After tripping over a few horror stories about insurance coverage
being declined or withdrawn due to performance mods I've read about
here, I knew I had to do a bit more research.

One guy at Tire Rack was obviously a bit eager to sell me a
suspension kit, as he proceeded to tell me that he had worked in auto
insurance for 17 years and had "never heard of" an insurance problem
resulting from suspension mods. That included all his time at the
Tire Rack, how ever long that was.

Sounding entirely too convenient for comfort, I decided to call my
insurance company, USAA. I was told that tires, wheels and shocks
were not a problem, but any suspension mods that raised the car or
lowered the suspension would have to "go to underwriting".

I've corresponded with others who assure me that asking permission
from underwriting is the "kiss of death" for anything you might have
in mind. That's the "NO" department.

I've read plenty of posts about people that informed their agent and
saved their receipts, pictures, etc. Some claimed there were no
problems, and others have horror stories of being notified weeks
later that their coverage would be dropped if they did not undo the
mods and have the car re-inspected.

This "no man's land" of insurance coverage makes me pretty uneasy, so
I'd like to hear from people that know specifically that the
UNDERWRITING department said OK to custom spring, struts, engine mods
that upped the horsepower, or what have you.

In particular, I'd like to hear from drivers with clean records,
about the type of car they wanted to mod (can be a big factor), the
location of the insured vehicle, miles driven, and age of the
insured.

I would love it if we had a resource that you could reference and
thereby have an advance clue as to the specific mods you could get by
individual insurers. Or it might turn out that it had much more to
do with other factors (age, location, miles driven, auto).

While I'm at it, I've picked up on another "vibe" that I'd like like
feedback on. Many performance mods are garish, brightly colored
things that scream out for attention from insurance adjusters in the
event of a claim. If you look at a wreck, and see red springs, pink
shocks, and something else that's purple, I bet that really sets off
alarm bells for an underwriter.

For people persuing a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about mods to
their vehicle, I'd bet that there would be a big benefit to finding
parts that performed well but looked as stock as possible.

-- CL.

+-----------------------------------------+
| Charles Lasitter | Mailing / Shipping |
| 401/728-1987 | 14 Cooke St |
| cl+at+ncdm+dot+com | Pawtucket RI 02860 |
+-----------------------------------------+

 

Charles Lasitter wrote:
> After tripping over a few horror stories about insurance coverage
> being declined or withdrawn due to performance mods I've read about
> here, I knew I had to do a bit more research.
>
> One guy at Tire Rack was obviously a bit eager to sell me a
> suspension kit, as he proceeded to tell me that he had worked in auto
> insurance for 17 years and had "never heard of" an insurance problem
> resulting from suspension mods. That included all his time at the
> Tire Rack, how ever long that was.
>
> Sounding entirely too convenient for comfort, I decided to call my
> insurance company, USAA. I was told that tires, wheels and shocks
> were not a problem, but any suspension mods that raised the car or
> lowered the suspension would have to "go to underwriting".

because youre basically screwing with the manufacturers specs. theres no
guarantee of the warrantability, suitability, or quality of
installation. very easy to take a perfectly "safe" accord and turn it
into a rolling time bomb.
>
> I've corresponded with others who assure me that asking permission
> from underwriting is the "kiss of death" for anything you might have
> in mind. That's the "NO" department.
>
> I've read plenty of posts about people that informed their agent and
> saved their receipts, pictures, etc. Some claimed there were no
> problems, and others have horror stories of being notified weeks
> later that their coverage would be dropped if they did not undo the
> mods and have the car re-inspected.

is the car paid for? in full? why would the insurance *want* to cover a
3" drop kit, supercharger, or turbo? its hard to believe someone would
install this stuff and not want to "test it out a bit".

and unless that means getting track time (insurance wont cover racing
track accidents, duh), it would mean testing it out on the onramps,
offramps, freeways, etc.
>
> This "no man's land" of insurance coverage makes me pretty uneasy, so
> I'd like to hear from people that know specifically that the
> UNDERWRITING department said OK to custom spring, struts, engine mods
> that upped the horsepower, or what have you.

for that answer, youll need to look maybe at a miata group, and find out
who insures them. they mod out their cars all the time, do track events,
etc. and im sure a lot of the cars are daily drivers.

they should be able to steer you toward "race/mod-friendly" insurance
companies.
>
> In particular, I'd like to hear from drivers with clean records,
> about the type of car they wanted to mod (can be a big factor), the
> location of the insured vehicle, miles driven, and age of the
> insured.

if i was going to mod my 98 CX, with a supercharger, drop kit, etc... id
likely go with basic liability insurance. insurance companies know that
mods actually *decrease* the value of the average car, and they insure
cars for full coverage that are worth full value.
>
> I would love it if we had a resource that you could reference and
> thereby have an advance clue as to the specific mods you could get by
> individual insurers. Or it might turn out that it had much more to
> do with other factors (age, location, miles driven, auto).

try the miata groups.
>
> While I'm at it, I've picked up on another "vibe" that I'd like like
> feedback on. Many performance mods are garish, brightly colored
> things that scream out for attention from insurance adjusters in the
> event of a claim. If you look at a wreck, and see red springs, pink
> shocks, and something else that's purple, I bet that really sets off
> alarm bells for an underwriter.

and malt liquor bottles, LCDs in the headrests and dashboard, etc. also
depends who is at fault.
>
> For people persuing a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about mods to
> their vehicle, I'd bet that there would be a big benefit to finding
> parts that performed well but looked as stock as possible.

if the car isnt paid for and is still under factory warranty, dont do
*anything* (aside from maybe wheels/tires) that cant be easily undone.


a FOAF had to pay for $3000 in tranny work out of pocket, because she
thought a 6" lift kit would look good on her tahoe. tranny blew, and the
dealer said the lift kit and oversize tires/wheels were the cause. undue
stress on the drivetrain, etc.

mitsubishi motors did research online to find out who was racing their
lancer turbos, and when the owners needed warranty work done, it was
flat-out denied.