Lesson why not to mod your car, with known insurance companies

[vRSAnt]

Renewal around end of March this year decided to go with a specialist insurer, who shall be known as *AF* (might possibly ryhme with Tux?)

 

Comparison sites a year ago on standard car cited £200 ish on a std car lowest, but not really attainable as the car was "lightly modded"

 

But as I'd got modifications ( a few) decided to opt with *AF*

Price was £350, seemed steep and sort of kicking myself for not being standard, is this a constant sign of things to come I've been thinking ? So dwelled on my mind, particularly as Fab is 2nd car, why not go standard

 

Mods were

HR Springs 30mm

Spiders alloys

LCR splitter

Retrimmed seats with leather, but standard seat bases, so effectively not really that non-standard other than different material I'd say.

Its got a 2nd hand stereo ( woo) that cost me £80, and I have no real intention of covering for insurance

 

At this current time I advised *AF* of recent changing my car practically back to standard, only exception currently really is SEATS, and all that really is is leather trim on standard seats ( not buckets etc).

They want £40 ! The cheek !

 

So they want to play games.

I ask them what the cancellation is ( from now to end of March = just under 5 mths remain). They want to return about £45.

£350 * (5/12)

( so remaining insurance value is probably about £115 and so thats worse off than if I payed that £40 !

Surprise surprise......

 

So I've asked for a full breakdown of these costs from them, which is only reasonable. As if the insurance standard is significantly LESS than modified, how is it you are expecting more money from me ?
Is it fair that specialist insurers, or insurance in general, just has a license to print money ?

 

There are insurers who will currently insurer on same basis right now for £200 with the remaining seats declared ( which could mean anything, any seats!).

- or sub £180 renewal for the year on basis of completely standard car ( which its not far from now ignoring seats!).

 

Also disappointed by *AF* quite recently which helped focus this direction away from such "specalists" - I'd heard a lot of guys talking about the 300hp on the octy and thought, hmm maybe I want to get in on that possibly:

I'd had an insurance from a different mainstream company, on the Octavia, which quoted £200 lowest on comparison.

Started with a basic comparison from *AF* and they wanted £400 as standard before I even talked about modification !

So don't bother with that (octavia remap or anything). Anyway its fast enough.

 

So thats sold me off modification for good, thanks *AF*

By the way the car rides much better for UK roads with the stock springs and alloys anyway.

( I also have combined NCB of about 28 years, so hardly an insurance risk by the way - not really relevant to this but thought I'd get it in there that they do quite well from me already thank you, in the sense of one of the few customers that do offer them some long term profit I'm sure. )

 

I WILL NOT EVER USE YOU AGAIN *AF* AND ADVISE OTHERS DO NOT EITHER. THANK YOU.

Keep your insurance simple, keep it unmodified

Edited 9 November, 2016 by vRSAnt

[Skoda_Saint]

I'd try Greenlight. They don't charge you for mods that don't increase bhp, a definite step up IMO.

[vRSAnt]

Good suggestion mate. To be honest though I'm glad I've gone back to the original ride though.

I feel on balance the best of the removed mods was the spiders for the Fabia IMO ( really look great and suite the car), however many insurers like Admiral ( and as you mention Greenlight) don't make any deal about it and I don't think it would cost an extra penny to insure them.

They aren't bothered so long as they aren't aftermarket.

 

Anyway I sold them now, makes some space in my garage where my 16's were just sitting about unloved, and I don't find the standard 16's that unbearable to be honest, they are just like mini spiders lol.

 

Going standard, the 16s and standard springs, whilst not the sportiest, deliver a pretty balanced drive for UK roads. To be honest the biggest difference I noticed from going to standard, was sorted the FARB bushes ( which I've had to be replaced for far too long) to be nice and tight.

 

If anything that has made just as much improvement to handling as lowering ( I think when it was dropped there was less FARB movement and just wasn't necessary - possibly how the bushes had moved around on the lower suspension may also have helped).

It actually seems now on standard to be better than it was before, guess due to the new FARB bushes

Edited 9 November, 2016 by vRSAnt

[theezenutz]

Yep Insurance company's know they can get away with it so they will others will catch on eventually.

 

They tried doing me on my Pulsar. I had an agreed price with them then they tried coming out with all kinds of excuses to chuck another £200 on the premium. I told them where to go.

 

Once the Fab and Pulsar are gone I am likely done with cars it's getting silly now and most of the fun has been taken away.

 

Such is life and probably for the best anyways.

[Yaris]

Adrian Flux have always been a bag of crap, but they were the main modified specialist at the time.

Nowadays Greenlight are kings, as above

[DAN@ADRIAN FLUX]

Hi,

Sorry to hear this, if you wanted to PM me some details I'd be happy to look into it for you.

Kind Regards

Dan

[Titanium_Man]

The leather seats may just be replaced material, but they are arguably more attractiable to the little scrotes who break into cars and steal them.

So, the charge relates to the increase in risk that your car maybe broken in.

[vRSAnt]

Hi Jars, even so, the difference betwen completely standard and quoted with seats, was still only £20 difference on the cheapest quote.

 

- Its made far lessdifference to admiral when I've had it changes in the past ( think they quoted me about £19 or so for the same modifications, and still cost matched on lower insurance prices.)

and that was INCREASING the risk with all the above mods

(which AF charge me £150 for already compared to lowest insurance at last renewal).

 

- Also by the way, they are only seats, with them being the only remaining thing left, I could potentially change these back, too!

 

This is all a bit different from the 175% increase I've had to pay Flux in March to insure ( I purposefully shifted to modified insurance as a direction to go even further into looking into remaps etc). £350 at time versus £200 lowest. Which is about where the standard quites still are now, and I wouldn't have been surprised if AF flux was same or more the way things are going....

Actually all its done is push me strongly the other way now this year.

 

Will be interesting to see what Dan has to say on this, certainly not left me with a positive experience of specialist insurance being worthwhile ( well not in terms of matching standard insurance on price, and terms basis)

Edited 10 November, 2016 by vRSAnt

[stevobeavo]

Have a look at sky insurance. They saved me over £150 over AF who I was with the year before. All mods declared with like for like replacement. When I fitted my bucket seat no extra was added to the policy.

[fabdavrav]

I'm with Aviva & have been for over 15yrs.....& modded my cars & informed of all major mods.

 

Old Fabia had modded suspension dampers, bushes etc, but no lowering so no extra cost.

 

Extra set of aftermarket alloys (slight additions as not the factory ones so extra replacement cost for them in crash) so that a small increase......

 

My New MK7 Golf swap from 288mm to 312mm brakes using VW parts.....no extra cost as I have "made the car safer" in their words......

[Harry1212]

Declared for free with Admiral, they don't cover the mods so won't replace them but you can list them as long as it's mods their underwriters allow which let me declare everything apart from front tinted windows which are illegal so removed them last week.

[vRSAnt]

Bye Bye come March time Flux.

 

For now I will pay their unreasonable and unexpected charge for now I think ( could be worse, I could have to stay with them beyond the policy expiration, only in my nightmares )

 

Given a better experience as you say from places like Admiral with more reasonably initial insurance and more reasonable policy modifications, who seem a dream come true in comparison,

 

I can only conclude one of 2 scenarios:

 

1) Adrian Flux are incompetent. Incapable of being able to secure a quality deal for the customer with the policy underwriter.

Possibly not far from the truth

I was told the fee is because the policy was initially discounted on a "modified" policy at 20%

So do they make no attempt to argue this for the client/ for a better deal on admentments ( if even true) ?

 

But get this readers, AXA were the underwriters last year,

I know for a fact on the basis of the same, they are right now quoting the opposite direction to what Flux are loading for as a policy change on insurance renewal - hence more "safe" can be the only conclusion ? So why the penalty then ?

Otherwise why would AXA offer me a new policy for £200 when Flux quoted £350 in March ? 20% discount certainly doesn't explain it.

 

It just doesn't add up.

 

 

2) its a pack of lies, engineered to make money from the misery of customers whenever changes occur, to their own benefit, but all the time making them look increasingly like a bunch of charlatans.

 

Either way its Adios, Muchachos.

Edited 11 November, 2016 by vRSAnt

[Bazzer1955]

Have a look at Hastings direct, my Octavia 1.9 ( I know its standard) but it was only £245 fully comp with loads of stuff with it (windscreen, breakdown, protected NCB )   etc..