Dear Comrades and M8's, I have made the point previously and Toe-knee Hand-cock our Illustrious Gladiator has again made the point within the 'Liverpool Victoria Thread.' These are the facts: If one fits a 'Sports Exhaust' to one's vehicle it is likely that the fitment will invalidate the insurance cover. Accordingly it is vitally important that one should advise one's insurer of the fitment of such a device. If you do not do so and the worst happens the insurer would be perfectly entitled to withdraw cover. Therefore, if you are driving a car with a Sports Exhaust it is likely that you are driving without insurance cover unless you have taken the precautionary measures of advising your insurer With kind regards, 512 Tea Are - Tea Arse - Tear Arse - Guardian Angel to Ferraristii Chatterboxii
those of us old enough to remember first generation beetles may well also remember the 'boom tubes' that many people fitted. Me too and my insurer refused a claim on the grounds that I had modified the car without informing them. Be warned insurers don't like paying out and will find any excuse not to do so.
Dear Comrade Barabus M8, It may or may not increase the premium. But if a sports exhaust is fitted and the insurere has not been informed then the insurance is likely to be invalidated should a claim be made. This also applies to different wheels and any other modifications from standard. For example modified air filters etc ad nauseam. The latin axiom of 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) should be paramount within one's mind when dealing with insurers and who will, given the slightest opportunity, renege upon settling a claim if their is a way out for them. The maxim is that one should advise the insurer, in writing, of every modification or improvement. With kind regards, 512 Tea Are - Tea Arse - Tear Arse - Assuring Insurance for Ferraristii Chatterboxii.
My car came with the magnificence of the Tubi already fitted, but I don't remember telling my Insurers about it. Will have to phone my broker om monday morning and get him to sort it out. This , I'm willing to bet, will almost certainly mean yet another bill,knowing my luck Still, better than that nasty surprise if I ever had too claim.
Hmmm - if I write to LV stating that I have a sports exhaust on, are they going to: a) cancel the policy b) demand xxx more money c) not insure me again d) be fine about it? I'm worried...and I have a claim about to go through!! AHHHHHHH
LV are dead cool about exhausts. I've spoken to a few of their operatives and they've all said that they're not interested in even making a note on the policy about it. As long as you haven't changed anything connected to the physical engine block they don't worry about it. Quite rare for an insurance company
Cheer guys, actually this has been crossing my mind recently. I'm about get a Tubi fitted, and I guess I ought to let the insurers know. 2 years ago I owned an Xk8, and after a while stuck on Jag 19" wheels (originally had 18s). The insurance company wanted to double my cost - told them where to go. They argued that not only were the wheels an extra 2K over the standards, but there's now more of a chance that the wheels or car will be stolen, blah blah. Chucked them and went to esure. Not all that relevant to exhausts, but all the same, felt better knowing that esure wouldn't drop me following the dreaded 'small print'.
Not necessarily. LV did not charge extra for a sports exhaust on a Lotus Elise and said a Tubi would not increase the premium on my 360.
Having a Tubi fitted on Sat. My broker (first point) has advised me that the insurers have requested an increase of 10% in premium even though Verdi can provide me with a letter saying that there will be no increase in bhp (honest!!).
You would have thought a Tubi'd car would be cheaper to insure because pedestrians, other road users etc are more likely to be alerted to your presence?
No Dan, its the exact opposite. People are always looking up to the sky cos they think its a f*cking concorde coming in
My broker has come back to me today saying my Insurers (NU) have added a note to the file, but aren't bothered as it was fitted to the car prior to me purchasing and therefore was not modified from a date after insurance was accepted. Even beteer no additional premium. Result! Many thanks to all here for raising issue as could have had some serious repurcussions if something had gone wrong!
Just checked with LV, as I have a sports system that I was about to fit. They will not cover my Testarossa with any modifications, including a sports exhaust.
Rang Aon to tell them about the sports exhaust on the 328, the first guy says there will be a rise in the premium, puts me through to the head honcho who says no rise but tells me to write id down in the comments box on the renewal form.
512 Tea Are has obviously been reading the Sun for a change judging by the hype regarding insurance comapnies. As a general pinciple tell them everything BUT by and large these days insurers dont just throw out claims to avoid paying. The FSA , Ombudsman etc have all tightened the rules on these things and the overriding principle is if the claim is not connected to the non- disclosure then it should be paid. However honesty really does pay with insurers and whilst modifications might rule out cheap comapnies and require a specialist ( usually a broker) insurance is like anything - you get what you pay for! Frankly it pays to speak to specialist with this type of issue as they will see on an F car changing the exhaust doesnt have the same effect as when you do it on a Metro but the call centre operator in India for XYZ Insurer might not!
Same here,rang Aon,they said for me to put the details in writing,they would then put my letter on file. Confirmed that there would be no extra charge for the Tubi being fitted.
Don't like to correct the verbose one's Latin, but insurance contracts are entered into uberrima fide ("Utmost good faith"), not caveat emptor ("Buyer beware"). i.e. it is, as 512 blah blah says, your responsibility to notify the insurer of changes, not his responsibility to ask. It all gets a bit subjective and difficult when a factory upgrade is done (as my Aston has been) - has the car been modified from the manufacturers spec or not? In my experience they never read anything I send them so I always tell them everything and nothing untoward has happened yet to my premiums, in fact they went down last year. jg
