The Personal Auto Insurance & Mods

[Lactose]

Anyone here with the Personal and have any modifications to your car? I know I should try calling them but A) Last time i called they wouldnt even give me a rough estimate without having a client number / talking to my dad (insurance holder), B) They're lines are always so busy.

Was wondering if anyone had any mods done to their car that they told their insurance company. I plan on telling them about my: Lowering, Tints, HIDs(4300k) and possible ICE (AppRadio). I was just wondering how much extra people ended up paying because of it.

If anyone has other insurance companies as well that would be fine, but I'm currently with The Personal right now.

[beyond]

I'm with them too...but they never asked about mods?

I tinted my car, got HID's, etc but they never asked about it....

[Lactose]

I'm with them too...but they never asked about mods?

I tinted my car, got HID's, etc but they never asked about it....

I heard usually they wont ask, but if you read their FAQ on the site they say YOU have to notify them. I wouldnt mind not claiming them if it meant they just wouldnt pay if it got stolen/needed to be replaced (depending on how much more they wanted). The only issue I have is if I have to make a claim insurance companies will try absolutly anything to get out of paying out, that's what I want to avoid.

[beyond]

That I don't know about
b/c most of my "mods" are all low-cost items anyway

Tints you can't really steal. HID's cost under $100...if any of that stuff was stolen, I don't think the deductible would cover it anyway...not worth it going through insurance for any of that stuff?

[Hyperion]

I'm with them.
Do NOT tell them about lowering.
And it's no really worth it to tell them about those small mods because then they get curious.
If they see my car.... Bye bye insurance.

[Scottobot]

I found them to be extremely lacking in customer service, but my experience ended with them about 15 years ago.

[Lactose]

That I don't know about
b/c most of my "mods" are all low-cost items anyway

Tints you can't really steal. HID's cost under $100...if any of that stuff was stolen, I don't think the deductible would cover it anyway...not worth it going through insurance for any of that stuff?

It's not only about what you can steal. IE: You get into an accident and they blame your Tint for poor visibility. Deny your claim.


I'm with them.
Do NOT tell them about lowering.
And it's no really worth it to tell them about those small mods because then they get curious.
If they see my car.... Bye bye insurance.

I'm not really worried about the small mods like ICE, and Vinyls and such. What I'm really worried about is losing my insurance/claim because of something like Lowering my car. What makes you say not to tell them aboiut the car being lowered? I dont plan on telling them anything without first getting a quote ofc. Did you try to tell them about lowering your car?

I have no infractions on me as of yet but I am under 25 so my insurance is already stupid high.

[6strings]

It's not only about what you can steal. IE: You get into an accident and they blame your Tint for poor visibility. Deny your claim.

That, and in the event where they have to cover any damage to your vehicle it is not an OEM part. (Lip, grill, etc..)
Also any performance mods that you mention can affect it.

[S.F.W.]

Most insurance companies will not ensure a lowered car.

[peterm15]

Years ago when I had ICE I told my insurance about it. They didn't raise my insurance but when I told them about my alarm ( same time) they didn't lower it either. I assume they negated themselves.

Personally my insurance doesn't know a thing about my car except its a Mazda 3 and black.

[Lactose]

Most insurance companies will not ensure a lowered car.

So if I get into an at fault accident I am ****ed?

[Queue]

I just signed up with an insurance company that.... wait for it..... doesn't mind mods on your car (to an extent, of course). It's because they have programs that are tailored to modified vehicles. They can provide a free quote and you can literally tell them about the mods on your car and if there would be any conflicts or concerns with insuring your vehicle. Just PM me if you're interested. I've already referred some of my friends and they're switching because they were able to get cheaper rates, plus the mod friendly attitude was a huge bonus!

[Slade]

I am with them through work, I actually switched to them when I got/had my Mazda 3. Their rates were a lot better then I could get from somewhere else at the time from tickets.

I missed a payment once and called them right away to make sure everything would be ok and they were helpful. As far as they are concerned I drive a black canyon 4x4., as for mod's I never called in to let them know what I had done, but thought about it the odd time.

I also have not luckily had to deal with a claim through them so ymmv on that end.

[Lockdown]

So if I get into an at fault accident I am ****ed?

Quite possibly.

Also there can be considerably more damage to your vehicle depending on how much it is lowered.

[Lactose]

Quite possibly.

Also there can be considerably more damage to your vehicle depending on how much it is lowered.

To be honest (although I dont think this is how it works), I could care less if they covered my mods at all from insurance, I just dont want my whole claim to be thrown out the window because I had a grill changed or my HIDs installed for better vision.

I would only be lowering it by what ever the Eibach Prokits managed to get me to, which looking at their website is 1.-1.2 inch drop at most.

[Lockdown]

I didn't mean that they wouldn't cover your mods, I meant they may not cover your car. Read your policy, speak to your agent if you want to know. if they say no, you wont be covered, and then you do it, you have to accept the consequences when you get in an accident. They may not cover the whole car because you have slightly changed the geometry of the vehicle and as such, it is not the car that they insured.

[Dave_The_BMXER]

I just signed up with an insurance company that.... wait for it..... doesn't mind mods on your car (to an extent, of course). It's because they have programs that are tailored to modified vehicles. They can provide a free quote and you can literally tell them about the mods on your car and if there would be any conflicts or concerns with insuring your vehicle. Just PM me if you're interested. I've already referred some of my friends and they're switching because they were able to get cheaper rates, plus the mod friendly attitude was a huge bonus!

who?

[MarkWB]

I had them on my previous vehicle, and they didn't even ask about mods when I signed up. That being said, the other Mark here is right. IF you modify your car and your insurance company doesn't know about it, they may not cover your car at all. At the least, they won't cover your mods. Lowering, for example, changes the whole car and it can be argued that if you never lowered your car the damage would be less, and thus, they may not cover you or they may cover less of the damages. Tints don't matter, HIDs if anything improve your cars function, but they won't replace the aftermarket lights if they're damaged in an accident...and I don't think appradio is going to make much of a difference.

Talk to your broker and find out how much it would be for them/another insurer to cover you IF you lower your car. It's probably a safer bet than doing it and not asking.

[Lockdown]

Unless it is is specialty insurance, you may have a hard time finding a company that will cover you if you lower your car

[aris]

I just signed up with an insurance company that.... wait for it..... doesn't mind mods on your car (to an extent, of course). It's because they have programs that are tailored to modified vehicles. They can provide a free quote and you can literally tell them about the mods on your car and if there would be any conflicts or concerns with insuring your vehicle. Just PM me if you're interested. I've already referred some of my friends and they're switching because they were able to get cheaper rates, plus the mod friendly attitude was a huge bonus!

What company... My car is coming up for renewal in August

[BIRDFLU]

My insurance company never took a picture of my car when I first bought it, they asked me if it was modified and I said to my knowledge it was not. If something happens and they give me a hard time, I will say I had no idea that these mods were not suppose to be on the car and it is their responsibility to have known and not taken my money for the last x amount of years.

I would tell them you bought the car like that and have not done anything to it... if there were mods to it that they did not like or want they would not have insured you... now because they have taken your money for the past X amount of years they have to cover the damages...

If the damage was caused by a modification then that is a different story.. if you get into a fender bender and your car gets smashed in pretty bad and you removed your crash bar.. then they may not cover the costs. Each case will be different and each company will be different.

[terapr0]

My insurance company never took a picture of my car when I first bought it, they asked me if it was modified and I said to my knowledge it was not. If something happens and they give me a hard time, I will say I had no idea that these mods were not suppose to be on the car and it is their responsibility to have known and not taken my money for the last x amount of years.



read the fine print on your policy...I'm almost entirely certain the burden is on the owner to disclose mods, not for the insurance company to keep tabs on every single car they cover. As an owner it's your job to know what you drive, and the argument that you didn't know would hold little water with the agency, or in court. It's just like trying to argue to the cops that you didnt know it was illegal to steal, or speed or beat someone up. It's up to you to follow their rules....they have entire teams of high priced lawyers covering their asses

[Lactose]

My insurance company never took a picture of my car when I first bought it, they asked me if it was modified and I said to my knowledge it was not. If something happens and they give me a hard time, I will say I had no idea that these mods were not suppose to be on the car and it is their responsibility to have known and not taken my money for the last x amount of years.

I would tell them you bought the car like that and have not done anything to it... if there were mods to it that they did not like or want they would not have insured you... now because they have taken your money for the past X amount of years they have to cover the damages...

If the damage was caused by a modification then that is a different story.. if you get into a fender bender and your car gets smashed in pretty bad and you removed your crash bar.. then they may not cover the costs. Each case will be different and each company will be different.

I bought my car brand new from the dealer, that would be hard to sell.

The worst thing about my insurance company (maybe its the same across the board) is if you email them for a simple question: "Do you insure if i do xxxx to my car?" they wont answer. Personal asked me to call in and get quotes and as the insurance is under my Dad's name that's gonna be annoying to deal with.

[Lactose]

Dang no edit button.

I have a couple questions I'm unsure about and insurance companies keep telling me to Call which I dont have time for over this long weekend.

When does my insurance company actually care about what has been done to my car? Is it any and all claims or at fault claims? or when I need to claim a deductible? etc.

Also currently the car is under my Dad's name. Since we have 3 cars I usually end up primary on the Mazda but for the summer since we commute together one of the cars is off insurance. How does that affect if he keeps his 2 cars on Personal and I switch to a mod friendly insurance company?

[Hyperion]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?30353-Mods-and-Insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?28645-Register-mods-to-insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?23202-Modifications-and-your-Insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?26582-Insurance-Coverage
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?19200-Anyone-notify-insurance-company-about-Mods
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?8574-Mods-vs-Insurance

[Lactose]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?30353-Mods-and-Insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?28645-Register-mods-to-insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?23202-Modifications-and-your-Insurance
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?26582-Insurance-Coverage
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?19200-Anyone-notify-insurance-company-about-Mods
http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?8574-Mods-vs-Insurance

Good read. I'm no worried about my other mods now. Only concerned about the drop and potential exhaust

[SirWanker]

Dang no edit button.

I have a couple questions I'm unsure about and insurance companies keep telling me to Call which I dont have time for over this long weekend.

When does my insurance company actually care about what has been done to my car? Is it any and all claims or at fault claims? or when I need to claim a deductible? etc.

Also currently the car is under my Dad's name. Since we have 3 cars I usually end up primary on the Mazda but for the summer since we commute together one of the cars is off insurance. How does that affect if he keeps his 2 cars on Personal and I switch to a mod friendly insurance company?

Considering this is rather important, perhaps you should make the time to call your insurance company i.e. be more responsible?
Keep in mind that your dad may have a discounted rate with all three cars insured by the same company. Hopefully your dad is aware of your plans?

[Lactose]

Considering this is rather important, perhaps you should make the time to call your insurance company i.e. be more responsible?
Keep in mind that your dad may have a discounted rate with all three cars insured by the same company. Hopefully your dad is aware of your plans?

I do plan on doing so, problem is I work (or am in transit) from 6am-7pm everyday and whenever I call when I get home its impossible to get through before they're closed. He does know about my plans and my potential plan to swap my Insurance to another company.

[SirWanker]

I do plan on doing so, problem is I work (or am in transit) from 6am-7pm everyday and whenever I call when I get home its impossible to get through before they're closed. He does know about my plans and my potential plan to swap my Insurance to another company.

Thanks for the clarification. You may now stay on the lawn :P.

[Lockdown]

My insurance company never took a picture of my car when I first bought it, they asked me if it was modified and I said to my knowledge it was not. If something happens and they give me a hard time, I will say I had no idea that these mods were not suppose to be on the car and it is their responsibility to have known and not taken my money for the last x amount of years.

I would tell them you bought the car like that and have not done anything to it... if there were mods to it that they did not like or want they would not have insured you... now because they have taken your money for the past X amount of years they have to cover the damages...

If the damage was caused by a modification then that is a different story.. if you get into a fender bender and your car gets smashed in pretty bad and you removed your crash bar.. then they may not cover the costs. Each case will be different and each company will be different.

Just make sure you know that what you are saying is 100% accurate before passing it off as gospel.
Unless you are with the only insurance company that follows those rules, you are incorrect. For someone who is not in the insurance industry, I know more than most people who do it for a living.
Speak with your insurance company, I would hate for something to happen, like a vehicle write off and you receive nothing because of what you have done to your car.

[Lactose]

I just called them and my dad told me to pretend to be him, sad to say the woman didnt believe and wouldnt even tell me what hte rules were on Lowering suspensions and HID mods/ICE. I called them back and said I didnt have an insurance policy and it took me 10 seconds to get an answer. Not sure why these people are so hard on that when sales answers it in 10 seconds.

For everyone/anyone interested the PERSONAL INSURANCE COMPANY does not cover/allow any Performance enhancing mods such as Lowering, Exhaust, Intake or anything of that nature.

I am going to call and double check that it's for everyone and not just new customers that are not allowed. Needless to say I'm going to look for a new company that's okay with atleast lowering my car as thats the only "performance" enhancing that I really care about doing. At the end of the day insurance is to cover me when I get ****ed, if it doesnt do that for me there's no point. To me its like having a safety harness for when you fall rock climbing, if that shit breaks what was the point?

Anyone with a company that KNOWS u have your car lowered?

[Lockdown]

I just called them and my dad told me to pretend to be him, sad to say the woman didnt believe and wouldnt even tell me what hte rules were on Lowering suspensions and HID mods/ICE. I called them back and said I didnt have an insurance policy and it took me 10 seconds to get an answer. Not sure why these people are so hard on that when sales answers it in 10 seconds.

For everyone/anyone interested the PERSONAL INSURANCE COMPANY does not cover/allow any Performance enhancing mods such as Lowering, Exhaust, Intake or anything of that nature.

I am going to call and double check that it's for everyone and not just new customers that are not allowed. Needless to say I'm going to look for a new company that's okay with atleast lowering my car as thats the only "performance" enhancing that I really care about doing. At the end of the day insurance is to cover me when I get ****ed, if it doesnt do that for me there's no point. To me its like having a safety harness for when you fall rock climbing, if that shit breaks what was the point?

Anyone with a company that KNOWS u have your car lowered?

Have you tried Hagerty?
Lant may cover you (same company) but they may not, as you likely havent been driving long enough and they don't insure drivers with less than 10 years of a G license

[MarkWB]

I just called them and my dad told me to pretend to be him, sad to say the woman didnt believe and wouldnt even tell me what hte rules were on Lowering suspensions and HID mods/ICE. I called them back and said I didnt have an insurance policy and it took me 10 seconds to get an answer. Not sure why these people are so hard on that when sales answers it in 10 seconds.

For everyone/anyone interested the PERSONAL INSURANCE COMPANY does not cover/allow any Performance enhancing mods such as Lowering, Exhaust, Intake or anything of that nature.

I am going to call and double check that it's for everyone and not just new customers that are not allowed. Needless to say I'm going to look for a new company that's okay with atleast lowering my car as thats the only "performance" enhancing that I really care about doing. At the end of the day insurance is to cover me when I get ****ed, if it doesnt do that for me there's no point. To me its like having a safety harness for when you fall rock climbing, if that shit breaks what was the point?

Anyone with a company that KNOWS u have your car lowered?

The Personal is a group-rate insurance company, that's why they're so secretive, lol. They don't want their competition stealing the companys that buy into the group-rate-for-employees deal. A bunch of idiots work there anyway so I'm not surprised they gave you difficulty. The first month of my policy with them I get a phone call prior to the date of when my payment was due asking me where my payment was, and that my payment was due for twice as much as I was told it would be from the sales rep. I told them I had prepared my payment (which to them was a half payment, something to do with a down payment of the first two months, which nobody told me about) and would be happy to fork it over a few days early, but they REFUSED TO TAKE MY MONEY and told me I'd need to make a full payment. When I asked to talk to management they made a big deal about it and said the manager was "too busy to talk to me" and that they would have to call me back.

Needless to say you're better off being insured elsewhere for various reasons. Any company that "doesn't ask about mods" is fishy to me, it's almost like they're expecting you to sign up and not read the fine print so in the future they won't have to cover you even though they took your money.

[Lactose]

Needless to say you're better off being insured elsewhere for various reasons. Any company that "doesn't ask about mods" is fishy to me, it's almost like they're expecting you to sign up and not read the fine print so in the future they won't have to cover you even though they took your money.

I used to see on all applications the field "Is your car modded and worth over $5000 in mods" or something along those lines, however I dont see that question anymore anywhere. Not sure if it was only certain companies but I agree.


Maybe I'll hold off on serious mods till after I'm 25, but 4 years is a long wait.

[Lockdown]

I'll say this, if there is something that you are in any way unsure of about your insurance policy, call or meet with them and find out.
You do not want to find out the hard way

[krimsalt]

When does my insurance company actually care about what has been done to my car? Is it any and all claims or at fault claims? or when I need to claim a deductible? etc.


They all do!!! So they can make more money off you!!!

Also, from mine (and everyone I've asked), personal is the worst insurance company - desjardins completed f'd me over after my accident costing me just over $2000 in damage repair that they refused to fix. (it was a not-at-fault accident, they even tried weaseling out of the rental coverage)

[Lactose]

They all do!!! So they can make more money off you!!!

Also, from mine (and everyone I've asked), personal is the worst insurance company - desjardins completed f'd me over after my accident costing me just over $2000 in damage repair that they refused to fix. (it was a not-at-fault accident, they even tried weaseling out of the rental coverage)

My parent's have been with personal for years and have all insurance through them. I might look around and shop for them if I can find a better insurance company that fits my needs as well. So far I dont think my parents have had too much trouble with claims with the personal as my mom has had a few accidents (fault and not). Still waiting on replies from a broker that Queue recommended, will let you guys know how that goes.

[bluecraze07]

So any updates on this? I need to find myself an insurance company that is ok with performance modifications. Why can't we have insurance like BC where all you have to do is pass an air quality test and your car is good?

[SomeGuy]

What I find funny is that people use non-oem parts on their cars all the time and that doesn't affect insurance. Mods are just non-oem replacement parts lol

[bluecraze07]

What I find funny is that people use non-oem parts on their cars all the time and that doesn't affect insurance. Mods are just non-oem replacement parts lol

If ONLY insurance companies would see it as that lol. But seriously, it's quite a big headache trying to mod your car and being honest and straight up with your insurance. Is it only Ontario that is like this? What's the US like?

[JHX 1138]

A warning about ThePersonal. I was with them for about 4 years. Although I never had to make a claim, in my third year I called them midway through my insurance year and asked them a simple question "If I were to cancel my car insurance would there be any special penalty fees?". The CSR who I dealt with kept changing his mind about the answer, and it took him 30+ minutes to give me the final answer. It's like he was hired that same day.
Anyways I said thanks for the info, and hung up... that was that...

Except, 3 weeks later I got a letter saying "As per your phone request we have cancelled your car insurance"

LOL... WTF... you have to be an uber-n00b company to mistake a call ASKING what happens if I cancelled car insurance to actually go ahead and cancel it!

I had to jump through many hoops to get the car insurance reinstated.
But I switched insurance companies 3 months later, as I didn't want to risk these losers if something REAL happened.

[Lockdown]

I'm pretty sure you have to sign something to discontinue your car insurance.

When I switched companies, I had to sign papers twice to cancel as they didn't want to have me driving without insurance and me thinking they would be on the hook.

[JHX 1138]

Then ThePersonal is even more n00b than usual. i can take a pic, and upload, of the letter I got from them where it says my auto ins. will be cancelled due to my phone call. funny thing is, all call centres RECORD all phone calls right? so if i really wanted to push the issue, i could have asked them to play back call logs of my call and have their higher-ups listen to it and tell me what they think... but i'm not really a fan of getting ppl fired, regardless of whether they are n00bs or not, lol

[bhrm]

Kind of interesting how there's differing answers....

I've inquired before and the issue is whether your future claims would include the value of the mods. If you install a $5000 sound system, you can have that insured on a per case basis....they may or may not cover it and rates could change.

If you lower your car, the issue is in a crash you have changed how the car will crash for better or worse....in the end the insurance company will of course take whatever efforts possible to not pay out!

However if you bought the car 'lowered' from the dealer, that could be considered 'original'.

But it does make me wonder, what about old crappy cars with sagging suspension...they lower naturally! I've seen some much lower than modified cars....

[Lactose]

Then ThePersonal is even more n00b than usual. i can take a pic, and upload, of the letter I got from them where it says my auto ins. will be cancelled due to my phone call. funny thing is, all call centres RECORD all phone calls right? so if i really wanted to push the issue, i could have asked them to play back call logs of my call and have their higher-ups listen to it and tell me what they think... but i'm not really a fan of getting ppl fired, regardless of whether they are n00bs or not, lol

Good luck with that. I tried that with rogers when one of the Customer Relations staff said they'd give me a certain product without rental fees/free of charge. Later I found out that they're billing us for it and wouldnt hear it.

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS Ask for the Ref number and first name of the person you are talking to. It makes it easier to call back when/if there is an issue.

OT: I plan on talking to a couple insurance brokers this weekend, since I'm finally kind of free. I got a couple personal references. If all else fails I have to wait for one of my family friends to get his Car insurance broker license and get him to find me something. If any of these go well I will 100% post back here with the company they got me to and their personal broker line.

I have heard that Aviva and Belair are possible candidates. I heard some people are good with State Farm as well, but also hear the other end. Aviva bought out one of the companies that was referenced to Insure modded cars (although I believe you had to be 25+ for that to apply). Will post back.

[Lockdown]

For modded car insurance there are a few companies but you do need to be 25 with a clean record.

[JHX 1138]

could you have insurance problems if your "mod" is nothing more than:

1. applying "acceptable" levels of tint to your side and rear windows, and maybe a sun-strip to your windshield

2. changing your wheels from factory alloys to steel rims, purely for the purpose of your winter tires

I was reading all those insurance threads, and in one someone said that "changing wheels away from factory wheels" was a no-no -- and in a bunch of threads, people said the same thing about Tint.

[terapr0]

tint and wheels wont be an issue at all....you can even call and ask yourself. I told state farm about my rims & intake and CBE, they said it was OK, in writing.

[Lockdown]

could you have insurance problems if your "mod" is nothing more than:

1. applying "acceptable" levels of tint to your side and rear windows, and maybe a sun-strip to your windshield

2. changing your wheels from factory alloys to steel rims, purely for the purpose of your winter tires

I was reading all those insurance threads, and in one someone said that "changing wheels away from factory wheels" was a no-no -- and in a bunch of threads, people said the same thing about Tint.

Best way to find out for sure is to ask your agent and get it in writing. All insurance companies are different. Generally what you are talking about is acceptable but the best way for anyone to find out what is ok and what is not with your particular company is to ask.

[Lactose]

tint and wheels wont be an issue at all....you can even call and ask yourself. I told state farm about my rims & intake and CBE, they said it was OK, in writing.


Rims and Tints are fine tbh, Unless you get track wheels or something oversized. I havent told them about my tints, HIDs, Fogs, Rims. Nothing I have in my car would be too much or at all more than OEM so I'm not worried on the costs if they break.

If statefarm is okay with Intake and CBE i'd think they'd be okay with lowering the car, but not sure exactly how they calculate their risks and such.

Now that I went back to simplytire to get my wheels rebalanced and had their car park beside mine, I feel like a truck, I'm much much to high up from the ground. Maybe for a while ill have to settle for lips/extensions D:

[hgmahaha]

So any updates on this? I need to find myself an insurance company that is ok with performance modifications. Why can't we have insurance like BC where all you have to do is pass an air quality test and your car is good?

Is that true? I'm moving to BC in 3 months lol.

Otherwise I'll have to do something about my mods.

Also when someone else hits you (not-at-fault) can they use your mods against you? That would be ridiculous!

[Lactose]

Is that true? I'm moving to BC in 3 months lol.

Otherwise I'll have to do something about my mods.

Also when someone else hits you (not-at-fault) can they use your mods against you? That would be ridiculous!

To me that wouldn't make sense, but I dont know the ins and outs of claims. But here's my look at it.

Mods are not ILLEGAL, it's whether your insurance wants to cover you for them. When it becomes not at fault for you (both cops and from insurance) as long as your mods are legal there should be no discrepencies on that part. HOWEVER i dont know how the claim money is proccessed and if your insurance company find out that you had a mod they may choose not to reimburse you the money that the other insurance owes for the damage.

[midnightfxgt]

When it becomes not at fault for you (both cops and from insurance) as long as your mods are legal there should be no discrepencies on that part.

In a perfect world yes. However, this is not the case. You sign a policy, and it states that you are responsible to report any modifications etc, or that you will not mod the car. So even if they are not the cause, you still breached a contract, and it is null and void, so the insurance company can drop you and not pay out. Now when you go looking to insure again, you will have been cancelled by a company, and this will raise rates everywhere.

[terapr0]

in theory thats true, but in practice I've yet to actually find someone who's been totally ****ed by their insurance company like that. I've heard confirmed stories of people who were clearly at fault having their contracts cancelled because of mods, but for minor fender benders and accidents that werent their fault, I havent heard of it. Not to say it doesnt happen, but I dont think its as common as we are fear it could be....

[Lockdown]

A close friend of mine was in an accident, had a modified car, was not at fault, insurance did squat and cancelled him. He car was not overly modified, he was still in stock class for his car at auto x. I think in B but I am not sure with the regulations of autocross. He only had suspension and braking mods and HIDs.

Cancelled insurance is one of the very few reasons an insurance company can actually refuse you insurance. It doesn't matter why it was cancelled but once it has been cancelled, you will be looking at facility insurance to the tune of $500-600 of more per month.

This is not a story of a friend of a friend, or some sort of an urban legend. I see him a couple times a month and tried to help him find insurance when he was in a pinch (as my ex was an insurance agent).
Best we could do was throughs broker who used a high risk company and he's in facility for another 3 years or more.

He was out of pocket for his own car, which was I repairable, and then the increase in insurance premiums.

[midnightfxgt]

in theory thats true, but in practice I've yet to actually find someone who's been totally ****ed by their insurance company like that. I've heard confirmed stories of people who were clearly at fault having their contracts cancelled because of mods, but for minor fender benders and accidents that werent their fault, I havent heard of it. Not to say it doesnt happen, but I dont think its as common as we are fear it could be....

Your right, its not a guarantee that they will bend you over for it, but its a very real possibility. I choose to insure my car properly just as insurance against insurance (does that even make sense?! lol). If/when something happens to my car, I want to know I am covered fully and properly.

Part of the issue is that it comes down to the adjuster as well, so it's not always black and white. I can tell you that visual mods make them look closer at the car as a whole.

It sucks, fore sure... but people should know what COULD happen in a bad situation. Imagine lowering your car, having a denied insurance claim on a write-off? Your out tens of thousands, and are now only insurable through facility for a few years.... terrible! However, like you said, this is an extreme.

People should just be careful, and know all of the risks before they do anything :)

-John

[jonjon72]

Currently with Bel Air Direct and before I was with The Personnel. I was basically told that if I had lowered my vehicle, I would no longer be covered by them. I used this to get out of my contract when they raised my rates and didn't want to pay the cancellation charges.

[Lactose]

Currently with Bel Air Direct and before I was with The Personnel. I was basically told that if I had lowered my vehicle, I would no longer be covered by them. I used this to get out of my contract when they raised my rates and didn't want to pay the cancellation charges.

Little confused as tO how you got out. Why did they raise your rates? Also how much was the cancellation? We have 3 cars including mine so it may not be an issue for me

[Lactose]

Gah no edit button. Does belabor know your car is lowered?

[jonjon72]

Little confused as tO how you got out. Why did they raise your rates? Also how much was the cancellation? We have 3 cars including mine so it may not be an issue for me

When I confirmed that they wouldn't cover my vehicle if I was lowered, I told them I planned to lower it the following month. Thats when they said they wouldn't continue my coverage. Made the arrangements and in a few days I was switched over to Belair and have had no issues with mods. If I outright cancelled my coverage, I believe the costs would have been around $250-$300.

[bluecraze07]

When I confirmed that they wouldn't cover my vehicle if I was lowered, I told them I planned to lower it the following month. Thats when they said they wouldn't continue my coverage. Made the arrangements and in a few days I was switched over to Belair and have had no issues with mods. If I outright cancelled my coverage, I believe the costs would have been around $250-$300.

Does Belair actually know what SPECIFIC mods you have though? When I chatted with an agent, they said any mods that make the car 'go faster' are not allowed. I know when you do a quote they only ask you if you have $5000 or more in modifications.

[jonjon72]

Does Belair actually know what SPECIFIC mods you have though? When I chatted with an agent, they said any mods that make the car 'go faster' are not allowed. I know when you do a quote they only ask you if you have $5000 or more in modifications.

It was a regular 3 and not a speed. Really couldn't make it that much faster. Mods did make it sound nice! ;)

Belair had no issues with my Genny when they had a look at the car last week. Saw the CAI and didn't even bat an eye. Not even close to 5000 in mods. Car looks pretty much stock

[Slade]

I got my renewal for my insurance with The Personal and its going down $20 a month with no change to my policy! also no change in tickets, last one was well over 5years ago (knock on wood) , however my truck is stock as far as they know.. Insurance is down to $148 a month now, compared to the $550 I was paying 6 years ago when I got my 3.

[mazdasport]

i have not read this entire thread but insurance compaines will not insure anything performace related, lowering any type of exhuast and such does not go well. i had a 1997 civic coupe with a magnaflow exhaust i told them as soon as i said they unisured my car said they would never insure this car agian (they had the vin of course) even if i put the stock exhuast back on and went to place that does insurance photo's basically i believe in ontario most normal insurance companies will not ensure a car with any type of performace mod, that experiance was terriable for me just my experiance with mods and insurance in ontario

[bluecraze07]

Yeah insurance and mods in Ontario are just terrible. Why can't we be like the US or British Columbia where you can legitimately insure your car the way you mod it?

[Lockdown]

There are insurance companies that will insure you. It's probably mentioned in this thread but if you're under 25 or its your daily driver you are out of luck. You can insure anything.

[midnightfxgt]

^^^ Yup. By law, you have to be able to insure it. Of course, the rates may not be what you'd like.... but it's possible :)