Insurance.. declare or not declare.. that is the question

[Captain Slarty]

Ok, following on from a recent thread....

WHAT EXACTLY do you guys declare to the insurance rip off merchants ???.

where do you draw the line.. ??

if you fitted a set of uprated pads, would you declare it ??.

a set of grooved disks ??

different tyres ??

Wheels ??

IK

Zorst

Stereo system

Seats or seat covers even lol ??

I am fascinated at some of the things people declare..

Joe.

whats your angle on it all ?

 

[JillyB]

If you declare everything, then youll sleep sounder in your bed!

 

[weight]

Anything that alters the car from standard specification should be declared. My Bro is a director of an ins broker in brum.

 

[Captain Slarty]

ok..

so, you WOULD declare, lets say, the following ??

Uprated clutch.
Disks and pads.
Spring kits and shocks

Just as an example ?

Joe..

 

[Captain Slarty]

Jilly, I sleep well.. always have lol.



Joe.

 

[weight]

yes
yes
yes

 

[BRUN]

i declare everything

i even declared my gear knob to adrian flux

even declared my spark plugs once, but i think that was goin a little overboard

 

[weight]

No it isnt.
They should tell YOU what there not intrested in!

 

[telford_mike]

Nodding Dog? Cliosport sticker?

 

[Captain Slarty]

lol Brun..

Ok.. so, you go to quickfit, and have a rpelacement clutch.. it happens to be uprated so one clutch covers a multitude of models..

you have new springs fitted, cos the old ones are knacked, and find that a set of uprated are cheaper..

same with the discount new brake disks and pads, and the ATS shock absorbers that offer an adjustment ?.

r u serious ?? !!! LOL

same as having a set of tyres fitted by a tyre dealer ??.. do you ring the insurance immediately ??

Joe..

 

[Captain Slarty]

Lol Mike.. that nodding dog IS uprated if you glue it to the parcel shelf !

Joe.

 

[weight]

no
not sure of the stance on stickers!

 

[Clart]

When I had my Bad Ass Punto GT written off by some t**t at 70mph on the M1 - the insurance company werent even bothered about my modifications - I had declared them all (wheels, brakes, seats, exhaust, filter etc) and insured my car for more than it was worth because of this.

When they came to pay out all they gave me was trade price for the car which was £1500 less than the value of the car.

I wasnt having that so I listed all the mods and prices and sent them autotrader ads of similar cars that were going for what my car was worth.

As a result i am now £800 better off - always get as much as u can out of them cos u know theyll pay up as little as possible.

Then I got done for having undeclared convictions which i know for a FACT that I told them about - b******s! Adrian flux if ur wondering!!!

However if the mods arent declared and u have an accident they might not pay out at all!!!!

BE CAREFUL YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

 

[Wozza_C]

I used to be an insurance broker and in my experience people dont declare jack. Alot of people even insure the wrong model of car (through ignorance mainly!!). I have never decalred any mods, but then again i only just made my first claim in 8 years of driving.

IMHO i would not declare internal mods as the chance of an assesor riping the engine to its components is low. But with things like big allys, exhausts etc, id err on the side of caution. Saying that i declared my GTI-R as standard when quite clearly it was not....but then again when i bought mine, there were only a couple of hundred in the country! No-one really knew what they were.

 

[weight]

only req of tyres are that there not remoulds and within legal requirements.

 

[BRUN]

Joe, i usually drive home and then phone them

yes i really do declare every little thing

 

[Captain Slarty]

Mitsi, to insure the mods to reclaim their value in a claim is one thing..

if you are prepared to absorb the cost, then there isnt an issue.

AF wouldnt have bothered at all apart from the info you sent whilst a claim was in process.

Joe.

 

[Captain Slarty]

Lets add to the list for fun

ok..

some other mods - or.. are they just replacement parts...

Air filter...

ECU Chipping.. (Undetectable by plod or insurance)

New set of toyo proxes

Chrome exhaust trim

White speedo dials

cat replacement pipe

Ignition leads

Ported and polished cylinder head that you had done when the gasket failed - along with those slightly larger valves

Cam shafts.. piper and kent are cheaper than reno for parts if yours are worn..

Suspension bushes

Joe.

 

[weight]

Any spec changes have to be declared, black and white.

 

[Captain Slarty]

and a few more.. surely these need declaring too ??

Sun roof..

Tinted screen

Seat covers from halfords

wing / door mirrors

led washer jets

clear side repeaters

ecotec

ali pedal set

non std engine oil

sport steering wheel

adding a baby seat

colour coding of trims

Thats a few for starters.. WHERE do you draw the line ? .. and WHY ??

Joe..

 

[weight]

If it didnt come as standard, would possibly cause an accident/fire or make your car more desirable then yes.

hope the last one isnt aimed at me!

 

[Captain Slarty]

lol m8.. nope, I was just generalising..

so, your insurance company have actually TOLD you that eh ?? or is that your interpretation ??



Joe...

 

[weight]

just what i get told and see mate, nothing more!
I think youll find my views pretty accurate thou

 

[adiclio16v]

ive never declared nuthin i always mean to declare wheels but never get round to it, thats the only thing i would declare, other than that no way they get enough cash out of me

 

[Captain Slarty]

Nice one Weight

soooooooooooooo..

If I keep all the mods under the bonnet, and, do it correctly (so as to make it better than original).. and, change my brakes and callipers (no one can really tell easily), uprate the clutch so it dont slip at an inopportune time and cause an accident, alter my suspension cos the original is sh*t in comparison (so its now even more safe), and, dont change the body appearance...

I dont need to tell them jack... ??

also, If I add led washers, its pants, and no one wants the car then anyway..

hee hee..

So that actually makes the insurance company happier ??

Joe..

 

[weight]

So when they have a look at the burning wreck that used to be your car before it was stolen and see your alloys.

YOUR IN sh*t!

 

[Captain Slarty]

nope, they pay u out, you buy another, and spend the dosh on a car with an immobiliser, not an alarm...



Joe..

 

[weight]

Joe, NO.

You have missed the changing of specification!

 

[adiclio16v]

when i wrote off my fiesta which was lowered (lots) had alloys, exhust, and stuff like alloy knob and pedals i just took it off apart from suspension the assesor didnt seem to notice it sat on the floor it could of just had saggy springs lool

 

[weight]

dont give your insurance company cause to screw you over.

No matter what examples you produce of you getting away with it one day you wont.

 

[Captain Slarty]

re specification Weight dood...

what do you mean exactly.. ??

all the items I have listed can be NON specification, or, IN specification, providing you can, or cannot, define said specification...

me thinks u may be being a bit pedantic..



Optimax is supposed to give you a better overall experience (hee hee).. so, do you declare that you are using it ??.

what bout the latest n greatest synthetic oil ??.. adds power by reducing friction.. do u declare that too ?

Joe

 

[Clart]

Too true weight

I told my company i had 6 points when i first got my punto, i was assured that this would not affect my premium which it didnt. When they came to payout they said I had undeclared convictions!!!!!! I had no evidence that I told them, they said they had no record.

I had to pay £160 for them to unfreeze the claim otherwise it would have got lost in a black hole.

 

[Clart]

Too true weight

I told my company i had 6 points when i first got my punto, i was assured that this would not affect my premium which it didnt. When they came to payout they said I had undeclared convictions!!!!!! I had no evidence that I told them, they said they had no record.

I had to pay £160 for them to unfreeze the claim otherwise it would have got lost in a black hole.

 

[Clart]

Too true weight

I told my company i had 6 points when i first got my punto, i was assured that this would not affect my premium which it didnt. When they came to payout they said I had undeclared convictions!!!!!! I had no evidence that I told them, they said they had no record.

I had to pay £160 for them to unfreeze the claim otherwise it would have got lost in a black hole.

 

[Clart]

Too true weight

I told my company i had 6 points when i first got my punto, i was assured that this would not affect my premium which it didnt. When they came to payout they said I had undeclared convictions!!!!!! I had no evidence that I told them, they said they had no record.

I had to pay £160 for them to unfreeze the claim otherwise it would have got lost in a black hole.

 

[Clart]

OOOpppps im sorry

 

[Captain Slarty]

sorry m8, but..

u were mad to take their word - always get it in writing..

and.... they conned you... for just about £160 !!!

a lesson there..

Joe..

get - it - in - writing !

 

[JillyB]

Hmmm its a tough one! where do you draw the line:

Forest Fresh magic tree??????

I have declared my wheels and suspension but im umming and arrring about the spoiler!

 

[weight]

give me 2 mins.

 

[weight]

Joe...Hold tight!

"re specification Weight dood...

what do you mean exactly.. ??

all the items I have listed can be NON specification, or, IN specification, providing you can, or cannot, define said specification...

me thinks u may be being a bit pedantic.."


If any components are not supplied by renault or exact copy parts, then your vehicle is no longer in manufacturers specification!


"Optimax is supposed to give you a better overall experience (hee hee).. so, do you declare that you are using it ??.

what bout the latest n greatest synthetic oil ??.. adds power by reducing friction.. do u declare that too ?"

optimax is not part of the vehicle, therefore it isnt declarable.

synthetic oil is not believe it or not performance enhancing and therefore be ok too


"Nice one Weight

soooooooooooooo..

If I keep all the mods under the bonnet, and, do it correctly (so as to make it better than original).. and, change my brakes and callipers (no one can really tell easily), uprate the clutch so it dont slip at an inopportune time and cause an accident, alter my suspension cos the original is sh*t in comparison (so its now even more safe), and, dont change the body appearance...

I dont need to tell them jack... ??

also, If I add led washers, its pants, and no one wants the car then anyway..

hee hee..

So that actually makes the insurance company happier ??

Joe.."

wrong, items are performance enhancing and therefore once again take the vehicle outside specification.