Sanqhar, after following the great advice in post #6 please let us know how you get on!

£150 dearer than as you say other reputable providers does seem to be quite a tidy sum

 

It is one and half times what my total insurance cost with Direct Line is.  £99 fully comp. for the two of us...

It is one and half times what my total insurance cost with Direct Line is.  £99 fully comp. for the two of us...

And I thought my £220 for us including business was good

And I thought my £220 for us including business was good

 

This is about same price as mine which includes wife .

I was with the NFU and maybe the 'farmers' bit, they were good for modifications to, be that tyres or engineering work. Not so sure on bodywork as I never really did that.

 

Where they fell down for me was on renewals, they were way of the market rates and adjustments mid term were fine if you planned ahead. Lets say I was going to go on a trip, bit last minute, say up to Scotland tonight. If I was feeling a bit pants, I could phone up most insurers and add a driver, could not with my local nfu as they are shut. Contrived example, but it happened twice in 12 months so I've driven to Cornwall and Scotland. 

 

Ins co's should not be charging for tyre changes, not winter's at any rate. 

"Are you sure it's not a standard admin fee they've charged you rather than a cost to fit winter tyres ?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

I said in my original post they are charging a £20 admin fee for the re-issue of the documents.  No increase in premium as such.  

 

This way they are still following the ABI code but I'm still paying more money.

 

When it comes to renewal I'll be looking around.  Current thoughts are NFU and Skoda's own.

 

tom

Edited 24 December, 201312 yr by Sanqhar

But unfortunately that's not the whole story. If you have 17" wheels then you will struggle to find winter/all-season tyres in the correct speed rating. I found it impossible to find W rated tyres and had to use V rated ones. Yes I know that V (even H rated IIRC) are beyond the maximum speed of even the CR170 Yeti, but technically it's a change from the original manufacturer's fitment specification and therefore it's a grey area. What would you rather do: run the risk of arguing the toss with the insurer's if you do have a large claim pending and they choose to be awkward about this point, or clear it definitively with the insurer in advance? I took the latter option.

In previous times I pointed out to my insurer that I was taking my car to Austria in the winter.  In Austria you are required by law to carry chains on certain roads and to have winter tyres fitted (with mountain and snowflake symbol) between dates in October and March.  I recall that the handbook says you can't fit chains to 17" tyres so the only option is 16 inch wheels with either 205/55-16 or 215/60-16 tyres which I believe are approved for Yetis, certainly they are by the TuV in Germany.  Mine are also on VAG steel rims.

 

john

 

By the by, the MOT test only requires that the tyres fitted are of the correct type (e.g. not a mix of radial/cross-ply or winter/summer) and of a sufficient loading and speed index for UK roads.

Edited 24 December, 201312 yr by jst_at_home

I'm with Direcr Line. They didn't try to charge me when I rang them, just sent out new documents and reminded me to let them know when I changed them back. This was the same last year, so it definitely looks as if the £20 charge was a bit of a fast one. Having said that I am getting a bit fed up with them and will definitely look at Skoda's own insurance come renewal time. The quote I had from them when i changed car in October was a lot lower than DL.

Never had a problem with Directline.  In fact they sounded very enthusiastic when I contacted them to advise of swapping both the Yeti and Roomster on to winters every year. 

 

No increase in premium, no admin fees and no need to contact when swapping to/fro every Autumn or Spring.  The only requirement was that the wheels should be VAG and tyres should be on the list specified by Skoda for approved sizes.

 

Perhaps it may have had something to do with the young Scottish lady at DL saying that she must remind her other half to change the wheels/tyres on her own car.  She seemed fully up to speed about winter tyres.  Just depends on who answers the phone!

So if some insurers need notified of change from summer to winter tyres do they also need informed if you replace a worn out set with a different brand? If so then what about windscreen wipers, or if you believe the threads about different performance of supermarket against branded fuel, then what about buying fuel from different garages?

Sent from my Hudl HT7S3 using Tapatalk

 

I said in my original post they are charging a £20 admin fee for the re-issue of the documents.  No increase in premium as such.  

 

This way they are still following the ABI code but I'm still paying more money.

 

When it comes to renewal I'll be looking around.  Current thoughts are NFU and Skoda's own.

 

tom

 

 

Re-issuing the documents? Please don't tell me they are still sending them out in the post?

 

Admiral have them all online. Log in and print off if required. Instant access whilst you are on the phone making the changes.

 

Admin fees are a con. If Direct Line insist on charging a £20 admin fee to re-issue the certificate then I'd be telling them were to stick their policy.

 

Have you contacted them and told them about the ABI document linked in this thread?

A lot of people seem to be missing the point in threads like this. I'd suggest that there are actually 2 points:

 

1. Surely for most people, if you are unlucky enough to have to make a serious claim then you want it dealt with as quickly and smoothly as possible. Some insurance companies will use any excuse to delay or to debate the claim. It may well be that theoretically any decent and appropriate winter tyre is legal and may comply with ABPI standards. But if your insurance company choose to argue the point then - even if ultimately you win the claim - there may well be a considerable amount of delay and hassle involved.If this really what you want, when you could have cleared it in advance, even if it does involve jumping through a couple of hoops? Of course, it ought not to be like that, but it's the difference between theory and practice.

 

2. For several insurance companies a change from the speed rating of the manufacturer's original fitment to a lower rating (which is essential for a Yeti on 17" wheels) is a material change (whatever the manual may say). Again you can obviously choose to argue the point while the company sits on any claim, and ultimately you ought - hopefully - to be successful of course. But do you really want to go though all the hassle involved? 

As someone who has just been through a non-fault insurance claim the whole process is hassle.

 

Form filling, phone calls, witness statements, rental cars, gathering competitive quotes, liaising with the garage, more phone calls, sitting on hold, more phone calls - the list is endless.

 

The point is an insurance company doesn't need winter tyres to make life difficult.

As someone who has just been through a non-fault insurance claim the whole process is hassle.

 

Of course, that's just plain obvious. But why give them an added extra excuse for delay by not checking whether they prefer you to declare winter tyres, especially if they have to be of a lower speed rating than the original fitment.

 

Your decision of course.

I think the point here is that Direct Line are on the ABI list as agreeing not to charge a premium.

 

Yet despite this the OP suggests that he was in fact quoted £20, i.e. charging a premium.

 

Trust the ABI, pay the £20, either way they will try to wriggle out of a claim if they choose to do so.

If I was to buy a set of steel wheels with winter tyres fitted would they be bothered?

 

Or is it only if you swap your tyres over on your existing wheels?

 

The steel wheels would be 16" (same as the alloys) and the tyres would be the same size and speed rating as the originals.

 

They wouldn't be VAG wheels though.

 

Phil

Tim, The Plumber kindly fitted the winter wheels and tyres I purchased from him yesterday and I contacted my insurers N.F. U Mutual  this morning, they said it was a good idea to notify them as they have made notes on my policy and should do the same when I replace the original alloy set. The only question they asked was if genuine VAG wheels which I confirmed, but there was no admin fee or extra charge applicable.

 

Overall I have found NFU although slightly more expensive than other quotes to be first class to deal with and the policy does have a replacement brand new car  if written off within the first two years from new, saves having to pay the expensive GAP insurance Skoda tried to sell me 

If I was to buy a set of steel wheels with winter tyres fitted would they be bothered?

 

Or is it only if you swap your tyres over on your existing wheels?

 

The steel wheels would be 16" (same as the alloys) and the tyres would be the same size and speed rating as the originals.

 

They wouldn't be VAG wheels though.

 

Phil

 

Hell yes!

 

See here:

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/264065-direct-line-insurance-oe-winter-wheels-are-a-modification-and-will-cost-more/#entry3117060

 

I left them for LV who don't even want to be notified when you switch wheels (that's tyres and rims, not just tyres, for clarity).

Edited 13 January, 201412 yr by Yearofthegoat

Before I bought winter wheels and tyres I spoke to LV who informed me that there would be an increase in premium as it would be a modification (even though I was suggesting Skoda alloys of the size given in the manual and tyres of an appropriate size/rating. The increase was small so I went ahead and got a set of 16 inch Spectrums and Nokian AR 3 s.

When I rang up to pay the increase a different lady said " no increase, no problem, no need to let them know when I changed back".

I don't know which lady is right but I think the calls are recorded so I made a note of the date of the conversation for future reference.

So far I am delighted with my winter set up, less fidgety, quieter, and slightly more economical - although I haven't factored in the 3.8 per cent under read. The gearing us also slightly lowered so 6 th is used more frequently.

Steve.

Before I bought winter wheels and tyres I spoke to LV who informed me that there would be an increase in premium as it would be a modification (even though I was suggesting Skoda alloys of the size given in the manual and tyres of an appropriate size/rating. The increase was small so I went ahead and got a set of 16 inch Spectrums and Nokian AR 3 s.

When I rang up to pay the increase a different lady said " no increase, no problem, no need to let them know when I changed back".

I don't know which lady is right but I think the calls are recorded so I made a note of the date of the conversation for future reference.

So far I am delighted with my winter set up, less fidgety, quieter, and slightly more economical - although I haven't factored in the 3.8 per cent under read. The gearing us also slightly lowered so 6 th is used more frequently.

Steve.

I'm with LV and was advised no problem etc

I have nokians in standard size and with appropriate rating on a spare set of Annapurnas. I cannot see any purpose  in discussing this with my insurers. If they reduced premiums for those who understand that below 7c they can do better than o/e then there would be a point.

 

Overall I have found NFU although slightly more expensive than other quotes to be first class to deal with and the policy does have a replacement brand new car  if written off within the first two years from new, saves having to pay the expensive GAP insurance Skoda tried to sell me

The Skoda/VAG GAP insurance, whilst not as cheap as some, does provide three years cover, after the first years "new for old" Insurance Cover making a total four years GAP Insurance to original invoice price.

When I rang up to pay the increase a different lady said " no increase, no problem, no need to let them know when I changed back"

 

I've found that before with other insurers.  To check the winter wheels policy, I asked about it using their online chat facility - and took a copy of the conversation to keep should there be any issue in the future.

this may be of some help

 

https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Documents/Publications/Public/Migrated/Motor/ABI%20guide%20to%20winter%20tyres%20The%20motor%20insurance%20commitment.ashx

In December 2010 I asked More Than about their stance on fitting winter tyres.

 

Their very brief emailed response was -

"MORE TH>N policies are not affected by fitting of winter tyres. You do not need to inform us when fitting them.

The tyres should be fitted to wheels from your vehicle manufacturer and should be of a size and profile that is an approved fitment for your car."

 

So I have fitted winters on VAG 16" steel wheels in place of my 17" alloys. They are a size described in the car handbook as approved for the Yeti. End of story!

 

 

When shopping around for cover 2 years ago, before RBS sold off Direct Line in 2012, I asked them about fitting winter tyres and they emailed me a standard wording that said that as long as the tyres size was approved by the vehicle manufactuer, it was ok, and they didn't need to be informed.

Now I don't know if their attitude has changed since they left RBS, but if their underwriter's policy is still the same, Direct Line's call handler is wrong when saying they need to issue an amendment to the policy. It is the amendment that they are trying to charge for, not their approval of the fitting of winter tyres.

 

I'd suggest ringing them again and asking what the company policy is re winter tyres, without letting on that you are an existing customer. After all, fitting winter tyres is compulsory in parts of Europe where DL also do business and by fitting winters of a size approved by the manufacturer, you are reducing the risk of a claim, not increasing it.