[dave225]

I know there have been discussions about chips and tuning, but what are people's experiences with advising insurance Co's about bigger wheels, tyres and suspension kits.
I'm hoping that they don't increase premiums.

 

[sgould]

In theory you have to tell them everything. It's up to you to let them know what they are covering so they can assess the risk.

If you have an accident and the assessor finds something he's not happy with then you won't get any money.

In practice i would say that if you have done something to improve you car's performance or handling then you should tell them. If you are replacing a worn part with a pattern part that is not described as performance enhancing you should be OK, but you can't be 100% sure.

I think you would be OK if you fit another make of tyres as long as they are the same size and speed/load rating as in the handbook.

High performance brakes - tell them. You will probably be seen as a fast driver who goes into corners faster and brakes at the last second. Lower suspebnsion = faster cornering = higher premium.

They want to make money. They want to do this without an excuse. You give them one and they will charge more.

But don't tell them and they will not pay out and save even more money. Heads you lose tails they win.

Now how much do you really want that Stage 4?

 

[cbullock]

I'd echo what sgould says and add you should tell them of any "cosmetic" enhancements too, presumably because they make your car more desirable to thieves

 

[dave225]

My general feeling is to own up and see what they say - so the choice is not so much whether to tell, but whether to buy the bits.
I seem to remember stories of some mods going un-punished.
I'm just looking at 17" wheels, 225 or so tyres, and a Bilstein kit. No bhp mods - except maybe air filter - it can't handle the speed its got at the moment!

 

[cbullock]

Originally posted by dave225:
[qb]My general feeling is to own up and see what they say - so the choice is not so much whether to tell, but whether to buy the bits. [/qb][/b]

At least Dave you'll know what you are up against Some companies will say, ok thanks for letting us know, say on a set of new alloys to replace the old ones, some will say your insurer will tolerate no "modifications at all".

There's been some good info recently on performance / modified insurers, perhaps get some quotes and plan upgrades with a "sympathetic" insurer change?

 

[chrisjshaw]

I fitted Koni's, Abbott springs and some poly a few months ago. When I told my insurer, Direct Line, their main interest was the cost of the work; it sounded like they just wanted to cover an increased write off value.

I think they charged me an extra £20/year, which I thought was well worth it compared to having claim rejected (long may it not happen).

 

[dave225]

For comparison - my current premium of £291 will increase by £31 for "bigger" alloy wheels (and tyres of course) and a further £14 for "lowered suspension".
I was pleasantly suprised at the amount (even though it's a hefty percentage).

 

[colinC]

The 3rd party liability is what would scare me if there was a possibility that the insurance could be void, that could be extremely serious

, I would “fess up” but my 9k is un modified,

Col

 

[Stewart]

Originally posted by sgould:
[qb]In theory you have to tell them everything.  It's up to you to let them know what they are covering so they can assess the risk.  

If you have an accident and the assessor finds something he's not happy with then you won't get any money.

In practice i would say that if you have done something to improve you car's performance or handling then you should tell them.  If you are replacing a worn part with a pattern part that is not described as performance enhancing you should be OK, but you can't be 100% sure.

I think you would be OK if you fit another make of tyres as long as they are the same size and speed/load rating as in the handbook.

High performance brakes - tell them.  You will probably be seen as a fast driver who goes into corners faster and brakes at the last second.  Lower suspebnsion = faster cornering = higher premium.

They want to make money.  They want to do this without an excuse.  You give them one and they will charge more.

But don't tell them and they will not pay out and save even more money.  Heads you lose tails they win.

Now how much do you really want that Stage 4?
   [/qb][/b]

A truer word could not be spoken, very well put SGould

 

[Deester]

Definitely shop about, I phoned around when it came to renewal and managed to get a like for like replacement policy on all my mods (with Adrian Flux), declared everything and still payed over 100 quid less than my last insurer's best price... Good stuff .

 

[AlanG]

Following an earlier thread, I renewed with Frizzells this year. My renewal from Hastings Direct came in at £250 (always cheapest for me). Frizzells wanted £275 but confirmed on the phone that they were not bothered about mods, only suggested taking photos/keeping receipts in case I needed to claim extra after an incident. As I intend upgrades this year £25 extra did not seem bad and avoided having to call and advise the insurance co every time something was added.