Insurance & Body Kits

[GAZOOM]

Hi Guys,

I have a mate that works for NRMA and he told me that if I wanted to get a body kit on my corolla I need to notify them.

Also he told me that they are cracking down on people that have modified vehicles that have not advised them.

Otherwords they have the right to refuse a claim on a vehicle that has a modification that they where not aware of before the accident. (And they are actioning this right more often)

Has anyone had any experience of this? Or any comments

["RuNx"]

Well the way i look at it is.........They are all just a bunch of money making greedy b.a.s..ta..rd...s!!!! I can understand if it is a serious engine modification such as "turbo" or "supercharger" that u should inform them about it, due to the fact that it may be ridiculously over powered for street use and or it may have not been installed or engineered by a qualified mechanic!!! But when all you are doin is just changing the asthetic qualities of ur car to suite your tastes then why not???? It all just comes down to the fact that in their eyes it raises the value of ur vehicle and may make it more at risk of theft....But if sumone wants to steal your car it doesnt matter wat u own!!!!Also i had a case b4 i bought my rolla where i thought i would test the waters and see just what i can and cant do and or wat i can get away with; i asked about how much would my insurance cost me if i had an aftermarket stereo put in my car and they wanted to raise my insurance up by around $200?????WAT THE!!!!! Your just replacing a standard part on ur car to sumthing u actually like its ur car why cant you!!???

[CORZZA]

RUNX Very true! iv had to shop around for an insurance company and if found that alot of them are. in the end i just settled with my banks insurance

[Romp]

RUNX  Very true! iv had to shop around for an insurance company and if found that alot of them are. in the end i just settled with my banks insurance

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if u change an aesthetic mod then they will replace ur car WITHOUT the unnotified aesthic mod .. e.g. bodykit, window tint etc

If u change a performance part without telling them then its up to their discretion if they will cover u or not.

[Buddha]

You need to look at it this way ... its not just the car itself that is stolen, sometimes its just the transport.

When I worked in insurance claims, most cars that were stolen were recovered shortly after, often in an unabused state, but its missing the bodykit or stereo or whatever ... and don't think they use our Workshop section to find the easiest way to remove this stuff! Often we end up replacing dashboards or standard bumpers because they've damaged those parts trying to get to the good bits.

Plus another point, you rock up for a claim with a whole heap of gear that you didn't tell them about ... then they wonder what else you didn't tell them ...

The other thing is to shop around. For example, the insurer I worked for don't charge an extra cent to cover a stereo under $2000, which is a fair bit these days. Most of the time, they just want it listed so that if the worst should happen, you get your car back as you had it, or you get appropriately compensated if its a total loss.

Finally, the bit about being able to refuse a claim is on every insurance contract, and its allowed by law. The insurer might not always take you up on it, but you are signing a contract and you have responsibilities just as they do. Read all paperwork when you get it and if you're not happy, cancel it and go somewhere else.

Edited November 20, 2005 by Buddha

[Azza]

Too true Buddha... My wife work in Loss Adjusting, and the times that she tells me about some of the claims she looks at, I wonder what drugs some people are on to try and get away with things that they try.

I'm not saying that anyone here is trying anything didgy, but in the eyes of the insurer, because of the people my wife deals with, they need to be sceptical.

At the end of the day, a $500 modification of adding the rear skirt may just be an aesthetic mod that individualises the car for you. Awesome, as I am all in favour of having a car that you enjoy being in. However, failure to not notify them of it, may lead to, as Buddha mentioned, questioning what else you hadn't told them. Sure it might ramp the premium up $50.00, but what do you do when you make a caim and they do not want to cover the replaement cost of the skirt because they had no idea that you had it.

I haven't got any body kit mods on my car, however I was able to fit my Low Kings ($150.00), Window Tint ($250.00), Dash Mat ($40.00), Floor Mats ($60.00), Strut Brace ($130.00), Rear Plate Trim ($40.00) and Stereo (addition of 1 x 12" sub & 1 amp - $130.00 + $100.00) wih no addition to my premiums or excesses. (Granted I am Rating One and have had insurance with these people for 10 years.)

Why did I tell them, because it has cost me money, and without notifying them, if my car gets nicked and unrecovered, then I have to pay for all that again.

My advice, be honest with the insurer and you'll probably be surprised how lenient they actually are.

My advice - don't flame me :P

Aaron

[Romp]

Too true Buddha...  My wife work in Loss Adjusting, and the times that she tells me about some of the claims she looks at, I wonder what drugs some people are on to try and get away with things that they try.

I'm not saying that anyone here is trying anything didgy, but in the eyes of the insurer, because of the people my wife deals with, they need to be sceptical.

At the end of the day, a $500 modification of adding the rear skirt may just be an aesthetic mod that individualises the car for you.  Awesome, as I am all in favour of having a car that you enjoy being in.  However, failure to not notify them of it, may lead to, as Buddha mentioned, questioning what else you hadn't told them.  Sure it might ramp the premium up $50.00, but what do you do when you make a caim and they do not want to cover the replaement cost of the skirt because they had no idea that you had it.

I haven't got any body kit mods on my car, however I was able to fit my Low Kings ($150.00), Window Tint ($250.00), Dash Mat ($40.00), Floor Mats ($60.00), Strut Brace ($130.00), Rear Plate Trim ($40.00) and Stereo (addition of 1 x 12" sub & 1 amp - $130.00 + $100.00) wih no addition to my premiums or excesses. (Granted I am Rating One and have had insurance with these people for 10 years.)

Why did I tell them, because it has cost me money, and without notifying them, if my car gets nicked and unrecovered, then I have to pay for all that again.

My advice, be honest with the insurer and you'll probably be surprised how lenient they actually are.

My advice - don't flame me :P

Aaron

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aaron who are you insured with ?

[GAZOOM]

Too true Buddha...  My wife work in Loss Adjusting, and the times that she tells me about some of the claims she looks at, I wonder what drugs some people are on to try and get away with things that they try.

I'm not saying that anyone here is trying anything didgy, but in the eyes of the insurer, because of the people my wife deals with, they need to be sceptical.

At the end of the day, a $500 modification of adding the rear skirt may just be an aesthetic mod that individualises the car for you.  Awesome, as I am all in favour of having a car that you enjoy being in.  However, failure to not notify them of it, may lead to, as Buddha mentioned, questioning what else you hadn't told them.  Sure it might ramp the premium up $50.00, but what do you do when you make a caim and they do not want to cover the replaement cost of the skirt because they had no idea that you had it.

I haven't got any body kit mods on my car, however I was able to fit my Low Kings ($150.00), Window Tint ($250.00), Dash Mat ($40.00), Floor Mats ($60.00), Strut Brace ($130.00), Rear Plate Trim ($40.00) and Stereo (addition of 1 x 12" sub & 1 amp - $130.00 + $100.00) wih no addition to my premiums or excesses. (Granted I am Rating One and have had insurance with these people for 10 years.)

Why did I tell them, because it has cost me money, and without notifying them, if my car gets nicked and unrecovered, then I have to pay for all that again.

My advice, be honest with the insurer and you'll probably be surprised how lenient they actually are.

My advice - don't flame me :P

Aaron

←

There seems to be a little miscommunication from my earlier posting.

What I am saying is if you have a modification like a body kit and you don't advise your insurer and you have an accident they have the right to refuse your claim not just on the body kit but the whole car.

My mate has been with NRMA for over 10 years and he has warned me to tell the insurer which I plan on too.

I'd be fine with an insurer not compensating me for modifcation I haven't told them about but I want my standard vehicle covered in an accident.

Edited November 21, 2005 by GAZOOM

[Azza]

There seems to be a little miscommunication from my earlier posting.

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I guess in a roundabout kinda way both Buddha and myself were agreeing with the statement. :)

aaron who are you insured with ?

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NRMA. Other than the fact that when I asked for a Policy Statement for my policy and they sent me one for a car I owned years ago, I have never had any problems with them. :)

[oodee]

There seems to be a little miscommunication from my earlier posting.

What I am saying is if you have a modification like a body kit and you don't advise your insurer and you have an accident they have the right to refuse your claim not just on the body kit but the whole car.

My mate has been with NRMA for over 10 years and he has warned me to tell the insurer which I plan on too.

I'd be fine with an insurer not compensating me for modifcation I haven't told them about but I want my standard vehicle covered in an accident.

←

this has been the situation for a long time, if you dont tell them what you have, they may not cover you for anything, even if the modification is not damaged or is not the cause of the accident. my insurance company knows of all of my modifications and will know of every single one til the day i die. its just stupid not to tell them.

if you are only allowed 1 modification til you are 25, live with it, or go to another insurance company. if you have 2 modifications and dont tell them its only your own fault if you dont tell them and they wont cover you because of it

[Buddha]

Too true Buddha...  My wife work in Loss Adjusting, and the times that she tells me about some of the claims she looks at, I wonder what drugs some people are on to try and get away with things that they try.

I'm not saying that anyone here is trying anything didgy, but in the eyes of the insurer, because of the people my wife deals with, they need to be sceptical.

At the end of the day, a $500 modification of adding the rear skirt may just be an aesthetic mod that individualises the car for you.  Awesome, as I am all in favour of having a car that you enjoy being in.  However, failure to not notify them of it, may lead to, as Buddha mentioned, questioning what else you hadn't told them.  Sure it might ramp the premium up $50.00, but what do you do when you make a caim and they do not want to cover the replaement cost of the skirt because they had no idea that you had it.

I haven't got any body kit mods on my car, however I was able to fit my Low Kings ($150.00), Window Tint ($250.00), Dash Mat ($40.00), Floor Mats ($60.00), Strut Brace ($130.00), Rear Plate Trim ($40.00) and Stereo (addition of 1 x 12" sub & 1 amp - $130.00 + $100.00) wih no addition to my premiums or excesses. (Granted I am Rating One and have had insurance with these people for 10 years.)

Why did I tell them, because it has cost me money, and without notifying them, if my car gets nicked and unrecovered, then I have to pay for all that again.

My advice, be honest with the insurer and you'll probably be surprised how lenient they actually are.

My advice - don't flame me :P

Aaron

←

There seems to be a little miscommunication from my earlier posting.

What I am saying is if you have a modification like a body kit and you don't advise your insurer and you have an accident they have the right to refuse your claim not just on the body kit but the whole car.

My mate has been with NRMA for over 10 years and he has warned me to tell the insurer which I plan on too.

I'd be fine with an insurer not compensating me for modifcation I haven't told them about but I want my standard vehicle covered in an accident.

←

The key point to note is that they can reject it, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they will reject ... I've done many claims where we covered standard parts but not the mods, because they weren't listed.

But I do recall one claim where a guy had a window smashed and his non-standard stereo stolen. We covered it, but on the proviso that we only pay up to what his original AM radio (!) was worth. As it turned out, his stolen stereo was much cheaper than the trade quote from the manufacturer for a factory unit! So he didn't list it, but it worked out in his favour. He was lucky, but it happens.

When we started training, the first thing we were told was that the company acknowledged the bad rap that insurers have, and we were to find ways to pay claims, rather than reject them.

As Azza has said, look after your insurer, and they should look after you ... if they don't, give 'em the flick!

Edited November 21, 2005 by Buddha

[CORZZA]

RUNX  Very true! iv had to shop around for an insurance company and if found that alot of them are. in the end i just settled with my banks insurance

←

if u change an aesthetic mod then they will replace ur car WITHOUT the unnotified aesthic mod .. e.g. bodykit, window tint etc

If u change a performance part without telling them then its up to their discretion if they will cover u or not.

←

Yeah i know that! Thats why with my corsa i insured everything. wheels,sound,body kit interior etc. but its worth it!

[pingu]

i thougth amy was pretty good.. i have underbody LED's installed and i was worried to find an insurer that would insure me.. firstly contacted AMII and they were happy to insure my car with the underbodes... i was like oh sweety.. but if something goes wrong.. they dont replace the underbodies, but still.. i thought that was pretty cool. Then i gave RACQ a call and they didnt know what neons were.. well the lady didnt know. She went and asked someone and said their eligal in QLD and if hte police pull u over it's eligal.

I was sorta laughing a bit coz AMII will insure it but these guys think it's eligal. (it's actualy ont illegal in QLD to have them.) i checked up with QLD transport; however it's quite tight) So yeah, im with AMII now and i think there pretty cool. Im only 20 and im a rating 2 driving already.. Thought that was great on them.. Also free defensive driving course..

So yeah,, it's worth giving AMII a visit if you want comprehensive insurance.. i thought they were quite cool :)

[Azza]

i thougth amy was pretty good.. i have underbody LED's installed and i was worried to find an insurer that would insure me..  firstly contacted AMII and they were happy to insure my car with the underbodes...  i was like oh sweety.. but if something goes wrong.. they dont replace the underbodies, but still.. i thought that was pretty cool. Then i gave RACQ a call and they didnt know what neons were.. well the lady didnt know. She went and asked someone and said their eligal in QLD and if hte police pull u over it's eligal. 

I was sorta laughing a bit coz AMII will insure it but these guys think it's eligal.  (it's actualy ont illegal in QLD to have them.) i checked up with QLD transport; however it's quite tight)  So yeah, im with AMII now and i think there pretty cool. Im only 20 and im a rating 2 driving already.. Thought that was great on them.. Also free defensive driving course.. 

So yeah,,  it's worth giving AMII a visit if you want comprehensive insurance.. i thought they were quite cool :)

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English, punctuation & spelling please!!! :)

In Queensland you can actually have as many of whatever sort of lights you like on the car - as long as you don't have them on when driving.

You are only allowed to actually drive with:

**Forward WHITE headlights (symmetrical to the centre of the car)

**Rear RED tail-lights (symmetrical to the centre of the car)

**Rear facing WHITE reverse lights when engaged in reverse

**Forward, Side or Rear facing YELLOW / ORANGE or WHITE flashing indicaters when indicating

Any other lights on the vehicle are deemed to be 'additional' and subject to infringement/defect.

The only acception to the rule is solid ORANGE lights on longer vehicles/trailers (like semi's & busses)

[Buddha]

i thougth amy was pretty good.. i have underbody LED's installed and i was worried to find an insurer that would insure me..  firstly contacted AMII and they were happy to insure my car with the underbodes...   i was like oh sweety.. but if something goes wrong.. they dont replace the underbodies, but still.. i thought that was pretty cool. Then i gave RACQ a call and they didnt know what neons were.. well the lady didnt know. She went and asked someone and said their eligal in QLD and if hte police pull u over it's eligal. 

I was sorta laughing a bit coz AMII will insure it but these guys think it's eligal.  (it's actualy ont illegal in QLD to have them.) i checked up with QLD transport; however it's quite tight)  So yeah, im with AMII now and i think there pretty cool. Im only 20 and im a rating 2 driving already.. Thought that was great on them.. Also free defensive driving course..  

So yeah,,  it's worth giving AMII a visit if you want comprehensive insurance.. i thought they were quite cool :)

←

English, punctuation & spelling please!!! :)

In Queensland you can actually have as many of whatever sort of lights you like on the car - as long as you don't have them on when driving.

You are only allowed to actually drive with:

**Forward WHITE headlights (symmetrical to the centre of the car)

**Rear RED tail-lights (symmetrical to the centre of the car)

**Rear facing WHITE reverse lights when engaged in reverse

**Forward, Side or Rear facing YELLOW / ORANGE or WHITE flashing indicaters when indicating

Any other lights on the vehicle are deemed to be 'additional' and subject to infringement/defect.

The only acception to the rule is solid ORANGE lights on longer vehicles/trailers (like semi's & busses)

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I remember a few years ago having dinner at the old KEG restaurant in Kedron (Brissie), when we hear police sirens and eventually the cops pull over an old Camira out front.

I swear the Camira must have had at least two dozen "marker lights" (like the ones Azza mentioned on semis) all over it! They were in every colour imaginable, it looked like a rolling Christmas tree! :P

Or perhaps they were a natty way of covering up those pesky rust holes!