Article from BBC today

Declare all mods since car left the factory

Although I understand the logic and risk calculation issues, In some extreme cases it still seems very onerous and OTT.

I Guess I'll be calling my insurer later to tell them that the new air freshner is Non factory fitted and makes the car more prone to attack.

Where does it all end!

I agree, if the insurance companies can wrangle out of paying out they will... better go take that air new freshner out of mine too

If the insurance companies were more up-front about just what you were supposed to declare (I get asked if I'm a smoker on the forms for instance, but not if I've fitted a sat-nav) then they wouldn't be seen as vultures, but then I guess they wouldn't then be able to get you on a technicality.

I better go and get another set of Pirelli P-zero's fitted then.

Interesting you mention that, I'm sure I read somewhere over on the Peugeot 306 owners that a certain insurer was trying to wiggle out of a payment claiming the guy had incorrect tyres on. Thing was , IIRC he had aftermarket wheels!

Found it:

http://www.pug306.net/forum/showthread.php?t=62679

car insurance is worthless they never want to pay out.
To me car insurance is just there so you dont get pulled by the police.
There is always excess which usually costs more than claim.
if its a write off chances are you wont get paid out. or if do its too long a wait.
then your next premium is huge due to a claim...

/\ +1

Completely agree, it is not worth the paper it is written on. Which is why to me it is legalised theft.

Along with Council tax and it seems currently road tax as well.

You get nothing for it, but you need it to avoid having your life turned upside down and being bullied and beaten by the State.

So if somebody crashed in to you, wrote off your car and injured you so badly that you couldn't work and then glibbly said, "Sorry mate, I don't have any insurance - it's just legalised theft, innit?" you'd sympathise with him?

If you don't want pay a fortune for insurance then get yourself an old group 1 car and stick it on third-party only insurance.

My personal experience has been that the times I've had to make insurance claims they'd been handled well and resolved to my satisfaction.

I have to agree with that. Over the years I've had two or three claims always sorted out satisfactorily. I ran our Punto into the back of an old Saab when we'd only had it a few months! (Me and the wife were both nervous up to then about who would be the first to scratch it! That sorted that one out lol) Anyway towed home and repaired, loan of a courtesey car, no probs

On another occasion some guy reversed into the side of my wifes car and tried to say it was her fault Car was repaired no problem and using their legal aid we were ready to go to court. He backed down the day before the court date.

So much as you might not like paying, it's good to have when you really need it.

I've had two claims over the last 15 years and both were dealt with quickly and without any fuss.

Most recent was in 2007 when my coop was vandalised (scratched really badly down one side and drivers mirrors smacked so hard it would no longer lock in position).

I was insured with Admiral at the time and the repair bill was around £1200 I think. Local bodyshop did an excellent respray job and lacquered most of the car too! I'd have been gutted if it wasn't repaired.

I know some insurers can be awkward though

The altering the car illustration is not really a practical suggestion.

While I do agree with your point in principle, I prefer the system used in Australia for instance, where Third Party cover is provided in your Road Tax.

Yes, it's probably great if you're an 18 year old with a 500bhp car, but less impressive if you're a 50 year old with a diesel estate.

so in 15 years at around 800 a year insurance around 12grand u have paid. but only claimed back a 1200 pound claim..... lol.
times that by how many million?...

Hmmm better tell them about my clear side repeaters, alloy dust caps, alloy tax disc holder, and Trico Neoform wipers then, just in case...........

Or take an 18 year old in a Corsa, who has paid 1 year's insurance of £1,000 and hit a father of 2 on a pedestrian crossing, permanently paralysing him from the neck down, resulting in a person injury pay-out of £500,000 and multiply that by a couple of thousand.

Now, what was your point? Was it that everybody should try to have accidents up to the value of their insurance premiums, because that's going to make get an awful lot more expensive very quickly.

I forgot to mention to my insurance company (Elephant I think?) that I got 3 points on my license 2 years before. They charged me £280 in backdated insurance premiums after I told them.

However, I was told that had I needed to claim over the past couple of years they would have paid out, even after finding out they weren't aware of my points, as long as I paid any extra premium owed first. Very much like the guy in the article; he was told to pay an extra £1k of premium resulting from the undeclared mods before getting the £5k payout.

The moral of that news article is dont insure your motor with Norwich Union