insurance and modifications
 

so my current insurance the personal group insurance wont insure vehicles that are lowered and had engine mods done to it. I would like to lower my vehicle and do some engine mods, however i dont want to screw up if they find out and they cut my insurance policy off.

so i've got a few options 1) dont tell them and 2) move onto another car insurance company.

the second option is tough because so far the personal gives the lowest cost for insurance.

anyhow, how many of you mod your vehicles but haven't told your insurance companies?

how many of you have told your insurance companies and which companies are they?

dont tell your insurance company they will jack your price up huuuuge..
bel air direct is pretty cheap insurance..

Good idea! Then if he crashes, he'll be screwed!
Either forget about modding, or switch are your only options. I hear State Farm is pretty lenient.

Don't tell your insurance companies about your INTENTIONS on modifications... they will not insure a risk like that. However, clients who have been with insurance companies for awhile (ex. being 2+ years) will have an easier time getting away with a simple mod here and there.

I am insured with state farm myself, my car is lowered and I have an intake. I also work for state farm so it’s easier for me to find out this information.... state farm will allow a few mods. However, they do not insure ANY engine modifications what so ever, with an exception for an intake.

... just be smart

aesthetics are insurable, being rims, stereo, interior changes, paint, etc. etc. etc. However, there are endorsements that need to be in place to cover certain items. For example, a stereo if it needed to be replaced because of, let’s just say theft, and to fully replace it would cost $1500, you will need an endorsement to have the extra coverage. Your auto policy alone doesn’t have enough coverage to fully replace it.

the last thing you need is to get into an accident, have your insurance company find out your car has a turbo and have them deny your claim. It has happened… and it can happen to anyone. If you plan on modding your car like that AND you want the “proper” insurance, then find a broker who is willing to insure a risk like that. No point on doing all that work for nothing because you decided to not properly insure yourself.

Hey Jess, i was actually gonna pm you a question.

Currently my car is on with my dad's policy.
Would insurance companies insure an already modded car? So, say i do an engine swap now, under my dad's policy, then i "buy" the car from my dad, and insure it on my own policy. Do insurance companies treat that differently than modding while on a policy?

My friend bought his accord already lowered but got insurance. He got into a small fender bender and when he had it at the shop to fix, the insurance adjuster noticed he was lowered and told him he had 1 week to raise the car back to stock height or he would be dropped from coverage. He did that, had the adjuster look at it, then promptly brought it back to its original height... lol

:wave:

I'm going to say most companies... just cause this is state farm rules and well most insurance companies go by the same policies when it comes to this..

All underwriters ask the same thing.... does it enhance vehicle performance.

So basically, they will NOT insure a vehicle that has been modded to go 300km/h when that’s not how it originally came from the factory.

BUT… let’s say your Honda engine “died” and you replaced it with another Honda engine… that is ok because it came from the factory.

But don’t ever quote me on this, it’s all up do an underwriter when it comes for a policy to be issued. So what one might say another will say something different… it all depends on the computer. With State Farm the agents and representatives have say in what an underwriter can ‘approve’.

Having a long and positive relationship with your agent can really help you out over the years when you need a favour. That’s why switching your insurance all the time because of price isn’t the smartest move. Stick it out, and you will see the rewards later on. Anyways I can go on forever….

yaaaa that’s typical...

it happened to my ex and his insurance company too. I don’t remember who he was with, but it was some broker. They knew his car was modded and he got into a fender bender, his adjuster was coming out to take a look at the car and my boyfriend put it back to stock as best he could so he wouldn't run into the trouble... luckily for him the adjuster didn't notice the 2 1/2 - 3 inch exhaust lol and once the car was fixed, all modds were put back on the car.

I guess if you can get away with it, by all means do it... but I just don’t suggest it... if it wasn't a small accident and you weren't able to take the mods off in time for the adjuster to see, could you imagine finding out your claim has been denied and your insurance company is dropping you.

stress I would never want to deal with... I'll just stick to being on the end of it were I get to tell being we are dropping them lol

Thanks Jess. Yeah, i realize it depends on the rep. I was just wondering if i did it that way, i could get an engine swapped vehicle properly insured w/o risking my policy being cancelled on me. I just can't wait till i turn 25 so that my insurance will drop. haha

me too... meee toooo!!! But I still have 2 more years to go :( and I got a speeding ticket the other day.. I don't even want to know what it will do to my premium if state farm finds out lol

I'm fighting it anyways soooo wish me luck :D

... dont complain. I'm pretty sure you're still paying less than me, with a higher risk car. =p (we're the same age).

gd luck w that ticket! Reschedule the first date they give you. Their less likely to be able to get the cop to show on a secondary date from what i hear.

hmm ok cool... thanks for the tip I will try that! :)

Dont resched the ticket that just puts it off longer. COPS now attend court on the days they are working, not on days off like it previously was, well in toronto anyway, most services have followed suit. Depends on how much the ticket was for. If it was for like 15-25 over then make a plea with the justice, they will usually drop the points and lower the fine and save you the insurance stress.

this is the common mistake many people make.

a ticket is a ticket... soo if its 10km over or if its 25km over its the same ticket and will have the same effect. Insurance doesn't care about points, they care about the offense. Points is just a government/license thing. Sooo having the points drop off or lowing your ticket will save you money when paying for the ticket but it will affect your insurance the same.

So technically any ticket is worth fighting.

I know what ur saying and i agree, u can fight it all u want, but if you fight it the officer will usually win. And nowadays they will almost always show for court. Just trying to help u not loose points, cause in the long run they will affect you. And as far as i know the only time insurance will jack ur rates is when u make a change to ur policy or if u change companies.

well I was going 65km in a 40km.... in a school zone :rolleyes: sooo the cop reduced it to a 55km in a 40km with no points. Which I guess I'm thankful for but I don't want the ticket on my record period. I haven't been pulled over or had a ticket in 4 1/2 years!! Guess my luck has finally rubbed off :(

Sorry to hear, 15 over is a kind of like an officer letting u off, fighting that would make him argue the offence possibly in court. Esp since it was a school zone he might argue that fact which would be a negative towards you.

This is nothing new. It's a part of a cop's job description, to attend court. What i've heard, is that the first time they sched u in, they would make more of an effort to group one cop's court dates, into one day, or half a day, or whatever. If you reschedule it, there's less chance they would be able to do it again. Like i said, this is what i've heard from a few sources. I have not personally tried this myself.

i know with bel air direct insurance they dont even look under the hood.. so you can literally get away with any mod you want. and for most people who save the parts they took off when they mod a car, they can just put those back on if they get in an accident. also with bel air they ask you what mods youve done, and if you say none, your saving a ton of money (as long as the exterior looks pretty stock). i know for me i only spent $1000 on my car, about $1500 in mods, so theres no point in paying $300+/month for insurance, when the insurance/year is more expensive than the actual car.

yaaa thats what I'm nervous about... people keep saying that I may get charged with more since I am fighting a ticket that has been reduced, eventhough no where on the ticket does it say its a reduced fine. But how can they change a ticket after its been issued and change the offence? I dunno if they can do that? And if they can... well shame on them lol

Well I was told I would be contacted in a month to set a court date... so I guess I have time to decide what I am going to do.

you're missing the point.

I get what you are saying and you are right but only to a certain degree.

If your accident is MINOR... ya maybe you can change the mods before an adjuster comes to look at the vehicle. But what if it’s a MAJOR accident... your car is towed away, you're in the hospital and you have no way of changing those mods? Now what?

Your insurance company denies your claim and they cancel you.

So you’re stuck with no car, your accident benefits won't kick in. What if it was your fault? What if you injury the other party? What if you’re getting sued? Hopes and dreams don't pay for your bills.

Obviously I am talking worst case scenario but hell.... these are the scenarios that people need to be more aware of because they do happen and when they do, well your insurance is going to save you a lot of headaches and problems.