monkeytennis

Thinking about getting the Powerstation bumpsteer & geometry mod done soon.

Would it be sensible to declare this to my insurers as a 'modification'?

Is it possible to see the shims used?

Jon

kav

Sensible? Definitely, and a no-brainer IMHO. If anything awful happened to your car and a subsequent examination revealed something undeclared which gave the insurance company grounds to not cough up, I would imagine you would be n pissed off.
Cheers
Kav

monkeytennis

Pretty much what I thought. I guess I'll have to cough up even more dosh to my insurers!

I wonder how many people have bothered to declare it though??
Cheers
Jon

Neil F

In my opinion I would not.
I find insurance companies lack of knowledge regarding various models within a product range appalling, let alone their ability to notice a shim inserted under a steering rack!
As the owner of an import, I have to put up with spotty 16 year old insurance clerks wisely advising me that "all the body panels are different on STi's" and "it takes months to get engine parts from Japan" when we all know the this is clearly bollocks.
Consider also that as an import owner I would not be able to tell if "Mr Seto" had a bumpsteer mod or otherwise added to the car prior to my purchase, and I'm already paying an inflated premium due to the fact that the car is somewhat of an unknown quantity.
On the same point, would you be able to identify if your second hand purchase had had the mod done?

My guess is that they will never know and you should plead ignorance.

Neil (Who has been let down/stitched up by insurance companies more times than he cares to remember).

Brian Swan

One question, though. Does declaring the Mods actually put the price of the insurance up or does this depend on the type of mod declared?

Do Ins. Companies simple see a "Mod" and add 10%,20%?

Example being, maybe, K&N Filters.

Thanks - bss

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

I believe it differs from company to company. Some insurance companies won't even entertain the idea of covering mods. Others cover only a few mods (wheels etc).

As for the bump steer mod. When/if I get it I'm not certain that my insurance company will learn about it. I had to pay an additional £80 for a quickshift. It's the only mod from standard spec my car has.

Matt

monkeytennis

Neil - good point about the previous owner/s, who knows what they've done?

My previous experience of insurance companies makes me cautious about carrying out any mods.

It seems that if you do declare modifications, most insurers don't fully understand them, plus the more details you provide, the more confused (worried!) they get. Hence the high premiums?

Cheers folks,
J

mhawes

I wasnt sure wether a brake upgrade to ebc turbo grooved discs and pads was classed as a mod (previous owner had it done) so I told my insurers I was thinking about getting it done and would it cost any extra? No extra premium, so I declared them straight away, at least you will know!

sasim

Ah this old chestnut !!, I have always said that you should declare all modifications to your insurance company and let them decide whether or not they are interested in them or want to charge you more.

Despite what others say, claiming ignorance will not hold up against an insurance company, they will take any excuse not to pay up on a claim.

Also, Who knows for sure whether or not the loss assessor will notice the shims, or indeed actually knows the difference in the first place.

I suppose the best answer to your question is to ask you a question, are you willing to gamble at losing thousands (or even tens of thousands) of pounds, in the unfortunate event of you ever having to claim, for the sake of a phone call to your insurers ??

Stuart

monkeytennis

No worries - I'll make that call before any mods are carried out.

More expense as it's 60p/min to phone my insurers

Thanks for the advice peeps.
J