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

[ALFAitalia]

I was lucky enough to travel a lot when I was younger and for work.......as much as people moan about UK driving standards.....with very few exceptions I think that , overall we have a rather higher standard if driving than most countries...certainly the ones I've visited. India was frankly terrifying.......your side of the road too potholed for your 30 ton truck?....just drive on the other side...they will move!!!..I think the Indian government still allows the dangerously poor levels of driving ability to use as some sort of Darwinian population control!!

 

[DGAMG63S]

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.

This is true. Typically PPF easily runs into four figures. Also, unless the body shop are capable and switched on, ceramic coating may add to the cost of repair as it’s a harder surface to remove prior to repaint. I know of at least one instance where a shop couldn’t get adhesion due to not prepping correctly i.e. they tried to short cut the job.

 

[markjay]

Yes, black wheels are always a red flag!

I was referring to the illegal tints....

And I think we can all agree the the driver is a knob, attempting to drive his car well beyond its capabilities and well beyond his own abilities.

Coincidence?

 

[AMGeed]

Re reading this thread and my initial reply in Post#5, I can now understand the reasoning behind the insurance companies refusal to pay out. Bad luck on the OP, but its a modification no matter how trivial. Note to self, declare everything.

 

[ChrisEdu]

I was lucky enough to travel a lot when I was younger and for work.......as much as people moan about UK driving standards.....with very few exceptions I think that , overall we have a rather higher standard if driving than most countries...certainly the ones I've visited. India was frankly terrifying.......your side of the road too potholed for your 30 ton truck?....just drive on the other side...they will move!!!..I think the Indian government still allows the dangerously poor levels of driving ability to use as some sort of Darwinian population control!!

India is well known for its attitude towards driving. Being a country where the vast majority believe in reincarnation, they tend to think it's not that big a deal to die in a crash. That, coupled to some crazy poverty and the issues that can be associated with it, doesn't bode well for road safety.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I was going to join our local "Reincarnation Believers Group".....I thought why not?, you only live once!

 

[pioneercollector]

Have you sampled the driving in Naples!! Or for that matter anywhere on the Amalfi coast? It made places like India and Turkey seem a breeze, in those countries you can sort of guess where the other vehicles are heading or are going to head - Italy they just come at you from any angle! You need rosary beads just to get in a car ....

 

[ChrisEdu]

Have you sampled the driving in Naples!! Or for that matter anywhere on the Amalfi coast? It made places like India and Turkey seem a breeze, in those countries you can sort of guess where the other vehicles are heading or are going to head - Italy they just come at you from any angle! You need rosary beads just to get in a car ....

Just be careful not to confuse rosary beads with another type!

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , it would appear the standard specification regarding your car is the build to the Oasis sheet as it left the factory.

Any addition or alteration to the car is a modification !

My car is serviced by Mercedes and all service parts are genuine Mercedes components.

However , should I report the fact that I have replaced the tyres and now use a non approved tyre hi performance manufactured by Goodyear.

My car has been recalled twice for safety critical issues - car is now modified.

My car required a new Windscreen , insurance company wanted to install a non approved windscreen , most screens today are structural , I had to pay the difference to have a genuine Mercedes screen installed.Is fitting a non approved screen is a modification.

When my car is serviced how am I to know if the engine management system has been upgraded.Car may be modified.

Command up graded , modification.

Dash camera , tracking system and steering lock used when parked.

Replacement of pads and discs using OEM parts , is that a modification ?

Where do you draw the line in the sand between standard and modified cars ?

 

[ToeKnee]

You could mention all the above at your renewal, at least they know about it then?

 

[ALFAitalia]

I would not be declaring any of those....it would just be an excuse to unnecessarily charge you more if you catch them on a bad day. With the possible exception of the dash cam, none of those things make your car more desirable to thieves, make it faster or more powerful, or make it more difficult or expensive to repair.....the main criteria for premium increases. Do whatever makes you comfortable though.
Straight repairs using OEM (or even non OEM) parts is not a modification unless you are swapping in parts that are clearly a performance upgrade.....grooved discs, Akra exhaust etc. Otherwise every car with a Kwikfit exhaust would be a modified car! My insurance did not even care about my EBC yellow stuff pads.

 

[markjay]

I would not be declaring any of those....it would just be an excuse to unnecessarily charge you more if you catch them on a bad day. With the possible exception of the dash cam, none of those things make your car more desirable to thieves, make it faster or more powerful, or make it more difficult or expensive to repair.....the main criteria for premium increases. Do whatever makes you comfortable though.
Straight repairs using OEM (or even non OEM) parts is not a modification unless you are swapping in parts that are clearly a performance upgrade.....grooved discs, Akra exhaust etc. Otherwise every car with a Kwikfit exhaust would be a modified car! My insurance did not even care about my EBC yellow stuff pads.

There's another element - statistics.

The reason that 'go faster' stripes increased premiums back in the eighties was that insurers maintained that the people who fitted these to their cars were more likely to be involved in accidents and submit claims.

The issue is that certain modifications may not tick any of the boxes you mentioned above and yet people who fit them are deemed by the insurer to be at a higher risk category.

 

[as400]

I'm taking this off, can't be too careful.

 

[markjay]

I'm taking this off, can't be too careful.

View attachment 148841

I hope you kept the original one that the salesman at the dealership placed in the car when it was new.

 

[Petrol Pete]

I'm taking this off, can't be too careful.

View attachment 148841

Good job . It could cause an MOT failure . MOT tester would have to be a real Drick to fail it , but it's classed as an obstruction.

 

[markjay]

.....MOT tester would have to be a real Drick....

Some of them are...

My Suzuki had a flawless MOT history until the recent one, when the MOT tester decided to add the following (moronic) 'advisories':
- Engine cover fitted
- Under trays fitted
I know that these are only advisories.... but why oh why?????

 

[ALFAitalia]

The engine one should not have been mentioned....the undertray one is correct though. Its to cover them if there is a hole through a subframe (for example) that they cannot see due to the cover...which they are not allowed to remove. MOT history is worthless to most people who know cars though....it proves nothing.

 

[BTB 500]

I once had an MB Club sticker removed from the windscreen of my SL by a helpful MOT tester. It was in the bottom right-hand corner so didn't obstruct my view of anything - our Vito has had a German emissions disc in the same position for 15+ years without that ever being mentioned.

 

[markjay]

The engine one should not have been mentioned....the undertray one is correct though. Its to cover them if there is a hole through a subframe (for example) that they cannot see due to the cover...which they are not allowed to remove. MOT history is worthless to most people who know cars though....it proves nothing.

My point is that (a) ALL cars made in the past 20 years have these covers, and (b) what's the 'advice' here???

I understand that he was trying to say that there are areas in the engine bay and the undercarriage that could not be inspected due to access being obstructed by the covers, but why do I need to know this, and what's the 'advice' here? What should the owner do with this information? He could equally add that the car has wheels (obstructing full access to the brakes).

I have never seen such an advisory before (and all my cars had similar covers), and indeed it was (rightly) never flagged-up on previous MOTs on the same car. Personally, I think the MOT tester just had an off day.

 

[ALFAitalia]

I've had it a few times on other cars....I removed the under engine cover on my ALFA....they are a known moisture trap and big contributor to front subframe failure/corrosion......mine us nearly completely rust free because of doing this several years back.