[HampshireUK]

I am amazed at the multiple answers from the same insurance companies when you ask them to clarify their statement on vehicle modification or non standard car. One person says anything fitted after factory manufacturing then another says anything in addition to the standard specification.

It seems many UK insurers have updated their stance on this, this is from the Direct Line website

“Modifications – any changes to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras. These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension, bodywork and engine) and include changes made to your car by the previous owner(s).”

I spent an hour on the phone with 2 of the big providers and they both wanted to hear all optional extras. They have no concept of the BMW packs and I had to detail the contents. After speaking to their supervisor they decided the only options they cared about and added to the policy were, factory upgraded sound system, factory upgraded suspension, keyless entry and factory upgraded wheels. It increased the policy by £1.20

They both called out that unless options are declared in the event of a total loss you would only get a standard model payout, not one with options fitted despite asking for a value.

I have never had this hassle before so can only assume another change to make more money

Anyone else declared factory fit options ?

[teaston]

This is what gap insurance is for! Don’t bother telling them about optional extras!

[HampshireUK]

Originally Posted by teaston

This is what gap insurance is for! Don’t bother telling them about optional extras!

I hear you and have GAP but when they clearly call out optional extras needing to be declared it’s anothe insurance hurdle.

[verysideways]

I had to do that with an insurance company for my 340i, but I'm now with LV multicar and it was so much easier.

[jjrandorin]

Originally Posted by teaston

This is what gap insurance is for! Don’t bother telling them about optional extras!

Maybe its different in the US, but gap insurance here in the US is what pays for the "gap" between what you owe and what the car is worth in the event of a total loss.

If the car is not a total loss, but needs some of those "extras" replaced because of an accident, what happens then in your scenerio where you dont tell them about extra's and they dont cover them?

[smanji]

Very sneaky of the insurance companies! Any reason to avoid paying out.

From the way i read is that if only standard equipment is covered you wouldn't be cover for any of the options added on page 6 of the BMW configurator. This includes the sunroof, adaptive headlights, sun protection glass, parking assistant plus, adaptive suspension to name a few. In the event that repairs need to take place through the insurance company none of this would be replaced/repaired?

I would argue that that vehicle needs to fully covered and repaired to the standard it left the factory in (against the VIN) regardless of what options were added post build. Any thing installed after it has left the factory would be an optional extra, eg after market tints, alloys, body trims etc.

A trading standards issue?

[HampshireUK]

Originally Posted by smanji

Very sneaky of the insurance companies! Any reason to avoid paying out.

From the way i read is that if only standard equipment is covered you wouldn't be cover for any of the options added on page 6 of the BMW configurator. This includes the sunroof, adaptive headlights, sun protection glass, parking assistant plus, adaptive suspension to name a few. In the event that repairs need to take place through the insurance company none of this would be replaced/repaired?

I would argue that that vehicle needs to fully covered and repaired to the standard it left the factory in (against the VIN) regardless of what options were added post build. Any thing installed after it has left the factory would be an optional extra, eg after market tints, alloys, body trims etc.

A trading standards issue?

Agreed another way to avoid paying out but with a £1.60 annual increase it was almost worth my time so they are logged on the policy

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by smanji

Very sneaky of the insurance companies! Any reason to avoid paying out.

From the way i read is that if only standard equipment is covered you wouldn't be cover for any of the options added on page 6 of the BMW configurator. This includes the sunroof, adaptive headlights, sun protection glass, parking assistant plus, adaptive suspension to name a few. In the event that repairs need to take place through the insurance company none of this would be replaced/repaired?

I would argue that that vehicle needs to fully covered and repaired to the standard it left the factory in (against the VIN) regardless of what options were added post build. Any thing installed after it has left the factory would be an optional extra, eg after market tints, alloys, body trims etc.

A trading standards issue?

Consider the scenario of you bash your car in and destroy the optional adaptive headlights. I cannot consider that, given the way most companies are crap about communicating content these days due to information overload, Joe the mechanic when giving a quote will detail specifically aftermarket stuff. Even if he did would it be picked up any where?

Insurance - it's all risk I guess :-/ Common sentiment is the option (excuse the pun) is always there if some ball-buster wants to have a good day.

[MediaMan]

Insurance companies I've used have asked me whether 'the car is to the manufacturers original specification and not modified in anyway'. Knowing they record calls, my answer has been ' no mods to the best of my knowledge'.

To me, 'original specification' means the inclusion of any factory fitted options and the car is as it rolled off the production line. I have been told modifications are viewed by insurance co's as wider/non-standard wheels/tyres, bodykits and spoilers, revised seats, lowered, etc. Many years ago I had a Vectra CD and wanted the Irmscher spoiler fitting as per the CDX. Some insurance co's would not entertain it, others - sensibly - treated it as a CDX.

Where it becomes more difficult is with a used car. How do you know what modifications the previous owner may have carried out? How can a purchaser be qualified judge? Would you know if the car had been re-mapped, for example?

When I bought a Cooper S in 2014, the dealer printed out the 'as built spec' with the order codes, and I have obtained the same for my X3.

Insurance companies want it all ways - happy to take your cash, awkward if a payout is needed. Maybe to eliminate the confusion, they should be able to browse the VIN decoder and base premiums on that info?

[Neo1130]

I had a 1989 VW Jetta GLi that had probably $8k worth of aftermarket that was totaled out due to Firestone's crappy technicians. Under-inflated my tires WAY below spec and ended up rolling a tire just minutes out of the garage... The car was barely work what I had recently put into it. Had all receipts and State Farm ended up adding $3k to my check on top of what the car was "worth." All you can do is ask... Didn't get the full price but it still helped offset some of the cost.

[Lux700]

At the end of the day, their business is to insure vehicles. You’d think that they’d get a grip of that section of the market and begin to have a clue! It’s not like they’re being asked to advise on astrophysics... they’re just being asked to give a price on covering a vehicle made by a recognised vehicle manufacturer. To save them wasting everyone’s time it’d be far easier to just scan the new vehicle contract showing it’s specification and email it to them... oh, hang on, maybe not, that would mean that some poor insurance clerk having to do extra filing!

[frank23]

Having moved from the UK to the US I was surprised how insurance determines the premium here. Basically you would pay the same for a basic X3 M40i, and one with every single option added. Quite interesting considering the new price difference could something like $16k, or around 30%. Of course the risk of an accident being caused by you doesn't really change due to that.

Not 100% sure, but I think when I insured my 435i GC it didn't even matter if it would have been a coupe, convertible or GC. As the model was new it was difficult to match on the insurer's website so I did call them to make sure it was ok.

[MarkyM]

Within 1st year if car is written off most insurers will replace car new for old so it is in your interest to tell them or at least ask the question in case of any arguments on spec in the unlikely case that happens

It probably would matter less after car is a year old as they will only pay book price and that is where GAP will come in handy

Thanks for pointing this out anyway, it made me check and luckily I am covered for extras (AXA)

[AndroidRobot]

Originally Posted by MarkyM

Within 1st year if car is written off most insurers will replace car new for old so it is in your interest to tell them or at least ask the question in case of any arguments on spec in the unlikely case that happens

It probably would matter less after car is a year old as they will only pay book price and that is where GAP will come in handy

Thanks for pointing this out anyway, it made me check and luckily I am covered for extras (AXA)

I've had a car get totaled after 6mo at no fault of my own. I have the extra 20% of cash value on my plan to be safe and I and about $15k when they totaled it. My insurance fought me for a while since the damage was on the edge of being totaled or not and obviously they didn't win. After getting my BMW all of my rates went down which is funny considering they paid out a lot of money (~$75k)

[frank23]

Originally Posted by AndroidRobot

I've had a car get totaled after 6mo at no fault of my own. I have the extra 20% of cash value on my plan to be safe and I and about $15k when they totaled it. My insurance fought me for a while since the damage was on the edge of being totaled or not and obviously they didn't win. After getting my BMW all of my rates went down which is funny considering they paid out a lot of money (~$75k)

If it wasn't your fault, the insurance of whoever was at fault would have paid, so your own insurance would be fine with that?

[HampshireUK]

Seems to be a theme in the UK

Definition from Priviledge Insurance

“Modifications – any changes to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras. These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension, bodywork and engine) and include changes made to your car by the previous owner(s).”

Definition from Admiral Insurance

“Any changes to your cars standard specification, including accessories and additional parts; optional extras and after market alterations; trade related changes and parts. These include, but are not restricted to, cosmetic and/or performance changes or changes related to your business or profession.”

Definition from Churchill Insurance

“any changes to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras. These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension, bodywork and engine) and include changes made to your car by the previous owner(s).”

[AndroidRobot]

Originally Posted by frank23

If it wasn't your fault, the insurance of whoever was at fault would have paid, so your own insurance would be fine with that?

It's a long story, basically, stuff (metal bolts, rocks and who knows what else) flew off a semi-truck coming at me going 75mph (the speed limit). I stopped and flashed them, they didn't so my insurance took the hit.

[frank23]

Originally Posted by AndroidRobot

It's a long story, basically, stuff (metal bolts, rocks and who knows what else) flew off a semi-truck coming at me going 75mph (the speed limit). I stopped and flashed them, they didn't so my insurance took the hit.

Ok, I understand, didn't think of that possibility. Pretty annoying that must be.

[Lux700]

Originally Posted by HampshireUK

Seems to be a theme in the UK

Definition from Priviledge Insurance

“Modifications – any changes to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras. These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension, bodywork and engine) and include changes made to your car by the previous owner(s).”

Definition from Admiral Insurance

“Any changes to your cars standard specification, including accessories and additional parts; optional extras and after market alterations; trade related changes and parts. These include, but are not restricted to, cosmetic and/or performance changes or changes related to your business or profession.”

Definition from Churchill Insurance

“any changes to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras. These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension, bodywork and engine) and include changes made to your car by the previous owner(s).”

This makes me dislike insurance companies even more than I already did. Based on this, pretty much all of my cars have not been properly insured. Every time you call your insurance company to insure a new car, one of the questions they always ask is “has the car been modified in any way”? Saying yes to optional extras is a complete farce - who does? I fail to see how this is a modification if it’s part of the manufacturers options list. How the hell are we supposed to decide what the non modified colour is? Oh yes, sorry, I chose a blue one!!! Ridiculous.

So, for example, speccing up, say a 3 Series 340i M Sport Touring, to match the same spec as a stock standard 3 Series 340i M Sport Shadow Edition - both cars end up identical! One is as it comes, the other has a number of options so that the only difference is that the M Sport becomes a little more expensive because of the options added, but not different in any other way.

Maybe insurance companies should ask us what optional extras are fitted. Instead they ask a question deliberately designed for most to give the wrong answer. Or am I not understanding this properly? My car has manufacturers options fitted to it, but it is NOT modified beyond the scope of how the manufacturer intended the car to be produced.

Sure, it’s easy to tell the insurance company what options are fitted ‘by the manufacturer’, but if they shoot from the hip instead of asking veiled questions about it being modified maybe they’d get a straight answer instead of setting up people to fail. I was asked the question “has the vehicle been modified in any way”? I wasn’t handed a detailed definition of what ‘modified’ actually means to read before I gave my answer. Twats.

[AndroidRobot]

Originally Posted by frank23

Ok, I understand, didn't think of that possibility. Pretty annoying that must be.

yep, sh't happens sometimes but thankfully it fell under my comprehensive policy thus it was a $200 deductible

[spangle1980]

Originally Posted by Lux700

Twats.

True dat ...