Car Insurance and what you should and shouldn't declare?

[AlanW]

Good news about yours, yes l agree if l wanted to fit huge rally style mud flaps l could understand it.
But these as you'll see, these are very low key and designed to stop stone chips purely to the leading edge of the wheel arches.

Like so, photos taken from the third parties web site.

Hardly intrusive are they?

 

[fossyant]

Good news, yes l agree if l wanted to fit huge rally style mud flaps l could under it.
But these are very low key and designed to stop stone chips to the leading edge of the wheels.

Like so, photos taken from the third parties web site.

Hardly intrusive are they?
View attachment 793977

View attachment 793978

They are even less noticeable than mine - mine do extend below the body line.. They keep the leaf crap down and reduce stone chips - that was the main reason on the 'van' as the under body was right in the firing line of stone chips, and it had picked up a few.

 

[Beebo]

This is the perfect example of why buying insurance based on price alone is often not a great idea.
Cheaper insurers are far more likely to be picky about this sort of stuff.
They are cheap for a reason.

 

[Profpointy]

In 50 years of owing and driving cars I've never declared it either before, but unfortunately a spoiler comes under the exact same category as a mudguard, as crazy and as stupid as it would seem.

You therefore risk having your insurance rejected in the event of a claim. If you have a claim and the insurance assessor notes that you have them fitted and not declared it, then they have a perfect legal right to reject your claim, that includes any third party claim and any other third party damages.

I think we all know that insurance companies are as slippery as a bucket of ells and will jump at any opportunity to get out of paying a claim!

I sort of get the insurers worrying about a spoiler as it would entail a higher risk, not because it makes a difference to the car, but I because those fitting a spoiler are more likely to be boy-racer types and are thus self-identifying as a bad risk. Years ago a pal was complaining that his Ford Escort was a higher premium despite being identical engine wise to the ordinary model, apart from a stripe and some spotlights. It was a higher premium because of those likely to buy it, as the car was the same to all intents and purposes.

 

[Drago]

Yet there is no link between a vehicles performance and its likelihood of being involved in an RTC, but what sort of character is more likely to buy the car with the juicier performance? How often do the insurers tell us higher performance = higher risk, yet decades of police data and analysis by the the TRRL/TRL says that is nonsense?

Theyre not in the business of managing risk. They're in the business of separating customers from their money, and theyre interested mainly in a customers willingness and ability to pay, nothing more.

 

[Psamathe]

I have a tow bar. I never tow anything but I put a bike rack on it. I was under the impression* that I had to declare it so I did and my insurance company accepted my declaration.

*Not that my "impression" counts for anything.

When I lived in France (with French insurance company cover) I had a tow bracket fitted to my French registered RHD (purchased in France, etc.) car and the insurance company needed full details of the bracket fitted including the type (eg swan neck of blot on, removable or fixed).

No idea about UK.

 

[AlanW]

Well still no response from my insurance as to if I can or cannot fit them?

 

[fossyant]

Basically they haven't a clue, so I'd fit the bits of trim that will potentially reduce a need for a claim for bodywork from a flying rock.

I'm glad the van ones are fitted as it's keeping a huge amount of leaf mulch off the van underside (and it's a bit more complicated than a car) - aux. diesel heater, no plastic under covers etc. The fronts seem to extend enough to scrape on the apex of the footpath/drive curb on one side (it caused one car to ground when the house was built).

 

[Aescott]

This thread prompted me to tell insurer that I'd had a towbar fitted. All noted and sorted in about 5 minutes. £30 admin fee for doing it over the phone, but worth it to make sure any claim isn't rejected because of a mod that they werent aware of.

 

[AlanW]

So totally out of the blue I had an email yesterday from the insurance company saying that the car insurance will be cancelling my policy from the 15th December, due to a change in the vehicle construction!!!

Cancelled because I asked if I could fit arch guards/mud flaps......no way??

Got on the phone to them and asked what was going on and why my policy was being cancelled?
I was then told its because I had fitted "wheel arch extensions" and that I hadn't notified them?

"Wheel arch extensions".......what the very f*ck?

Cutting a very long story, very very short, its seems the original person I spoke to a few weeks back, thought that arch guards/mud flaps were the same as wheel arch extensions, which what he mailed to the underwriters. Where he got that they were already fitted is beyond me, and why would I ask if I have already fitted them?

So, the bottom line is that my insurance will not be cancelled and yes I can fit the arch guard/mud flaps.

Needless to say that I have lodged an formal complaint with the company and its being investigated as I type.

 

[Drago]

A friend of mine had a similar experience. He was given a tuning box and phoned the insurer to ask how much it'd cost on the policy. "A lot," they said, so he didnt bother and binned it.

A few weeks later he had to renew, and before his current insurer would re insure him they wanted an engineers report confirming it hadn't been fitted with a tuning box! He stood his ground, told them the car was completely standard and they could send an engineer any time they wanted but at their expense and they backed down.

The few insurers that aren't thieving shysters are incompetent eejuts.

 

[AlanW]

It just goes to show, and sadly this is true in most places, depending on who you speak to, either someone that is knowledgably and can give you sound advice and or guidance........or is a complete f*ckwit and unnecessarily sends you of down a right old rabbit hole! Ultimately causing you a great amount of stress when out of the blue you are told that your insurance will be cancelled.

The lady I spoke to this afternoon, after reading the mountain of case notes in my file, agreed that it was an utter shambles and should never have happened! She said that mud flaps are not and never will be a modification. They are an accessory that can be fitted and removed without leaving a trace to the bodywork of the vehicle. Which is the exact reason why they are not listed in the modifications section on the policy, you do not need to tell the insurance company.

However, the first person I initially spoke to was Mr F*ckwit and clearly didn't know his arse from his elbow! Because mudflaps weren't listed he said "if its not on the list then we cannot insure you." But he would contact the underwriters and ask the question and thus proceeded to call them wheel arch extensions not arch guards/mud flaps.

The rest is history as they say!

 

[AlanW]

This is the perfect example of why buying insurance based on price alone is often not a great idea.
Cheaper insurers are far more likely to be picky about this sort of stuff.
They are cheap for a reason.

Who said it was cheap, it certainly wasn't, and to make matters worse, l even work for the same company albeit a different area of the company.

 

[Drago]

However, the first person I initially spoke to was Mr F*ckwit and clearly didn't know his arse from his elbow! Because mudflaps weren't listed he said "if its not on the list then we cannot insure you."

A long time back, latem90s, a chap I knew took a turbo kit intended for a Saxo VTS and fitted it to his 106 GTi, which is essentially the same car.

He rang his insurers, already a specialist modified vehicle insurer, and turbo was not on the list for a 106 so they just made a note on the policy but didnt increase his premium. I dont think the thieving gits would do that today!