[Laury]

unfortunately I had my Mini stolen over a month ago and now i'm in the middle of completing the nitty gritty with my insurance company

they have recently written to me explaining whe i did not inform them of the modifications to my vehicle!!

when i initally took up the insurance i declared that that mini had the optional Chili Pack and the vehicle was valued approx. £15000 - therefore i assumed that it was not necessary to state all the extras (factory fitted) such as air con, tints, s spokes, bonnet stripes....

so why have they asked me to explain about the modifcations where i clearly stated that the vehicle was the value of all the fitted extras??

i know that there has been a great debate over what to declare to certain insurance companies on this website

now i'm beginning to have second thoughts............

any suggestions??

[matfrost]

Do you mind me asking, what insurance company this is?
Surely no-one declares the factory fitted options on there insurance. That would make things really complicated wouldn't it!! Also there is nowhere to list these options on the ever popular internet insurance sites.

[Laury]

Quote:

Do you mind me asking, what insurance company this is?
Surely no-one declares the factory fitted options on there insurance. That would make things really complicated wouldn't it!! Also there is nowhere to list these options on the ever popular internet insurance sites.

Privilege, part of DL - I got the quote online and you can specify the Chili Pack with the Mini but no other extras, hence the value of vehicle field i assume??

[Paul]

With any luck they'll be OK once you go through the options etc. and make it clear that was included in the declared value.

This is a "risk" a lot of people take, you really should make sure that first of all you declare EVERYTHING on your MINI that isn't part of your standard model, and secondly make sure the insurance covers you like for like.

[miniboyblue]

This whole area I am finding with Mini's is a real problem. I do not know of any other car that insurance companies are so particular on the otipns area in general.
I was insured with e sure and when I declared that I had a Aerokit fitted to the car they refused my renewal !!...........I am 41 years old with a full no claims, car is garaged, with a Tracker fitted, work that one out.
Also I found that every insurance company I talked to would charge an extra premium if the Chilli Pack was fitted, and if not declared they would refuse to pay a claim !!!!!........ So be careful

[Laury]

Quote:

With any luck they'll be OK once you go through the options etc. and make it clear that was included in the declared value.

i hope that this will be the case as i'm currently paying insurance and finance for a car that someone else is driving it right now!!!

i've already forwarded the company proof of documents including the specification sheet of th emini when i first ordered the car but as far as i was aware i thought that factory fiited 'options' are not classified as a modification!!

Quote:

This whole area I am finding with Mini's is a real problem. I do not know of any other car that insurance companies are so particular on the otipns area in general.
I was insured with e sure and when I declared that I had a Aerokit fitted to the car they refused my renewal !!...........I am 41 years old with a full no claims, car is garaged, with a Tracker fitted, work that one out.
Also I found that every insurance company I talked to would charge an extra premium if the Chilli Pack was fitted, and if not declared they would refuse to pay a claim !!!!!........ So be careful

i've noticed now that the Chili Pack option is now selectable from various online insurance companies, even the recent models Seven, Park Land and Checkmate are included in that list!!

i suppose there's a downside to the Mini's great ability of customising and huge array of unique options that makes it a complete nightmare for insurers!!!

[dietcokeplease]

Quote: Originally Posted by cptlaury

but as far as i was aware i thought that factory fiited 'options' are not classified as a modification!!

Most people think that factory fitted options aren't mods. But most people get it wrong because insurers normally ask if the car is "modified from the manufacturers standard specification".

Your circumstances really should be a wake up call for everyone that insists that an aero kit or induction kit or even stripes need not be notified to their insurers.

Hopefully I don't think that your insurers are trying to get out of the claim, but they are probably seeking to reduce the payout by enforcing an underinsurance clause or claw back some of payout because they could reasonably argue that your undeclared mods made the car more attractive to theft. They can apply an underinsured clause by either charging you a retrospective additional premium which will be deducted from the final payout, or they may average the claim - car is worth £15k, mods cost £1.5k = 10% underinsured.

If you have legal expenses cover then check the policy document to see if it covers claims against your insurers if they do try and wriggle out of the claim.

[mooneymini]

I recently called up my insurance company (egg.com)
Listed:

air con
cd player
mats!
chrome line interior
white indicators
spotlamps
spoiler
17" wheels
tinted windows
stripes
sunroof
and side stripes(approved mini)
colour coded trim(bmw fitted)

all of this they were fine with, it just took a while for the lady to note down on the insurance notes, which i got through a few days later all complete. So i am at peace of mind now,
Some of the things she asked whether it was mini fitted, and luckily all my extras has been done at mini garages or at a mini bodyshop.
I was inquiring about how much insurance would be for some lowering springs to be fitted, and she said that if it had been done when i picked up the mini it would be free, if i had them fitted by mini later it would be slightly more money, but if i had them fitted by just a normal garage that it would be around £250 extra on my insurance premium.
But what worries me is the way i had been driving around for 6months with all this , thinking no worries, 'cause i told them it was a chili pack mini.
I havnt got a clue what they would have done if i had had a crash.

[Westie]

You must declare all changes from the factory basic specification, including all factory fitted options - plain and simple! Whether or not your insurer wants to load your premium is up to them - but most won't. However, if you haven't declared any options or modifications (including dealer-fit items like auxiliary driving lamps) then you accept the possibility that your insurance cover is null and void - with the associated consequences!

[john_o]

insuring MINI's certainly does seem a minefield.
I would also suggest you have a look through this area thoroughly.
There are 2 main issues
1. Correct insurance declaration
2. Like for Like replacement (even if correctly declared)

JohnO

[Phirefly]

I had a nightmare insuring my cooper with its factory chili spec. I cottoned onto the fact that many underwriters consider the chili spec to be 'modified', so when obtaining quotes made a point of always declaring it, however this added LOADS to my premium.

I'm super cautious when it comes to insurance as I have been in a situation before where I wrote off a car and was at the mercy of the insurance investigators fine-tooth comb, luckily they paid out as I had been completely honest.

I got a good quote this time round with 'Markerstudy' and made a point of telling them about my chili spec. I got a call from them two days later asking me to list PRECISELY what was included in the spec. Then I called them a couple of days later about s different issue only to be told my policy was now invalid as the underwriters had refused to insure me with the 'modifications' I had detailed even though they were factory standard.

I eventually got my best quote with Tesco, who give you the option of 'chili' in a drop down on the website, I called to double check and they assured me they are aware of this issue and I was fine as long as I'd informed them of the chili spec.

What a load of unexpected ballache though.

[Laury]

Quote:

Hopefully I don't think that your insurers are trying to get out of the claim, but they are probably seeking to reduce the payout by enforcing an underinsurance clause or claw back some of payout because they could reasonably argue that your undeclared mods made the car more attractive to theft. They can apply an underinsured clause by either charging you a retrospective additional premium which will be deducted from the final payout, or they may average the claim - car is worth £15k, mods cost £1.5k = 10% underinsured.

thanks for the advice, apparently as i took out the shortfall insurance with BMW, they will try to minimise the amount should the insurance underpay, therefore they will play a sort of tug of war of who's will split the costs!!

i've just replied to insurance company and will expecting round 2 to commence shortly......

[Westie]

Shortfall will not cover any underpayment due to the car being misdescribed. Also,note that shortfall requires the car to be comprehensively insured throughout the period of shortfall cover; arguably, the car may not be considered comprehensively insured if it has not been fully described to your primary insurer! In sum, don't rely upon shortfall to cover any failure by your prime insurer to pay out because you chose to keep a material fact from them!

[Martin L]

It's the old adage, you pay for what you get...

Not all insurance policies are the same. Hence you MUST read the small print

I always select a policy where in the event of a theft or write off they will pay for the amount based upon the full original invoiced amount for the car and not what they deem the car to be worth. This clause covers ALL factory fitted accessories.

[Laury]

Quote:

I always select a policy where in the event of a theft or write off they will pay for the amount based upon the full original invoiced amount for the car and not what they deem the car to be worth. This clause covers ALL factory fitted accessories

.

...and which companies are they if you don't mind??

[dietcokeplease]

If any of you are high net worth individuals then it may be worth looking at a motor policy by Chubb Insurance. (An American Insurance Company and not the lock company). It's only available through brokers so you need to find one of the few brokers who specialise in it.

The main benefits are:

Shortfall is included not matter how old the car is.
All factory options are covered.
You are allowed to drive any other car with fully comp cover and not just third party (up to certain limits)

I had a look a couple of years ago and the premium was about £1,200 for one car! It's not cheap but it may give you the peace of mind that you require if your circumstances dictate it. Our family's fleet policy is only £2,500 for 9 vehicles so it wasn't worth it for the cover.

I've heard that Hiscox is very good for a premium insurer. At the end of the day whichever insurer you use, your cover is only as good as the information you provide them to assess you risk fairly and accurately. If you break this fundamental principle of insurance then you could lose all or some cover.

[Laury]

I have confirmation that the claim has now been passed onto the settlment team where i should hear from very shortly!!

the modifications to the car has now been cleared up as the 17 s spokes and darkened windows did not affect the premium or insurance, but now i know when i get insurance for my next vehicle i will let the insurance company know the total spec from A to Z of the car to avoid future mishaps

my anticipation for my next mini is building up again....

[Tucker]

I rang my insurance company today and got them to make a note of every option that I had on the car. Previously I had only listed the chilli pack, metallic paint and wheels. Just to be safe. Thanks guys because I would never have thought of it otherwise.

[Laury]

Quote:

I rang my insurance company today and got them to make a note of every option that I had on the car. Previously I had only listed the chilli pack, metallic paint and wheels. Just to be safe. Thanks guys because I would never have thought of it otherwise.

it good to hear that people are taking note!

[Laury]

LATEST:

I received a phone call from the valuation engineer (finally) today and he quoted me £13200 for my vehicle which was worth just a tad under £15000 when new

however this quotation was based on a Mini Cooper Chili pack, so he did not take in consideration the rest of the specification !

i explained to him that the vehicle was more spec'd out, so he will contact me again on Monday with a new figure

I 'm glad that this is finally been resolved as I've been mini-less for 10 weeks