Insurers for modified cars

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 02 Oct 2009, 18:31

My current insurers won't quote my Xantia and not informing them of what modifications I've done so far and hope to do before the policy expires is not a clever idea IMO. I've had one estimate but it's not a quote and would like a few to use as bargaining tools... so all recommendations welcome!

Ecar seem to sponsor this forum, do they (or other companies) offer a member discount?

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 02 Oct 2009, 18:39

Hi Mike

I use Admiral, you can get a quote online with dropdown menu's for all your mods which means unlike most insurance company's you get to keep your 10% discount for buying online, most sting you twice, once for the mods and once loosing your buy online disc because you had to phone them for a quote getting the mods added, ive been with them for 2 years now with no problems unlike Directline who refused to renew my policy after having 4 years of my custom because i fitted alloy wheels..................Thanks directline

D

Sid_the_Squid · Post by **Sid_the_Squid** » 02 Oct 2009, 19:42

Chaining the wheels and they would not insure you? Thats madness!

Are there any clear rules about what kind of mods should one declare to the insurance company, I'm about to fit some 'performance' break pads is that something that counts as a mod?

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 02 Oct 2009, 19:47

any change from the spec the car rolled off the production line with counts, directline said if i bought a new car and had genuine alloys fitted as an option you have to declare it, and it is mad, they said it was because i was 24 and they do not accept any drivers under 25 with mods of any kind, even though i had 7 years no claims at the time and a perfect clean driving history.

D

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 03 Oct 2009, 13:00

Thanks for the input so far.
Nobody else declared their mods? It's a pain finding out who will insure power modifications so a few pointers who does will help me save a lot of time and phone calls.

Post by **CitroJim** » 03 Oct 2009, 13:05

What modifications have you done so far then Mike?

Easy way out of this rather absurd trap is to get a Xantia that needs no modifications... I can suggest a couple right away

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 03 Oct 2009, 13:56

It's a bit late to be suggesting alternative Xantia's Jim but feel free to suggest any that can run on cooking oil. Diesels have captured my imagination since my first TD. Besides, buying a ready-made powerhorse takes all the fun out of it IMO.

Yes, the insurance game is an absurd trap but what can we do, eh?

AFAIK, they can make it up as they go and overcharge whenever they can get away with it.

KP · Post by KP » 03 Oct 2009, 15:58

https://www.hertsinsurance.com/

Are good for me. no mods on my activa mind but insured my old 330bhp coupe with them and wasnt too bad, in the end before being sold was down to around £600 from a start of £1900 a few years earlier....

The problem lies around what could be gotten away with as standard, ie what would an assesor see or find??

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 03 Oct 2009, 18:44

If others want to take the risk not declaring a nodding dog on the back parcel shelf (Oh yes!) or a Meerkat air freshner on the dash (Simples), that's their choice

but I don't want to take the risk.

Particularly when our local force have started catching groups of four-wheel gatherers and bringing Vosa along to do full-on roadside MOT's and insurance checks.

Thanks KP, I'm off to get a quote from them.

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 03 Oct 2009, 21:23

It is always best to tell the insurance company about modifications but they dont help themself or us and it just feels like they want to screw you out of money rather than provide a decent service....i wonder why that is

I will be turbocharging my Xm, at the moment i have the TCT 8v engine from another XM and the box and all other needed parts and when i get into my new house can start rebuilding it and get it swapped, here's the catch though, if i bought a 2.0 Turbo XM with Prestige spec it would cost £4 a year more to insure than my current 2.0i N/A Prestige does now, which is fair enough, when i do the engine conversion though it will be another £290 a year for what will be the same car..........ok but here is the catch, the TCT engine is identical to the one in my car now apart from the turbo obviously but if i barryboyed my engine and retrofitted a turbocharger to the existing N/A it would be another £180 a year........so its more to put a different original spec engine in than it is to blow my existing lump in some way...........WHY???? The other thing to do is find an old banger turbo with the same body colour and steal its identity to transfer to my car and then scrap the identity donor which of course would be my car. this would mean all i have to pay extra for insurance is just £4 a year more, its not right at all but i can see why people do it thats for sure.

D

xmexclusive · Post by **xmexclusive** » 04 Oct 2009, 00:34

Hi All

Each insurance company decides its own spread of risk that it wants to take on and the segments of the market that it wants to sell to and at what price. They also run detailed computer programmes ranking types of risk against cost of claims. They match this against their current risk book. This then determines who they would like to sell to (new custom discount), who they are already selling to and want to keep (good quote), who they will sell to but would prefer not to (high risk to them so loaded quote) and who they will not offer insurance to (too high a risk). This is not a once only fixed process but goes on all the time with a few adjustment made each month. So when your renewal comes up you may have moved a band in their eyes from last year. It may even be through no fault of your own. Searching round for the best quote is a pain but may be worth it just to collect the new custom discount which is typically 5 to 10% of whatever premium they have decided that your particular risk profile deserves. The new company is likely to be more tolerant of modified cars if generally you fit their wanted business profile. Once they have captured your business any requests for extra mods could be viewed as a source of extra revenue.

John