[davemk]

Do ALL manufacturer options need to be declared as modifications? I'm thinking of ordering:

• Xenons
• Interior light package
• Heated Seats
• Auto lights / wipers

I can see that the xenons woud need to be declared in case I ran into the back of someone but not the others, surely?

Any thoughts?

Dave.

 

[damianmkv]

TBH, I've never mentioned any options that my cars have had...

 

[davemk]

Not even the remap? Tut tut []

 

[damianmkv]

not "my" car...its the company's. They know about the remap so its upto them to declare it []

 

[davemk]

I think that's known as passing the buck! Your company allowed you to remap the company car? Fair play.

 

[damianmkv]

We are allowed to do whatever we wish to them...as long as changes are reversible - we even have company cars running private plates...

 

[Beddie]

Dave,

I'm with Greenlight for my insurance, they ask for all factory options to be declared, no extra cost though, not even for the Bluefin! [Y]

 

[CkB]

Remaps are no-cost with Greenlight... I didn't know they asked for all mods, when I asked what they wanted to know with the golf and TT they weren't fussed... Although they got told anyway...

I always thought (ergo could be wrong) that factory options weren't an issue, it was after market alterations to the car that were important!

 

[kaz219]

My Golf 1.4 had Recaro Leathers, HID Projector bits, RBBR Rear Lights, A spoiler, After market HU fitted afterwards.

All i declared were the 19" wheels and the sideskirts.

When someone bumped into me, I just took the rear skirt off and put the standard ones on and nothing was said :S

Go for it and if anything happens, say they were on the car when i got it !

Is it hard to do the heated seats and what are the costs associated with it if you know?

Cheers

 

[davemk]

It's a new car Kaz so the heated seats will be factory order.

 

[haf1zur]

I would always recommend declaring all Options and MODS, its the safer option, you dont want to be stuck with a write off and no money due to some silly MOD/Option not being declared. May cost a little now, but the peace of mind goes a long way.

Hafizur

 

[kaz219]

[quote user="davemk"]

It's a new car Kaz so the heated seats will be factory order.

[/quote]

Ooooww...i thought you were Retro-fitting them.

My bad

Declare them...doubt it will go up that much...

 

[siksplit]

if you buy the car new you would be expected to declare them. The principle is, "if it is reasonable for the owner to be aware that changes from standard spec exist, they should be declared". The reason being, the indemnity could be considerably more for some spec changes. Leather in my vw was £1350, so a significant increase in what i was expecting them to cover.

If you are a subsequent owner of a vehicle, you would get away with pleading ignorance unless they were obvious mods such as lowering, skirts, aftermarket alloys etc.

Most insurers now allow 2 mods for free. (not sure about increased BHP mods)

They would be pretty harsh to decline any claim for not declaring though. I ran NU's total loss dept. The hardest line we took was refusing to replace the extra's that weren't specified. We wouldnt have declined to cover the whole car.

 

[davemk]

I didn't order the new car in the end. Decided on the sensible option of a nearly new motor.

And I declared the options to the insurance company. It wasn't worth not doing really.

 

[davelincs]

When you buy a new / used car doesn,t the insurance company ask if theres any modifications ? or words to that effect

if you have an accident,the insurance company will do anything to get out of paying for it, especially if the factory fitted car , which stated 17" wheels are 19", or a standard body, is fitted with a full body kit ,etc etc

if you ring them up and ask them they will tell you any modifications need to be on your insurance ,

its better to be safe than sorry

 

[Darren_woods]

A few years back i managed to roll a 3 month old Punto hgt. When i took out the insurance for it the company really wasnt botherd about the mods - They never asked if any had been done. So obviously i kept my mouth shut. It had induction kit - Race cam fitted. Stainless exhaust. Ya know the norm.

It wasnt until the day i crashed it (well a few days acutally - was in hostpital for a bit) that it soon become clear how important it is for the insurance company to know exactly whats on your car. I was full comp. The car was written off. Only the rear hatch that had glass left, every panel was dented and the engine was sitting on the passenger seat. When it come down to sorting out the insurance side of things. They tried every trick in the book to claim the mods had void my policy and that they would not cover the cost of the vehicle..The cost of damage to third party property or in fact and take this as a good note.. The medical bill! I hear you cry.. medical bill? When you have an accident in a vehicle all emergency services that attend will claim a fee from your car insurance during the process of the insurers settling out. I had 3 bills amounting to just short of £300 for 2 police cars and ambulnace/paramedic and a fire engine.

Its ok thinking.. this wont matter.. anyway if things go bad i can change it back so they wont know. As i learned. When you in hospital and your car is being recovered.. It put in an area at the recovery yard they dont like you going. No one touches anything on that car until its been seen by someone representing your insurance company with a nice thick pad to take notes and a large memory card in his camera.. Believe me.. these guys take pics of your car like it was Sarah Jayne Dunn laying there nude.

The insurers said had the mods been pointed out and printed on the schedule/policy then everything would have been covered. Since that accident i declare everything and anything i do to my cars and guess what.. Not one insurer raises the price after i tell them the mods.

Best to tell all and have the mods covered on your policy.

 

[stevee]

Good moral of the story there!!

 

[VAUXBEN]

Do you really need to declare factory fitted extras? I thought if they were an option then it was classed as standard.

If i added something from a S-line to a SE model then obviously this is a mod but if the factory installed it and offer it on the range then its standard isn't it.

I'll be prepared to be corrected

 

[davelincs]

if its factory fitted, theres no need to declare it,as the car is built to that certain standard

 

[davemk]

I've declared my factory fitted options, just to be on the safe side.