Vehicle Modifications and your insurance company

[yank dini]

Well I have bad news if you have "Progressive Insurance". I just got my policy renewal and reading the fine print they do not cover any modified vehicles, even if you lower your suspension. I was wondering if anyone else is aware of this and if so what insurance company does not care about vehicle mods

[millster]

You sure they won't cover the vehicle? I was under the impression that they won't cover the replacement cost of the mods themselves. They'll replace/repair the vehicle but only to stock condition.

[yank dini]

That is my final answerI just read it againThis is a surprize to me too it here is the list as stated in my policy papersThe company will not insure the following vehicles:A vehicle which has been substantially modified from its original manufactured state for purposes of increasing the speed of accleration capabilities of the vehicle The following characteristics would be considered:-Raised or lowered suspension-Steering geometery changed (i'm guessing racing steering wheels)-Engine or drivetrain altered or changed-Addition of traction bars-Oversized Tiresyou can call 1-800 PROGRESSIVE (if you are a policy holder) and see for your self

[millster]

Well I guess that's so much for switching to Progressive for me. Thanks for the info. You've saved me (and I'm sure a few others) from a rather major inconvenience.

[yank dini]

Hopefully I'll get some ratings on this postTrust me I've gotten a lot of surprizes from this insurance company and this is just yet anotherAnyway I was thinking of dropping Progressive Aside from my high premium this is just another reason to let them go

[millster]

Well, don't go with American Family either. So far I've had them drop me because I hadn't been paying when it turns out they were crediting it to someone else. At one point they were even billing me for having two cars (I only owned one) they had two different VINs and everything. Both Saturn SL2s though. I thought about calling and asking them what their policy is on mods, but I think I'll just ask my new rep once I decide where I'm going.

[d_m_kolb]

I use GEICO and have a 100 deductable. My wife a few weeks ago was rear ended and I have changed or messed with just about everything on our car. They don't care. They looked the whole car over including under the hood and never said a thing.GEICO was very fast on getting the car in for service and actually fixed some things that didn't happen in the accident. I'd recomend them to anyone.

[R@@MPID]

here in Quebec, it is even more extensive. If you modify your car you have to have it certified first in order to get your vehicle registration.1. here we habve no fault insurance, which means no lawsuits.2. because of this our vehicle registration covers our liability against personal injury.problem is there are alot of mods not allowed, like blue xenon, or yellow headlights.then you can shop for insurance, but i'm not sure if they allow for modified cars.alot of people do it anyways and don't get there cars certified but run the chance of being personally liable if the hurt someone with there uncertified modified car.my 2 cents

[yank dini]

quote:I use GEICO and have a 100 deductable. My wife a few weeks ago was rear ended and I have changed or messed with just about everything on our car. They don't care. They looked the whole car over including under the hood and never said a thing.GEICO was very fast on getting the car in for service and actually fixed some things that didn't happen in the accident. I'd recomend them to anyone.You know that also depends on your insurance adjuster in which you are at the mercy of when you are reporting a claim. I'm sure if you get an as--ole for an adjusted they are going to strickly by there policy with no grey areas

[millster]

quote:I use GEICO and have a 100 deductable... I looked at GEICO when I first moved to Ohio. They seemed to be on the fence about even insuring me at all and when the finally decided to go for it quoted me $1100 and something every six months. No past driving violations or anything. Only negative was my being 19 years old I even had my house by then. Didn't make a difference. Guess I'll have to wait for the cheapest alternative until that magical 25. For now I'll just have to go with someone who'll get the job done.

[Vibe Rater]

Somebody rear ended your Vibe?

[Vibester]

quote:I use GEICO and have a 100 deductable. My wife a few weeks ago was rear ended and I have changed or messed with just about everything on our car. They don't care. They looked the whole car over including under the hood and never said a thing.GEICO was very fast on getting the car in for service and actually fixed some things that didn't happen in the accident. I'd recomend them to anyone.Gee dm,With a $100 deductible you must pay a fairly heavy toll. Your choice, of course. I know some garages that charge $100 just to look at a car for repair. I've been using CNA for the past few years and have had good results. I generally carry a $500 deduct. to keep premiums (and insurance points) down. I think they have a fairly liberal mod policy. (more like a "don't ask, don't tell") Most companies I've dealt with don't cover mods unless specifically requested, however I not used one that refuses to even cover the vehicle. I guess there's saving money, and then there's saving money.

[Sputnik]

I'm with Motors Insurance from GM. I had them for my Cavalier as well. I'm pretty happy with them. But then I plan on doing absolutely no mods to my vibe (its a lease so really my hands are tied even if I wanted to).

[d_m_kolb]

Yes my monthly payment droped alittle when I turned 25 but not much because I was all ready married. I guess they figure you grow up a little when you get married. I also get a discount for being active duty military. We had a $500 deducable when we were rear ended and it really hurt us when we had to pay it. I checked into it and to lower our deductable to $100 it was only $15 a month more. I'm willing to pay that. I also didn't have rental coverage which by the way is only $8 a YEAR! Everyone should have this but the insurance companys fail to tell you about it. I had a $650 rental bill I had to pay also. GET RENTAL COVERAGE ADDED TO YOUR RATE. IT WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF STRESS AND MONEY. Someone asked if my Vibe was rear ended. I don't have a Vibe yet. Money has been tight and it's not possable for my wife and I to order one yet. MILITARY DOESN"T MAKE ENOUGH! Anyway hopefully next year or we might wait until the 2004 model comes out in Aug or Sep of next year.I pay around $700 every 6 months for my coverage with GEICO.

[Sputnik]

I'm paying a little under $1000 for a year for two of us.

[yank dini]

quote:Someone asked if my Vibe was rear ended. I don't have a Vibe yet. Money has been tight and it's not possable for my wife and I to order one yet. MILITARY DOESN"T MAKE ENOUGH! Anyway hopefully next year or we might wait until the 2004 model comes out in Aug or Sep of next year..DAN I am shocked lol

[CaCathy13]

GEICO (and Progressive too I think) uses your driving record along with your credit rating to decide a price on your car insurance. So, for us young 'uns, the prices are SOOO high. It's a load of hooey, but that's what they do. No thanks GEICO and you can shove that gecko up your hooha.I'm with State Farm and have throughly enjoyed the service (no accidents but everyone is so nice to me). Along with my car insurance, I have Renters insurance, so I have a multi line discount. I also have 2 cars, so I have a multi car discount. I pay 560 or so for my 98 Hyundai Accent and 389 for the Vibe both every 6 months. Plus having 2 cars is driving down the price of the Hyundai by 60 bucks every 6 months. Can't beat that! On a side note, for any renters out there, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Renters Insurance. 110 bucks/year got me 20,000 worth of coverage. Can't go wrong there.

[CaCathy13]

Oh, I don't think State Farm has anything against vehicle mods...although now I'll have to really overlook my policy....I mean, when I got the insurance they didn't even look at the car or anything.

[Stang2Vibe]

I have ERIE insurance, and so far, they've been pretty good to me (except the secretaries in my agent's office--they were mean to everyone and had attitude problems). Full coverage, $250 deductable on collision and liability coverage, costs me $1160 this year on my new Vibe. Included is the all-important (as I have found also) rental car coverage--an extra $7 per year buys me $35 per day for up to 30 days rental coverage. I have not noticed any provisions in my policy about mods, but I will now have to double check. I had double racing stripes on my Mustang, that I put on myself, that cost me about $17 in the parts store. When I hit a deer about 2 years ago, the body shop was trying to match up the stripes to replace them because the hood was damaged and had to be repainted after the repairs. They couldn't match the stripes (they have a contract with a detailer to do stripes, he couldn't match them), so they quoted me what they estimated it would cost to replace them because they had to refund that amount. They said the stripe guy estimated $225 to replace just the hood stripes! Damn, I must have done one hell of a good job on those stripes that only cost me $17! After they applied the $225 credit to the bill, I only owed $25 out of pocket to cover the rest of my $250 deductible. Those stripes were my best automotive investment so far, I guess.