Have you told your insurance about any modifications??

I did what I thought was a smart idea a while ago and told my insurance agent that my car had been modified so that I could be covered better in case I got in an accident and had to replace anything that had been done to my car. Turns out it was a dumb idea, the insurance company just recently told me they are going to drop me because of the modifications. I understand that when they see my mods they think I street race and I'm a higher risk, etc. Couldn't be further from the truth, but that's what they think.

 

I'm just wondering who people get their insurance through and what do you do if you have modifications? Do you just suck it up and plan on re-spending all that money you paid for the mods or is there an insurance company that will still cover you??

 

I've got an '08 GT, I haven't had a ticket in more than 7 years, I am almost 27 and single. I'm going to look into State Farm purely because I have my renters insurance through them and thought I might get a little better deal combining the two.

That blows. I can understand where they're coming from though. I'm sure they've heard the story "I don't street race" one too many times, and they know how that story goes.

 

I've never told insurance a thing about my car. I either have it now or used to have a $1000 "custom parts" insurance included which I assume covers aftermarket. We recently changed insurance and I forget if the old or new one has this lol.

That's rough man

Is that legal? Can they drop you without evidence.

Yea, they are the last people you need to be telling you have mods! If you want them to cover audio equipment or other interior mods, then go for it, but definitely not performance mods.

 

They may be "the last" people I should tell, but then again, if they kinda need to know I have modifications to be able to cover the costs of buying it all again - ONLY if they're not going to drop me, obviously. But I understand what you mean. I did not purchase any of the mods on the car - they were on it when I bought it - but I don't want to have to buy everything all over again if something does happen which is why I'd like to be covered, if possible.

It's crazy because all the mods help my car handle/stop better than a stock car, but NOOOO, you can't have any aftermarket parts on your car... that's just not right!

 

Is that legal? Can they drop you without evidence.

 

I'm sure they have something in their rules saying that you can be dropped if you have made modifications to your car. I don't know that for sure, but it would not surprise me to see it. As for evidence, all they need to do is look at my car. You can tell it's been lowered, has drilled/slotted rotors, turbo-back exhaust, headlight mods, etc.

Is that legal? Can they drop you without evidence.

 

They can drop you for any reason they decide. They are not required to insure you if they don't want to. They are required to give you notice when they drop you though.

They may be "the last" people I should tell, but then again, if they kinda need to know I have modifications to be able to cover the costs of buying it all again - ONLY if they're not going to drop me, obviously. But I understand what you mean. I did not purchase any of the mods on the car - they were on it when I bought it - but I don't want to have to buy everything all over again if something does happen which is why I'd like to be covered, if possible.

It's crazy because all the mods help my car handle/stop better than a stock car, but NOOOO, you can't have any aftermarket parts on your car... that's just not right!

 

Look at it this way, for the most part the cost of replacement stock parts is pretty close to the cost of most aftermarket parts. More so if you are paying dealer prices. You don't have to get it repaired by insurance, you can just take the check and tell any shop you want to put on whatever you want.

Then think about the amount of damage the car has to sustain to damage most performance parts. If you damage a downpipe or turbo in a crash you likely won't be getting the car back. If the car totals after they know you have aftermarket parts they are only going to give you the extra over the value of the stock parts, and they will likely determine that the aftermarket parts are worth less than stock parts on the open market, so you'd wind up losing money. Not to mention that you have the option to swap out any parts back to stock that you want to before they take full possession of the salvage.

And if you get in a crash that is the fault of someone else, you want to go through their insurer (if that is an option in your state) and they have to pay for whatever you have on the car.

 

In short: never report aftermarket parts unless you have an award winning show car.

Never did and never will and never even thought about that til now but no I never will

That sucks. Basically, if you have expensive wheels on your car you would like to be covered on your already overpriced insurance premium you're a street racer. I guess this insurance company would not have covered you if you purchased a 400 + hp car out the box. I learned long time ago from an insurance agent not to mention upgrades to your car/motorcycle.

I talked with my agent and insured my car for xx,xxx additional dollars with no problems. Gave them a list of mods & the $'s. Wasn't a whole lot of money for the extra coverage / year and there were no repercussions. Have a good driving record though.

I've never said anything to my insurance company about mods beyond "my accessories total $3,000", I CERTAINLY wouldn't say anything specific about performance mods, that's just asking to have your rates raised!

 

Something tells me that if you put $10K into your car and even stated that on your policy, and even had receipts for everything, that they'd find a way to not reimburse you the value of the modifications in the event of an accident.

 

As someone who studied to become a paralegal and heard case after case of insurance litigation, i've come to realize the #1 priority of an insurance company is to not pay claims as much as possible, no matter how heinous it might makes them look. Insurance companies are in the business of making $$$, not paying it out.

To be honest I wouldn't tell about any performance mods except wheels/tires. The only reason I say that is because recently I wrecked two of my wheels but couldn't get insurance to pay for it because they didn't know. But other than that don't tell them anything. Just expect to rebuy parts if you crash, which I'm hoping doubt happen.

I talked with my agent and insured my car for xx,xxx additional dollars with no problems. Gave them a list of mods & the $'s. Wasn't a whole lot of money for the extra coverage / year and there were no repercussions. Have a good driving record though.

 

Who do you have insurance through? I might have to talk with them!

 

I've never said anything to my insurance company about mods beyond "my accessories total $3,000", I CERTAINLY wouldn't say anything specific about performance mods, that's just asking to have your rates raised!

 

Something tells me that if you put $10K into your car and even stated that on your policy, and even had receipts for everything, that they'd find a way to not reimburse you the value of the modifications in the event of an accident.

 

As someone who studied to become a paralegal and heard case after case of insurance litigation, i've come to realize the #1 priority of an insurance company is to not pay claims as much as possible, no matter how heinous it might makes them look. Insurance companies are in the business of making $$$, not paying it out.

 

The nice thing is, I haven't put ANY money into my car for mods - not yet at least. I bought it with all of them. Outback Automotive did the work and I was able to get them to give me a "receipt" for the work and it's over $10k... So that's why it would be nice to get some of it back if possible.

 

 

I guess I will just be super careful about mentioning "accessories" or modifications to my next insurer - or just not tell them, depending on the feel I'm getting from them.

Thanks for the info, guys!

I'm in the same boat as columbo, I told my insurance about all of my modifications and that I keep a written log of when and what it done at what mileage and all invoices and recipts for the car. They said they have an aftermarket decision but couldn't cover all of my modifications because of how much it exceeded the value of the car. They cover a good amount and I have $0 deductibles and pay $130/mo for max full coverage in pa, which is probably in the top 5 most expensive insurance states.

 

I'm actually looking into getting an entire aftermarket supplemental insurance for the car though to cover the rest of the value.

In my opinion, an insurance company is one of those entities, like the government, in which the less they know the better. Because when it comes time for a claim or dispute, they are not going to be your friends if they have an opening to take advantage of you. Landark is 100% right. The parts could potentially be worth less than stock parts. So unless you have some special show car or historical vehicle, I see the modified tag on your policy more likely hurting you than helping you.

My policy allows me to add mod insurance.

Well I guess my insurance company has a idea of what's done to the car, seeing how my agent has driven it and is on this site.

My policy allows me to add mod insurance.

 

Mind saying who you get your insurance through?

Mind saying who you get your insurance through?

 

CT08Spec.B But I think he can only sell here in CT.