Had a big debate about this the other evening and wondered what you lot thought.
A friend has changed the standard brakes on his car. He has fitted drilled and slotted disks and red high performance pads (the make of which will come back to me in a second) as he found the OEM parts faded under heavy use.
The point of disagreement was whether this constituted a modification? He thought no, he had just fitted replacement parts. I and most others thought yes - there was a material change in the design of the parts designed to improve performance.
So, 2 questions.
1. Do you think that this is a 'modification' in terms of insurance cover? I think it is.
2. Assuming it is, what might the effect be on his insurance cover should he need to make a claim? I would assume that the insurers would be able to wriggle out of covering his (expensive) car.
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modification?
definately yes and would be an insurance refusal to pay if it came to the ¨crunch¨
i saw a corsa b the other month with cavalier discs and calipers on it,it looked dangerous just parked up with all the gubbins showing through the blacked out rims
im all for sensible mods but im against dangerous mods like these
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BB, what makes you think this is dangerous? As far as I know these are legitimate parts manufactured for his specific car, so I can't see how they would be a risk (other than allowing him to drive harder, which is clearly why the insurers would not be so pleased). Am I missing something?
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in my opinion these are racing parts and dont work until warmed up,it therefore follows that in town driving they would need more pedal pressure to stop.
its the loud exhaust syndrome really anyway isnt it
bottom dolla line-- would you insure a bread/butter car with x drilled discs and a young lad driving? or would you rather insure a 30 year old teacher in full time emply?
no wonder i constantly hear that kids find it difficult to insure cars,they do create their own problems
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Apparently they work fine when cold, but waaay better once hot. Apparently :-).
I'm really not convinced that they are dangerous, and my friend is a highly paid IT consultant in his 30's with a well maintained Golf R32.
Still, I completely agree with you that he's voiding his insurance, but I'm not convinced that we brought him round to our way of thinking.
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modification? Depends on the insurance company t&c :
forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=101...3
confused.com are confused about their own definition
www.confused.com/pages/help.html
What are modifications?
These are any changes or factory-fitted optional extras which have been added to the vehicle and is not part of the standard vehicle specification. This would include such things as: alloy wheels / spoilers / engine modifications.
www.confused.com/guides/motoring/car-insurance/car...m
Modifications
These are any changes that have been made to your car since it was produced, including the addition of such things as alloy wheels, spoilers or engine modifications.
Edited by jbif on 01/10/2009 at 17:54
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i had an insurance policy revoked in 1977 for fitting what was then the first low profile tyres,they were 144/70/12 that i had fitted on my austin 1300,the insurance company said my car was now a sports car and cancelled,i was at work with the car so had to run round to reinsure it before i dared drive home
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had an insurance policy revoked in 1977 >>
The Ombudsman nowadays usually rules that the insurance company pays out a claim after deducting an allownace for the higher premium which should have applied for a similarly modified car.
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Modders make more insurance claims than non-modders, therefore any insurance company will see someone who carries out mods as a higher risk than someone who doesnt. Its not what you do, its the fact you are doing it that gives the insurance companies the shivers. Upshot is they will inevitably load the premium.
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It's almost definitely a modification.
The pads in particular should have R90 certification if they are not to be considered a modification.
A popular manufacturer of aftermarket brake pads has a range of pads in different colours - only some "colours" have ECE R90 certification, and the website mentions this - the website is not kind enough to remind customers for the sportier pads in the range that they don't have R90 certification!
The discs, if they differ from the original ones will constitute a modification.
If this fellow is making the brakes of an R32 fade on the road, then, he must be driving like a right one, and I want to be nowhere near him!
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he must be driving like a right one, and I want to be nowhere near him!
You can't really make that assumption NC. VW brakes aren't always top class in my experience.
Anyway, just assuming you did find yourself mimsing into his path - just for the sake of argument you understand, I'm sure you wouldn't really do it - would you not prefer him to have brakes that didn't fade?
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>>You can't really make that assumption NC. VW brakes aren't always top class in my experience.
I think it's possible, nay likely, that VW brakes are actually well up to the job, and it's a subjective feel problem that makes drivers think that the brakes on some VWs aren't as sharp as other cars.
Almost the stupid over-sensitivity of Renault brakes, but, in reverse. Where Renault tend to over-servo, VW have traditionally erred the other way.
If anything, I prefer the VW philosophy which should lead to some tempering of stupidity rather than the feeling of over confidence which Renault brakes inspire. It's a shame that the tempering of stupidity is being run by recourse to spurious aftermarket brakes.
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My policy states a modification is one that effects the suspension or performance of a vehicle, since better brakes allow you to drive faster I see brakes as a performance modification.
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I'm sure you're right and they are more than adequate for normal use.
I do remember my 411 suffering slight brake fade when heavily loaded a couple of times though. Mind you it was a rough example and I might have been driving like one of those.
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Would you not prefer him to have brakes that didn't fade?
That would depend on whether he was in front of me or behind.
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www.confused.com/pages/help.html
What are modifications?
These are any changes or factory-fitted optional extras which have been added to the vehicle and is not part of the standard vehicle specification. This would include such things as: alloy wheels / spoilers / engine modifications
So does this mean any replacement tyre, exhaust or brake part ever fitted to my Pug over the past 8 or so years could void a claim if the ins co really wanted to be pedantic about it?
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So does this mean any replacement tyre exhaust or brake part ever fitted to my Pug over the past 8 or so years could void a claim if the ins co really wanted to be pedantic about it?
ooohhh don't get me started on this one ... no too late ... how about changing the headlight bulbs for nightbreakers? same electrical spec as the OEM part.... or mudflaps... or mats ...
As someone has already pointed out, thankfully in the worst case situation the ombudsman's view tends to mean the insurance paying out, but with a deduction for the premium that would've been appropriate for the 'modification'.
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Insurance companies want it both ways, many have a disclaimer on repairs such as ?We may decide to use suitable parts or accessories not supplied by the original manufacturer? so if you fit better brakes etc it's a modification, but if they fit cheaper replacement parts it's not, hypocritical.
Personally I would insist on OE replacement parts and would be unhappy with any lesser parts.
Back to the question, I wouldn't consider replacement parts of consumables to be modifications. Why would uprated brake discs be considered an increased risk but cheap recycled bottle top discs be okay?
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"...........................as he found the OEM parts faded under heavy use."
Does that indicate a style of driving?
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I bought some cross drilled brake hoses from Kalecoauto.com and I found the pedal feel was drastically altered.
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I bought some cross drilled brake hoses from Kalecoauto.com and I found the pedal feel was drastically altered.
Very good..........................
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Oh, absolutely, he's a 'vigorous' driver. Far more so than I would be comfortable with, but that's another issue..
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One reason I like Directline their terms and conditions are quite vaque with regard to OEM parts so they can't suddenly refuse to pay because it had none OEM parts on it.
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Spotted this whilst searching. (i remember that "stripes" was one of teh modifications asked for a couple of insurers ago). Hmmm, no mention of brakes, but I'd certainly call them a performance mod.
Top ten costly car modifications (potential increase to annual premiums)
1) Engine Chip* ? 50%
2) Dump Valve ? 25%
3) Pick up/Caborlet conversion* ? 25%
4) Body kit ? 15%
5) Racing seats ? 10%
6) Back Box* (exhaust modification) -10%
7) Lowered suspension* ? 10%
8) Alloy/wider Wheels ? 10%
9) Go-faster stripes ? 5%
10) Rear spoiler ? 5%
Turbo charging, Nitrous Oxide drive ? normally unacceptable.
*some providers will not consider insuring at all
www.thecomparisons.com/blog/2008/02/real-cost-of-g...l
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