Warning to those that dont declare mods to insurance

[Janner_Sy]

The point im making is that by charging such high amounts for 17yr olds they are feeding the problem. As i said if they said "come to us. Drive a 1.2 Fiesta for a couple of years to build up some no claims, get some driving experience and we will charge you £500 a year". They would get more business and the roads would probably be a lot safer.

this is what the companies did in germany with the younger lads who had just passed their test.  being on good money and with the availability of tax free purchasing alot of very young inexperienced drivers were cutting about in very powerful cars.  hence lots crashed as you would expect.

So the insurance companies then started refusing people under 21 insurance on all cars beyond a certain power level. seemed to work.

[RedRobin]

^^^^
As Sy is saying, basically insurers respond directly to the risks and those risks manifest themselves through actual cases/events.

So, lots of young dudes misbehaving and claiming insurance ups the costs to insure for that group of dudes. They have to make a profit and they have to cover the risks. Live in a neighbourhood known for car theft and the risk is higher therefore the premium is higher.. Simples.

[vRS Carl]

The ONLY reason people modify is to go faster

So my MFD3, Cat Vision Interior light, vRS Seat decals and Carbon wrapped interior trim help me go faster???  

[Poverty]

So your doing some spirited driving in your modified mk5 which is declared yes.

Then you have an accident and the Police prove that you were speeding and therefore breaking the road laws contravening the road traffic act hence invalidating your insurance!

....Sorry but I don't understand that bit! Since when does insurance become invalid because you broke traffic laws?  

It only becomes invalid if you didn't declare your car's modifications.

If you crash through negligent driving they can void your insurance. The MIB will lobby against the insurance co from doing so it seems going from a past case.

[divweir]

but none of us gti owners drive fast the mods are just to say that we can go fast
if we feel like it    so why worry

[TrickGTI]

Blimey I feel like I need to declare to my insurer the fact I have a beard after reading all of this!!! 

[Matthew.]

I wanted to get a REVO map on my GTI a few months back. I am 24 years old and have 4 years NCD, no claims/points etc

My "mod friendly" Insurer wanted an extra £200 for under 6 months cover from me, told them I would leave it, and so I have done.

There is no argument for not declaring performance mods. Cant afford the extra money - dont do it!

Simples 

[Hedge]

Blimey I feel like I need to declare to my insurer the fact I have a beard after reading all of this!!! 

Depends if you are male or female? 

[divweir]

its a lottery if they pay or not  my opinion  just hope i dont need it
my mate had three accidents in three years none his fault  three write offs
lost loads of money with shortfalls on insurance he gave up driving
can you blame him  .its been 7 years since he drove


yes i know hes an unlucky c..t

[Hendo]

The ONLY reason people modify is to go faster

So my MFD3, Cat Vision Interior light, vRS Seat decals and Carbon wrapped interior trim help me go faster???  

It doesn't make you go faster but it makes the car more appealing to thief and this also increases insurance premiums.

[vRS Carl]

The ONLY reason people modify is to go faster

So my MFD3, Cat Vision Interior light, vRS Seat decals and Carbon wrapped interior trim help me go faster???  

It doesn't make you go faster but it makes the car more appealing to thief and this also increases insurance premiums.

Actually they do make me go faster.

The MFD3 has TMC and automatically updates & alters the route according to traffic - therefore providing me the quickerst route A-B
The Cat-Vision interior light enables me to see the Gear Stick more easily in the Dark - therefore allowing me to find it quicker thus enabling quicker gear-changes
The vRS Seat decals add 10bhp to the power (known fact for any sticker!!)
The Carbon Wrapped interior trim makes the car lighter - It is carbon fibre after all

So there 







Yes i am a bit mental

[Tamiyoman]

If you are wealthy enough you can always "Self Insure", go see a solictor stick 1 million in a bonded account (cannot be accessed, although you can still earn the interest off it) and hey presto your insured and no ins companies to pay or moan about should you mod or stay std 

I only know about this as my mate knows someone who did it, he runs 4 cars on his "self insured policy" (him/wife and 2 kids). He must save about 8k per year in ins costs and it does not cost him a penny as he still gets the interest on his money, win/win.

Nice if you have a spare million!

For the normal folk, Mods=Declared, if not your a muppett!

[Tinytim]

Where does it all end though.
What if my exhaust rots through and I take it to a local garage who replace it with a 3rd party one that hasn't got a VW stamp on it?

What happens when the factory fitted tyres wear out and I replace them with a different brand? Do I need to tell my insurer I have "modified" my tyres.

What if I have my seats re-trimmed in a slightly different colour?

Do I need to declare all this? Surely it is madness.

Running in a higher grade fuel could even be considered a mod as it could potentially make your car quicker.

[GNJ_Motorsport]

This is a very complicated issue for me. I have always declared my mods, I am with Greenlight who know what the different mods are and don't hammer you for them. I remember speaking to a member of their staff a while ago who said they believe that if you are willing to spend £600 on a remap, you are more likely to be the kind of person who drives quickly but knows when and were to do it and how far to push it.

Example, take some members on here. They spend thousands on their motors keeping them immaculate and untap the potential in the cars engine and chassis to make the car as good as it can be within budget. They for me are far more likely to show that car respect than a chav who thinks he knows everything who buys a standard Golf GTI, then rags the living day lights out of it. We all know those people exist and have probably never thought to think about improving the car or look for an owners club on the internet.

What I'm trying to say is that insurance companies need to stop hammering people who want to make a few changes to their car. A hell of a lot more people would declare if it wasn't so costly with most insurance companies. I'd like to see some evidence to suggest drivers of modified cars pose more of a danger.

[garrardrj]

It is purely down to an increase in engine power which leads to an increase in premium. Hence why a Gti is more expenisve to insure than a 1.6. Insurance companies only have the cars group rating to calculate the premium together with the drivers record. Whether a modded car is more of a risk than a standard car is difficult one. I am sure they know .