adzaves

Just wondering if anyone knows, if you have a decat system fitted will it affect your insurance



Adam

53

iTrader: (41)

Yes it will, phone them to see how much extra they would want in premium. If it's too much then wait till your renewal and go with a mod friendly insurer like Keith Michaels. Also don't forget a remap to go with the decat

adzaves

Cheers M8, I was unsure as they are not road legal en all !

Mikkel

Indeed, I'm not sure you should declare a decat as like you said they are illegal... unless you just specify "after market exhaust" perhaps?

53

iTrader: (41)

No they aren't but then lots of things aren't these days. I have a sports cat which passes emissions and is insurance declared. Tricky subject aftermarket exhausts, and frankly a boring one. Technically unless its Subaru or prodrive or homologated bla bla bla you are potentially leaving yourself open to repercussion.

Mikkel

The moral of the story is, keep the standard bits in your garage and be prepared to put them back on quick sharp when needed

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Mine is declared as an after market exhaust, no more no less. I fail to see how whether it's decat or not will have any impact on a claim unless of course part of the claim is for depletion of the ozone layer ...

TX.

dnc

Think the point is.............if it is not road legal, then let's just say insurance companies don't need much of an excuse.......

Best off speaking to insurer and coming clean, see what they say. Having said that I never did .

MowbrayWRX

Be warned, it depends on how you have insured your car. Many insurance companies officially do not allow performance mods. Some insurance companies do not allow the Prodrive route.

Once you have told your insurance company that you have made mods, the company may invalidate your insurace premium.

Thus paying all that money out originally, then having to look for another company and then paying out more money to accept the mods.

It really is a time bomb making changes to cars. As stated earlier, insurance companies only need the smallest excuse not to pay out.

Mind you I will agree that not every modded car on the road will be known to their insurance companies.

As somebody once said.

Be careful out there.

Turbotits

iTrader: (2)

A decat in itself is not ilegal. Its an aftermarket exhaust. simple as that.

Not being able to pass the emisions test thats where the problem lies

Mikkel

I may be wrong as I aint no lawyer, but I think you will find that not having a cat on an exhaust for cars of a certain age is in fact illegal. The emmissions stuff is of course what drives this law. Having said that, it's one of those laws that is not really enforced... yet.

Microstar

I have seen the police and VOSA officials doing emissions spot-checks on a main road near me (they were doing a traffic census and also checking the cars for emissions infringements).

On the subject of insurance and car modifications, a friend of mine had a very nice Golf GTI with a few non-declared modifications (exhaust, wheels, possibly some changes to the springs and shocks IIRC). He had an accident involving a truck (not his fault). His car was not driveable and so taken away to a repairer. The insurance co. inspected it and would not pay out - they just handed him the wreck back and he sold it as 'salvage'. He lost over £10k on that car.

projectsubaru

If it wasnt his fault as you say then it would of been the other parties insurance assesing sp? the damage and so they would have to pay. A friend of mine who i sold my old car which was modified a girl went into the side of him and there assesors said nothing about the mods as it should be going through the other persons insurance as a third party whether it be a bently or a saxo they will pay up. At the end of the day it was there insured that was at fault and not Golf or my mate in the saxo.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Would they do that if they "found" a decat exhaust though when you'd already declared an aftermarket exhaust ie not said whether it's decat or not? I can't believe that they would as where does it end ... you've not used the OE screws to fix your number plate Sir

TX.

Microstar

The vehicle that hit him (a 'Luton body' truck) was not insured and therefore he had to rely on his own comprehensive insurance, even though the accident was not his fault.
There is a compensation scheme for victims of unisured drivers, but since my friend's insurance was technically void (due to undeclared modifications) he was not able to access this!

GazTheHat

True.

jayb1970

If you have a de-cat then it is safe to say that you probably put the standard one back on for MOT time ( I just have ) so as you can pass the emmissions test: therefore when you put the de-cat back on the MOT becomes void which in turn will void your insurance??

Having said that Subaru just did mine and were happy to do so, they were also happy to give me, sorry sell me, a comprehensive extended warranty on the above mentioned modded car. Obviously they don't make/enforce the law and are happy just to take your money.

projectsubaru

Cheers that explains that then

The rookie

iTrader: (1)

Not true, any modification that changes an emissions compliance (and noise is an emission as well) component is contrary to the construction and use regs, there is also the older section54 offence of modifying a cars exhaust so it makes more noise as well (and a cat has a silencing effect).

Simon

Turbotits

iTrader: (2)

so what your saying is then when a car goes for an mot with just a centre decat, But still has one of them in place in order to pass the emmissions. That mot is being done wrongly? There is nothing in the mot that says the tester should look for a cat or two or three in the case of some.

As long as emmisions are passed thats all thats worried about.

Terminator X

iTrader: (7)

Mine passed it's MOT & I didn't have to change the exhaust over

TX.