With all the talk of people modding cars and uncertainty over what counts as a mod and what doesnt, we all know that ANYTHING you do that isnt within the original spec shoul dbe declared. However, I know of a few instances where people havent declared yet the insurance co. have still paid out.

Remembering that if Skoda can be nosey here, others can too........

My friend "bob" had a Nova that he changed the front and wing mounted indicators from orange to clear, fitted SXi black steel wheels with centre caps (they did look good) - car was written off and they paid out.

My friend "trevor" has a Saab with a full "vigen" body kit that was written off and they paid out.

Neither friend had declared the mods.

Were they offered the value of the car, or the value of the car + mods?

Chris

Standard car value. But the point is they paid out and never queried/noticed the mods.

Especially on cars with a couple of previous owners it's entirely possible that owners can be unaware of what was standard or modified

I never understood why it is fair for the m to charge you to have the mods, but then not pay out for them if the car is WO'd. Seems a bit crazy.

Yes, but surely there is a difference between cosmetic mods, and mods which will/ could alter the handling/ performance of the car.

I can understand insurance co paying out a standard price for the car-mods for cosmetic mods. But for performance mods, they may be more inclined to query the cause of the accident and then it would be a case of whether or not they should pay out anything rather than how much they should pay.

JD

i suppose the stance of the insurance company could be that bling wheels add to the cars nickability?

Yep, and suggest something of the attitude of the driver as mentioned before.

I never understood why it is fair for the m to charge you to have the mods, but then not pay out for them if the car is WO'd. Seems a bit crazy.

As a general rule they wont on a total but they will replace the modded parts up to KO value but remember modded parts cost more & will push the repair the the KO value quicker.

Some companies will pay a higher value if you pre agree it with them but obviously that will neccesitate a premium hike.

General rule I adopt with a heavily modded car is that if you total the car you can probably buy the wreck back fairly cheaply & either repair it with s/hand bits or if its too bad break it & sell all the aftermarket bits to get some of your investment back.

Golden Rule, If its pranged get it back to your home address, if its taken to a Garage they will see the modded bits if they are worth anything you might find yourself in competition when bidding for the wreck or bits might go missing (this happened to a friend with a bike after a smash)

To cover theft fit a tracker, that way it should be recovered fairly quickly & the most you are likely to loose if they start breaking it is the wheels

My point was when you say i have done this an insurance compoany usually says well that costs X extra but you wont get any payout beyond standard.

Why not say it will be X increase or Y increase if you wanted replaceing like with like. I have asked and most places will only charge you and replace with standard.