As a few of you may remember, I ploughed my wife's Vectra estate into a kerb in the snow a couple of weeks ago. It turned out to be an insurance job. I have now got the car back.
The car is an 'LS' model, about a year old when purchased. It had steel wheels as standard. Just after I bought the car, (it was a wedding anniversary present, ahhhh!) I fitted some SRi alloys to the car for her. Pukka vauxhall items, with pukka vauxhall locking nuts. Neither me nor SWMBO thought about notifying her insurance company.
Of course, a fortnight ago, bash the kerb, damage a wheel and various other items as well. In the car goes to approved repairers for assessment.
The following day, the penny suddenly drops and I go cold. Check SWMBO's policy details and it clearly states any modifications, especially to wheels must be declared.
I had a few brown trouser moments, expecting a for a phone call from the insurance company informing me the claim was not valid. At best I thought the insurers would not cover the cost of replacing the alloy wheel, at worst, they would not honour the claim.
Fortunately, everything went through ok, and they have replaced the wheel with a new alloy. Have I been lucky? Was it just not noticed? Or was the fact that the alloys are genuine vauxhall and not 'pimp' alloys a factor?
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let me be the last to let you down....
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I would say you've been lucky. Probably having genuine Vaxuhall alloys confused them.
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Since they were vauxhall aloys and may have been available as a factory fittted option, (the car could have left the factory so equipped) , I suspect the insurance company could not know one way or the other.
If they were aftermarket wheels, then it would be obvious...
madf
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It might be that your insurance company didn't send out an assessor so it didn't get looked at. The repairers, even if they noticed are unlikely to phone them up and say the job they're about to get paid for might be suspicious. I had my Picasso in for a body repair last year (the 2 quotes I got to see if I should claim or not both came in at around £700 so I claimed) and it was all approved over the phone no form filling in or assessor involved.
I don't suppose you can now call them up to advise them you're about to put the alloys on in case they put 2 and 2 together. So, I guess yes you have been lucky and yes having OEM wheels and nuts probably helped but will this always be the case? ;-)
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If instead of a modest claim it had been a BIG claim the story may have been different.
Best plan is to declare even if it means a few ££s added - better safe than sorry.
Buying 2nd hand you could have claimed you "did not know" as most cars come with alloys these days!!
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Your insurer may not have been bothered had you told them anyway.
My insurer allocates points to each modification and then according to insurance group of car and age of policyholder, a certain number of points is allowed free of charge.
Adding alloys to my Vectra wouldn't make any difference to the premium. Replacing the stereo in my wife's Punto didn't make any difference either.
Honesty is the best policy and don't assume you'll be hammered on the premium for straightforward mods.
Chris M
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On some cars the alloys may be worth more than the car.
IMO always true with any GM designed car.:-)
madf
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The problem is, what constitutes a 'modification'? I asked one company would fitting Halfords windscreen wipers instead of genuine Land Rover items make a difference? What about 'go faster' bodywork stripes or Carlos Fandango seats? Or Securon seat belts instead of the manufacturer's items? (I was being deliberately akward of course). Most of the big names in insurance with call centres don't know and it did confuse the person I spoke to, resulting in a blanket 'er, any change from the standard equipment must be notified'. Fortunately, the better insurers specify what they require to be notified of and it is usually engine mods, steering or braking systems. But they are all differemt and insurers will try anything to get out paying a claim. Tell them everything, ensure it is documented and let them decide.
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My Vectra Sri has got 19" vauxhall alloys fitted from new and also has leather, sat nav and an Irmscher Grill. All were factory fitted (apart from the grill, which is a vauxhall option). Declared all to the insurance company, who stated that as they were all Vauxhall factory options there would be no rise in premium. (And after one year, I still haven't kerbed the alloys! :-))
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I wanted to put the Irmscher Grill on my Vectra SRI and my insurance company told me it would count as a modification!! Just goes to show, it's probably down to which insurer and how you phrase it... :)
Needless to say, I'm going to find a more mod friendly insurer than my current one.
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...and if you had bought the car second hand, you probably wouldn't even have known they were not the standard fit on that particular model, so you wouldn't have declared them.
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Exactly. The insurance companies seem to expect that everyone is an expert on the spec of their car.
Next time they ask me if there's any modifications, I'll say:
"No idea - I'm too stupid to know. Tell you what, I'll run through the entire specification with you, including the number of interior lights, shade of exterior fittings, grille pattern and insignia and colour of every trim fitting including the door locks then you'll know exactly what you're insuring for me."
See what they think to that! If you tell them *EVERYTHING* then you've not lied!! ;)
If the call centre op on the other end of the phone can't work out what's original and what's modified - then why should you have to?
:-D
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I can confirm that insurance companies vary widely on modifications, my alloys cost an additional £80 a year with my previous insurers, with the current insurers no additional premium.
Oh and the current insurers are £200 a year cheaper:-)
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