I give up
 

I don't normally rail against 'the man', but insurance companies suck.

I'm calling around, trying to find details on what are 'acceptable' mods and keep hitting brick walls everywhere I go.

All I wanna do are springs, wheels and tires...that's it! But I can't get a straight answer on whether it'll be allowed and how much it'll cost.

It would be easier and cheaper (from an insurance payment point of view) just to get a Cayman R.................. just need to figure out how buy the car!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiX7GTelTPM"]N.W.A FUCK DA POLICE - YouTube[/ame]

I'm not worried about the police....that's just a ticket.... i'm more worried about not being covered for a wreck that is not my fault.

If it is your fault they're not going to give you crap about something as simple as wheels and springs. It's highly likely they wouldn't even notice them. As long as the wheels are legal to use. Not sure how that works in Canada land. Every other car you see here has wheels so if they invalidated coverage we'd be having issues constantly.

If you're expecting the insurance to pay for the parts, that gets more complicated. If you're not at fault the other party's insurance should cover it. Just show them proof of purchase for the damaged goods and they have to put your car back to the way it was before. Period. Insurance payed for my opticoat to be redone after I was hit, not problem. Again, not 100% on Canada but should be the same I would think. If you're worried about your insurance covering it in case of an accident with an uninsured driver it *should* work about the same, unless the total value of the modifications starts to significantly change the value of the car.

Try Bel-Air Direct.

I'm with Bel Air Direct and they told me as long as I don't start tinkering with the engine (turbo or supercharger), everything is ok. They don't care about wheels and exhaust.

your problem is in your asking for permission. from experience is better to call and say you upgraded items on your car for aesthetics or to a "premium long life item(s)" that are worth X dollars. NEVER say they are "race" or "to lower or raise" your vehicle or even "more power" everything added will be covered with receipts or with an appraisal (that will be up to your insurance), you many need to add an additional rider to the policy if the value exceeds their limit. Most companies after the fast n furious days put a limit on such enhancements so if your value exceeds the limits you need to contact the insurance company about it.

I have $18K into on of my trucks and with an appraisal my insurance company has no problem covering it, even the supercharger I added (its a TRD supercharger that was an option from the dealer which makes it ok), but the wheel/tires, lift kit (premium suspension), exhaust (stainless long lasting) etc were all documented in my appraisal and added to my policy with a rider that costs me $50/year or so. If you need an appraisal make sure they understand the above statement (most do) and don't throw you under the bus

What province are you from? Honesty, I don't think much people here in Ontario who mod actually let their insurance company know about the mods. Insurance in Ontario is so crooked anyways.

^^ that's definitely an option that most use, however you run the risk of getting burnt (not getting paid for your parts) if in an accident/stolen

Paid cash for my opticoat :'( what now! Lols

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Honestly, I never had to show them proof of purchase. I just said, "I had this coating put on and I can show you the receipts," gave them the number of the detailer and they took care of it.

Nathan

Lols but I did it through this one guy that does it outside of the shop lol

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Our insurance is mandatory. Why? Because our insurance covers ourselves only, in terms of the car. Not at fault accident? Your own insurance covers it. You hit someone? Your insurance does not pay for the physical damage, rather just the liability to the person(s) involved should they sue, and third party property as well. The car that you hit will be paid for by their own insurance.

Bonus: Due to a court ruling that even though the insurance policy specifically says it does not cover racing/track events, insurance has to pay out liability. This happened when an accident occurred at a drag strip and the car flew into the stands. Insurance had to pay out liability. All insurance here in Onterribad (Ontario) now "disowns" anyone that touches a track, and the clause includes Auto-X should they choose to use it as it is a "timed event". That said, local organizers claim the cancellations of policies are due to "other" infractions. Not directly related to the event itself.

Situation now: State Farm / Belair Direct are the only private insurance companies I know/heard of that has any success in "mild" modifications. Else you need to use Facility. (Facility is the alliance? of insurance companies where the drunks, generally bad and accident prone go to for insurance. Liability/3rd party starts around 6k and full coverage goes 8k and up per year. *based on reports from different forums*)

Bonus 2: A few police departments actually warn parents if they see their kids being driven around in cars that are modified (guages are a big hint!) they are street racers! Regardless of the fact that most impromptu street races I've seen are either by supercars or stock POS / parents beige-mobiles. Nor does the fact that some street racers modify their cars =/= modified cars are driven by street racers only occur in their minds.

Conclusion: Insurance wants nothing to do with mods since the police view it as street racing. Police will harrass people with mods regardless if they did it legally or not (de-cats/HIDs in halogen housings etc...). We can't take it to the track due to voiding our insurance (the liability from that damn ruling.) Most run with a don't ask, don't tell policy. Some brokers "help" you out by fudging the situation. Lucky ones found understanding underwriters. The rest is shit outta luck with Facility as the only option.

Final note: If your insurance gets canceled (voided by braking agreement, not paying, severe convictions etc...) you get kicked to Facility automatically, no other private insurance will touch you. Three year pay outta the nose penalty there.

Hope this helps the peeps in the US understand our situation here in Ontario, Yours to discover... how bad it is :mad0259:

@KKaWing knows his stuff.

I've been at the level just above Facility several years ago and that was bad enough at $5400 ($450/month). And that was as a result of 1 speeding ticket, 1 fail to report and making an at fault claim. It took me the better part of a decade to climb back out to where I was beforehand.

My advice is to pay out of pocket. Unless you total your car, pay for it yourself. Insurance is a legal requirement and is useful when people are hurt. For everything else - no way. Keep your deductibles high and stay safe.