Fire away with questions!

[Ormesome]

I just read the t&c and they said the price is correct at the time of sending the email and it's it's not their problem if the price changes after the email is sent. I went on the company that gave me the good quote and luckily it's come out at £650 again, and they have said it's saved for 2 weeks. Fewww

I always use the comparison websites and then use the link to go direct to the company. Then saving the quote with the company usually gives 30 days to buy it at that price.

@James Clatworthy would love to know if you have processed any claims for incidents happening abroad and if its usually straight forward? i drive around Europe a lot and went with LV as it gives me 180days constant cover in the EU. This and £0 excess was my main requirement. Always a bit worried when something might happen. For instance, an old man drove into my rear bumper just before xmas, scratching it in France. i wasn't going home for a while so i didn't do anything and its still got the scratch now. If i had rung up, would a claim have been processed and bumper fixed abroad?or just be told to wait and get it done when I'm home?

 

[Liquidfusion-S3]

What insurance company do you work for?
Any discounts for us Audi lads?

 

[James Clatworthy]

I'm always worried that the move to comparison websites has driven me to purely look at price, rather than what the policy includes/ has to offer. Likewise, I'm always worried how an insurance company will handle any claim/repair work, and think that I may regret just paying the lowest bidder if I need to actually use them.

Any tips on what to look out for and perhaps companies that are better than others with regards to customer service and the way they handle any claims?

Thanks!

Admiral have really good customer service, i can't fault them to be fair, they're s*** hot when it comes to dealing with it no fuss, a great way to gauge a company is when you speak to the new business team, because with the giant companies, they have procedures run across the board in all departments, Hastings are also good, to be honest though, insurance is so heavily regulated, all recognised brands are good with claims, just try and make sure a courtesy car is included in your policy and some repairs can take a while..

 

[James Clatworthy]

I always use the comparison websites and then use the link to go direct to the company. Then saving the quote with the company usually gives 30 days to buy it at that price.

@James Clatworthy would love to know if you have processed any claims for incidents happening abroad and if its usually straight forward? i drive around Europe a lot and went with LV as it gives me 180days constant cover in the EU. This and £0 excess was my main requirement. Always a bit worried when something might happen. For instance, an old man drove into my rear bumper just before xmas, scratching it in France. i wasn't going home for a while so i didn't do anything and its still got the scratch now. If i had rung up, would a claim have been processed and bumper fixed abroad?or just be told to wait and get it done when I'm home?

Claims from abroad are nothing short of a nightmare hahaha! The language barrier is a night mare, however, to the customer it doesn't make a difference wether you hit someone in Barry or Barcelona, as long as you get details, the insurance company deals with it in exactly the same manner, in the case of a scratch they would wait until you were home, however if the car is a write off, we did send one customer a courtesy car on a flat bed, and picked up his car... from Switzerland, as long as you've got European cover you're usually okay.

What insurance company do you work for?
Any discounts for us Audi lads?

I worked at Admiral for a fair bit, I left as I'm now working as a mechanical engineer, developing 3000hp car shredders

There are tips of the trade thigh, and if you'd like I'd be more than happy to write a post on the tips to getting cheap insurance without lying to them!

 

[musicegbdf]

I know I might be odd , but I always read the policy before buying. I recall one insurance company I liked the cover, but did not agree to one clause.
I called the call centre and they said they have to check with the "broker". I said go ahead , they agreed to remove the clause which I got in writing . It is not always about the premium .

 

[infernox]

yeah non fault claims are a nightmare, you get charged extra in next years premium for them.

How much would you expect the premium to go up by and how long would it stay above the premium I'd get without the claim?

 

[James Clatworthy]

How much would you expect the premium to go up by and how long would it stay above the premium I'd get without the claim?

It depends on each company, some companies don't rate on it all, but claims, fault or non fault are rated on for 3 years by admiral, each year the impact on the premium decreasing by 33.3 percent.

 

[infernox]

It depends on each company, some companies don't rate on it all, but claims, fault or non fault are rated on for 3 years by admiral, each year the impact on the premium decreasing by 33.3 percent.

Dammit, I'm with admiral atm. Hasn't effected my current premium but guessing it will at the time of renewal but I'll take your advice and ask for the lowest price at that point. They also referred me to Admiral Law but I don't think I'll need anything from them. They want to claim on fuel expenses that I'll use to take my car to Northampton for repairs.

 

[Tom.H]

My guess is the more they pay out, the more they look to make the following year to make up for it. Best off keeping the claim as low as poss, fault or non fault

 

[James Clatworthy]

Dammit, I'm with admiral atm. Hasn't effected my current premium but guessing it will at the time of renewal but I'll take your advice and ask for the lowest price at that point. They also referred me to Admiral Law but I don't think I'll need anything from them. They want to claim on fuel expenses that I'll use to take my car to Northampton for repairs.

The price increase is at renewal, it may not be affected, but it often is, yeah asking for a cheaper price regardless is a good idea!!
You pay your insurance premium so you may as well claim the fuel!

But yeah is @Tom.H mentioned, the more you claim the more the other person pays, and vice versa..

 

[Tom.H]

The price increase is at renewal, it may not be affected, but it often is, yeah asking for a cheaper price regardless is a good idea!!
You pay your insurance premium so you may as well claim the fuel!

But yeah is @Tom.H mentioned, the more you claim the more the other person pays, and vice versa..

I used to work at an independent motor engineering company dealing with fault/non fault claims/total losses for 2 insurers. One of the handlers once said "the house never loses" so while someone is getting something in their favour, they're ultimately getting it back from someone else!

 

[traindweller]

Hi James,
Thanks for taking the time to pass on your insurance knowledge, really interesting and helpful content.
Don't want to get you caught up in the debate about OEM parts versus non OEM unless you want to,but can you shed any light on the variances between insurance companies concerning their replacement windscreen policy.

 

[James Clatworthy]

Hi James,
Thanks for taking the time to pass on your insurance knowledge, really interesting and helpful content.
Don't want to get you caught up in the debate about OEM parts versus non OEM unless you want to,but can you shed any light on the variances between insurance companies concerning their replacement windscreen policy.

Hey there! Not a problem at all, I'm glad there's content you're all finding useful!

With oem vs non oem, are you talking modification wise and declaring them?
Because, Hypothetically speaking... don't declare my mods, now I know people will think I'm an idiot, but hear me out here... and by no means am I suggesting for you guys not to declare yours, but working in insurance I knows the t&c's and ins and outs, and there take is, that as long as the mod wouldn't void your policy in the first place with them, then all they'd do is backdate the charge and deduct it from your settlement, now for me personally "hypothetically" it's worth the risk, due to the fact the price would triple, so as long as they're willing to insure it they're pretty cool about it.. but that's an insider secret that they don't want people knowing...
(Got sidetracked there sorry!)

So with windscreens, they don't affect your no claims bonus, and have a seperate excess to your insurance policy, windscreen cover could essentially be looked at as a sub-policy, now there is a fair bit of small print with windscreens, due to the fact there are often caps in windscreen pay outs, I think it's around 250, a family member had an issue as they had a heated screen on a Range Rover, and it was around 500 pounds to replace, the insurance wouldn't fork out all of the cost due to the fact they max out at 250, so it's always good to look at windscreen excess, and also the limit they pay out too, as some can be pretty crap, it's also worth checking that's it's as standard, because not all companies offer it as standard...

 

[Tom.H]

as long as the mod wouldn't void your policy in the first place with them, then all they'd do is backdate the charge and deduct it from your settlementl

Have seen that done first hand with a total loss claim, personally though I'd always declare for peace of mind.

 

[James Clatworthy]

Have seen that done first hand with a total loss claim, personally though I'd always declare for peace of mind.

Yeah I highly recommend declaring all mods, it's really not worth the risk...

 

[Liquidfusion-S3]

James, I know you worked with Admiral and I am currently with Admiral.
One thing which always confused me were when to declare mods.

Are you meant to declare the factory fitted mods on the insurance, or is it only after market mods you need to declare?
The wording at Admiral is clear as mud.

Thanks

 

[deanshaw24]

James, I know you worked with Admiral and I am currently with Admiral.
One thing which always confused me were when to declare mods.

Are you meant to declare the factory fitted mods on the insurance, or is it only after market mods you need to declare?
The wording at Admiral is clear as mud.

Thanks

It should be anything that is fitted on your car after it's left the factory.

 

[Liquidfusion-S3]

I've always been declaring factory fitted mods, I guess that would push up the premiums.
They really do need to reword it.

A few other forums suggest that you do need to declare it.

 

[James Clatworthy]

I've always been declaring factory fitted mods, I guess that would push up the premiums.
They really do need to reword it.

A few other forums suggest that you do need to declare it.

So, this is a really Grey area, and just to warn you, this could get quite lengthy, so get comfy and bare with me.. lol...

So optional extra's are a weird one. One thing you're asked when insuring your car, is the value, now the value as we all know is affected by "optional Extra's" the argument is that if your car is valued at the correct premium you have technically covered your mods as you pay a higher premium for a higher vehicle value. 9 times out of 10, the extra's declared wont make any difference to the insurance premium, but they can do. In my own case, I never noted down a customers factory extra's, and nor did my colleagues, because almost EVERY car has them, and it would take forever, and is completely pointless due to the fact as long as the car is insured at the correct premium, it would be paid out at that.. and if you have GAP insurance, the situation is even less of an issue as they completely indemnify you. If you feel that you should declare you factory extra's go for it, but I never have, never will.

 

[Liquidfusion-S3]

(Anything which changes the maker’s standard specification or alters its performance, including cosmetic changes such as alloy wheels, body kits, or any non- standard parts. If you have any queries, please call us.)

That's exactly what it says on my documentation, which confused me since it states specifically 'Anything which changes the maker’s standard specification'
The standard specification is a base model A3/S3 with 'no' optional extras.

Like I said, clear as mud..... but thanks for the advice

 

[Tom.H]

(Anything which changes the maker’s standard specification or alters its performance, including cosmetic changes such as alloy wheels, body kits, or any non- standard parts. If you have any queries, please call us.)

That's exactly what it says on my documentation, which confused me since it states specifically 'Anything which changes the maker’s standard specification'
The standard specification is a base model A3/S3 with 'no' optional extras.

Like I said, clear as mud..... but thanks for the advice

This should make it clearer

It should be anything that is fitted on your car after it's left the factory.

Nope, a lot of insurers are classing modifications as anything that doesn't come on the base spec car, i.e. my 2017 S3 had factory fitted parking sensors but they were an extra (now they're standard fit) therefore they're classed as a modification because they're not what the car came with as standard.

 

[Terminator x]

Apologies if I have missed it but why is that a mod? The car arrived like that from Audi so no one has modded anything.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

 

[Tom.H]

Apologies if I have missed it but why is that a mod? The car arrived like that from Audi so no one has modded anything.

TX.

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

Probably because it means they can potentially charge us more money! Personally I don't think anything offered as a factory fit item should be classed as a modification because it's available on the car from new!

Anything added afterwards then fair play.

The only logical thing I can think of is that certain options will make an insurance claim more expensive so they look to claw it back from the policy holders.

 

[DrEskimo]

This is potentially manageable if you ordered the car new, but how the hell are you expected to know what was standard or a factory fit option with a used car....?

 

[James Clatworthy]

As I said, this is where insurance gets very very grey... my view is if your car is insured for the correct value, you shouldn't have to insure your factory extras.... this is only my view..... but it's kind of how every dealt with the situation

 

[James Clatworthy]

This should make it clearer

Nope, a lot of insurers are classing modifications as anything that doesn't come on the base spec car, i.e. my 2017 S3 had factory fitted parking sensors but they were an extra (now they're standard fit) therefore they're classed as a modification because they're not what the car came with as standard.

just playing devils advocate here... but isn't a standard spec different to a basic spec.. if you go into detail.. Sepang blue is an extra... but a standard... if that makes sense

 

[Tom.H]

just playing devils advocate here... but isn't a standard spec different to a basic spec.. if you go into detail.. Sepang blue is an extra... but a standard... if that makes sense

The thing is, they're all very specific about asking for optional extras, plus Audi list what's included on the car as 'standard specification' as opposed to basic specification.

I guess with buying a used car the onus is on you to work out what was standard and what was an extra, not always easy to find out depending on the ages of the car.

 

[AudiNutta]

James, I know you worked with Admiral and I am currently with Admiral.
One thing which always confused me were when to declare mods.

Are you meant to declare the factory fitted mods on the insurance, or is it only after market mods you need to declare?
The wording at Admiral is clear as mud.

Thanks

I had this argument, I spoke to somebody in the UK at Elephant and they basiclaly threatened if I didn't list the optional extras, they would terminate the policy there and then.. it was £300 a year extra.

I called back and spoke to a gentleman in India or alike, he couldn't apologise enough that I'd be put in that situation and what their representive in the Cardiff offices told me was incorrect. He said that their wording is that a modification is anything that has been changed on the vehicle since manufacturer delivery, so excludes optional extras.

All he told me was to make sure that the value I gave for the car covered the cost of the extras as then I am totally covered.

 

[Tom.H]

I had this argument, I spoke to somebody in the UK at Elephant and they basiclaly threatened if I didn't list the optional extras, they would terminate the policy there and then.. it was £300 a year extra.

I called back and spoke to a gentleman in India or alike, he couldn't apologise enough that I'd be put in that situation and what their representive in the Cardiff offices told me was incorrect. He said that their wording is that a modification is anything that has been changed on the vehicle since manufacturer delivery, so excludes optional extras.

All he told me was to make sure that the value I gave for the car covered the cost of the extras as then I am totally covered.

And yet when you get a quote with Elephant they (on the phone anyway) have exactly the same come up as the screenshot I posted above, with the same wording regarding modifications.

 

[AudiNutta]

And yet when you get a quote with Elephant they (on the phone anyway) have exactly the same come up as the screenshot I posted above, with the same wording regarding modifications.

I argued that Compare the Market (who I had my quote through) class modifications as after delivery, they said they would work to change that. They told me that they listened to the original sales call 4 months before and the advisor asked me if the car had any optional extras. I'm adamant he didn't, if he had asked that I would have given them because with a £38k asset I am NOT in the game for taking shortcuts.

I was going to call them back and clarify it with a rep in the UK, but after a few weeks I decided not to because no doubt I will be left with another threat to cancel the policy or pay up. After all, they should have that recording with the foreign advisor stating that I am totally covered providing the value is the invoice amount to cover all mods? @James Clatworthy could you confirm this is correct please? Is there no need to call back, because I've already had one person categorically state that if the value of my car is including the extras then I am covered.

 

[James Clatworthy]

I argued that Compare the Market (who I had my quote through) class modifications as after delivery, they said they would work to change that. They told me that they listened to the original sales call 4 months before and the advisor asked me if the car had any optional extras. I'm adamant he didn't, if he had asked that I would have given them because with a £38k asset I am NOT in the game for taking shortcuts.

I was going to call them back and clarify it with a rep in the UK, but after a few weeks I decided not to because no doubt I will be left with another threat to cancel the policy or pay up. After all, they should have that recording with the foreign advisor stating that I am totally covered providing the value is the invoice amount to cover all mods? @James Clatworthy could you confirm this is correct please? Is there no need to call back, because I've already had one person categorically state that if the value of my car is including the extras then I am covered.

Right.. so if they have told you not to worry, you're all good, because if it comes down to it, as you know all calls are recorded, you can say i was told by an agent that i don't have to cover them and then you're good, don't call back, you've got the answer, so you're fine!

 

[deanshaw24]

I've just done a quote online and got a decent price, just added the fact the car has a tracker fitted and the price didn't change, is it still worth ringing up with an online quote any haggling
Edit. It's with swift cover if that's helps

 

[traindweller]

Hey there! Not a problem at all, I'm glad there's content you're all finding useful!


So with windscreens, they don't affect your no claims bonus, and have a seperate excess to your insurance policy, windscreen cover could essentially be looked at as a sub-policy, now there is a fair bit of small print with windscreens, due to the fact there are often caps in windscreen pay outs, I think it's around 250, a family member had an issue as they had a heated screen on a Range Rover, and it was around 500 pounds to replace, the insurance wouldn't fork out all of the cost due to the fact they max out at 250, so it's always good to look at windscreen excess, and also the limit they pay out too, as some can be pretty ****, it's also worth checking that's it's as standard, because not all companies offer it as standard...

Thanks James, my question arose because some insurance companies appear to provide replacement oem windscreens (at no extra cost) and some don't. A poster on a different thread was quoted £400 for an Audi screen, so the £250 limit explains why the non OEM is used with the option to pay the extra if wanted. Direct line don't appear to give any specific details about any replacement screens in my policy doc so I suppose the onus is on the customer to ask at time of purchase. Are the premiums any higher for those companies that offer the more expensive OEM screen as replacement? I assumed they would but not sure now!

 

[AudiNutta]

Right.. so if they have told you not to worry, you're all good, because if it comes down to it, as you know all calls are recorded, you can say i was told by an agent that i don't have to cover them and then you're good, don't call back, you've got the answer, so you're fine!

Great thanks James.

How long do they keep these calls for? I was surprised 2 months back they still had the recordings from October. That is a lot of calls?

 

[glospete]

This is from the LV website as I've enquired about this before:

Answer from LV website:
No, factory fitted options aren't classed as changes to manufacturer's standard specification. A change to manufacturer's standard specification is anything made after the car leaves the factory.

So it does seem that there is no general rule. Buyer beware!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[James Clatworthy]

Great thanks James.

How long do they keep these calls for? I was surprised 2 months back they still had the recordings from October. That is a lot of calls?

They keep calls for ever basically, the database is ridiculous...