you in court!

Sorry to be so stark but you need to know the possible consequences of this error.

Re your second point, customers tell us that brokers generally provide a better service, are more flexible and you're not just a number, so yes, give a broker a try!

(Preferably us on the VWAudiforum insurance scheme - 0800 917 2274!).

[kimandsally]

Hi

Tbh, the fact they forgot to ask if your car was modded won't matter when it comes to a claim. If your car is modded, the insurance company will probably throw out your claim & you're left stranded.

It's up to the customer to declare relevant information, and the fact that a broker didn't ask won't help you in court!

Sorry to be so stark but you need to know the possible consequences of this error.

Re your second point, customers tell us that brokers generally provide a better service, are more flexible and you're not just a number, so yes, give a broker a try!

(Preferably us on the VWAudiforum insurance scheme - 0800 917 2274!).

I was reading and thought spot on this guy knows what he's saying then I noticed who you are:D

Glad you came in and pointed it out could possibly save someone a disaster.

[jonbaker]

I'll be checking out this Chris Knott malarky when mines up for renewal :approve:

[Tim@ChrisKnott]

I was reading and thought spot on this guy knows what he's saying then I noticed who you are:D

Glad you came in and pointed it out could possibly save someone a disaster.

No problem! It's all part of the deal offered under this scheme by VWAudi forum & Chris Knott Insurance.