Hello group.. Now I might sound a bit thick here, but please bear with me .. If I insure my car as a standard vehicle (no modifications) on third party fire and theft and then decide later to fit a full body-kit but decline to inform the insurance company, I realise that if I had a bump that was my fault it could be arguably agreed that the insurance may not pay out. OK, I realise that, my question is,,what if say another vehicle bumped into me (their fault) would their insurance pay for the damage to my car (not the body-kit) just the car or would they try and get out of it by stating that my car is only supposed to be a standard vehicle. I will have no engine or suspension modifications, just the body-kit and alloys. cheers, I hope you can make sense of all that. Quartz
I think you'll find your insurance would non and void. Insurance companies will try anything to get out of paying a claim, some will even refuse because you neglected to tell them you had put shiny new alloys on. Or a boot spoiler, I had a hard time convincing an insurance company that my old 2.6 Carlton CDX came with a boot spoiler as standard. I had to get a VX dealer to write to them stating it was standard equipment.
Hi Gang, CHEERS TO THE GUY, Joe (Depresion) I just called NU and they worked out cheaper with the body-kit *ON* than my present insure does with the car insured as standard. I much appreciate your help/advice, Man!!! I am well chuffed :-)) Quartz
Maybe so, but you're not seeking compensation from your company, but from the other guy's insurance. Their assessment of the risk wasn't based on your car's modifications or qualities. And a Nova with a body kit isn't exactly the most rare and costly target to smash up if their marker drives like a beginner.
It might transpire that the insurers pass on the details, and then demand an increased premium (and can you shop around? No. So there's no need to keep the price down). Or they can keep schtum and take your premium(s) with the quiet confidence that the reason they are so high, i.e. they know you're likely to cause accidents, won't be meaning they pay out anyway.)
It's really worth declaring mods, or if you have the option to, to ask what the insurance would be if the car were to be modified in that way before actually going ahead and doing the mod.
(this is not aimed at any poster in particular, but towards anyone not planning to tell their insurance company about the 5.0 v8 bmw engine they intend to mount in the boot + rear seats of a Nova 450cc "super sport". Which now I think of it is probably uninsurable anyway so you might as well save the premiums and let them jail you when the car takes out a bus queue.)
That's not really much compensation to the person whose car is smashed up by the Nova when they're trying to claim off him and his insurance won't comply because he's done a number on them to try and get a few quid off his premium is it ?
They would bend you over the bonnet, and shaft you up the Peco big bore. Now that woudl make some noise.
Insurance isn't just a legal requirement, it is also a legal minefield. Do you want your car crushed. If so don't get it properly insured, then have an accident.
Its great when you have 17 years driving under your belt. You modify with the insurance companies permission. You then think, oh, that didn't cost much extra on the insurance. So you modify more. You then think, oh, that didn't cost much extra on the insurance. So you modify more. You then think, oh, that didn't cost much extra on the insurance. So you modify more.
To cut a long story short ... you end up with a stupidly fast insignificant phleb of a hatchback that gets to chase audi s4's. For less insurance than a similar age bmw 730i.
Fun factor :-) Street cred :-(
Track days soon!
-- (Scum Mail Bouncer In use). (Remove the two "n" from email address to reply directly).
Fit yes, anything will fit into anything, if you're prepared to move things about a bit.
I don't suppose a Nova with a big engine in the back would handle all that well, that'd be why the insurance wouldn't touch it for one thing. There's a reason why "sports cars" tend to be long, low and wide.
The dimensions of an engine aren't greatly dependent on capacity, anyway, a v8 is pretty much the same height and length as a four cylinder in line of half the capacity, and the reduced width is only really relevant when the engine is mounted transversely.
If you're interested...
A Nova would be a horrible shape for handling. I was thinking about doing something like this many years ago with an old Maxi. Much maligned, the Maxi did actually have a really useful shape, the wheels were well spread out, the boot was cavernous, etc. Having measured things up, the old BLMC 1800 engine could be pulled out and a Rover SD1 engine/box fitted easily into the space, quite simple to route exhausts to the back as there were spaces for a back box either side of the spare wheel well to cater for RHD / LHD so you could fit a decent twin system with no issues at all, tubular at the front was no problem. You took out the rear well anyway to fit the back axle. With the battery moved to the rear weight distribution was fine and the existing radiator space would have been plenty for a beefed up rad with electric fan.
The hydraulic suspension was a lot better than the pundits made out, especially under load, and the brakes could be swapped quite easily for uprated stuff as the originals were pretty useless even without the replacement engine. But under hard braking, the hydraulic suspension didn't dive, etc.
So you get an old Maxi, spend some cash strengthening and improving the shell and suspension but being careful to do nothing much for the bodywork which shows. The ultimate Q car. When you consider the original was perfectly happy to reach 120 and went 0-60 in ten seconds, you can probably see how a (160, maybe 200) BHP rover engine would have made it more like 130 / 8 or maybe 140 /
7, what with the reasonably clean aerodynamics and rock hard suspension. Not very nimble at cornering, but we're not talking about using it as a track car anyway.
Very comfortable, the Maxi, the first hatchback, and in this guise, you could park it at the train station without much fear of someone stealing it. The other refinement was crossply tyres, ultimate grip wasn't the point, but having something that made all the growling noises you could want and screeched when you started overdoing the corners would be ideal for monster bumper fun without the risk of coming off the road too fast. Never got around to doing it though, more's the pity.
A downside is fuel consumption, I don't suppose it would do more than about 30 at best, and more like low 20's when not cruising on the motorway, but mpg wasn't the point.
Hey look, Roger/Quartz too stupid to understand insurance, too stupid to work a newsreader, too lame to flame. With a bit of luck too dim to draw breath as well.
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