Car Insurance - What's a modification?

Luckygirl1234

They can refuse insurance on anything its happened to me in the last few weeks but on home insurance. I didn't inform my insurance company about a diamond ring and Pedal bike(this is what they said to cancel the policy). The ring I was told I would pay more in excess. The bike was stolen but was told when we rang that it was not covered on the policy. I did forget to tell the insurers about the ring but there was no claim and this was 2008. The bike this insurance company said if nothing was paid out no need to list.

dunstonh

You're also wrong on the parking on the road point too. Otherwise the cost would go down for a car parked in the garage wouldn't it. And if a thief stole car keys from a house how difficult is it to find the car that matches them. Just because it isn't on the drive doesn't hide the car. Blip the remote and he'd find it. The issue is more that there are more accidents (so I'm told) for car reversing out of drives and garages. I see this increase and I live in a village not an inner city or suburb.

I am not wrong. That was the response when it was raised a few months ago.

You are also looking at it back to front. A car parked in the road could belong to any number of houses. So, the criminal wont know which house to break into to get the keys. A car on the drive clearly identifies the house.

malc_b

dunstonh wrote: »

I am not wrong. That was the response when it was raised a few months ago.

You are also looking at it back to front. A car parked in the road could belong to any number of houses. So, the criminal wont know which house to break into to get the keys. A car on the drive clearly identifies the house.

Well then what Admiral tell me and what you have been told differ. That still doesn't explain why parking in a garage costs more if it was just that it is easier to steal a car on a drive. It's harder to steal a car in garage.

Also, it depends how you see car thieves' working method. Do they target a specific car, look through the letterbox and if no keys go home? Or do they pick a well off suburb try each house in turn until they find some keys then take what they have won and leg it? If they are stealing to order, option 1, then they already know they house and car I'd say. If it's not to order then why just pick one house, not everyone leaves keys in view from the letter box.

Frankly I think insurers just make things up as they go a long. They seem to have told me a different story to what they told you.

kingstreet

Increased risk of damage manoeuvring in and out of the garage would balance the reduced risk of theft for a garaged vehicle, IMHO.

I guess if you look at the cost of TPF&T for garaged car versus driveway car, you would then expect the premiums to be the same?

Just thinking aloud here...

ILW

Go through a broker who will deal with all this for you.

dunstonh

Well then what Admiral tell me and what you have been told differ.

I didnt ask them and they didnt tell me. It was their response that was published when that was questioned in the motoring press. If you asked their call centre then you wouldnt expect to be told the right reason as the staff on the phone are not qualified or knowledgeable enough. What you were told sounds like an ill informed guess.

malc_b

dunstonh wrote: »

I didnt ask them and they didnt tell me. It was their response that was published when that was questioned in the motoring press. If you asked their call centre then you wouldnt expect to be told the right reason as the staff on the phone are not qualified or knowledgeable enough. What you were told sounds like an ill informed guess.

I actually emailed Admiral off their web site and had an email back so they had time to give a considered response. Why do you think they consider any longer what they tell the press than customers?

I suspect that the press response was in reply to why does it cost more to park on drive than road, where as I asked the more detailed question why does the cost go garage > driveway > road, that is garage most, road least. The answer of thieves works for driveway > road but clearly falls down for garage > drive so they had to make up another story. Might even be right this time, who knows.

All of which is getting off the point. If you want to believe the reason is thieves then fine. I couldn't care either way. The important point is that garage is more than driveway is more that road. That's not what common sense would expect so I've learnt never to assume anything with insurers and always check everything. With online quotes that is fairly easy to do.

While on the subject a few other ones that defy common sense, here is another, TPFT is more expensive than fully comp. Instead of TPFT just go for fully comp with maximum excess. It's the same as excess only applies to your repairs not the 3rd party. If you have a £500 car then either way you get nothing, but fully comp costs less.