adding Tuning Chip to a bmw 325 diesel? Insurance cost ??

pennymakespounds

Got an 09 325 diesel bmw, which is a 3 litre engine , 197 bhp .

Been told that getting a "comon rail bosch Digi cr" tuning chip will increase the miles per gallon quite considerably .

Does improve torque / performance as well 197 bhp increases to 232bhp , (which is only equivalent to about the next engine size up in the range ) ........but this isn't important as the car is more than powerful anyway.



i rang my insurance company , Hastings Direct , to check .. they said they will not provide any cover for cars that have this sort of "modification"

I ran all my current details but included detail of the "chip modification" through gocompare .... there was only about 3 companies that would provide cover at all .. and versus my current £200 a year fully comp ... best quote was £820 !!!

Anyone have any knowledge / experience on this subject ? Just don't understand why this sort of chip should have such an effect on insurance cost ?

thanks

Phils_debt

I used to own a tuned focus rs and have had subaru's before that ,i found that i had to go with specialist insurers which were also alot cheaper and throw in added benefits of free trackday insurance .
Bmw diesels tune very well and the amount of torque gained is unreal
I nearly bought a 330d but realised i have been spending a bit too much and need to cut back

Do you own the e92 ...love the e92

raskazz

pennymakespounds wrote: »

increase the fuel consumption quite considerably

Do you mean increase fuel efficiency?

Did the person that you spoke to at Hastings check with anyone else before declining to cover it?

The increase in bhp is less than 20% so if your other details are OK then it's an odd decision to make, especially when they could take a lot more premium for it and still be hundreds cheaper than the rest of the mainstream market.

You could try to call Hastings again, see if you can speak to someone a bit more senior, see if they will refer the modification to an underwriter for consideration. Also if you have any internet links which confirm the nature of the chip (i.e. that it is designed to improve fuel efficiency rather than performance) then that will help you persuade them.

Failing that, speak to an insurance broker (not one of the naff high street operations like Swinton through) or a specialist insurer like Adrian Flux.

ILW

It will also void any warranty on the car.

Sell it and get one with a bigger engine.

adamc260

Because as the insurers see it

Your car was designed with X BHP/torque in mind... any components on the vehicle, although they could probably EASILY handle it, in their eyes, they feel something COULD happen and therefore an accident could potentially occur from that.

If you want the extra bhp, you gotta pay the extra £££.

pennymakespounds

i've made the point i'm not bothered about extra power ......it's the fuel consumption i want .

I did speak to someone more senior at Hastings and they were very clear about any "modification".

It's the E90 version . Fabulous car.

ILW

If this mod is going to reduce fuel consumption and increase power, there must be a good reason why BMW do not fit it as standard.