Apologies if this has been brought up before,I have searched and I mostly found "Who's the cheapest" sort of threads.
I'm really just looking for some clarification on what is considered a 'modification' in terms of insurance. I found this link but the terms it uses are pretty broad.
Flared wings and wheel arches - 41% increase. So rolling my arches will add almost half again on top?
Removal of seats - 31% increase. Up a third because I can carry less people?
Suspension - 2% increase. So I can fit 3 grands worth of race suspension for a few quid on top,plus the extra agreed value.
Alloy wheels - 1%!
Pretty inconsistent.
It seems to be written by someone that doesn'thave much of an idea what they're on about, but it made me think, at what point would you consider a system modified? When I have finished overhauling my brakes, do I need to declare uprated brake pads? Discs? Braided brake lines? Or what about tyres? Would you declare a new set of R888s? None of these necessarily make your car faster as such, or any more likely to be nicked, but we all know how insurance companies love to worm their way out of paying.
Insurance and declaring 'Modzzz'
Moderator: martauto
It's all a very grey area. I would say that those increases are just made up bollocks.
As far as modifications go, if it didn't come with it from the factory, then it's a modification. There is also dispute whether any non standard features installed on a car at the factory are modifications (paint or wheels that aren't standard to that model/trim level etc...) and should therefore be delcared. Hell, your even, supposedly, meant to declare whether you use tyres not recommended by the manufacturer.
You should delcare every modification you make to your insurance company. How far you take that is up to you. Personally, I don't declare anything except for engines that could be found on a vehicle of the same model. So brakes, suspension, interior, exterior. I never declare ICE either. I just don't see the need.
To give you an idea, my car has the following mods:
Uprated suspension
Manual gearbox conversion
Recaro's from an Astra GTE
AC Schnitzer alloys
32/36 Weber carb
I have declared all of those, and to be honest, these modifications, except the carb add very little to the premium. The carb is the only one that bumped it up.
As far as your brakes and tyres conundrum, why would you need those things if you didn't want to go faster? That's the assumption they make.
As far as modifications go, if it didn't come with it from the factory, then it's a modification. There is also dispute whether any non standard features installed on a car at the factory are modifications (paint or wheels that aren't standard to that model/trim level etc...) and should therefore be delcared. Hell, your even, supposedly, meant to declare whether you use tyres not recommended by the manufacturer.
You should delcare every modification you make to your insurance company. How far you take that is up to you. Personally, I don't declare anything except for engines that could be found on a vehicle of the same model. So brakes, suspension, interior, exterior. I never declare ICE either. I just don't see the need.
To give you an idea, my car has the following mods:
Uprated suspension
Manual gearbox conversion
Recaro's from an Astra GTE
AC Schnitzer alloys
32/36 Weber carb
I have declared all of those, and to be honest, these modifications, except the carb add very little to the premium. The carb is the only one that bumped it up.
As far as your brakes and tyres conundrum, why would you need those things if you didn't want to go faster? That's the assumption they make.