Insurance companies are a pain in the ###

[guitarman]

just spent all day yesterday fabricationing some brackets and fitting a wrap around bull bar to my shogun, looked great and it has a purpose of protecting my truck from all manner of things and it allows me to mount some led spot lamps as the full beam is rubbish.
only to be told today by my insurance company Hastings direct that they wont allow any mods, no bull bar no snorkel no spot lamps nothing, ive been with them for 5 years i have full no claims protected the full works i havent had a claim in over 20 years, they wont even give me a reason.

so my rig will now not be having any mods until i renew in october this year when i go with someone else.

not the happiest legal driver on the road at the moment

 

[Road]

just spent all day yesterday fabricationing some brackets and fitting a wrap around bull bar to my shogun, looked great and it has a purpose of protecting my truck from all manner of things and it allows me to mount some led spot lamps as the full beam is rubbish.
only to be told today by my insurance company Hastings direct that they wont allow any mods, no bull bar no snorkel no spot lamps nothing, ive been with them for 5 years i have full no claims protected the full works i havent had a claim in over 20 years, they wont even give me a reason.

so my rig will now not be having any mods until i renew in october this year when i go with someone else.

not the happiest legal driver on the road at the moment

Dang - that's a good reminder to folks to check and see if what they're doing with their vehicles is covered in their policy or if it potentially voids anything.

They won't allow the mods in any way, or just won't cover damage to them if any occurs?

 

[guitarman]

Dang - that's a good reminder to folks to check and see if what they're doing with their vehicles is covered in their policy or if it potentially voids anything.

They won't allow the mods in any way, or just won't cover damage to them if any occurs?

They wont allow mods of any kind. so looks like i will be keeping my eyes open for bargains then putting them in a big box ready for renew day, then i will be busy fitting all the mods ive bought.
it was only simple ones that i wanted to do like a snorkel and spot lights, not interested in lifts and huge tyres etc. i'll have to make do with a cb radio as thats not a mod

 

[nickburt]

The eternal 4x4 problem in the UK.
Shop around. My L200 (with all sorts of kit and mods done to it, is insured with Adrian Flux. To be sure they know what is covered, I have kept an up to date list of mods, which gets sent to them every renewal, just so there is no argument that they weren't aware of anything.
When I first went to them (around 7 or 8 years ago), they were more than helpful, and the guy I spoke to agreed mods were covered and that I should send them a list. He originally quoted me for a standard L200 and said he would re-quote when he got the list. The re-quote was no more expensive than the original - their reason for this was that none of the mods directly affected the engine performance (i.e. no power chip, or ECU mapping).
I'm also covered for Green Laning AND Off road use, both in the UK and all over Europe.

Adrian Flux 4x4 Insurance

 

[nickburt]

Oh, and the list of mods and equipment includes the roof tent and anything on the roof rack.

 

[Tim]

Not sure whether other countries are any different but agreed, had some interesting times getting insurance in the U.K. My favourite one being discussing suspension mods... “so you lowered it? Yes?”... “No I raised it”... “oh, you sure it isn’t lowered?”... “No!”. Then there was the specialist 4x4 insurance company that refused to renew mine one year because I had a winch and a suspension lift! Like @nickburt said, it pays to cover your modifications carefully with your insurance company and yes, many companies won’t allow for modifications. You also want to be sure you have salvage rights in case the vehicle is ever written off and you want to recover your accessories to use on another vehicle.


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[CalTexMex]

That’s about right. I called my ins company for this very reason. I’m covered, everything! Front/rear bumpers, sliders, suspension (as long as it is not 4” or higher) and my skid plates. As long as the bumpers replace the factory ones, all is good. Told them my sliders are welded on and they said it was fine. They even mentioned to keep all the receipts of the work done

 

[guitarman]

This is all very good to hear thanks guys, cant wait for this contract to run out now so i can go get some real insurance

 

[nickburt]

Not sure whether other countries are any different but agreed, had some interesting times getting insurance in the U.K. My favourite one being discussing suspension mods... “so you lowered it? Yes?”... “No I raised it”... “oh, you sure it isn’t lowered?”... “No!”. Then there was the specialist 4x4 insurance company that refused to renew mine one year because I had a winch and a suspension lift! Like @nickburt said, it pays to cover your modifications carefully with your insurance company and yes, many companies won’t allow for modifications. You also want to be sure you have salvage rights in case the vehicle is ever written off and you want to recover your accessories to use on another vehicle.


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Another good "extra" to get is "Agreed Valuation", especially on anything older, or considered "classic", such as .... pretty much any Defender ....
Agreed Value usually requires a 3rd party inspection/valuation - most established owners clubs can provide a valuation certificate.

 

[Tim]

Another good "extra" to get is "Agreed Valuation", especially on anything older, or considered "classic", such as .... pretty much any Defender ....
Agreed Value usually requires a 3rd party inspection/valuation - most established owners clubs can provide a valuation certificate.

Great stuff! This is turning into a “how to UK insurance” resource. In the past I’ve also seen 4x4 outfitters write up any work/modifications to supply to the customers insurance company. Not so good if you do it yourself though.



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[soonersfan]

This is all very good to hear thanks guys, cant wait for this contract to run out now so i can go get some real insurance

Im not sure how it works there, but in the US you don’t have to wait till renewal to switch insurance companies. You can switch any time and your current insurance company will refund any unused premium. You might want to see if that is the case there.

 

[Tim]

Im not sure how it works there, but in the US you don’t have to wait till renewal to switch insurance companies. You can switch any time and your current insurance company will refund any unused premium. You might want to see if that is the case there.

I believe it is similar here in the U.K. but in the past, when I’ve done it, there has been an administration fee involved that can make it not worth while if you have only a few months to run.


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[ASRussell]

I really hate dealing with insurance companies....They are always hard to deal with

 

[nickburt]

Great stuff! This is turning into a “how to UK insurance” resource. In the past I’ve also seen 4x4 outfitters write up any work/modifications to supply to the customers insurance company. Not so good if you do it yourself though.



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It can be a problem, as sometimes the insurance company wants to see receipts to demonstrate professional work.

 

[nickburt]

I believe it is similar here in the U.K. but in the past, when I’ve done it, there has been an administration fee involved that can make it not worth while if you have only a few months to run.


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Exactly that. Changing is no problem, but depending on Ts&Cs, you either have to pay a "admin" fee, or if you pay insurance monthly, often the admin and termination costs don't justify cancelling early. I've even seen one where the balance of the year had to be paid, before a refund could be issued - bonkers, but it's about closing out finance agreements if on a monthly payment plan.
They have you by the proverbial.

 

[nickburt]

I really hate dealing with insurance companies....They are always hard to deal with

Yp, they can be. Tell them what you want. haggle the price, play one off against the other, then tell them you're going elsewhere anyway. They will nearly always come back with a better offer to get your business, but watch out for premium hikes after the first year when your "special, introductory" offer expires ..... time to change again.
I've been with the same insurance company for years simply because no-one else offers the level of cover for my vehicle and it's use.
But, there's one lesson I learned many, many years ago, be open and honest, don't try to hide anything.

 

[Scotty lock]

This has been a really interesting topic and will be keeping an eye on it...most of my upgrades are minor ones and should not really effect me yet...but will change to a dedicated insurance for my next one...


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[caspoint220]

Great topic! My mate who is a mod on UK Overlanders forum has his L200 on Agreed Valuation of £25,000. To cover all work and accessories etc. I will certainly be shopping around this year instead of the automatic renewal, i should be due for renewal around the time i start tinkering with electrical systems - so that may raise some eyebrows. Maybe an Overlander specific insurer would be good! A company run by and for Overlanders!

 

[nickburt]

Great topic! My mate who is a mod on UK Overlanders forum has his L200 on Agreed Valuation of £25,000. To cover all work and accessories etc. I will certainly be shopping around this year instead of the automatic renewal, i should be due for renewal around the time i start tinkering with electrical systems - so that may raise some eyebrows. Maybe an Overlander specific insurer would be good! A company run by and for Overlanders!

Would be good, but the likes of Adrian Flux and other specialist insurance companies do understand the modified vehicle World.

.............My mate who is a mod on UK Overlanders forum has his L200 .........

That'll be Mr Barnes then - know him and his vehicle well - a really good, well thought out build. We've been swapping ideas for years.

 

[caspoint220]

Aye thats him lol