I need some advice about commercial vehicle insurance.

sheramber

has it been parked on a public road without insurance?

Oddjob

sheramber said:

has it been parked on a public road without insurance?

No, I could not have got it taxed without MOT and insurance, it would have been seized  and scrapped

It is sorned and was put in secure storage until I found someone suitable to fix the oil leak it had.

It has been in the garage it is in now for the last year.

Car_54

Oddjob said:

Bigphil1474 said:

I always thought it was 2 years - OP, you might still be within 2 years depending when the insurance ended in 2021.

I'd be careful with putting the garage on the insurance unless you absolutely trust them with your van. Otherwise, "fetching parts etc just to keep her running a bit" might mean it becomes their main vehicle for such. You might be best speaking to a specialist insurance broker. If you aren't the main driver over the winter, the insurance would need to know. 

 It has lived outside on the road since I have had it but with it being old, it is a lot tougher than modern motors and has suffered very little salt damage. 

Really? Surely corrosion protection has improved over the years, rather than the reverse.

Oddjob

Car_54 said:

Oddjob said:

Bigphil1474 said:

I always thought it was 2 years - OP, you might still be within 2 years depending when the insurance ended in 2021.

I'd be careful with putting the garage on the insurance unless you absolutely trust them with your van. Otherwise, "fetching parts etc just to keep her running a bit" might mean it becomes their main vehicle for such. You might be best speaking to a specialist insurance broker. If you aren't the main driver over the winter, the insurance would need to know. 

 It has lived outside on the road since I have had it but with it being old, it is a lot tougher than modern motors and has suffered very little salt damage. 

Really? Surely corrosion protection has improved over the years, rather than the reverse.

Underneath is solid, underseal not even cracked anywhere.  The garage it has gone to, said it was 'mint'  No welding needed.  When it was up on the recovery truck that came to fetch it, both myself and the guy that came to fetch it - when he had his own garage he was an MOT tester - had a good look and apart from a little bit of surface rust on the exhaust and cross members, which he said would rub off with a wire brush, it was all solid.  The wheel arches, sills, bottom of door panels were also solid.  The only bit of it that has been replaced is the panel underneath the windscreen on the passenger side and around the windscreen, which was rotten when they removed the windscreen to replace the panel.  Apparently, that is normal for old vehicles as in those days the screens weren't bonded like they are now and let the water in.

It has some minor surface rust in a few places but not enough to have to have bits changed.  It is built like a tank!!

If it was showing signs of damage, the garage would have put it right and charged me I am sure.

 

TOP_CAT

If you are looking at insurance try Adrian Flux and compare on cost .

Oddjob

TOP_CAT said:

If you are looking at insurance try Adrian Flux and compare on cost .

Thank you very much, I will xx

Oddjob

TOP_CAT said:

If you are looking at insurance try Adrian Flux and compare on cost .

I did try Adrian Flux, they sold me a policy which I was pleased with.  Because of my van's age, it has to be insured now as a classic.  They sent me the details to check but in it, it said that it would not be covered if it was parked on the street between 10pm and 6am as my post code is in a high risk area. - I've never had any attempts at breaking into it for the twenty odd years previous to now and it is very secure with deadlocks on all doors and metal plates to back windows, you can't get into the back from the front of the van as it has a solid bulkhead.  Even if they broke a front window, they couldn't open either of the doors because of the deadlocks so they would have to climb in and out of the window.  
I queried it and explained again it would not be with me much and would mostly be in a locked workshop/compound at the repair shop.  I asked if I took responsibility for anything happening to it, during the time it was with me, would I be covered for driving it but they said because of my post code, they wouldn't insure it at all and cancelled the policy. 
I have now arranged some secure storage where it has been stored before and looked up the insurance company that Adrian Flux had sold me as I was going to ring them direct to see if they would accept that but was rather alarmed that the insurers had awful reviews and actually seemed to be in financial difficulty so I'm quite glad it got cancelled now.
It still leaves me with no insurance though.  Anyone any ideas please?


  

I need to get it insured so I can tax it as I am fetching it back on Monday.

Oddjob

Sorted now thanks x