Remapping, Insurance companies etc - a philosophical comment

A hot topic currently is a thread about this subject.

It has created lots of discussion including assertions, counter assertions and argument.

I believe that the Insurance company point of view is being lost (sorry!).

An insurance company is a commercial organisation that is set up to make a profit from customers for its directors, shareholders by maximising income and lowering costs. Ideally it would like to deal with motorists running Kia Picantos over 2,000 miles a year. It would like to collect their premiums by direct debit each year and have no communication with them until they pop off.

An honest admission of a remap of a 170 hp motor to 200 hp or higher tells them something about you not the car. It says "here is a guy (or gal) who has quite a nippy little car say an Octavia VRS but he wants to go faster with more acceleration and top speed. Red lights start to flash and quite realistically on their shareholders behalf they take the opportunity of measuring the risk in a punitive way for poor VRS owners. Ultimately they'll turn you down and look out for a few more Kia Picanto forum contibutors. Put this way don't you think they have a point even if you don't agree with it.

Frankly I'm on your (our) side but we've got to see it in the round. I am only surprised that some companies have been so good and not even levied an admin charge for rattling their cage.

As an ex Civil Servant can I also pass on some advice about being honest. A senior Inland Revenue official once told me that silent honesty is the best. If you approach IR with an honest admission they will be very suspicious about it and probably crawl all over your affairs cos'they don't trust you. Within reason I think we should treat Insurance Companies the same.