OT:(possibly) Insurance Scam

If you fit better breaks you are obviously planning on pushing the car harder to make use of them was one excuse I heard so I asked what I would save if I downgraded to classic beetle drums all round and they said they would have to up the premium as the car wouldn't be a safe if the breaks weren't as good, they would use the same arguments with the suspicion. Probably one of the best insurance claims is body kits make cars more appealing to thieves, what even Novadose ones? Insurance companies exist for one reason and one reason only to make money and they will do it however they can.

Don't think i would bother telling them if i changed my brakes - in fact, when i fitted Green Stuff's i didn't bother, as i only really changed them cos the Greens were cheaper.

What they said ^^^^^ Try Liverpool Victoria, they don't seem to care what you modify as long as the engine capacity stays the same.

Do you have to declare the fact that you used a non-OE supplier for your brake parts? What difference does it make if I use volvo, lucas, bosch, EBC, brembo or movit parts? Wider tyres (and rims to match I hope) mean higher costs of replacement in case of claim and are desirable to theives and vandals.

The OZ super T alloys I have on are cheaper to replace than main dealer supplied bog standard alloys. I have 2 sets of mcgard type lock nuts - 2 on each wheel. If they get these off they deserve them.

And if you aren't buying a new car how do you know what's standard anyway without replacing everything on the car with oem parts? :-)

Mark S.

If i get aircon thrown in as an extra on a new car, and its not standard on the model i am getting, is that a mod :) ?

Wait for an accident and the insurance company will tell you what parts aren't OEM when they refuse to pay out. ;) I'm sorry We won't pay for the accident you had when you reversed into a parked Aston Martin your spark plugs aren't the right ones.

'tis true, the greedy MF's.

It's a fair point, where do they actually draw the line. All the parts I have are manufactured specifically for my car so what is the difference really?

Fair points, lowest common denominator rules then. Insurance firms are their own worst enemies. They create conditions in which people who want to modify their cars have a real incentive not to declare mods.

Crazy innit? However, if you don't declare mods they get your premium anyway, but dont have to pay out. So it is in a way in their interest for you not to declare. Best thing you can do now is ram a Bentley dealership (c:

Douglas

They do it all by stats. In their experience, people who fit lowered suspension, low profile tyres etc are more likely to make a claim. That's all there is to it. Exactly the same way as a 17 year old is more likely to make a claim than a 40 year old. They do have an awful lot of experience and a huge number of cars, so they know!

They do this by loading your premium / taking off NCB when you make a claim.

They do - hence you don't get a loading if you've never had a crash, in the same way you accumulate NCB.

They _do_ analyse the statistics - people with big wheels, lowered suspension and uprated brakes are more likely to crash than those with standard cars.

Erm, well, that's what the stats. say.

Of course, there's also the loading for replacing all these uprated parts if you do crash / have it stolen, you you're a loser all ways.

The answer is to buy a car that does everything you want of it as standard, then you don't get a loading. This also saves you money trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

What stats?

No cigar there, uprated parts are generally cheaper on all counts. Standard factory parts are obscenely priced, 3rd party parts are no different to performance 3rd party parts except they're better at doing what they do and not as cheap.

Yeah this is the conclusion I've reached. Although in fairness the modifications I've made aren't power related which is what you seem to be implying.

The stats that show that chavs in modded hatches crash lots. Hence modded car = more likely to crash.

You haven't seen the prices insurance approved repairers can get OEM parts for, though, have you? - as a hint, it's probably about 50% of the cost you pay over the counter, and more often than not cheaper than the

No, I'm not implying that they're power related. IMHO, lowered suspension is hardly ever an enhancement, just done for looks. Same for wider tyres - the car was set up to run a certain size of tyre on standard suspension. Playing with this relationship rarely pays dividends, other than making the ride untolerable on UK roads. I can see the point in uprating brakes, but usually a change of pad material is good enough. Of course, as I said, you should be able to meet all your needs in a standard car. I'd never touch the suspension and wheels on the Alfas - they work perfectly well as standard - although could do with changina the pad material on the 155, as it suffers from too much fade for my liking.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

Agreed. The Briskoda boys have declared remaps on their vRS Octavias and Fabias, with full tuned exhaust systems and Hybrid turbos.

LV have said fine, it's still a 2 litre Turbo/1.9 TDi isn't it? No change then sir. It will be noted on the documentation, thanks for letting us know.

Yet many cars come with several different wheel & tyre options through the range. Do they set the car up for the 13"x4.5" steel wheels on the base model the 14"x5"alloys on the mid range or the 15"x6" on the high end version? (Hmm gone to try and think of anyone still selling cars with 13" steel wheels)

There are generally 2, if not 3, suspension set-ups to cater for the differing trim levels. (poverty, sporty and everything else)