Are these classed as modifications?

DUTR

Hochiminh wrote: »

I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread, but I have a similar question and thought it would be better to post here than starting a new thread. I just changed the badge on my BMW, it was pretty worn. I got a custom made badge and glued it on, I initially thought this was so trivial it wouldn't affect my insurance, now I'm not sure. On top of this I replaced the vent grilles on the front, and took off the '318i' chrome letters from the back and added some custom ones.

Thanks for any help.

It doesn't matter what anyone replies here, unless they are the actual underwriter of your policy.
Thankfully I have never seen that question of factory fitted extras, however big bore exhaust and go faster stipe , lowered chav'd up etc, I would increase the premium if it were up to me

Hochiminh

DUTR wrote: »

It doesn't matter what anyone replies here, unless they are the actual underwriter of your policy.
Thankfully I have never seen that question of factory fitted extras, however big bore exhaust and go faster stipe , lowered chav'd up etc, I would increase the premium if it were up to me

Fair enough, I'm not a boy racer, in fact I keep a good distance from them.

AdrianC

Hochiminh wrote: »

I hope you don't mind me hijacking this thread, but I have a similar question and thought it would be better to post here than starting a new thread. I just changed the badge on my BMW, it was pretty worn. I got a custom made badge and glued it on, I initially thought this was so trivial it wouldn't affect my insurance, now I'm not sure. On top of this I replaced the vent grilles on the front, and took off the '318i' chrome letters from the back and added some custom ones.

Your insurer is unlikely to be bothered, but the taste police would like to arrange an interview.

Arfa__

Just to murky the waters a bit further, what if one was to take a base trim model and swap a few parts from a higher up trim model from the same manufacturer, would you consider this a mod (in as far as informing your insurer)?

I have a pretty basic Vauxhall, and have swapped on some Irmscher alloys, exhaust, spoiler etc and posher leather seats that one would get in a higher trim model or if one had chosen a particularly options from new. That said, I've always played it safe and declared it all. Most decent insurers consider it all cosmetic so zero impact on premiums, but the allows do tend to raise it a spot.

Granted, it's usually more cost effective to just buy a higher trim model from the outset, however I was lucky enough to find one of the factory fitted LPG models with low mileage going for a good price.

George_Michael

Arfa__ wrote: »

Just to murky the waters a bit further, what if one was to take a base trim model and swap a few parts from a higher up trim model from the same manufacturer, would you consider this a mod (in as far as informing your insurer)?

I would consider it being a modification and I'm pretty sure that many insurance companies would as well.

Look at it from their point of view.
Imagine that someone goes out to steal a particular model of car and they see a base model vehicle and another similar one that has nicer looking trim which the thief thinks would make the car easier to sell on so they nick the modified one.

If the insurers thought that the added trim would make the car more desirable to thieves then there is a good chance that they would want the policyholder to pay more for insurance and if they hadn't been told about the changes, they might try to avoid paying out if it was nicked.

AdrianC

Arfa__ wrote: »

I have a pretty basic Vauxhall...
however I was lucky enough to find one of the factory fitted LPG models

The LPG kit was fitted on import, in Bedfordshire.

colino

Hochiminh the trivial things you have knowingly changed on your beemer are exactly the things an insurer would query on a claim. The new badge may no longer comply with C&U, and, even though a huge amount of Audi/BMW/Mercedes are ordered debadged new, why have you done it? To pretend its got a bigger engine = more desirable to a thick thief.
On a more general point, insurers are nowadays on very thin ice asking about non-obvious mods to second hand cars. How would the average man on the street, unless told at point of sale, know? The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 was a game changer in favour of consumers.
Ask your insurer what they think about the mods.

Arfa__

AdrianC wrote: »

The LPG kit was fitted on import, in Bedfordshire.

Yes, of course, up at Millbrook. But crucially the car was still sold and registered from new as a dual fuel vehicle. Even came with a Vauxhall branded LPG service log book. But for the sake of this thread, the LPG option is not considered a mod by insurers.

AdrianC

colino wrote: »

The new badge may no longer comply with C&U

Are you serious?

AdrianC

Arfa__ wrote: »

Yes, of course, up at Millbrook. But crucially the car was still sold and registered from new as a dual fuel vehicle. Even came with a Vauxhall branded LPG service log book. But for the sake of this thread, the LPG option is not considered a mod by insurers.

Oh, absolutely. It was sold from new as a standard-spec dual-fuel vehicle.

But it didn't leave the factory as such. It wasn't factory fitted. It was installed after build and import, and before distribution to the dealer.