Insuring a modified Vehicle

[Harbinger]

So I want to cover all bases with my Mustang and Would like to know if anyone has experience or knowledge with regards to modification guidelines. Allstate told me suspension mods are not covered. I have eibach springs with the stock tokico shocks in my mach 1 (not installed by me).

Funny thing is they are ok with HID kits and exhaust. Cold air intakes are a no no. Im concerned that if I would be in an accident that they would be petty enough to not even cover me just because of the springs.

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[NickD]

Thanks for reminding me I need to change as well. Haggarty will insure modified vehicles as long as it's not your primary and you have another car, I was surprised talking to them that I could even bring it to work the odd time or stop at a store etc.

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[WTF]

contact Zehr

http://www.zehrinsurance.com/

they're brokers and I've been with them now for over 14 years....for all of the vehicles and the house

they are mod-friendly and understand the hobby

[ZR]

You sure about taking it to work or shopping?

[Harbinger]

They just denied me. Useless. I was being honest about how many miles i put on the vehicle

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[Harbinger]

Guess honesty gets you nowhere

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[Laffs]

You sure about taking it to work or shopping?

Ya work is a def no go I was told. Shopping is a grey area, if you are out and cruising and stop off to get some milk and eggs, fine most likely. But if you say hey got to run to the mall for a few hours and do some shopping I'll take the stang, no bueno.

Hagerty is great for someone like me who has a fairly modded ride, that they use very sparingly and generally only for point A to point A trips or the occasional show. It's not meant for the guy who uses his modded stang as his summer DD, have yet to see a policy that is suited to that market.

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Guess honesty gets you nowhere

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Prevents you from buying a policy that doesn't truly cover your needs and ends up getting cancelled or worse denying claim.

[Harbinger]

Ya work is a def no go I was told. Shopping is a grey area, if you are out and cruising and stop off to get some milk and eggs, fine most likely. But if you say hey got to run to the mall for a few hours and do some shopping I'll take the stang, no bueno.

Hagerty is great for someone like me who has a fairly modded ride, that they use very sparingly and generally only for point A to point A trips or the occasional show. It's not meant for the guy who uses his modded stang as his summer DD, have yet to see a policy that is suited to that market.

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Prevents you from buying a policy that doesn't truly cover your needs and ends up getting cancelled or worse denying claim.
Told them that i have a daily it would be a weekend cruiser. Its okay ill find a more reasonable company

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[NickD]

You sure about taking it to work or shopping?
I spoke to two reps from haggardy at performance world after my broker told me he deals with them and suggested I swap. I drive the car normally once a week and only for pleasure, I talked with them for a while and in the conversation they said if I wanted to take in to work the odd time that I would be covered, it could not be a regular occurrence. But I've brought it two work twice in 4 years now. The shopping I was asking about was on the way back from a cruise I remember I need juice or bread from Walmart can I swing by and they said yes. (I would never take it on a shopping trip to the mall, no point)

My worry was that it was a show car policy and I could only go two and from events etc.

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[ZR]

Yes way back from or on a cruise n stop at the plaza is totally different vs at home n jump in the Mustang to hit Home Depot. Same as when I asked about what happens when away at Woodward or similar car event, reply was of course we'd expect it to get parked at the local mall or restaurant and yes they would fall well within your policy.

[Blackmare]

Yes way back from or on a cruise n stop at the plaza is totally different vs at home n jump in the Mustang to hit Home Depot. Same as when I asked about what happens when away at Woodward or similar car event, reply was of course we'd expect it to get parked at the local mall or restaurant and yes they would fall well within your policy.
Exactly what I was told.

[FordFTW]

there is no legit insurance co for any modded car that is fairly new......as soon as you tell them you have any mods they tell you sorry we cant cover you....I dont believe that zehrs or haggerty covers late model modded cars either.....imo most people mod and say zero about it to the insurance co's. seems to be the only way to go about it....

[NickD]

there is no legit insurance co for any modded car that is fairly new......as soon as you tell them you have any mods they tell you sorry we cant cover you....I dont believe that zehrs or haggerty covers late model modded cars either.....imo most people mod and say zero about it to the insurance co's. seems to be the only way to go about it....
My car is an 05 so not new but I told haggardy my mods and they were fine, long tubes, cams, blower, zerhs needed to be 15 or 20 years old haggardy will even do new cars as long as it's a toy from my understanding.

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[Harbinger]

Its so sad. All I have is a harsher ride for the mach. It was not lowered from the looks of it.

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[ZR]

Lowering springs and stock shocks seldom if ever work out.

[Black Sheep]

there is no legit insurance co for any modded car that is fairly new......as soon as you tell them you have any mods they tell you sorry we cant cover you....I dont believe that zehrs or haggerty covers late model modded cars either.....imo most people mod and say zero about it to the insurance co's. seems to be the only way to go about it....

i am with cooperators and have a modded 2006 with no issues on coverage. only limits are that it is not my primary car (pleasure only) and not to exceed 10,000 klms per year. not an issue cause i only put 1000/ year

[WTF]

I dont believe that zehrs covers late model modded cars either.

my Stang is a 2000

was back in 2003...the late Prez of Zehr wrote a piece in Performance World Mag about people not properly insuring modded modern rides by not telling their insurance company about the mods

at that point.....my broker at the time knew I did the suspension and exhaust and some other minor stuff and just said "keep all receipts".....so I didn't feel the ins co really knew what they were insuring....the same shit was going on in the press back then....ooohh ahhh if you put on a cold air intake you've turned that thing into an uninsurable menace with that extra 2 fucking HP

I also spoke with Tony Lant multiple times through the 2000s about why he wouldn't insure modded modded rides that were treated exactly like the classics he insured but he wouldn't budge

I wrote an email to PW mag basically calling out the Prez of Zehr for what I thought was BS....saying that I've got a 3 year old modded ride that I'm planning on adding a KenneBell supercharger too.... and asking whether or not he'd insure my ride or not

PW Mag gave my contact info to the Prez of Zehr and he contacted me direct and said he'd insure the car no problem

got an appraisal done....and updated it a few times as the mods progressed

the original policy was a 19A pleasure only....and the underwriter was the same company that was underwriting the daily driver......so the broker definitely had an understanding with the underwriter

was around 2007 I think, and a group of us were strolling through the Performance World Show in March and as we walked by the Lant Insurance booth the hot chick working the booth tried to hand me a pamphlet.....and I said "when are you folks gonna finally offer a policy for the people who own all these barely driven modern modded rides and not just the classics".....and she said "we are now"

I emailed Zehr when I got home and asked if this was true....he said yes....but hang tight because Zehr would be offering Hagerty policys later in the year

Oct of that year we switched the Stang over to a Hagerty policy which is on the car to this day

and they've handled my 1990 Morgan +8 in a similar fashion to the Stang and just recently switched it from Hagerty to Echelon now that it's over 25 years old

things may have changed a bit over the last 15 years.....and maybe Zehr isn't interested in any new modern modded customers any longer....but I can guarantee you they are knowingly covering many late model modded cars and have been for years

[tulowd]

So I want to cover all bases with my Mustang and Would like to know if anyone has experience or knowledge with regards to modification guidelines. Allstate told me suspension mods are not covered. I have eibach springs with the stock tokico shocks in my mach 1 (not installed by me).

Funny thing is they are ok with HID kits and exhaust. Cold air intakes are a no no. Im concerned that if I would be in an accident that they would be petty enough to not even cover me just because of the springs.

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Your car doesn't qualify as modded IMO so this is a tempest in a tea cup. Replacement springs (and shocks etc) are wear items. Insurance companies cannot force you to use OEM parts, otherwise using Canadian Tire lightbulbs or Motomaster oil filters would also apply. Hell, they even do it to save money when they pay for crash repairs. Also, a cars' value doesn't increase with mods, at least from their perspective.

Find out from your insurance company what they value your Mach at given it's mileage, etc. If you don't like the number, ask them if an appraisal will lock in a value and get the details in writing. Then go spend the money to get an appraisal that will protect you.

People forget that the largest component of auto insurance has zero to do with the value of the car, but rather the likelihood of a crash based on your location and the potential liability and medical costs they are liable for if you have a crash and they have to pay out for injury or death.

[True Blue]

Replacement springs (and shocks etc) are wear items. Insurance companies cannot force you to use OEM parts,

They sure can't... But they can void your policy if the vehicle is not at the stock height.

[tulowd]

They sure can't... But they can void you policy if the vehicle is not at the stock height.

interesting. How exactly would they determine and prove that?

[True Blue]

If they the insurance company want to be dicks about it. Lets say your vehicle is lowered and you never told them about it. God forbid you get into a collision and you make a claim. Surely at that time when the vehicle is being viewed, they can check if the suspension was modified. They're always looking for ways to cancel a policy or not to pay out.

That's something I wouldn't want to test them on. Especially if vehicle(s) were a write off or if you or the other party was injured. And your left with no coverage.

[WTF]

If they the insurance company want to be dicks about it. Lets say your vehicle is lowered and you never told them about it. God forbid you get into a collision and you make a claim. Surely at that time when the vehicle is being viewed, they can check if the suspension was modified. They're always looking for ways to cancel a policy or not to pay out.

That's something I wouldn't want to test them on. Especially if vehicle(s) were a write off or if you or the other party was injured. And your left with no coverage.

exactly

if your ins. co doesn't really know exactly what they're insuring because you've modified the hell outta the car and they simply think it's a stock production car....then they most definitely will dig into the fine print when it comes time for a claim....in every effort to fuck you because you weren't being upfront

if your ins co throws a red flag at a fucking cold air intake.....then find a broker who understands the hobby and get a proper policy

I could just imagine what it would be like in court when the ins co's lawyer keeps telling the 72 year old female judge about your "racing suspension and the massive power increases from your racing air filter and your racing intake and your racing exhaust"

[Harbinger]

Thanks for all the input. This is why I want to cover my ass. Insurance companies have become even more nit picky since insurance fraud is on the rise...ontop of the fact that insurance companies would prefer to not even pay out even if they have to...
I would say if My ride height was not changed by the springs put in my vehicle it should be fine. Also they never once asked me if my vehicle was modified...something they should make a point to let the customer know especially if it is a performance vehicle.

Bottom line I'm glad HIDs don't bother them and my flowmaster exhaust.

[tulowd]

If they the insurance company want to be dicks about it. Lets say your vehicle is lowered and you never told them about it. God forbid you get into a collision and you make a claim. Surely at that time when the vehicle is being viewed, they can check if the suspension was modified. They're always looking for ways to cancel a policy or not to pay out.

That's something I wouldn't want to test them on. Especially if vehicle(s) were a write off or if you or the other party was injured. And your left with no coverage.



exactly

if your ins. co doesn't really know exactly what they're insuring because you've modified the hell outta the car and they simply think it's a stock production car....then they most definitely will dig into the fine print when it comes time for a claim....in every effort to fuck you because you weren't being upfront

if your ins co throws a red flag at a fucking cold air intake.....then find a broker who understands the hobby and get a proper policy

I could just imagine what it would be like in court when the ins co's lawyer keeps telling the 72 year old female judge about your "racing suspension and the massive power increases from your racing air filter and your racing intake and your racing exhaust"


Thanks for all the input. This is why I want to cover my ass. Insurance companies have become even more nit picky since insurance fraud is on the rise...ontop of the fact that insurance companies would prefer to not even pay out even if they have to...
I would say if My ride height was not changed by the springs put in my vehicle it should be fine. Also they never once asked me if my vehicle was modified...something they should make a point to let the customer know especially if it is a performance vehicle.

Bottom line I'm glad HIDs don't bother them and my flowmaster exhaust.

While some of your above points are valid, the wording of the policy specifically is what will be the contention for any settlement or subsequent civil court case, which it almost never comes to, certainly while talking about only the loss of the car itself. Probably different story if the mods contributed to the crash - cambered, air ride bag failure, 24" rim failing, etc.

When my highly modded SVO clone was written off, there was not one word mentioned of the mods for a way out of them paying. They simply insisted the car of that age in good shape was worth X. I sent them mod invoices for X x 4 and ended up getting Xx2 payout plus the car, which still didn't make me whole, but was way better than offers #1, 2 and 3. Note: I did have collision coverage, even though it was deemed the other driver's fault 100%.

This would have been the perfect situation for them NOT to cover me due to mods. Big wheels, motor, roll bar, lowered, etc etc etc. It was INTACT insurance, which is notorious for lowballing payouts and looking for claim denial sources, in part because they are usually the least expensive insurer.

The entire context of Mr. Harbingers thread was about his car, which is NOT modded, and even still at stock ride height. Most of the Mustangs on here likely fall into the stock category as far as insurance companies are concerned.

Anyone else have a claim on their Mustang in recent years ? Inquiring minds wanna know.

[Ray721]

My 2006 GT had some mods when I was rear ended. Insurance never batted an eye at the mods. I was only told damaged modified components would not be covered.

[Harbinger]

Just clarifying again. Allstate stated that anything that alters performance of the vehicle in any way voids the policy and they would not insure the vehicle.

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[True Blue]

While some of your above points are valid, the wording of the policy specifically is what will be the contention for any settlement or subsequent civil court case, which it almost never comes to, certainly while talking about only the loss of the car itself. Probably different story if the mods contributed to the crash - cambered, air ride bag failure, 24" rim failing, etc.

When my highly modded SVO clone was written off, there was not one word mentioned of the mods for a way out of them paying. They simply insisted the car of that age in good shape was worth X. I sent them mod invoices for X x 4 and ended up getting Xx2 payout plus the car, which still didn't make me whole, but was way better than offers #1, 2 and 3. Note: I did have collision coverage, even though it was deemed the other driver's fault 100%.

This would have been the perfect situation for them NOT to cover me due to mods. Big wheels, motor, roll bar, lowered, etc etc etc. It was INTACT insurance, which is notorious for lowballing payouts and looking for claim denial sources, in part because they are usually the least expensive insurer.

The entire context of Mr. Harbingers thread was about his car, which is NOT modded, and even still at stock ride height. Most of the Mustangs on here likely fall into the stock category as far as insurance companies are concerned.

Anyone else have a claim on their Mustang in recent years ? Inquiring minds wanna know.

When you had your collision, the other driver was at fault. Lets turn the table around, and say you were at fault. You think Intact would have gave you the same payout? They wouldn't have raised an eyebrow to the motor, roll bar and being lowered?

How long has it been since your SVO clone was written off? 10yrs ago? In my opinion a lot has changed in the way these insurance companies handle their policies. When I switched my DD's vehicles to TD 2yrs ago, I was raked thru the coals with all the questions. Almost to the point of which brand of wax I was using on my vehicles. And yes one of the questions I was asked, was the suspension on my Elantra modified? If so, we wont insure it.

[ZR]

For me, Hagerty has and continues to be problem free to deal with. When switching my DD's to a new co a year back, as said above, some of the questions they asked made me uncomfortable but it's part of the new normal.

[ZR]

Springs replaced with none OEM that retain a stock / virtually stock stance, are certainly not grounds for labeling as modded by any insurance co. It's yet another one of those myths said 173 million times that is now considered gospal truth.

[2005BlackGT]

My 2006 GT had some mods when I was rear ended. Insurance never batted an eye at the mods. I was only told damaged modified components would not be covered.



Correct......and Generally ,,this WILL be the case in all claims....

[2005BlackGT]

Springs replaced with none OEM that retain a stock / virtually stock stance, are certainly not grounds for labeling as modded by any insurance co.


Yes......

[2005BlackGT]

When you had your collision, the other driver was at fault. Lets turn the table around, and say you were at fault. You think Intact would have gave you the same payout? They wouldn't have raised an eyebrow to the motor, roll bar and being lowered?

How long has it been since your SVO clone was written off? 10yrs ago? In my opinion a lot has changed in the way these insurance companies handle their policies. When I switched my DD's vehicles to TD 2yrs ago, I was raked thru the coals with all the questions. Almost to the point of which brand of wax I was using on my vehicles. And yes one of the questions I was asked, was the suspension on my Elantra modified? If so, we wont insure it.





Insurance Companies are a business,, plain and simple....they base rates on "risk" this applies to where car driven and by whom,, where you live ..and of course...car year make model etc...but of course.. big question.. has it been modified...answer honesty.. most record these conversations....minor mods no big deal...such as non stock springs,different rims/tires..minor engine mods,strut bar,,aftermarket exhaust etc......but yes.. some companies will not insure modified vehicles....if I inspect a car...it's been lowered...actual "bumpers" removed from behind bumper covers...and engine work....and you answer..no modifications.. yup.. you have a denial...

[Harbinger]

Thank you for everyone chiming in. I'll have to review my options for the time being.

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