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NO INSURANCE IF YOU'RE LOWERED

2K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  Electronikal 
#1 ·
I got this from the Vital Motion board

Here is a little information for some of you: Insurance companys are all basically mini brokers for a LARGE company known as capital one (could have name wrong). Well since they are all basically different branches of one large company they have very much the same policies. One of which, the newest, states if your car has any modification to the suspension other than OE (stock) you will not be covered by the insurance company. This means if you get into an accident and the cop reports that you have modified suspension, your insurance company basically abandons you and you are forced to pay all DAMAGES; ambulance, police, physical, mental etc...

a boring, regular rear-ender goes for around $9500!!!!

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Conten ... 7832583249

"The Star" Article:

Laurance Yap, July 5

I'm a 46-year-old IT professional with IBM and have always been a fan of cars. Not just imports or domestics or muscle cars or trucks, but all vehicles with four wheels (and even some with two). A year and a half ago, it was time to retire the minivan and I bought a base 2002 Pontiac Sunfire sedan.

It's basic transportation, but still fun to drive with a decent little four-cylinder engine and five-speed transmission. About six months after getting the car, I discovered http://www.j-body.org and found that there is a whole group of people out there modifying their Cavaliers and Sunfires. I bought a set of used lowering springs (40 mm) and installed them myself.

That little change to remove the 4x4 look of the car hooked me up with the local Durham Region J-Body owners and I got many ideas for other modifications to my car by attending the weekly Sunday meets at the AMC complex in Whitby. All were very low-budget and could be done in my driveway.

I entered the car in a couple of J-Body shows as well as ImportFest and The First Episode. I had a great time and my 19-year-old son also attends the shows with me.

Earlier this year, I talked with an owner of a Honda Civic who, like me, was insured with State Farm. He had recently had an accident and his Civic was totaled. When the adjuster examined his car, he was informed that since it was modified (that is, lowered) and State Farm had not been informed (as dictated in the policy), his vehicle would not be covered.

I contacted my agent right away and was requested to bring the car in for pictures. They checked the car over, took some pictures, and said "No problem. Thanks for letting us know." About three weeks later I received a registered letter from the State Farm underwriters informing me that they appreciated the opportunity to provide me with coverage in the past but would no longer be able to insure the car. I had three weeks to find another company to look after me.

I have been with them for more than 15 years and have a clean driving record, so I shouldn't be a risk - they just don't want to cover "modified" cars. I then started calling most of the companies in the phone book. As soon as you mention the lowering, they want nothing to do with you. I even had one company say that they would insure "customized" cars but not "modified."

Eventually, I asked State Farm if my insurance would be re-instated if I returned the suspension to stock. My agent checked with head office and they agreed, provided I took the car to an adjuster who would verify the condition of the car.

While the car was being inspected, I asked the reasoning behind not wanting the car lowered. Was it because this reduced the height of the bumpers and increased the risk of damage? No - it was because lowering the car makes it more aerodynamic and allows it to go faster. I asked about coil-over suspension so the stock height could be maintained and then lowered for shows. No - that suspension would probably be stiffer and allow improved performance. This argument would also seem to apply to new higher performance shocks and struts. I didn't bother discussing it any further.

My point is that many of the enthusiasts out there who have modified their cars may very well have voided their insurance without knowing it. The insurance industry may be able to accomplish what the police haven't been able to (yet) by making all these vehicles illegal to be on the street because they can't get coverage.
here is the J-body thread about it:

http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f ... 508&t=7508
 
#2 ·
[edit]nevermind.. I'm a doofus[/edit]

....

There are stories about guys getting letters in the mail from their insurance companies, explaining to them that they no longer have any coverage because they've raced their vehicles on an autocross track.. :roll: the companies discovered this through websites.

It's bullhonkey.. and it's everywhere!! :x
 
#4 ·
this falls in the DUH pile IMHO. If you give the insurance company any excuse not to cover you they are going to do just that.

I tend to question this a little bit though. My family was with farmers forever growing up. one year they started canceling our policy out of the blue. My parents would call and get them to realize nothing had changed so they would reinstate it. Must have happened five times before they finally got fed up.

Progressive even has a special option for adding custom parts coverage. As far as I understand it they just won't cover the cost of the custom parts unless you have the extra coverage. I'd double check if you are worried but it shouldn't be to big of a deal.
 
#7 ·
Its all about your company. I just called my company (USAA) and they said they do insure the vehicle, regardless of modification. Dont have to tell them either. In fact they will have the adjuster add value to your vehicle or let you take off all the modifications you want (if removable). The only thing they will not insure is racing...which is understandable. They said that you have to submit a report on the kind of racing you will be doing and the underwriters have to assess the possibility of an accident, etc. and then give you a list of providers.

Matthew
 
#11 ·
egtdude said:
Yeah so like I said watch the darn language!!!

anywho if your worried check with your insurance company. laws against how low you can go!?!?! darn commy states! move to AZ.
Dang AZ, you can modify it to any height there. but so does alabama, arkansas, colorado, D.C., Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, nebraska, South Dakota, utah, and wyoming :D

All the rest have regulations on how far you can raise/lower a car, others down't allow you to do any modifications to bumper height. :x
 
#13 ·
James92Scort said:
Dang AZ, you can modify it to any height there. but so does alabama, arkansas, colorado, D.C., Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, nebraska, South Dakota, utah, and wyoming :D

All the rest have regulations on how far you can raise/lower a car, others down't allow you to do any modifications to bumper height. :x
Someone's been reading their SCC :wink: Jacquot's editorial hit the nail on the head for me this month. In one page he summed up why I read SCC and why I love living where I do and driving as fast as 88hp will let me. It also reminded me why I shouldn't feel bad to skip Rado's witless diatribe every month... he's there for the other guys. :p
 
#15 ·
There are plenty of insurance companies in the UK who specialize in covering 'modified' cars: the cost, of course, depends largely upon the age of the driver. The problems come if you have an accident; then it will either become difficult to find cover or if you can, it will be extortionate. All modifications, including alloys, body kits or anything that was not on the car when it left the factory, must be notified to the insurance company otherwise the cover is void.

Btw egtdude, we ladies in the UK are not even allowed to use a metal tailcombe or hairspray in our defence! :?
 
#18 ·
Foxy... you have got to be kidding me!?!? That just don't understand that. If someone is attacking you why should you have to go out of your way to get hurt rather than defending yourself? I guess I'm pretty old fashioned but if somone makes the choice to hurt someone they are going to have to accept whatever the outcome is. Obviously I think defence should somewhat evenly match the attack. IE no deadly force obviously wouldn't be right for getting smacked around a little. However for a womans defence I might make the exception...
 
#19 ·
That's just the way things are in the UK - a metal tailcombe is considered a lethal weapon in the same way a knife would be. I always keep an aerosol can of hairspray in the door pocket of the car just in case, and would use it (lots of car-jackings, thefts at traffic lights here). I'm afraid that to hurt a crim in this country does not go down well with the yoghurt knitting community!! A burglar can sue a householder for damages if he/she is injured in the course of a crime. The law's gone completely mad! :evil:
 
#20 ·
I should check up on this just to see where it is exactly where in the approval process it is.

A proposed bill in Ontario would see that ANYTHING that is on any car, which is not OEM spec or equivalent would be considered a performance upgrade, and thus illegal under new street racing rules. This applies to ANY part on your car. Technically my K&N in the stock airbox would be illegal. The best part: if a cop suspects that you've been in an illegal street race, you're arrested immediately and your car is impounded. Guilty until proven innocent. Don't even ask about what this will do to insurance.

By the way, I would like to extend a big thank-you to the drivers of rice burner civics and the like in Toronto area who keep wrapping themselves around telephone poles. With out your help the entire province would not be getting f'd.

Matt 8)
 
#21 ·
That's such BS. Insurance companies are a scam nowadays. A legal scam, but a scam nonetheless... And a lot of them sell your information to other companies, etc. Of course, why wouldn't they? We were trying to get our new sailboat insured, and we went through about 7 companies before we found one that would cover it. Why? Because someone had rear ended my mom about six months ago. It wasn't her fault but it still showed up on record as an accident. As far as the performance parts go, I think that if you pay for the insurance, you should get insurance. None of this weaseling out of paying people - especially when you're probably paying them so much a month anyways... You could afford to just have your car fixed if you didn't have to pay insurance. (Not counting liability and all that stuff, though - that's what makes it so expensive, I guess...) Anywho...
 
#22 ·
fixitmattman said:
I should check up on this just to see where it is exactly where in the approval process it is.

A proposed bill in Ontario would see that ANYTHING that is on any car, which is not OEM spec or equivalent would be considered a performance upgrade, and thus illegal under new street racing rules. This applies to ANY part on your car. Technically my K&N in the stock airbox would be illegal.
Using this reasoning, synthetic oil would also be illegal.
 
#24 ·
________________________
Quote:
... — they just don't want to cover "modified" cars. .... I even had one company say that they would insure "customized" cars but not "modified."
________________________


okay, the how about this: for those of us who are bold enough to tell our insurance companies that we have modified our cars, we can simply say that we "customized" them. it's all about word use.

..and for those of us who are paranoid, just tape record the message of them agreeing to the policy if later they decide to withdraw you as a client.

im not ballsy like that, my insurance company is that close to dropping me as it is, and i dont need to give them a reason to do so.
 
#26 ·
Yeah, maybe...but the law is still fugly!...i can ride my car even if half of the body is corroded by rust...but i can't ride it anymore if i've welded some sheets of metal on it to make it stronger...where is the logic in this law ? it's a non-sense..and the insurance compagny think that no matter what experience you have..if you don't have the Mecanic's card...you can't do s**T correctly...it pisses me off!!! Wanna make me go crazy and blow bombs :) hehehe just joking...now that the CIA is everywhere ahahha :) ohh geez..someone's at my door :)
 
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