Modifications on Insurance quote

[alexhamm555]

Gents

I was getting some further Insurance quotes and one of the questions they asked was whether the car was modified from the standard specification.

my 997 is an 'S' so it has 19" alloys and sports chrono....does that constitute a modification over standard specification? or are they talking about stuff which has been added after it was built?

I take it stuff like electric seats or rear wiper don't need to be included?

thanks

Alex

 

[BillTheButcher]

Optional extras aren't the same as modifications.

If what your car has got were optional extras then AFAIK they don't count as modifications.

 

[markiii]

depends

Admiral for example count optional extras (that's a lot with Porsche) as mods

if not declared and they write your car off, the pay out for a base model with no options, so could be quite

 

[BillTheButcher]

Admiral for example count optional extras (that's a lot with Porsche) as mods

That's not what they told me and I asked very specifically because almost all of my cars have been modded.

They told me that anything listed as an optional extra would not be counted as a modification from standard.

 

[markiii]

hope you got that in writing

 

[cheshire911]

My understanding is that a modification is any after-market change that is made to the car after it left the factory with Porsche Options by the original purcahser (assuming it is pre-owned vehicle). So a mod would include a re-map, changes to the wheels, after-market spoliers such as aerokit, after-market exhauts such as Tubi etc.

The onus is on the current owner to prove that there have been no after-market modifications by prior owners as well as the current owner. So for example, if you have a claim and the Insurance engineer asks for an OPC to check the ECU and they discover it has been re-mapped (even if unknown to you by a prior owner) they may render your Insurance null and void. In this example, some Insurance companies may take a practical view that it was not done by you, you bought the car without the re-map advertised or declared and handle your claim appropriately. Others may see this as a way of getting out of a costly claim, arguinfg that the onus is on you to take all reasonable measures to satisfy yoursellf that the car does nothave after-market modifications.

Each Insurance company will have their own view, so it is best to check and confirm it all in writing - with a copy of the ad if available declaring the specification of the car.

 

[BillTheButcher]

hope you got that in writing

Yes I did.

My understanding is that a modification is any after-market change that is made to the car after it left the factory with Porsche Options by the original purcahser (assuming it is pre-owned vehicle). So a mod would include a re-map, changes to the wheels, after-market spoliers such as aerokit, after-market exhauts such as Tubi etc.

That was my understanding as well and it was confirmed by Admiral when I asked them.

 

[selwonk]

The wording on Admiral's quote system is very ambiguous:

Do they mean that optional extras are included as part of the manufacturer's standard specification, or that optional extras are included in the list of modifications that should be declared?

I'd certainly be carefully reading the policy wording before purchase from them!

 

[cheshire911]

I could interpret it either way. Why don't you call them and ask them? Or better still, write to them and ask them to write back confirming if manufacturer's optional extras specified prior to taking delivery by the first owner are modifications or if modifications are any after-market changes after the car left the factory?

Then please let us know, so that we are all the wiser.

Personally, I do not use these type of policies or high street products such as Aviva/Churchill etc. I use a specialist broker knowing I have a mileage agreed which helps to reduce premium, an agreed valuation in the event of a total loss and that I can use a Porsche OPC approved repairer with genuine Porsche parts without having to contest and argue over two or three estimates and then they finally agree to my choice but ask me to pay the higher cost difference between my choice and Bob's Body Shop who they send all their cars to. High Street Insurance products are dealing with a very broad range of risks from chavs in Citreoen Saxos to executives in their high-end German cars. The former end of the market make their volume not the latter - so we run the risk of being treated like those guys in their Saxo's on supermarket car parks - doin the cruise I think they call it.

With Insurance you definitely get what you pay for. I for one don't take a chance with a Porker. I need that car to be right. A lot of my sweat and hard-earned cash has gone into it.

 

[RobIpswichUK]

Grammatically the Admiral wording is spot on what has been said earlier in the thread regarding options as being considered as standard, and should be read as follows:

"A modification is any change to the car away from to the Manufacturer's standard specification (including optional extras).

Modifications are changes such as .........etc"

The use of the brackets attaches the 'including optional extras' to the standard spec. The 'such as' lists examples. All they've done is shorten two sentences into one.

Hope that helps.

 

[Zingari]

Yep had to read that a few times myself optional extras does not take it away from 'standard' spec unless it includes basically anything listed separately.

Now you can get body kits as an 'optional' (rather than 3rd party) extra so how does this fit?

I remember years ago it was common to upgrade the wheels on Minis and without telling the insurer a lot of people came unstuck.

Likelihood is anything that adds extra power will attract additional premium

 

[cheshire911]

Anything that attracts the interests of thieves such as aerokits, fancy wheels, LED running lights etc. adds extra to the premium - they all can result in an increased risk of a claim - in these cases not power but theft from visual appearance.

 

[Zantaz]

Who do you all recommend for car Insurance then? I take it the comparison website Insurance providers are rubbish? I tend to go with those who I don't have to pick up a phone to get a deal.

 

[GT4]

I suggest if you are in any doubt (and if nothing else, their T&Cs are doubtful), I would state EVERY option, cost or NCO, factory, dealer or third party.

If the monkey at the end of the phone decides metallic paint makes your car twice as likely to crash, go somewhere else.

But at least you car's exact spec will be in black and white and with no wriggle room if you were unlucky enough to have to claim.

The other thing is, I listed every option on my car and cunningly "hid" the engine map and exhaust mods in the middle.

The broker couldn't be bothered to discuss it after the twelth item (cup holders), but that spec forms the contract between us, and if I roll it on come renewal and correctly state there have been no changes, then that original detailed spec still constitutes my contract.

 

[chimp911]

I take it the comparison website Insurance providers are rubbish?

Not necessarily, but the comparison website itself almost invariably is - the final price you pay is rarely the one quoted on the website, but it does at least give you an idea of the premium, and will help narrow the field down to a handful of providers that you can haggle with.

Any OEM mods (even if factory fitted) should be declared so that should you ever need to make a claim those extras will be taken into consideration. Only a few manufacturer approved mods will actually make a difference to your premium (increased power an obvious example), but it could be problematic for you if undeclared.