Anyone have customization coverage on their auto insurance?

[husker741]

Just went through Geico today to get my auto insurance for Florida, and for a few dollars more, I added customization insurance which covers my mods I've done, mainly on exhaust and suspension. Anyone else do this? Is it worth it or just a gimmick?

[mav1178]

It's not a gimmick if you don't want to lose out on coverage of mods on your car. (Car)insurance policies are usually very narrow and specific on what is/is not covered.

If you have track wheels and use them only for the track, then you probably don't want to cover them with insurance as it'll be voided by the policy exclusion itself, as an example.

Also depends on where you live and where you park your car. If you DD it and it's on the streets, then you should get some type of insurance to cover mods. If it's garaged and a weekend car, then it might not be worth it.

-alex

[CAMBAM_6]

From experience of losing approx 10 thousand dollars in mods from theft and never had them covered...if you daily drive or ever park on the streets in sketchy neighborhoods its worth it. Save receipts and take pictures of mods installed for reference if it comes down to it because insurance will want everything.

[SigmaHyperion]

It's not at all a gimmick. I've bought it for years, and unfortunately had to use it once. Total investment over the years has probably been like $50 -- the stuff is dirt cheap. And they paid out thousands to replace numerous mods on a car that was pretty well messed up.

When someone hits you -- you're covered without any additional insurance. You're not at fault and their insurance pays to get you "whole".

But if there's an accident where you're at fault, your insurance only covers OEM items. The rates you pay only cover the cost to replace an OEM item with an OEM item. So when you've got something non-OEM installed on your vehicle, that's not a covered item under any standard policy. "Custom Parts and Equipment" coverage provides that coverage for your aftermarket modifications.

I will say though, about GEICO in particular, that you've got to be careful with your mods. GEICO has a very anti-modification stance to anything outside of your basic wheels and stereos and other non-performance-related things. They are very well known for dropping customers after they make claims for things like engine modifications and, specifically, suspension modifications. They will cover you for whatever the accident you had was, so no worries there, but they will frequently drop customers immediately afterwards. Their thinking being that those modifications change their risk significantly as, in most cases, those items (especially suspension mods) are specifically designated for non-highway use only, and not necessarily engineered to the same safety and performance standards of OEM parts.

[SubaSteve]

I don't know how that works. All I know is with geico I just added the mods on afterwards. A lady later called me and asked if they were performance upgrades. I explained to the lady that the gain on this car is so small that its more for sound and looks. Didn't increase my premium at all.

[jlu]

I have Geico also. My aftermarket tail lights and sound system are covered for a couple dollars more a month, but they wouldn't insure my exhaust.