I contacted them and they have cancelled my policy as it is considered an unaccpetable modification. I now have 7 days to find another insurance company to cover me :-(
I can't tell them anymore about the chip as there isn't anything written on it apart from a handwritten name that says '16v integrale' I don't know who fitted it as there are no records of it and the previous owner isn't in the phone book so that is another dead end.
What a nightmare. I couldn't not tell them and gave them all the information I have and could find and they just cancel my policy. If anyone else finds themselves in this position then I would recommend keeping quiet until renewal time and then declaring any modifications. Unless you do something really stupid I can't imagine an insurance assessor firtling around looking at the ecu.
Any recommendations for insurance companies which are ok with this sort of thing?
teabelly
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Apparently liverpool & victoria are very good about mods, they usually don't even charge extra for them, but you have to ring, their website has the usual disclaimers about not having any mods.
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try Liverpool Victoria, ring them, they have the same no mods on their website, but their policies do allow any mods, a lot of 4x4 drivers use them for this reason.
John
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Just did. Thanks guys :-) I am now insured with them from Monday for nearly £200 less than axa were charging, bigger excess unfortunately. Annoyingly it means I have lost 6 months no claims because of the enforced move but LV weren't bothered about the mods unless they were outwardly visible. Anything outwardly visible requires a photo so I reckon they are pretty civilised and if I want to change to another chip or add a supercharger they won't mind ;-)
Stupid thing is that I have been with axa for 18 months with this car, without incident, with it chipped, but the only difference is now I know that it is chipped.
teabelly
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So what car was it then ?? You cound have written to the previuos owner who was on the V5 and you still don't seem to know what the mod state, if any, is. Regards Peter
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It is an lancia delta HF Integrale. I have checked with the garage that have it at the moment and the chip is *definitely* non standard but it doesn't contain any identifying information to say whose chip it is. I think I was grasping at straws with the ecu change theory sadly.
I could write to the previous owner and ask whose chip it is, they may or may not know but meanwhile my insurance is still invalidated as axa won't accept any chipping of any description and once I know about it being non standard I cannot avoid telling them in all honesty.
LV are £200 cheaper per year and are not bothered by modifications so I think now the shock has worn off Axa have done me a favour in some ways!
teabelly
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Sorry to be obvious, but can't you just find an original chip?
Kev
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Off a scrapper you mean? They're not the most common of cars...
BTW, congrats on the car Teabelly, very, very nice.
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Finding an original chip was my first thought! I did ask the garage if they had one but they only had one for an Evo 1 which has a slightly different engine management system so wouldn't work. If I hadn't have found a reasonable insurance quote then I would have ordered one from fiat/lancia or scouted around the lancia forums to see if someone was offloading one. I think everyone with an integrale seems to have theirs chipped so unless they had the sense to take the original off and leave it somewhere safe I would struggle to find a second hand one that wasn't damaged.
teabelly
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