Modified mustang and insurance
 

Hey Folks,

So today i was talking to my insurance company about my renewal while on the phone i mentioned in the next few months (I'm booked in next week) that i will be getting some mods done (Gears 373, CAI, SCT Tuner) long story short my insurance would be invalid on the spot!

I've called round a few folks online Hegartys & others and nobody I can't find anyone who will take on a modded V6.

Any suggestions on who to try? :banghead:


Btw - Just keeping quiet isn't an option if i ever did cause an accident it would be a legal minefield.

Try Canada Direct. Don't think a Cold Air Induction kit or a SCT Tune is considered to be major mods. The insurance company is probably more concerned about the change in gears. http://www.canadiandirect.com/

Just checked the Insurance Corporation of B.C. site. Vehicles that have had modifications done to the powertrain (CAI and Tuner), Brakes should be registered as a modified vehicle.

I had a Mustang with a bunch of mods insured with cooperators and had no issues at all.

Did co-operators know about the mods though? Had a buddy that tried that, insurance company told him the only reason he was buying those parts was to go street racing, and if something happened and the car was found to be different than what they wrote the policy for, that was fraud and they had no reason to pay anything. Now, if it comes all hopped up from the factory, that's OK, so go buy a GT500. lol

Yep, the car was more than 10 years old and on the required inspection there was a box that said "has the vehicle been modified for speed or performance" and I checked yes. They didn't even ask me what was done to it.

Quick update and its not looking good...

Been through Hegartys, CoOp, Zehr and a number of others i've found on forums.

Basically i can't get coverage in Ontario, I've been given a couple of small brokers to try who are searching at the moment but they are letting me know it could be $$$$$ or facility which i aint touching! They are even saying the light bar on the vert is enough to void insurance at majority of companies. If your car is over 10years then that opens up lots of doors but nearly new and you have had it.

I'm now thinking i'm going to pay through the nose on insurance if i can even get any, I'm going void my warranty and resale/trade in value to get maybe 30bhp and better gears. Why? :rolleyes:

I'm now looking at buying a GT or a 2nd hand car.

Hate to think of the hundred of thousands who are probably not covered throughout Ontario mustang, dodge, vettes, imports.........huge!

Well, I guess I better park my Mustang now. I have changed so much on it, I must not be insured. Lets see, if I sent the link of my mods that is somewhere in the CMOC forums to my insurance and beg for mercy. I'll tell them that I didn't know that I couldn't put more money into my Mustang and make it better then before. Maybe they will let me drive it. If not, then I will have to sell it, but who would buy it because it can't be insured. I know I will sue all the places that I bought my after market parts from because they didn't tell me that I couldn't get insurance after buying their parts. :bullshit:

I'm just guessing here, maybe the reason the insurance company's don't want to touch you is that you are under the age of 25 and want to add things to a car that adds power. Insurance company's have been around for a very long time and they know their game very well. Me, I have been around the block a few times myself. I'm just reading between the lines. :dunno

Doesn't change the fact if I wrap my mustang round a tree and have a tuner embedded in my skull the guy is going to say you modded the car, you aint covered, we aint paying...especially if someone elses insurance is involved.

I've had one insurance company just call me back and say they want to install a device which detects hard acceleration and braking into the car, they also check I don't drive it between 12-4am! Ehhh nope don't think i'll be doing that.

I'm close to 40, clean driving record, professional job, long no claims history valid in Canada, couple of cars, low milage use, willing to bring cars/house insurance over - That's all Im about to disclose on a public forum

^^^^^ Just like I said above. ^^^^^^^

At 40 there should be no problems at all, unless there is something wrong. Just saying.

I'm close to 40, clean driving record, professional job, long no claims history valid in Canada, couple of cars, low milage use, willing to bring cars/house insurance over - That's all Im about to disclose on a public forum

Got that the first time around.

Think you are missing the point everyone will insure me until I mention mods...

Maybe I am, Why not call them improvements for better mileage and safety.
I didn't have a problem with my insurance, they know that I upgraded the car. They know the car was a base model when I bought it and they know that I added after market parts. They also know that I valued the car for more then I paid for it. They were just fine with that. Mind you I insure the 3 vehicles I own and my house with them. But who know when it's time to file a claim, will they pay up? I'm hoping so. I don't understand why they are giving such a hard time over something that will help you improve your gas mileage. Again, Just saying. :wink:

I understand now "Moved over from Scotland 3 years ago" This could be the reason. Only been driving in Canada for three years?

I like your view. But on the safe side I might check the regs in B.C. for my '05 4.0L. Don't have to worry about the GT.

You got me thinking autonut that there's maybe something in my profile so I got a couple of quotes for a laugh earlier, one for a 2010 stock Shelby and the other for 110k Porsche 911 Carrera. Both approved no issue which kinda p1sses me off even more won't give an extra 30bhp but I can insure for stock 200 more bhp.

Phone up and say you want to mod a 1.2ltr fiesta and you will be declined

Ruled out uk being issue majority of companies recognise my no claims and give me 3stars plus

In British Columbia you can have a vehicle modified providing that you can produce the receipts for the parts you installed and also have the vehicle inspected by a garaged deemed a licensed inspection station in the province. Once this is done then you can apply to the Insurance Corporation of B.C. to have the vehicle registered as a modified vehicle. Maybe you should check with the Ontario Department that regulates vehicles to see if they have the same policy, this might satisfy the insurance companies.

The following is cut from the ICBC (Government Insurance) Website.

Modified vehicles
Do you own a passenger or commercial vehicle that's been modified? If it qualifies, it can be registered as a modified vehicle. Then you can get plates and insurance for it and put it on the road.
What's a modified vehicle?
For registration purposes, a modified vehicle means a motor vehicle of a manufacturer's make
whose body, chassis, power train or steering and braking components have been altered by somebody so that the vehicle resembles, but is no longer identical to, the original vehicle, and
whose gross vehicle weight is 5,000 kilograms or less.
How do I apply to have my vehicle registered as modified?
Gather together and photocopy your receipts, bills of sale or invoices for the major components of the vehicle.
Obtain a "passed" vehicle inspection report from a designated inspection facility. To find one near you, see the list of inspection facilities posted on the B.C. government's Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement website.
Find out the market value of your motor vehicle.
Locate an original manufacturer's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the vehicle. The VIN must be clearly visible for sighting by an enforcement officer at the roadside. (A VIN that can only be seen by, for example, crawling under the vehicle to inspect a frame rail is not an acceptable "public" VIN.) If you can't find an original manufacturers' VIN, please fill out an Application for a B.C. Assigned VIN. The fee to apply for a B.C. Assigned VIN is $25, payable by cheque or money order to ICBC.
Fill out an Application to Register a Modified Vehicle.
Take the completed application(s) and related documents to an Autoplan broker, or mail them to:
ICBC Vehicle Registration Support
235 - 151 W. Esplanade
North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 3H9
More information

I'm completely guessing here, so bear with me and take it with a grain of salt. You can insure a stock 650hp GT500 because they're built that way from the manufacturer, and there's a known standard that the car is built to that the insurance company can write a policy against. They know its supercharged, but they also can assume how it was built, and what parts are on it, everything is engineered to work together in peace and harmony, much like the members on this site. You start throwing in bastard parts from different manufacturers, installed by sometimes questionable mechanics, and you now have an UN-known quantity, and the vehicle may be more dangerous than when it was stock.

Insurance companies are not about helping people, or giving you coverage, they could care less about their customers. They're all about PROFIT and minimizing how much of that profit they pay out in claims, and doing the least amount of work to keep that profit. They do that by minimizing risk, and part of that is the blanket assumption that you're going to race the car and crash into a short bus full of handicapped kids in a school zone, while you were drinking to forget that the wife left and took the kids, after she shot your dog.

I'm not saying they'r right, or that its fair, but I can see the point that if they write a policy for a stock Mustang, and its not, they have the right to deny the claim. The fact that they're too lazy to figure out a policy for a modded Mustang is another story for another day, refer back to PROFIT. Incidentally, if you're looking to trade in your modded Mustang somewhere down the road, some dealers will shy away from modded Mustangs, because not everyone wants to buy that unknown quantity. Plus, selling privately you'll lose your shirt for every dollar you've got into it.

Have nice day comrade, start saving those nickels for a GT500. :D

I have not looked into it but when I first insured the mustang I was told any power mods and I wouldn't be covered. I specifically asked about a supercharger.

I actually looked at my policy last night. There was nothing in it that said I couldn't have any changes to my vehicle, it said I must declare any changes to my vehicle. To which I have done so. Their only concern was did I change out the engine. My answer was no I have not, it is still the original one.

My '05 V6 passed inspection in 2011 through a licenced mechanical inspection facility when I moved from Edmonton, Alberta to British Columbia. Took the certified form over to the government insurance office and got my insurance the next day. It appears through the inspection process that they want to see that the added parts were properly insalled. But to be safe I am going to inquire about registering the '05 as a modded vehicle. Got the GT to drive that has no mods, so I won't be without a Mustang during the process.

Call Vintage Auto Insurance in Lindsay. They have been great with Me.

On top of being covered for mods, I have a race policy where if I die racing it at the track I'm covered. Its expensive...but its something I bet no one thinks about when they go to the track.

Your wife paying for the coverage? lol Check your brake lines.

It's more of a question of don't ask, don't tell. I wouldn't volunteer any information to an insurer unless I was specifically asked. I read my policy and there is nothing written anywhere in the document concerning modifications nor was I asked when I bought the policy. My car was a 2012 Mustang V6 and as far as anybody that doesn't ask the right questions knows, it still is. My Mustang also came with the performance package and when you run the VIN none of that is mentioned. I think that if your mods are still street legal then the law protects you to some degree as long as your car was what you told them it was when you got your policy. For instance if you have life insurance and you are a smoker you pay a much higher rate than a non smoker but if you then quit for a year and go back to the same insurer they will lower your rate to that of the non smoker but the day after you get your new policy if you start smoking again and later develop cancer or die from something else smoke related the insurer still has to honor the policy because on the day you signed it, you were a non smoker by their rules. The only time this would change is if you had to subsequently change anything about the policy, ie coverage, beneficiaries, etc. I would keep looking for insurers that don't ask those questions like the Banks.