A note of caution re insurance when fitting wind deflectors

[Mjolinor]

1 hour ago, Primus1 said:

Do you think I should declare the v8 and nitrous oxide kit fitted to mine..??

Just tell them it is for personal health reasons.

[Mjolinor]

34 minutes ago, ToyotaFanDriver said:

You know I completely forgot about the dashcams - was exactly the same as the steering lock process and questions.

 

I wonder if dashcams scare the insurers because it prevents 50/50 blame in clear cut accidents so if they have a numpty driver as a client they'll be bang to rights.

 

I do wish there was alot more rules and regulation on insurance, both for car and home. You HAVE to have it and so they should be held more to account on their actions and pricings.

 

In my experience dashcams make no difference.

The story: Pootling along in my Smart and turning right. Road clear in front so I turn and out of nowhere a bike runs in to me. I have no idea where he came from.

I checked my Dashcam and he was in front of me doing 65 in a 20 MPH zone. When I checked in front I had not missed him, he was not there. I showed the Dashcam to the plod and she agreed he was completely to blame but it would cost me £2000 to have a report written to that effect and I could not claim that back from the court or the police and they would not pay it. They will not accept a page of fairly simple maths that you can do from google maps and the vehicles location from the time stamp on the video unless it was done by some police defined specialist despite it being trivial analysis.

The outcome was a safe driving course over the Internet (£160) cost to me (complete waste of time), about a £20 increase in premium for three years and a payout from the insurance of about £2500 for my car minus the £170 to buy it back + £150 for parts to be back where I was before it happened. I made a good profit out of it. Had I not done that and decided to fight I would have been thousands out of pocket even if I had won and got costs. Because I accepted the cost the insurance said I was to blame despite any evidence I had to show that I was not.

Insurance is just a legal way to defraud people and a form of compulsory gambling. In my opinion, if the government say "you must have" then the government should sort it.

 

[Slartybartfast]

11 hours ago, MikeSh said:

I'd guess some insurers view DIY installation as a fire risk. And TBH many probably are.

Insurers have to deal with the 90%* of the population who are incompetents that think the cost of their premiums over time is some sort of savings scheme that they are entitled to get back.

* Probably 80% actually. I think 10% don't even have insurance.

Probably correct Mike. Mine is hardwired to the 12v socket fuse using a "piggyback". Camera supply is protected by a 3A fuse. Might be 5A,can't remember.

I suppose, with some people, plugging directly into the 12v socket would cause some headscratching.😎

[Mjolinor]

I had to google what PPF was and this thread turned up.

Read half the first page then skip to page 19 for the outcome.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=2022183&i=0

It just shows what scroats they are.

[Dick_Dastardly]

5 minutes ago, Mjolinor said:

I had to google what PPF was and this thread turned up.

Read half the first page then skip to page 19 for the outcome.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=2022183&i=0

It just shows what scroats they are.

This was the case I read about, although directly on the FCA website, which prompted me to get worried about wind deflectors.

For years I've never declared minor stuff such as mudflaps or stickers because it seemed ridiculous, but now I will declare everything.

It's not just the voiding of the policy it's the marker they put against you for fraud/misrepresentation that is the real killer

Check out some case studies and see what happened to some people

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions-case-studies/case-studies

 

 

[Mjolinor]

23 minutes ago, Dick_Dastardly said:

This was the case I read about, although directly on the FCA website, which prompted me to get worried about wind deflectors.

For years I've never declared minor stuff such as mudflaps or stickers because it seemed ridiculous, but now I will declare everything.

It's not just the voiding of the policy it's the marker they put against you for fraud/misrepresentation that is the real killer

Check out some case studies and see what happened to some people

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/decisions-case-studies/case-studies

 

 

Well that's the rest of the day down the pan.

[Roy124]

Just thinking all the undeclared mods I have done over the years.  Too many to list here.

Just one:

How about insisting the dealer fit a stainless exhaust?

Oh, what about winter tyres?

[Primus1]

I had my Dashcam professionally installed by an auto electrician, mainly because I didn’t want any future problems if I had to visit the dealer with a fault and they said it was the dash cam, I could argue that a professional installed it, I can’t remember if there was a question asking if there were any modifications and what they were..

[Roy124]

Alan, as it happens I just got my insurance renewal today.  One of the questions was Dashcams but not who fitted them or indeed which one.

I had an excellent, from the POV of the FOV, had some excellent Chinese cameras.  Now Nextbase cameras are also Chinese but they record actual speed and G loadings.   In other words the model of the camera is important. 

There should also be a distinction between a single camera, a front or rear, a twin camera setup, or even the model of camera. 

[Cyker]

11 hours ago, Roy124 said:

@Cyker, if all insurers had the identical criteria then logically all premiums would be near identical. 

Mind you, amongst certain groups,  ie those that want to insure your Ford A180 Aygo,  they are within a few pence.  OTOH those seeking high premiums from JLR Lamborgine supercars will quote silly numbers.

Don't know PPF but when I went for TPF&T (when the value of my Merc was near the excess amount) Comp was cheaper.   I can see the logic though.

 

Just to clarify I wasn't talking about criteria for the premium, but what specifically constitutes  a 'modification' - You could be with one insurer with go-faster stripes, wind deflectors, a dash cam and steel winter wheels and they'd be fine, while another would decline your insurance; That's what I mean by there's no consistency.

 

4 hours ago, Mjolinor said:

I had to google what PPF was and this thread turned up.

Read half the first page then skip to page 19 for the outcome.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=10&t=2022183&i=0

It just shows what scroats they are.

Yeah this is why Axa is on my blacklist - They consistently seem to be one of the most customer-hostile insurers on the market and will find any loophole to get out of paying up; I was reminded of their attitude recently when I got rear-ended in mine: The underwriter for the other party was Axa and they called me up to try and get me to turn everything over to them instead of going through my insurance, spouting half-truths to try FUD* me into it when I initially refused.

 

 

*Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt - What Microsoft were known for, and what the kids call gaslighting now I believe!

[Roy124]

@Cyker, until you have been there, and recently  too, you have no idea what is what.

From the shock, everything is alien, outside your comfort zone. 

My MiL was rear ended and tge the other driver said please don't call the police - error.

Anyway she did tell her insur.insurance company and her car was written off.  What it took time though was to find out who was actually dealing with her claim. 

We eventually realised it was Acromas, not her insurer but a claims management company.  Effectively thus was outsourced by her insurer.  The woman there was good and organised a hire car, which was declined,  and physio which was accepted. 

Had we known, she should have gone for taxis until fit enough to drive.

[YarisHybrid2016]

The general rule is you must declare EVERYTHING. Yes, even bumper stickers! Best not to do anything to the car unless you're prepared to produce a fully itemized list of exactly what was done.

In terms of quotes, for the GR Sport I was quoted anywhere between £350 and £2100. One insurer wanted £9000. I assume they didn't want my business. 🤣

[Mjolinor]

6 hours ago, YarisHybrid2016 said:

The general rule is you must declare EVERYTHING. Yes, even bumper stickers! Best not to do anything to the car unless you're prepared to produce a fully itemized list of exactly what was done.

In terms of quotes, for the GR Sport I was quoted anywhere between £350 and £2100. One insurer wanted £9000. I assume they didn't want my business. 🤣

I think they would gladly have accepted your business if you had been prepared to give them 9k. 🙂

 

[Big_D]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:15 PM, Slartybartfast said:

One insurance company (LV) did give a discount when I informed them of a dashcam installation.

Another, when phoning for a quote, and were told a dashcam was fitted, advised the underwriter will not cover for a user installed dashcam. I was asked, make and model, how much it was, was it removable, did I have a receipt and other questions. When I answered "Me" to who installed it that ended the conversation. I went elsewhere.

Some of the comparison sites now ask if a dashcam is fitted.

I have a few questions about this.

1.) If the Dealer fits a Nextbase 322GW Dashcam, and I swap this out for a Nextbase 622GW (using the same hardwire kit), is this now a user fitted Dashcam? It won't be the same Dashcam as fitted by the Dealer.

2.) if I am a professional fitter, and install my own dashcam, is this user fitted?

Where do you draw the line?  

[CPN]

17 minutes ago, Big_D said:

I have a few questions about this.

1.) If the Dealer fits a Nextbase 322GW Dashcam, and I swap this out for a Nextbase 622GW (using the same hardwire kit), is this now a user fitted dashcam? It won't be the same dashcam as fitted by the Dealer.

2.) if I am a professional fitter, and install my own dashcam, is this user fitted?

Where do you draw the line?  

It would seem that only the underwriters get to "draw the line"!!

[Big_D]

Too true. While vacuuming the inside of my car a few days ago, I happened to look into the top of the passenger footwell. Here, I saw a bunch of wires which had been jammed in. As it turned out, this was the Dashcam wiring which had been bundled up and shoved behind the side panel. I have since pulled this all out and have neatened up the wiring and made it look more in line with the factory wiring. Would this be classed as a user installation now that I have neatened up the wiring?

[RonYarisX]

5 hours ago, Big_D said:

I have a few questions about this.

1.) If the Dealer fits a Nextbase 322GW Dashcam, and I swap this out for a Nextbase 622GW (using the same hardwire kit), is this now a user fitted dashcam? It won't be the same dashcam as fitted by the Dealer.

2.) if I am a professional fitter, and install my own dashcam, is this user fitted?

Where do you draw the line?  

It's called common sense or what's reasonable.

1:  You did not fit a 622GW so how can it be user fitted? You simply replaced the Dashcam with another.  If you're original wiper blade fails and you replace it with one from Halfords, you don't have to declare it. However if you replaced your 1.6 engine with a turbo charged 2.0, that's a change to the original specification therefore needs to be declared.

2: If a professional fitter fits a Dashcam then it's been fitted by a professional fitter. I'm not sure how anyone can see it any other way?  If you can run a half marathon in under 1hr 30min and suffer from epilepsy, then it'll be a fit fitter who had a fit whilst fitting a Dashcam. There's no need to declare you can run a half marathon in under 1hr 30min but if you intend to drive the said car, it'd be a good idea to declare your epilepsy.

[Bowserman]

On 4/16/2024 at 1:01 PM, MikeSh said:

Fitting a dash cam may suggest that you are expecting (more than the average Joe) to have an accident and need evidence.

Just changed our YC and sorted the insurance. Notified them that the new car has Dashcam and side steps fitted, but they said as this is how it is supplied from the dealer it doesnt count as a modification. That is with Churchill.