Hi

First post

I am about to take the plunge ad order a Fit Sport 5sp, yea I know I will have to wait. I currently have a stock WRX 03 and have a 50 mile each way daily commute. I want a stealty fun car so looking at the Fit as an ongoing mod project/hobby.

Where do you go to insure modified cars? I am 40 plus, clean record no accidents, high performance course advanced driving etc etc. I know some people work on the dont ask dont tel tell re mods, but I am happliy married famly guy 3 small girls and do nt want to end up god forbid with coverage refused by an Insurance Company due to mods. Any one here been in the pame posiiton, who should talk to any recommended companies? Go straight to SEMA, SCCA, NOPI? The tuner mod scene is so big, I cant believe there is no solution, but I just can't find it.

Many thanks

Shelsey Walsh

 

Ask the ins company to value the car with the mods installed. This will entail you bringing the car to their ins center and list the mods you have with reciepts. They will insure it for ACV(actual cash value) but it will raise your rates....

 

Thanks for the info, any suggestions on Mod friendly Ins Cos, State Farm said fllat out no mods only manufacturer stock?

 

I don't really tell my insurance.. hehe

 

Thats where in the end you end up loosing out. If your in a at fault accident your ins companies only requirement is to repair your car with stock parts.....

Shelsey no ideas on a ins company for ya but I will check around....

 

Thanks will do the same.

My understanding is that as an insurance contract is one of the 'utmost good faith', if you don't tell then Company could actually refuse coverage.

Looking at the debate over coverage water damager vs wind damage due to Katerina any chnace to reduce payouts would seem to be a motivation for insurers.

 

I don't know if you have Geico near you but they do allow mods. I have an 03 element and they actually included my intake, sway bars, and voltage stabilizer with my plan. I have not modded my Fit yet aside from the HFP rims (they covered them too) so we will see. They increase in coverage was like 8-12 dollars a month so pretty reasonable so far.

 

I have Esurance, and they have a $1-5000 brackets for modified parts. You'll pay for it, but it's there. I worked it out, something like if I have $1000 of parts for a year and nothing happens, it's not worth it, but I guess it depends on your area and your driving record and stuff.

As for switching from WRX -> Fit:
My last car was an 05 WRX with Cobb Stage 2 (Stromung 3 inch dual tip TBE, AP). I can honestly say stock to stock that the Fit is more fun to drive. It's a really good value too for what you pay in terms of mileage, fit and finish, versatility and handling.
This is even my first automatic car (out of 5 cars i've owned) and the paddle shifters are actualyl kind of cool. I've gotten used to downshifting and revmatching all the time You can't do that with most automatics.
Anyways, good luck in your decision!

tre

 

Thanks all

Dont get me wrong the Rex is fabulous, but ...... I want a hobby and with the Subaru the only challenge is making it go faster and it is already fast, seems the choice would be death or jail.

 

I don't have any mods when I insure it( like I have many mods now...only muffler deleted+dorr sills), since I had to insure it when I bought it. its just a matter that the insurance will cover the value(actual at the time of an accident, minus depreciation) of the vehicle, not the mods.

 

I have a '90 CRX Si that is almost in showroom condition. KBB, Edmunds, NADA, etc., say that it is worth about $2500-$3500.

I've had ppl stop me and offer me significantly more than that.

What I did was I went to my local independent insurance agent and told him that I wanted a policy that would cover it for $7000. He called that a "stated amount" policy, and found that Indiana Ins. Co. would do that. It really wasn't much more, as they know that if you are valuing something more that "normal" that you are going to take care of it!

Good luck!!

 

Thanks all


Some great stuff here. Good leads mind made up am going to take the plunge! Now I just need to find one.

 

It's kinda a don't ask/don't tell.... but the downside is, if you wreck your ride, don't expect to be compensated for all of the $$ you put into mods.


In fact, it's better, overall, just to consider $$ you have in mods as money you've lost.

 

Yes but I go back to my point about insurance being a contract of utmost good faith anything material that might affect the insurers risk ( like a chip, cat back exhaust, lowered suspension etc..) must be disclosed or coverage can be refused.

In Canada even new wheels and tires have been grounds to refuse coverage.

Looking at the bigger picture with family responsibilities and liability issues to consider as well as compensation for vehicle damage I just want to make sure that insurance does what it is supposed to do and minimize damage and cost in the case of need.

I do not mind paying more if necessary for modding my vehicle ( it is a hobby after all ) to make sure that me or my family is properly covered in case of the worst. It may not be needed, god I hope not, but you never know.... Earlier this here in Detroit a rock hauler fell off an overpass and crushed an SUV on the highway beneath. If that were me I do not coverage or liability refused because I neglected to tell the insurance company about aftermarket wheels or exhuast.....

 

When my gf totalled her car, she had unitrin.
I uninstalled her intake, pullies, bodykit, exhaust and rims
before the insurance company came to pick it up
with a tow truck. They said nothing about all
the missing parts. They appraised the car by an independant
appraiser, I asked for extra $ for the mods, but they said mods don't
add to the resale value, so I took them off!
They paid fair market value, plus taxes.
so for a 2000 celica gts she got $16,500. (This was last year).

So just salvage your mods and sell them on ebay!
No need to pay extra insurance!