Cars with mods that are not declared

troops said:
Admiral never asked me recently when i rang them, asked wether it has any modifications but never asked about factory extras.

Wording "Has the car been modified at all?"
Click to expand...

I've been through this a couple of times with Admiral. The wording of the policy is "A modification is any change to the car away from the manufacturer's standard specification including optional extras, such as alloy wheels, body kits and exhaust upgrades.".

When I first bought my car I phoned them and had to declare xenon headlights, leather seats, sat nav/bluetooth and tinted windows which were all factory fitted to the car. So I moved to LV who told me on the phone factory options don't need to be declared. Admiral the next time I went to them told me the same, factory options don't need declaring so I re-insured with them. When adding my wifes car to the multicar I was then told all options need declaring again, they went away and clarified the point. They added all my options back onto my policy but didn't charge for them after listening to the call that misinformed me.
 
They also mention this in the policy documents:

"11 Standard parts replacement
Your policy does not cover any non standard parts (modifications). Manufacturers optional extras are only covered if they have been declared and we have agreed to arrange cover for them."

So if you have a lovely specced up example of your car with optional sat nav, heated leather, this that and the other - you may find them only willing to payout for replacing it with a standard cloth seat, cheap radio version.
 
I just insured a 182, I owned up to the car having light tints to the windows. They want an extra £100 on the policy. I said I'd have them removed & and paid up. They put a note on the account saying I'd remove them, but I may just pay. £100 is a bit of a joke though.
 
Kristoph said:
I just insured a 182, I owned up to the car having light tints to the windows. They want an extra £100 on the policy. I said I'd have them removed & and paid up. They put a note on the account saying I'd remove them, but I may just pay. £100 is a bit of a joke though.
Click to expand...

That is indeed ridiculous.
I am pulling figures out of the air here but I would go as far as saying 95+% of youngsters with window tints did not declare them.

What exactly does not declaring mods mean to a policy? It is completely void? I just don't get it, as so many people mod their vehicles and insure them as standard.
 
They will have to pay the third party costs but may refuse to cover your damage in the event of a claim - alternatively they may choose to charge the extra on the policy that the modifications would have added. No idea how that would go if it's a mod they dont cover though.

Suspect it would have a lot to do with the assessor and to what degree you got a jobsworth on the other end of the phone initially.
 
The cost of the modifications always seem wildly disproportionate (tint example above is a good one). If it was an extra £10-20 then you wouldn't think twice, but £100?!?! I wouldn't argue it makes the car any more desirable and doesn't affect performance. You could argue it prevents people from seeing in so they smash the window to have a look, but what are the chances of that?
 
SGWills said:
also stops people seeing the things they are reversing in to ? *as a counter arguement :) *
Click to expand...

I agree. A Saxo with black plastic film stuck to the windows heavily suggests wheelspinning in the Asda carpark at night, possibly why the price was so much.

Personally I would like the following three things to happen:
1) Car insurance price lowered as it is mandatory to have and as such the insurance companies shouldn't be allowed to bend us over so badly. Saying 'don't own a car then' is not a valid counter arguement as most people need to commute to work and public transport is naff.
2) People undeclared mods getting a big fine if court driving on a policy that is for a standard car.
3) People caught driving with no insurance and/or no tax and/or no MOT getting slapped with a fine twice that of what it would cost to be legal. If that results in a 17 year old being given a £6000 fine then do be it.

Point 3 is where my strongest feelings lie.
 
Last edited:
OpenToSuggestions said:
I agree. A Saxo with black plastic film stuck to the windows heavily suggests wheelspinning in the Asda carpark at night, possibly why the price was so much.

Personally I would like the following three things to happen:
1) Car insurance price lowered as it is mandatory to have and as such the insurance companies shouldn't be allowed to bend us over so badly. Saying 'don't own a car then' is not a valid counter arguement as most people need to commute to work and public transport is naff.
2) People undeclared mods getting a big fine if court driving on a policy that is for a standard car.
3) People caught driving with no insurance and/or no tax and/or no MOT getting slapped with a fine twice that of what it would cost to be legal. If that results in a 17 year old being given a £6000 fine then do be it.

Point 3 is where my strongest feelings lie.
Click to expand...

That's not how insurance works.. you cannot force a company offering insurance to do so at a rate lower than they consider commercially viable. Not unless you are going to front the difference in premium when the person crashes - or rather, the difference in claim amount.
 
I have a declared remap and airfilter.

My car for example, I wouldn't know how they'd tell. As it's old, it's probably lost the horses that the remap finds again, so it's probably balanced out.

For the extra money the after market airfilter isn't worth it.

I can see why people wouldn't pay; doesn't make it right.

The biggest example I can see of this is scooters that should be limited for learners going 40 or so MPH
 
All my mods are insured with admiral but in the case of damage it's replace for standard which isn't going to be cheap for them as it's a import which in the end will result in a write off anyway. I have many face lift parts fitted as well but none of these are declared.
 
In my opinion it's not worth not declaring them.

I certainly feel that if you've done some modifications which make your car faster, but you've added better brakes for example the insurers should see that as a positive, and rather than penalising you twice for 2 modifications, they see the better brakes as a positive and use it to offset the premium of the performance upgrade.

I think it also depends on your age and the type of car.

If you're driving a GTR for example, it's already a performance car, so the mods will add little in terms of desirability as it's already a desirable car. If you're driving a saxo where you add more than double the car's value worth of mods, then I accept that the premium should undoubtedly be higher. It's not always fair, but that's the way I think it is seen, but remember it has to be economically viable for the insurers to insure you - if it's not why would they insure you? It is a business after all.

I've always declared every tweak I've made, bar a geo set up. New brakes, stereo, styling, braided hoses etc... all that yes. A lot of insurers I've been with didn't even add more than 10% - some didn't even see some of them as worthy of increase of premium.

Livingstones Warman were very good to me, as was Chris Knotts (but you have to be over 30 I think) and Prestigekeepmoving.

It helps if you're a member of a car owner's club as often they do discounts and deals.

Ultimately you still have to hunt around, and compare websites are useless.
 
Last edited:
Every year I have to email my list of mods to insurers for quotes... Generally best to play off adrian flux, sky insurance, I think one called keith michaels, a plan Thatcham branch etc.

I declare it all but only cos I am >30 with not too much std bits remaining!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom