Insurance co knows more than me

Google for "2002 Corolla thatcham", and you'll find:

Biggles

The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre (MIRRC) is based at Thatcham in Berkshire. They assess and categorise car alarms. Your car will probably have a manufacturer's standard fit alarm which has been tested by MIRRC and meets their category 2.

If the car is uk spec, and the insurance db should be able to verify that, then it will have a transponder type immobiliser fitted meeting thatham cat2 . This factory fitted system works from a chip inside the key, does not require you to switch it on or off, does not make a noise,, and most owners won,t even be aware of it.

If the car is uk spec, and the insurance db should be able to verify that, then it will have a transponder type immobiliser fitted meeting thatham cat2 . This factory fitted system works from a chip inside the key, does not require you to switch it on or off, does not make a noise,, and most owners won,t even be aware of it.

At least until it gets wet, and the car and key don't talk to each other anymore.

Steve

"john east" wrote

play with the online quote systems, get one for the car with an alarm fitted, and another with no alarm declared,

i guess it depends on the area you live in really, but when i last insured a motorbike where i live, declaring the thatcham aproved heavy chain and padlock and disc lock made a total premium reduction of £2.50... for a chain and lock that cost over £100 and weighed more than my GF at the time,

So i got the cover without any extra security listed,

that way, if i lock the bike up tight and someone tried to nick it and fails, the locks have helped, but if i forget/cant be arsed to lock the bike up with the extra locks and it gets nicked, i should still get the insurance payout, as i never said i would be using extra locks,

I found the online insurance sites helpful when looking for a new house to rent, one house seemed nice, pretty cheep for it's size, of course the landlord said it was a lovely nice area, no problems ever, but i was a little suspicious with neighboring gardens having barbed wire along their fences,

Got an insurance quote for my bike at the potential new address, wouldn't quote unless i agreed to always secure the bike to a ground anchor embedded in concrete in the garage, use a very expensive specific lock and chain (about £250 to buy) get an alarm professionally fitted to the bike, and it must be garaged at all times, wouldn't pay out if nicked from a 200 meter radius of the house if outside the garage.

and then the premium was almost triple the quote i got for where i live now that had absolutely no extra security requirements.

Not necessarily. It may also be a perfectly good alarm/immobiliser, but unknown to Thatcham. Then you're out of luck with the insurance co's.

Now, I really should't be surprised.

But that's a load of bollocks.

It's not. Thatcham only covers existing alarm systems currently available.

Insurance companies generally have a whole list of alarm / immobiliser systems in their quotation system.

My Alfa has an unknown alarm / immobiliser fitted, but still attracts a discount, as it was fitted by a VAT registered pro. alarm installer. (And it's too old to be Thatcham approved, too)