Insurance and additions to MH

[Mick and Ruth]

I saw this in the Daily Mail and having had Tow Bar/ Levellers and Air suspension added I will be giving my insurance a ring this morning (Comfort) Anybody else considered this?

Drivers could be invalidating insurance by having a common car feature

Drivers could be invalidating insurance by having a common car feature

One motorist has been left with a six-figure bill when his insurer refused to pay out on a claim and cancelled his policy because it had not been listed as a 'modification'.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Lenny HB]

I always declare chassis mods, NFU not interested in other mods.
Saga want to know everything solar panels, sat dishes etc.

 

[Mick and Ruth]

I always declare chassis mods, NFU not interested in other mods.
Saga want to know everything solar panels, sat dishes etc.

Cheers Lenny

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

I'm wondering at what degree of petty mmpphhff you Don't have to notify your insurance company about, thus giving them that all important wiggle room to disallow a claim, fixed roof Ariel? Fitted carpets? Under slung gas tank? M.H.F. stickers on the windscreen? O.K. the last one was tongue in cheek, but possible if it created a blind spot which meant you didn't spot the pair of twonks on the escooter!!
Mike.

 

[Mick and Ruth]

I'm wondering at what degree of petty mmpphhff you Don't have to notify your insurance company about, thus giving them that all important wiggle room to disallow a claim, fixed roof Ariel? Fitted carpets? Under slung gas tank? M.H.F. stickers on the windscreen? O.K. the last one was tongue in cheek, but possible if it created a blind spot which meant you didn't spot the pair of twonks on the escooter!!
Mike.

We are in Spain at present and I will speak with comfort at 09:00 UK time and see what they require from my list and pop it on here.

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[TDub49]

If it wasn't on there in the manufacturer's original specification, it's a modification. Simples.

 

[Mick and Ruth]

I have spoken to Comfort insurance and they have taken a note of additions I have put on, so levellers, tow bar, air con unit, solar panel, air suspension.
However they said as long as I incorporate the value of them in the total value of the vehicle should it be written off I didn’t need to disclose them.

 

[DT]

Just called Tesco who insure one of our cars and they told me that my tow bar and dash cam are classed as a modification. They added to my policy at no charge but to be honest I thought I gave them this information last Jan when I took out the policy but I could not find anything either online or on email !

 

[stewartwebr]

It’s also worth checking the value they list your Motorhome at as that’s the price they shall pay on a total loss. My current renewal had the value less than last year and was a good bit lower than replacement cost. I pointed this out, they amended and added no additional premium.

 

[Lenny HB]

Just called Tesco who insure one of our cars and they told me that my tow bar and dash cam are classed as a modification. They added to my policy at no charge but to be honest I thought I gave them this information last Jan when I took out the policy but I could not find anything either online or on email !

If the dash cam is not permanently fixed I don't see how it could be classed a a mod.
All cars have Bluetooth now that connects to your phone so does taking your phone in the car count as a mod?

Probably a case of a call centre agent without a clue and computer says no.

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[DT]

If the dash cam is not permanently fixed I don't see how it could be classed a a mod.
All cars have Bluetooth now that connects to your phone so does taking your phone in the car count as a mod?

Probably a case of a call centre agent without a clue and computer says no.

She did leave me on hold for ten minutes while she 'read the policy' but I suspect she was making a call to a supervisor.

 

[Gellyneck]

I have spoken to Comfort insurance and they have taken a note of additions I have put on, so levellers, tow bar, air con unit, solar panel, air suspension.
However they said as long as I incorporate the value of them in the total value of the vehicle should it be written off I didn’t need to disclose them.

We advised Comfort of satellite system fitted to our motorhome and added the cost to the vehicle valuation.

Same with car insurer for towbar and upgraded media system fitted.

 

[hja]

If it wasn't on there in the manufacturer's original specification, it's a modification. Simples.

I don’t think we would all see the manufacturers spec. We picked up a brochure from the dealer when looking for our van but as a sales brochure it didn’t include much detail. Our van was brand new from the dealer and in the show room contained wind out awning and solar panel. Where do “dealer specials” fit in this? My guess is for many vans the awning is a modification!

 

[hja]

Presumably all the refillable gas systems that are fitted at point of purchase are also mods. Vans like Autosleepers, at least more modern ones, all automatically come with an underslung tank. Is that a mod?

 

[Gellyneck]

I don’t think we would all see the manufacturers spec. We picked up a brochure from the dealer when looking for our van but as a sales brochure it didn’t include much detail. Our van was brand new from the dealer and in the show room contained wind out awning and solar panel. Where do “dealer specials” fit in this? My guess is for many vans the awning is a modification!

Guess a "dealer special" would have a different base specification to the converters base specification.

Presumably all the refillable gas systems that are fitted at point of purchase are also mods. Vans like Autosleepers, at least more modern ones, all automatically come with an underslung tank. Is that a mod?

Guess that any optional extra added could / would be viewed as a modification. If the converter has underslung tanks as standard that would be the base specification so no modification.

Again, guess so could be wrong, that the underwriter could / would view anything fitted over and above the original base specification as a modification. That's the reason the media system I mentioned in #12 above, which was fitted at delivery as new from dealer, I declared as a modification.

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[DerryW]

I’m am and have been with AIB (underwriter AXA) for the last couple of years. Purely for the point made in the OP.

I tell them about all mods, and ask them to confirm all have been noted, recorded and attached to my policy.

Even when they say “the underwriter isn’t interested” I still insist they, the broker records them. I then ask their name and check that my call is being recorded.

They must really think I’m a pain in the arse.
But guess what, I don’t care. I want to ensure the insurance company has as little wriggle room as possible.

 

[gus-lopez]

It’s also worth checking the value they list your Motorhome at as that’s the price they shall pay on a total loss. My current renewal had the value less than last year and was a good bit lower than replacement cost. I pointed this out, they amended and added no additional premium.

I didn't think values had anything to do with insurance the same as cars? Just the value of what a replacement of the same age & spec would cost ?
Unless of course you go down the "agreed value" route?

 

[stewartwebr]

I didn't think values had anything to do with insurance the same as cars? Just the value of what a replacement of the same age & spec would cost ?
Unless of course you go down the "agreed value" route?

Not according to ERS who insure me, they had value of the Motorhome on the schedule of insurance which seemed a little low. On checking I was informed that figure is the maximum they would pay out, hence me having it amended. I have never had to quote the estimated price of a car.

 

[maison]

It’s also worth checking the value they list your Motorhome at as that’s the price they shall pay on a total loss. My current renewal had the value less than last year and was a good bit lower than replacement cost. I pointed this out, they amended and added no additional premium.

When Comfort, who we have been with for a few years, increased our premium by £127 this year I rang them and told them that, according to figures I had seen, my motorhome value had dropped from £57k to £49.5k.

They said it made no difference to the premium.

 

[CAB96]

I declare everything on the VW, suspension, speakers, towbar etc.

Never thought to on my Mazda, speakers and a DAB radio, dashcam. Coming up for renewal so will do the dance and add them in.

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[CAB96]

Surely a roof box isn't a modification? It's temporary, like a bike rack on a car.

 

[stewartwebr]

When Comfort, who we have been with for a few years, increased our premium by £127 this year I rang them and told them that, according to figures I had seen, my motorhome value had dropped from £57k to £49.5k.

They said it made no difference to the premium.

I can’t complain as it made no difference to my premium either when I asked them to increase the recorded value by 20k, so works both ways.

 

[carolyn]

It can be a bit of a pain. When we bought our Consort Oslo and picked it up on the 1st of August it cost £99,000 and had the factory fit alarm and a S5 tracker. Even though we were booked into Vanbitz on the 5th August for the Strikeback growler we wanted the value to be £100,500 because we were getting a Thule Omnistore awning fitted on the 6th. We didn’t want the cheaper Fiamma one fitted that Consort do.

Comfort had me on hold for ages and then did a call back because they had to speak to their underwriters as the van was going to be over £100,000 They can be very funny about extras. It would have been no problem if we’d had lots of extras factory fitted. Hill View awnings .

I’m wondering what will happen if we get one of those fancy swing out Vanswing bike racks, thy might have a fit!

 

[PaddyM]

In 2013 I unfortunately wrote off a car I owned ( aquaplaned on a motorway) , the insurance company tried to wriggle out of paying up because I had upgraded the braking system without informing them .
When I pointed out that the modification made the car safer they backed off .
Insurance is a scam .

 

[MichaelT]

We advised Comfort of satellite system fitted to our motorhome and added the cost to the vehicle valuation.

Same with car insurer for towbar and upgraded media system fitted.

Comfort insure the sat dish as an extra when we were with them.

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[TDub49]

I don’t think we would all see the manufacturers spec. We picked up a brochure from the dealer when looking for our van but as a sales brochure it didn’t include much detail. Our van was brand new from the dealer and in the show room contained wind out awning and solar panel. Where do “dealer specials” fit in this? My guess is for many vans the awning is a modification!

I agree that "original spec" is hard to quantify but the handbook might give some clue. I would imagine that anything added by the dealer as part of the deal is a modification of the manufacturer's original (alloy wheels, wind out awnings, bike racks etc). Tricky topic really but with insurance companies, it pays to proceed with caution . . . .

 

[gus-lopez]

Surely a roof box isn't a modification? It's temporary, like a bike rack on a car.

The insurance company would point out that many people never take them off?

 

[Brize]

Declare everything to be safe; I always just send them an email.

It's never caused an increase in my premiums.