PPF on the car have you declared it with insurance? INSURANCE VOIDED

[leef44]

I don't generally disagree with what you're saying however this is the definition from my Admiral policy which is very specific:

Modifications Any changes to your vehicle's standard specification, including accessories and additional parts, optional extras and aftermarket alterations, trade related changes and parts.

The italics are mine. Vehicle pricelists clearly distinguish between items fitted as standard and optional.

It's not so clearly distinguished because dealers or manufacturers have offered many different editions over the years of the same model, each with different sets of "standard" equipment.

For example, you might have one edition which comes with tinted windows, leather seats as standard while another edition has "sports" wheels, tyres or suspension as standard. The lines are so blurred by the manufacturers that it becomes difficult to keep up.

It's not like the old days where you had one basic spec and every spec above that was an optional extra individually itemised.

You have AMG line, S line, M sport, 25th anniversary model etc.

Now I'm having to work back to see whether intelligent light system was a standard spec on my AMG.

Oh also to add, was it a 2013 model or 2014 model because it then became standard on the later edition or something?

 

[BMole]

It's not so clearly distinguished because dealers or manufacturers have offered many different editions over the years of the same model, each with different sets of "standard" equipment.

Good point well made so it's even more confusing than I thought..

 

[BMole]

Now I'm having to work back to see whether intelligent light system was a standard spec on my AMG.

I wouldn't worry as it's minor.

On my car the AMG Sport pack plus the further upgrade from 19 to 20 inch wheels cost almost £8000 alone. I added those plus a lot of optional extras including ILS and adaptive headlights and my premium increase as I said above was £12.86. This suggests to me that on cars in high insurance groups the effect of optional extras isn't much but similar options on a more mainstream car would be more significant.

As other posters have said, if in doubt declare it.

 

[st13phil]

Modifications Any changes to your vehicle's standard specification, including accessories and additional parts, optional extras and aftermarket alterations, trade related changes and parts.

Interesting.

A few years back I used to insure with Direct Line but they went through a phase of hiking their premium at renewal, so I would swap to another insurer for a year and then swap back to Direct Line as I’d then get their “new business” discount again.

In 2014, shortly after starting a DL policy, I swapped my E350CDI for a very heavily optioned E63 and phoned up DL to get them to quote for the substitution and they told me that I needed to tell them about all options on the car as they classed factory fitted optional equipment as modifications. After we got to the bit where they demanded to know the cost of individual components that were part of option packages on the car, I got bored and told them I’d be cancelling the policy and insuring elsewhere.

After arranging a policy with Aviva (who were only interested in any post-manufacturer changes, of which there were none), I got a call from DL asking why I was cancelling my cover with them. During the ensuing conversation I was assured that they didn’t need to know about factory fitted options after all, and that the operator who told me I had to disclose them was incorrect.

I’ve continued to be insured with Aviva ever since.

 

[leef44]

Interesting.

A few years back I used to insure with Direct Line but they went through a phase of hiking their premium at renewal, so I would swap to another insurer for a year and then swap back to Direct Line as I’d then get their “new business” discount again.

In 2014, shortly after starting a DL policy, I swapped my E350CDI for a very heavily optioned E63 and phoned up DL to get them to quote for the substitution and they told me that I needed to tell them about all options on the car as they classed factory fitted optional equipment as modifications. After we got to the bit where they demanded to know the cost of individual components that were part of option packages on the car, I got bored and told them I’d be cancelling the policy and insuring elsewhere.

After arranging a policy with Aviva (who were only interested in any post-manufacturer changes, of which there were none), I got a call from DL asking why I was cancelling my cover with them. During the ensuing conversation I was assured that they didn’t need to know about factory fitted options after all, and that the operator who told me I had to disclose them was incorrect.

I’ve continued to be insured with Aviva ever since.

So I guess DL will be playing that conversation back which they've recorded for training purposes

 

[ALFAitalia]

My insurance say that anything it left the factory with is NOT a mod .....so optional equipment is not a modification (obviously stuff like a full Brabus conversion is the exception....but technically it did not leave Mercedes like that even if you did order it as Brabus brand new from your local dealer)......but dealer fitted options most likely will be considered a mod with the exception of mats and mudflaps!

 

[BMole]

After arranging a policy with Aviva (who were only interested in any post-manufacturer changes, of which there were none), I got a call from DL asking why I was cancelling my cover with them. During the ensuing conversation I was assured that they didn’t need to know about factory fitted options after all, and that the operator who told me I had to disclose them was incorrect.

Confusion reigns. And how do we know that operator was correct ? As the old saying goes, a verbal contract is only worth the paper it's not printed on. At least I know where I am with Admiral as it's in writing and I made the changes online and saved the screens to pdf. Paranoid ? Who, me?

This has reminded me of a previous encounter with Admiral when I'd added my home policy shortly after my car, to get the multi discount. Despite the operative saying I'd get the documents to check, I didn't, forgot about it and it was only when the home insurance activated 11 months later that I discovered I'd apparently agreed to a £500 voluntary excess - which I hadn't - clearly the operative had put that in to get the price down to something I'd accept, possibly to get their commission ? I asked them to review their recording and they (too) quickly came back to say I'd agreed. I knew I was right as I'd taken notes during the phone call and kept them - a practice carried over from work. So I cancelled the policy and was charged £50 for the priviledge. Nowadays I can record the conversations myself on my mobile.

The insurance companies hold all the aces. At my next renewal I'll be looking for a company with a sensible definition of modifications.

 

[st13phil]

Confusion reigns. And how do we know that operator was correct ? As the old saying goes, a verbal contract is only worth the paper it's not printed on.

At my next renewal I'll be looking for a company with a sensible definition of modifications.

Exactly (both points), and precisely why I continue to insure with Aviva whose policy wording is clear, and don’t charge for declared mod's such as a reversing camera retrofit or a Quaife diff.

 

[leef44]

Exactly (both points), and precisely why I continue to insure with Aviva whose policy wording is clear, and don’t charge for declared mod's such as a reversing camera retrofit or a Quaife diff.

Phew! I'm with Aviva so my SLK wheels are covered because it was an optioned item from new from the first owner.

I've now declared my modified exhaust pipe using their on line system and so there is no admin charge and happily no premium increase.

I had forgotten about the exhaust because I was previously with Admiral and went through a phone call where they asked whether it was aesthetic or performance enhancement. It was neither so they excluded it as a modification. I had been with them for a few years so forgot about this when I switched to Aviva because I was going by the data from the Admiral renewal notice.

 

[ToeKnee]

Unfortunately Aviva wouldn't insure me with my modifications, at the time, so I moved to LV who were happy to take my money.

 

[Slartibartfast]

My insurance say that anything it left the factory with is NOT a mod .....so optional equipment is not a modification ...

My insurance company told me the same. My car has over £15,000 in options but cost no more to insure than a basic spec S350

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , I have a Mitsubishi Pajero ( grey import ) and was asked on my application form if the car had been modified.

I rang them up , conversation went like this , how I am meant to know if a 20 year old car has been modified , You cannot know was the reply !

I use LV

 

[NJSS]

MYE63 - can you please update us?

I do hope you have had some good luck.

NJSS

 

[DavE400]

To add to the confusion my last 2 cars have been ceramic coated and insured with Admiral who advised I needed to add a bodywork modification in the policy proposal but highlighted that there was no extra charge for including the "modification" into the policy.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

I don't generally disagree with what you're saying however this is the definition from my Admiral policy which is very specific:

Modifications Any changes to your vehicle's standard specification, including accessories and additional parts, optional extras and aftermarket alterations, trade related changes and parts.

The italics are mine. Vehicle pricelists clearly distinguish between items fitted as standard and optional.

Direct Line Policy booklet also states as above . My car has circa £17k worth of "Modifications" , better give them a call again.
Spent about 30 minutes trying to list the options last week, half of them weren't listed with them. I think their representative gave up in the end and agreed that if it was factory fitted that it was OK.

 

[markjay]

Here's a thought.

We all wonder why certain options increase the premium.

The insurer will claim that - statistically - cars equipped with these options are more likely to be involved in a claim. Insurers calculate risk based on probabilities and statistical correlations, they do not try and provide logical cause-and-effect explanations for the statistic analysis.

And now, this video caught my eye:

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Any comments?

 

[TeddyRuxpin]

Yes, black wheels are always a red flag!

 

[ALFAitalia]

And of course cost of repair.....a car with PPF or special paint etc will be more to repair....even though they don't affect the chances of a claim or the performance of the car at all.

 

[Rayny]

Yes, black wheels are always a red flag!

Americans drive on the wrong side of the road, but some of their cars really try to drive on the correct side.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Just got back from the states When driving I always eye these 'centre meridians' (I think they call them) with suspicion . They are nothing more than grass covered dips made during road construction , I think the idea is that if a 'big rig' leaves the road it will fall over and not make its way into oncoming traffic. This video shows just how useless they are dealing with a speeding car.

PS If you think driving standards are bad in the UK try a several months driving in Northern California !