I changed the small indicators in the wings of my Nova from orange ones to clear ones. Direct Line paid out, no problems.

I agree with bodywork stickers. Think of some of the Imprezas you see that have been tarted up to look like a WRC car. The stickers do make it look more apealing to yobs etc. It would be impossible to evaluate each car on how much stickering was on there so they have made a simple rule that says "no stickers on the bodywork" - its simple.

I'm sorry but you are wrong!! Options fitted either by a dealer OR the factory do NOT affect the insurance. However, if you start fiddling with air intakes and the like then they do.

Nissan offer Nismo tuning kits through their dealers that can be fitted before you collect a new car. Somehow I think they count as a modification

I've got a standard Fabia vRS with no add ons apart from some storage pouches in the boot and i've got 2 small Briskoda.net stickers in the side windows, a small Briskoda.net sticker under the rear reg, a large Briskoda.net stick at the very top of my rear window, a Foo Fighters sticker at the very bottom of my rear window (on the black part) and a Skoda Motorsport sticker at the very bottom of my rear window (again, on the black part), so do i need to notify my insurance?

Well you should notify the sticker manufacturers that the world's gonna need more stickers because you've used them all

Well you should notify the sticker manufacturers that the world's gonna need more stickers because you've used them all

:rofl:

There's a silver Fabia vRS at All Electric in Halesowen that has about 100x more stickers on than mine, just wish i had a picture.

The thing seems to be to find out from your insurer (and assuming you will probably want to stay with them next year since I guess each insurer will have its own particular clauses they will hope to rely on.)

It seems to me that you need to find out these days about both insurance and warranties. I think it was Moose who said that he had to declare his retro-fit rear parking sensors as a mod, even though they are a safety feature, with concomitant increase in insurance premium

Kinda says everything really when even a safety mod can put up your insurance, but I guess they can say that if you have to drill a hole, it might have weakened something with potential follow-on re other parts.

I guess an individual must decide how this changing world affects him personally.

Just my thoughts

Mo

It seems to me that you need to find out these days about both insurance and warranties. I think it was Moose who said that he had to declare his retro-fit rear parking sensors as a mod' date=' even though they are a safety feature, with concomitant increase in insurance premium

Kinda says everything really when even a safety mod can put up your insurance, but I guess they can say that if you have to drill a hole, it might have weakened something with potential follow-on re other parts.

[/quote']

Mo - its not nothing to do with safety! The insurer needs to know that he has reversing sensors as they would need to be replaced / covered if he had a shunt - i.e. more expense than a normal bumper - or he had it knicked. They aren't free to put on and they aren't free to replace .

I think it was Moose who said that he had to declare his retro-fit rear parking sensors as a mod, even though they are a safety feature, with concomitant increase in insurance premium

A safety feature?! Most people I've seen with them seem to solely rely on them to park and as a result don't bother watching where they're going!

Chris

A safety feature?! Most people I've seen with them seem to solely rely on them to park and as a result don't bother watching where they're going!

Chris

What makes things worse is when you get in the missus car and reverse it into the wall because you dont hear the sensors beeping, because it hasn't got any!

Mo - its not nothing to do with safety! The insurer needs to know that he has reversing sensors as they would need to be replaced / covered if he had a shunt - i.e. more expense than a normal bumper - or he had it knicked. They aren't free to put on and they aren't free to replace .

TBH I wasn't thinking of that. I was thinking that increased premiums due to actuarial (statistical) likelihood that modded cars might be involved in a crash (given the higher speeds they can attain) and that damage to one or both cars would probably be greater at higher impact speed.

If "replacement of mod" is reflected in a policy premium, would not that be pretty much annually the cost of the mod before adding extra for increased accident likelihood?

I'm talking through my hat, so please free to ignore.

Regards

Mo

Mo - its not nothing to do with safety! The insurer needs to know that he has reversing sensors as they would need to be replaced / covered if he had a shunt - i.e. more expense than a normal bumper - or he had it knicked. They aren't free to put on and they aren't free to replace .

What about on policies like Elephant, where they tell you they will not replace any mods, only the standard parts. They hike the insurance because you put on the sensors, but in the case of an accident they will only replace it with a standard bumper.

Logically, they somehow must assume that parking sensors will make you more likely to have an (own fault) accident?

What about on policies like Elephant' date=' where they tell you they will not replace any mods, only the standard parts. They hike the insurance because you put on the sensors, but in the case of an accident they will only replace it with a standard bumper.

Logically, they somehow must assume that parking sensors will make you more likely to have an (own fault) accident?[/quote']

Mort

With Elephant they will replace non-standard parts if you declare them and they agree to cover them. So (a) if you declare they will charge you extra but will replace if in an accident, but ( if you don't declare then they will not charge you extra but will not replace in the event of an accident. Seems pretty clear to me

Mort

With Elephant they will replace non-standard parts if you declare them and they agree to cover them. So (a) if you declare they will charge you extra but will replace if in an accident' date=' but ( if you don't declare then they will not charge you extra but will not replace in the event of an accident. Seems pretty clear to me [/quote']

That's only non-standard factory fit parts. Any 3rd party add-ons are NOT replaced at all (apart from audio equipment I think). I have a little booklet explaining this, and with each mod I have declared they have reminded me this is their policy. I have letters for each of my Mods saying that my policy is updated and to see the sub section of my booklets to see that although 'covered' by my policy any modified parts will only be replaced with the standard trim OEM parts.

So Elephant are charging me 70 odd quid a year for parts that they won't even replace in an accident.

Yep - thought we were talking about dealer / factory options etc which can be covered - all your "proper" mods are not covered and TBH if you are looking at doing some of these things then Elephant (or Admiral group generally AFAIK ) isn't the way to go. :(

I agree with bodywork stickers. Think of some of the Imprezas you see that have been tarted up to look like a WRC car. The stickers do make it look more apealing to yobs etc. It would be impossible to evaluate each car on how much stickering was on there so they have made a simple rule that says "no stickers on the bodywork" - its simple.

This, and the SDP claim on what might be a works vehicle seem most likely to me. It might even be that it's not really stickers as such (i.e. vinyl ones), but anything stuck to the bodywork. I can see that putting putting vRS badging on the back of a Comfort (say) could be given as a reason for not paying out, as a real vRS would be in a higher insurance group than a Comfort due at least in part to it being more attractive to thieves...

Last time I insured my car, I actually had to ring them about the non-standard bits on my car, rather than just put them down on the application form. Although when I said to the woman on the phone that my 'modifications' amounted to an airbag deactivation switch, a boot-mounted CD changer and Polo cupholder set, her response started with the words "No sir, that's not what I meant..."

On the other side, it's been years since having extra security fitted has had a positive effect on my premium. :thumbdwn:

You just can't win...

Yep - thought we were talking about dealer / factory options etc which can be covered - all your "proper" mods are not covered and TBH if you are looking at doing some of these things then Elephant (or Admiral group generally AFAIK ) isn't the way to go. :(

I agree, but unfortunately until I hit the magic 3 years NCB nowhere else will offer me insurance for close to their price.

I just resent the fact that they said that it'll cost me 50 quid to have 312's as brakes even though they won't replace them. In essence they are saying that the increased ability to stop will make me more likely to have an own fault accident. As for them to replace/fix the car in that event it is no different. But just having the mod makes me more of a risk (or why charge extra? for something, non power increasing, that you don't replace/carry the cost of?)

I daren't think what Elephant would charge if I had a big sticker on the car. Well, it'd be at least