Insurance

[Orangemonster03]

I just purchased a 2003 XR8 sedan with 20" wheels and I was knocked back on insurance due to the 'modification' of the car... Can someone explain to me why this would be?

I did end up finding someone to insure my car but not cheaply either

[Yellow_Festiva]

20" wheels???

What does the sticker say for what was factory fitment??

What state are you in?

[Orangemonster03]

I'm in Qld.
I have no idea what the factory fitment is :/

[chopstar87]

Who was the insurer that knocked you back?

I am sure i heard somewhere anything 2inchs over the standard wheels fitted to the vehicle when manufactured would be roadworthy and illegal to be fitted to a vehicle.

Been a BA, the largest wheels may have only been 17s when built.

[Orangemonster03]

It was RACQ... I wasn't aware of those guidelines.

Thanks

[chopstar87]

RACQ are REALLY REALLY Picky, anything a little different or risky, they wont cover or price them selves right out of the market. they use to class my XR6 as a high performance vehicle.. considering it had same power as the XT, i dont think so.

I remember i got a quote way back when i had my XR6 and they gave me a extra excess of $450 because i had 1 accident on my claims history.. umm, no thanks. i insured with a different insurer. for way cheaper and no additional excess.

[LTDHO]

There will be a sticker on your car listing the wheel sizes that your car is available with.

You are allowed to go 2" taller.

However insurers write rules to suit them, so call other insurers or sell the 20's.

[zilo]

just don't tell them.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by zilo

just don't tell them.

Till something goes wrong and they blame that wrong on your wheels and void your policy.

[Ruination]

I am pretty sure its not 2 inch rim size.

As far as I know ADR states that overall rolling diametre should be no more than 15mm larger or 26mm smaller.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Till something goes wrong and they blame that wrong on your wheels and void your policy.

Nope...they still have to prove it.

I bought the car with those wheels on it...prove otherwise.

They can't.

[karj]

Originally Posted by zilo

Nope...they still have to prove it.

I bought the car with those wheels on it...prove otherwise.

They can't.

That excuse won't wash with any insurance company that I know of.

My RAA insurance PDS states a few things...

A 'modification' means: "any alteration or addition to the body, wheels, tyres, rims, engine, exhaust, extraction system, drive train, paintwork, suspension, instruments, sound system, interior, or any other work that changes the performance, security or value of the vehicle."

and that "You must tell us immediately if there has been any alterations, conversions or modifications to the vehicle."

and that "We will not cover you for loss, damage or liability if you fail to advise us of any alteration, conversion or modification from the maker’s specifications of your vehicle that would be relevant to us in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle."

and that "You are responsible for keeping your details up to date."

[zilo]

Originally Posted by karj

That excuse won't wash with any insurance company that I know of.

My RAA insurance PDS states a few things...

A 'modification' means: "any alteration or addition to the body, wheels, tyres, rims, engine, exhaust, extraction system, drive train, paintwork, suspension, instruments, sound system, interior, or any other work that changes the performance, security or value of the vehicle."

and that "You must tell us immediately if there has been any alterations, conversions or modifications to the vehicle."

and that "We will not cover you for loss, damage or liability if you fail to advise us of any alteration, conversion or modification from the maker’s specifications of your vehicle that would be relevant to us in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle."

and that "You are responsible for keeping your details up to date."

I guess I had better put the original floormats back in then....

[MercurySilver]

seriously they need to know every mod, no matter how basic
insurance companies will do absolutely everything to try and get out of paying
tell them every single mod and get the whole thing in writing obviously

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by zilo

Nope...they still have to prove it.

I bought the car with those wheels on it...prove otherwise.

They can't.

No they don't.
It's up to you to ensure the vehicle is legal and safe, not your insurer.

[PX_Ranger]

Shannon's is your answer.

[Ruination]

Originally Posted by PX_Ranger

Shannon's is your answer.

Not if he is below a certain age. I think it was 27 when I tried getting a quote from them for my BF XR8. I was also 22, no at fault claims and have held my license for nearly 6 years without infringements.

[PX_Ranger]

Originally Posted by Ruination

Not if he is below a certain age. I think it was 27 when I tried getting a quote from them for my BF XR8. I was also 22, no at fault claims and have held my license for nearly 6 years without infringements.

I think its 25 now. Im only 26 and had no problems getting my XC insured about 2 hours ago. I was honest about all my traffic violations (a list as long as my arm) and had no problems.

[Ruination]

Ah okay, I only did it last month, some mobs require you to be over 24. Its probably dependant on the car too.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

No they don't.
It's up to you to ensure the vehicle is legal and safe, not your insurer.

Of course, if the mod contributes to the claim then that is a valid point of contention, no one is disputing that.

But you are wrong if you think an unrelated mod can disallow a claim.

Also..if I decide to put an expensive sound system in and it gets stolen they will only compensate for the cost of the oem system without a premium adjustment....which is the "notice" that they want.

So it's not a draconian system as some would think.


No-one will say...gotcha...no collision claim because you didn't tell us about the floor mats, fluffy dice and aftermarket sound system...

[karj]

Originally Posted by zilo

Of course, if the mod contributes to the claim then that is a valid point of contention, no one is disputing that.

But you are wrong if you think an unrelated mod can disallow a claim.

Also..if I decide to put an expensive sound system in and it gets stolen they will only compensate for the cost of the oem system without a premium adjustment....which is the "notice" that they want.

So it's not a draconian system as some would think.


No-one will say...gotcha...no collision claim because you didn't tell us about the floor mats, fluffy dice and aftermarket sound system...

According to my insurance PDS, it can.

"We will not cover you for loss, damage or liability if you fail to advise us of any alteration, conversion or modification from the maker’s specifications of your vehicle that would be relevant to us in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle."

So it doesn't matter if the mod contributed to the claim or not.

If you fit illegally large rims, that would be relevant to your insurer in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle. If you choose not to notify them about the rims and are then involved in an accident, even if the rims didn't contribute the accident, your insurer has the right to refuse the claim.

[ridzilla]

Don't BA XR8's come with 18s factory? That would keep you in the two inch rule

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by zilo

Of course, if the mod contributes to the claim then that is a valid point of contention, no one is disputing that.

But you are wrong if you think an unrelated mod can disallow a claim.

Also..if I decide to put an expensive sound system in and it gets stolen they will only compensate for the cost of the oem system without a premium adjustment....which is the "notice" that they want.

So it's not a draconian system as some would think.


No-one will say...gotcha...no collision claim because you didn't tell us about the floor mats, fluffy dice and aftermarket sound system...

Read your PDS.

[cheap]

All cars need to be "legal"

Changes to tyres/rims usually fall in the light vehicle modification area, the TMR website lists what you can and can not do. So as long as the tyres/rims are "legal" there shouldn't be an issue

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Veh...fications.aspx - download the PDF

Your car will have a sticker on the door frame of approved tyre sizes and load rating. As per the pdf "a passenger car or passenger car derivatives must not increase their tyre diameter by more than 15mm."

There are many online calculators to measure your new tyre diameter.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by karj

According to my insurance PDS, it can.

"We will not cover you for loss, damage or liability if you fail to advise us of any alteration, conversion or modification from the maker’s specifications of your vehicle that would be relevant to us in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle."

So it doesn't matter if the mod contributed to the claim or not.

If you fit illegally large rims, that would be relevant to your insurer in accepting the risk or continuing to insure your vehicle. If you choose not to notify them about the rims and are then involved in an accident, even if the rims didn't contribute the accident, your insurer has the right to refuse the claim.

My policy doesn't say anything of the sort.

So your advice applicable only to you.

[zilo]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

Read your PDS.

I rang them instead...Comminsure.

The change has to have contributed to the claim.

[karj]

Originally Posted by zilo

My policy doesn't say anything of the sort.

So your advice applicable only to you.

Originally Posted by zilo

I rang them instead...Comminsure.

The change has to have contributed to the claim.

I guess everyone is different, but I wouldn't be prepared to take a verbal on that. I just looked at the CommInsure PDS and nowhere does it state what you've been told.

And your policy does say something similar to mine with respect to modifications.

CommInsure's PDS states that you must tell them immediately if your vehicle is altered or modified because they might consider the modification and alter your premium, the terms and conditions of your policy or cancel the policy completely. They go on to say that if you don't advise them of changes, they may reduce the amount they pay in the event of a claim, refuse to pay a claim, or cancel the policy.

https://www.commbank.com.au/personal...urance-pds.pdf

[xisled]

Originally Posted by MercurySilver

seriously they need to know every mod, no matter how basic
insurance companies will do absolutely everything to try and get out of paying
tell them every single mod and get the whole thing in writing obviously

You are wrong, only a very small amount of claims are denied. around 1% to 2% with most insurance companies.

Basically an insurance company with have tens of thousands claims a year.

If insurance companies did not pay out, they would go out of business. Who would want to be with an insurance company that denied claims. Everyone would be talking about them saying my claim had bene denied.

It takes in general approximately 3 years for an insurance company to make money on a policy without a claim. If companies denied insurance claims all the time, then most customers would not last 3 years and the insurance company would not survive.

[xisled]

Originally Posted by zilo

My policy doesn't say anything of the sort.

So your advice applicable only to you.

Yes but your policy will say that your car needs to be in a roadworthy condition. If you have larger rims that you are legally allowed to have it could be basis to deny your claim.

More than likely your insurance policy will have something about mods to your car.

End of the day, if you want to insure and be honest it is up to yourself. If you want to lie to the insurance company, you are risking one of your biggest assists.

[Yellow_Festiva]

You can be really clever with the technicalities but if it came down to 'lawyers at 20 paces' the side with the deepest pockets wins.

And in 999 out of 1000 cases that aint you....