Mods and car insurance ?

simon06

Hi I have a oldish car a 99 reg civic Im thinking about installing a mpg gauge something like a diy mpgunio to try and save some fuel and money.What mpgunio does is monitor one of the fuel injectors and the vehicle speed sensor to calculate mpg in real time.


Im worried that this is classed as a mod and because it has diy element in it which might make it uninsurable in their eyes.Alternatively it could cost a lot extra which would wipe out any money saved though using less fuel. Im with the dreaded Admiral for car insurance. Im concerned if I contact Admiral and disclose this mod they would want it interdependently verified at my cost + extra.Its crazy because all this mod does is tell you your fuel consumption and mpg.

Since it is an old car no mpg gauge was fitted as standard.

Any suggestions ?

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

simon06 wrote: »

Hi I have a oldish car a 99 reg civic Im thinking about installing a mpg gauge something like a diy mpgunio to try and save some fuel and money.What mpgunio does is monitor one of the fuel injectors and the vehicle speed sensor to calculate mpg in real time.


Im worried that this is classed as a mod and because it has diy element in it which might make it uninsurable in their eyes.Alternatively it could cost a lot extra which would wipe out any money saved though using less fuel. Im with the dreaded Admiral for car insurance. Im concerned if I contact Admiral and disclose this mod they would want it interdependently verified at my cost + extra.Its crazy because all this mod does is tell you your fuel consumption and mpg.

Since it is an old car no mpg gauge was fitted as standard.

Any suggestions ?

The simple solution is to ring them up and say you are considering adding this modification, will there be any insurance implications?

Some mods they are not worried about and do not cost.

If you are interested in saving costs, then ending up uninsured because of a mod they are not aware of obviously is not a cost saving.

If you say you are installing it as an economy measure and it not be worth going ahead if there is an insurance cost, then you have a sensible conversation on record which will not raise any alarm bells with them.

InsideInsurance

It is a mod that will have to be declared, insurers wont want it independently verified and its unlikely to have any impact on premium beyond the admin fee of adding it mid term. Of cause should you have a total loss claim it may not add any value to the vehicle and indeed can reduce the valuation (just like a towbar on most types of vehicle).

Admiral is unusual in that all optional extras also have to be declared to them. "Unfortunately" my car comes with the AMG kit which has a massive list of mainly minor changes but the only ones they were interested in were the larger alloys and the dropped suspension that its adds. The changes to the brakes, changes to transmission, body kit etc were all noted but didnt result in any change to premium

Herzlos

You can ask them as you're considering it, they won't know anything about it though and just regard it as a generic mod.

If you're trying to save fuel and money, surely the best thing to do is to keep the road and engine speeds down? How long will it take to recoup the cost of the unit?

AdrianC

Fitting an economy monitor won't actually make a difference to your economy. All it'll do is help you understand how to drive economically - and the best way to do that is to look, plan and think ahead. If you're staring at a gauge inside, that'll actually work against it.

There's plenty of information online about how to drive smoothly and economically, but it's really just common-sense. Ignore the US "hypermiling" rubbish about inflating your tyres to stupid pressures and coasting with the ignition off.

Stoke

I wouldn't consider this a mod at all and I doubt your insurance will.

Stoke

AdrianC wrote: »

Fitting an economy monitor won't actually make a difference to your economy. All it'll do is help you understand how to drive economically - and the best way to do that is to look, plan and think ahead. If you're staring at a gauge inside, that'll actually work against it.

There's plenty of information online about how to drive smoothly and economically, but it's really just common-sense. Ignore the US "hypermiling" rubbish about inflating your tyres to stupid pressures and coasting with the ignition off.

Some hypermiling tips are very useful.

F1F93

Stoke wrote: »

I wouldn't consider this a mod at all and I doubt your insurance will.

I beg to differ. This is indeed a mod and should be declared to the insurance.

Stoke

F1F93 wrote: »

I beg to differ. This is indeed a mod and should be declared to the insurance.

He's plugging something into his OBD port. That's not a mod, it's merely a reader. Would you say installing a USB cable for your radio is a mod as well? Come off it.

Phone them by all means, but they'll probably turn round and say it's covered by your Multimedia Protection. Mine is all equipment up to a thousand pounds I think.

Bollotom

I'd inform them as just taking it as "not a mod" will only rear its ugly head when the insurance company have to pay out and they will say you didn't inform us so take a hike. Course I'm a total cynic but for the cost of a phone call etc. :cool:

roonaldo

F1F93 wrote: »

I beg to differ. This is indeed a mod and should be declared to the insurance.

Not a mod just as Halfords car mats are not a mod, Parrot bluetooth is not a mod and a different stereo is not a mod.