Modifications/insurance

Marky-s3

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Right long story short iv been there and been stung 12 years ago my s3 is due to arrive in 3 weeks I plan on resonator delete I assume it's still a modification worthy declaring ?
 
Yep, anything non standard is classed as a mod, even factory options should be declared
 
Right long story short iv been there and been stung 12 years ago my s3 is due to arrive in 3 weeks I plan on resonator delete I assume it's still a modification worthy declaring ?
Oh yes, declare the lot. Oddly, some insurers seem to care little, some use it as an excuse to fleece you. On my MX5 I endeddeclarung stuff I never even fitted, just in case, since once I'd declared the extra horsepower Admiral didn't seem to care two hoots whether it had coilovers, big brakes or even a body kit.

As for your "long story short", I'm sure I'm not the only one here who'd like to hear the "long story not quite so short". How about a synopsis?
 
Alloys back box lowering springs on a 1.2 16v clio undeclared
At the time I waited a few months and my 182 was made and nearly time to collect
Insurance void my claim had to pay 5500 on a personal loan to clear finance and cancel 182
Ended up paying for 2 cars for a few years lol
 
I declared an 'Exhaust Modification' and it was £45 extra for the year.

A remap, £1500 extra a year.
 
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I declared an 'Exhaust Modification' and it was £45 extra for the year.

A remap, £1500 extra a year.
Isn't it ironic that you could probably get insured on a Nissan GT-R for less than your current premium plus £1500! They litterally just pluck figures out the air
 
Isn't it ironic that you could probably get insured on a Nissan GT-R for less than your current premium plus £1500! They litterally just pluck figures out the air

Yep, it is insane. Insurance companies :(
 
Interesting...... so if I'm getting some prices through comparethemarket or whoever, you'd say I should be attempting to declare the optional extras from factory?
 
Interesting...... so if I'm getting some prices through comparethemarket or whoever, you'd say I should be attempting to declare the optional extras from factory?

Not all insurers require you to, I spoke to Direct Line via online chat, told them what options I had and was told they wouldn't affect it. They do class factory fitted options as modifications though as do some other insurers.
 
My policy is still active from the previous car @Sandra so just transferred the S3 on to it for £18 :grinning:
 
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Have you tried us for insurance yet? If you wanted to PM me I'd be happy to arrange a quotation for you.

Kind Regards
Dan
 
What if the car your buying was loaded as standard? I.e the golfs have loads of spec standard. Surely you can't start declaring parts of a standard car? That's rediculous
 
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What if the car your buying was loaded as standard? I.e the golfs have loads of spec standard. Surely you can't start declaring parts of a standard car? That's rediculous

Depends how you mean, if it comes from the factory with that spec as standard then it's not a modification, if it's been specc'd as an option then it is.
 
Depends how you mean, if it comes from the factory with that spec as standard then it's not a modification, if it's been specc'd as an option then it is.
Either way it doesn't make sense, as what difference does it make wether the car comes with it standard or as an option? The insurance group doesn't change.
 
Either way it doesn't make sense, as what difference does it make wether the car comes with it standard or as an option? The insurance group doesn't change.
No, but the cost of repair does...

Let's say you prang the front ends of two MY17 S3 hatches. The cost repair the standard spec one will be considerably lower than the cost to repair the one with Matrix Lights, Park Assist, Advanced Cruise Control, and Parking Plus.

PS, @Sandra WOW that's a ****** big advert in your sig line! You'd think an ad that big would tell you what it's for though ;)
 
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No, but the cost of repair does...

Let's say you prang the front ends of two MY17 S3 hatches. The cost repair the standard spec one will be considerably lower than the cost to repair the one with Matrix Lights, Park Assist, Advanced Cruise Control, and Parking Plus.

You've hit the nail on the head there, the insurance company want to cover themselves from paying more out than they really want to so will do that by potentially upping your premium to accommodate the fancy extras.
 
You've hit the nail on the head there, the insurance company want to cover themselves from paying more out than they really want to so will do that by potentially upping your premium to accommodate the fancy extras.

That is logical but it could certainly put the buyer of a used car in a difficult position. They may not have a clear idea what is "standard" spec for the car and what was specified as an option. It would make more sense if the insurer checked the chassis number against the manufacturer's database to ascertain what equipment the car was delivered with. Then only "aftermarket" modifications would have to be declared. On "My Audi" it doesn't say what options my car has.
 
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Guess ultimately the onus is on the buyer, I do agree with you though. Not everyone is going to know if the car they're buying came with certain things as standard or not.
 
Guess ultimately the onus is on the buyer, I do agree with you though. Not everyone is going to know if the car they're buying came with certain things as standard or not.

I recently had exactly that problem. My insurer (Churchill) insists that every factory option is declared.... Metallic paint, parking sensors, even floor mats and no-cost options. Absolutely everything; any factory option is considered a modification. Quite tricky when I recently bought a 4 year old car and had no access to the original order or invoice plus the configurator had moved on to a new model. I had to get an original build sheet from the manufacturer to be able to properly insure the car.
 
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I recently had exactly that problem. My insurer (Churchill) insists that every factory option is declared.... Metallic paint, parking sensors, even floor mats and no-cost options. Absolutely everything; any factory option is considered a modification. Quite tricky when I recently bought a 4 year old car and had no access to the original order or invoice plus the configurator had moved on to a new model. I had to get an original build sheet from the manufacturer to be able to properly insure the car.

Did it increase your price at all? Did they prompt you to give them? This thread has gotten me worried now with Elephant.
 
Did it increase your price at all? Did they prompt you to give them? This thread has gotten me worried now with Elephant.

My premium did not increase. I was still left feeling a bit peed off though. The longer story....

I got a quote through confused.com. On confused.com 'modification' is defined explicitly as something added AFTER the car left the factory. So I ticked the 'no modifications' box. I just assumed it was an industry standard definition. Churchill honoured the confused.com price and duly took my payment and sent the policy documents.

Bored, I actually read the documents and noticed that Churchill include original factory options as modifications. Incredulous, I called them and they confirmed. When I had the options added the premium did not go up (even though there were £10k in options) but Churchill said that I could potentially have had a problem with claims if I had not had them added to the policy.

The cynic in me thinks that some insurers deliberately don't press the issue, leaving you to ask the questions. Nearly all cars are modified yet most drivers innocently tick the no modifications box. I wonder if the insurers like having that potential leverage which they cause by using a deliberately mis-leading term?
 
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£10k options -wow!

Normal on this...
IMG 3539
 
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My premium did not increase. I was still left feeling a bit peed off though. The longer story....

I got a quote through confused.com. On confused.com 'modification' is defined explicitly as something added AFTER the car left the factory. So I ticked the 'no modifications' box. I just assumed it was an industry standard definition. Churchill honoured the confused.com price and duly took my payment and sent the policy documents.

Bored, I actually read the documents and noticed that Churchill include original factory options as modifications. Incredulous, I called them and they confirmed. When I had the options added the premium did not go up (even though there were £10k in options) but Churchill said that I could potentially have had a problem with claims if I had not had them added to the policy.

The cynic in me thinks that some insurers deliberately don't press the issue, leaving you to ask the questions. Nearly all cars are modified yet most drivers innocently tick the no modifications box. I wonder if the insurers like having that potential leverage which they cause by using a deliberately mis-leading term?

Wow. That's very naughty of them.

I'm going to give Elephant a call tomorrow, getting a little worried about this. I used compare the market, I will see if they class modifications as an after production change too. If they don't class options as a modification, I will argue it if need be as I filled out the quote form correctly and wasn't asked to provide any further information.
 
This is quite an interesting thread. I would imagine its catching a lot of people out. Have insurance companies actually not paid out if, for example, we use @GSB 's example above? insure a car, ticked options when bought new are Matrix Lights, Park Assist, Advanced Cruise Control, and Parking Plus, but as it wasn't a modification per se, it wasn't added on the insurance quote form. Have a crash... then what would they do? not pay out? how far does this go i wonder?

I hope someone using LV comes along and says they allow everything!
 
Wow. That's very naughty of them.

I'm going to give Elephant a call tomorrow, getting a little worried about this. I used compare the market, I will see if they class modifications as an after production change too. If they don't class options as a modification, I will argue it if need be as I filled out the quote form correctly and wasn't asked to provide any further information.

Fwiw, the policy document from Elephant defines modification as....

"Any changes to your cars standard specification, including accessories and additional parts; optional extras and after market alterations; trade related changes and parts. These include, but are not restricted to, cosmetic and/or performance changes or changes related to your business or profession. "

.... but what they really means I don't know.
 
Looking at that, optional extras should be declared, ultimately depending on what you have specc'd it could cost them a lot more to repair come claim time than the factory spec car would.
 
Fwiw, the policy document from Elephant defines modification as....

"Any changes to your cars standard specification, including accessories and additional parts; optional extras and after market alterations; trade related changes and parts. These include, but are not restricted to, cosmetic and/or performance changes or changes related to your business or profession. "

.... but what they really means I don't know.

Damn, really not happy about this.... will be giving them a very stern call tomorrow :(
My insurance was £2600 this year, now reduced to £1700 thanks to multi car but a recent insurance check shows £4400 and I'm worried now, totally f****d off with this insurance game now, robbing so so's....
 
Lol have you only just passed your test fella?!

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk
 
Lol have you only just passed your test fella?!

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

You'd think that wouldn't you! The government have added compulsory charges onto premiums for young drivers which makes it twice as bad.

I will just have to pay it, even if it is £400 a month... what choice do I have otherwise? If it was that much when I changed, I wouldn't have bought the car. Hopefully it all settles and an extra years NCB (3 then) and a year older (20), it will take a little off of it :( The RS3 is £300 a year cheaper.
 
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You'd think that wouldn't you! The government have added compulsory charges onto premiums for young drivers which makes it twice as bad.

I will just have to pay it, even if it is £400 a month... what choice do I have otherwise? If it was that much when I changed, I wouldn't have bought the car. Hopefully it all settles and an extra years NCB (3 then) and a year older (20), it will take a little off of it :( The RS3 is £300 a year cheaper.
Probably been asked and answered before, so I apologise!

Have you put other named drivers on the policy? Parents or older siblings for example?
 
Probably been asked and answered before, so I apologise!

Have you put other named drivers on the policy? Parents or older siblings for example?

Yes, Mum and Dad on there. If I didn't, it goes up £1500.
 
Just spoken to my insurance, not happy!! They want an additional £300+, now they know the car has the modifications I had to add them or the policy would have been cancelled.

I contested it and they have added them but not charged me for the next 2 weeks while they investigate it. They said I should have been asked if the car was modified or had optional extras, if they asked for optional extras I would have told them so I am 99.9% sure they didn't!!
They are going to listen to the call from October and let me know next week. Totally unacceptable :( £300 extra is most people's premium, ***!! My current premium would be close on £2100 then.

Daylight robbers.
 
Just spoken to my insurance, not happy!! They want an additional £300+, now they know the car has the modifications I had to add them or the policy would have been cancelled.

I contested it and they have added them but not charged me for the next 2 weeks while they investigate it. They said I should have been asked if the car was modified or had optional extras, if they asked for optional extras I would have told them so I am 99.9% sure they didn't!!
They are going to listen to the call from October and let me know next week. Totally unacceptable :( £300 extra is most people's premium, ***!! My current premium would be close on £2100 then.

Daylight robbers.

Sorry to hear that.

Bahstards.