[robbo mcs]

Hi All,

Shannon's was the only company that would insure my car

They agreed to cover all modifications, including roll cage, seats, performance mods etc

However, they had a few important things I had to agree to :

• I would drive no more than 8K a year
• I would vouch that all modifications were RTA legal
• They wanted photos of the car, including all the mods, and reserved the right to inspect the car

After all of that I was glad to be insured, as no-one else would touch me However, my premium is reasonably high ($1600ish) compared to my unmodded Mini with BMW ($1200ish) for the same agreed value.

Personally, I think Shannon's are different to any other insurance company, especially in the inital quote process. Maybe they have a theory that true enthusiasts will look after their cars more than Joe Bloggs, and be at a lesser insurance risk ? That may be why they ask so many questions

When I got the race car insured they asked me about what events I did, what club I was in, how I garaged the car etc etc.

They possibly are not interested in someone ringing around 15 companies trying to get the best quote ?

Cheers

Robbo

[Mini2v]

To all

As you know i have been hunting around for the best price on insurance, so here is the final story.

2003 MCS JCW 60% NCB age 51 live Sydney Nthn Beaches. No driving convictions for over 12 years.
BMW
Agreed Value $47,900 Premium $1246

Shannons
Agreed Value $45,000 Premium $1096

AAMI
Agreed value $42,500 Premium $928

I went with AAMI

I asked BMW and Shannons to match AAMI, they wouldn't

All quotes were for all mods including the JCW.

I had to talk up the value with Shannons, there original value was $31,000

Based on other quotes posted here for Shannons, I firmly believe they make it up as they go, espeically with Gazah's experience, a very funny way to run an Insurance company.

Of course it is difficult to compare apples to apples with insurance companies, I gave up the availability of a rental car with AAMI (unless the MINI is stolen) this would have cost just $25 more but i still had to pay $15 per day for the rental, I have my `Cruiser so i'm not worried about a rental.

I guess i also accepted a drop in value from $47,900 to $42,500 but i'll gamble that i do not have a total loss, toouch wood furiously having said that.

I am also in the process of insuring my wife's RAV4, We have been with GIO since the year dot and have 6 other policies with them, but they wanted $1072 and AAMI quoted $698. Guess who is getting my business for that one too!

Vic

[MiniFr34k]

vic - good to see some progress has been made

just a note with aami - u might wanna carefully check the policy for thigns like:

1) 1 windshield per year? (dont think they do this)
2) car hire in event of accident (dont think they do this either?)
3) choice of repairer (dont think they do this either - although they say u can bring in an invoice and they'll bring one of theirs then pick, but take a guess who they will pick)
4) ive heard of things about aami bring a real prick about insurance claims and the like but i havent had any real experiences.

as u know im currently with just cars who are underwritten by aami so i face the same problems <(if not, more).

u also might wanna check who you are insured with for your home (and any rental properties), i know that aami can knock off a good amount on ur insurance premiums if u combine these policies. AAMI has a good land lord insurance policy so if you have a rental property u might want to look into that.

Cheers and good luck mate

[minigolf]

I'd heard some of those things with AAMI too Pete, but I have to say when I claimed with them to fix the Roo damage on the MINI they were quite good.

As far as the pick your own repairer thing, the way it worked when I made my claim was that I was able to nominate a repairer to be asked to quote on the job, and from there it is in AAMI's hands. For me, I was lucky and they chose my repairer.

But as far as the whole process went they handled it as well as I could have hoped for.

[MiniFr34k]

Quote: Originally Posted by minigolf

I'd heard some of those things with AAMI too Pete, but I have to say when I claimed with them to fix the Roo damage on the MINI they were quite good.

As far as the pick your own repairer thing, the way it worked when I made my claim was that I was able to nominate a repairer to be asked to quote on the job, and from there it is in AAMI's hands. For me, I was lucky and they chose my repairer.

But as far as the whole process went they handled it as well as I could have hoped for.

cool thats some good news to hear!!

btw - u hit a kangaroo with the mcs and got it fixed?? i know much of bigger cars that were written off after hitting skippy.

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by MiniFr34k

cool thats some good news to hear!!

btw - u hit a kangaroo with the mcs and got it fixed?? i know much of bigger cars that were written off after hitting skippy.

Hi,

You would be suprised how tough the little cars are

On a club run once I hit a mid sized roo at 100kmh. It hit the passenger side corner of the car, and flew 20ms or so off into the bushes (dead) I thought the car was going to be completely trashed However, it was drivable, and the repairs only cost around $1800 from memory

Cheers

Robbo

[MiniFr34k]

Quote: Originally Posted by robbo mcs

Hi,

You would be suprised how tough the little cars are

On a club run once I hit a mid sized roo at 100kmh. It hit the passenger side corner of the car, and flew 20ms or so off into the bushes (dead) I thought the car was going to be completely trashed However, it was drivable, and the repairs only cost around $1800 from memory

Cheers

Robbo

u know what, after reading this and hearing liam going through something similar i feel that much more safer driving my car lol ahah cheers fellas

[gazah]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mini2v

Based on other quotes posted here for Shannons, I firmly believe they make it up as they go, espeically with Gazah's experience, a very funny way to run an Insurance company.

i think they certainly have a lot of room to 'fiddle the figures', so to speak... the online quoting system gave me a quote of just over $2600 a year! then ~$1500 over the phone.

not necessarily the smartest way to run a business in this day & age of uber-competitiveness, but obviously they feel their guidelines give them a good, low risk customer-base... & obviously it's working to some extent given they're still in business

Quote: Originally Posted by MiniFr34k

2) car hire in event of accident (dont think they do this either?)

remember that if you're not at fault you can use a 3rd party company to get yourself a loan-car for the duration of the repairs... & they'll claim on the other party's insurance

[poki]

Yanno, all this comparison between companies is quite amusing given that many of these insurance "companies" are actually just brands and that ultimately most of these are owned by just a few names (Allianz, ING & AXA) and if you look through those names, a mob by the name of Vero own big chunks of them.

Gaz, who were you with and how did your repairs go?

[gazah]

Quote: Originally Posted by poki

Gaz, who were you with and how did your repairs go?

Got the MINI back yesterday morning... she looks tops!

Alto Pennant Hills were great, as were Budget Direct / Insurer's Hotline.... delays were primarily due to assessment etc over the Xmas / NY break

I'm only looking around because I'm considering a 'Modified' policy like Shannon offers

[IML337]

this thread makes me laugh

BMW had to *BEG* Allianz to insure me again this time, and the premium was $4k with an extra $2k on the excess... and you guys are complaining about a few hundred bucks

Vic, if I was you, I would go with BMW insurance for the MINI. They know the cars (reflected in the agreed value), are easy to deal with, and everything is convenient - they won't stuff you around... The comfort of knowing there will be no hassles in the event of something going pear shaped is worth a few hundred bucks in my book!

[gazah]

Quote: Originally Posted by IML337

this thread makes me laugh

BMW had to *BEG* Allianz to insure me again this time, and the premium was $4k with an extra $2k on the excess... and you guys are complaining about a few hundred bucks

i was wondering just the other day what must happen to your options & premium when you take a [forced] 'driving holiday'? ...but thought it rude to ask!

[Gr1zzLy]

Just had a chat with my insurer.. found out something cool... I can mod my car as much as I want as long as I tell them the mods, and they'll not only cover them (as long as they're legal of course), but my premium stays the same! I told them that I haven't done the mods yet, but would like to know how they'd affect the policy, and the lady told me my policy doesn't get affected as long as I tell them about the mods.

So I'm very happy with that! I get windshield cover and choice of repairer too... and well I've posted it up on this thread before but the premium is under $1k so all in all a v. good deal.

[IML337]

Who is your insurer? A few pages back it says Willis or something?

And be careful - you may actually find that the finance contract you signed for your novated lease states that the car is not to be modified in any way... I mean, it probably doesn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things, but it's something to bear in mind.

[Gr1zzLy]

Yep it's with Willis Aust.

Hmm.. will have to re-read the novated lease contract again.. can't remember a thing abt having mods on there.. but then again I intend to buy the car after the lease anyways.

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gr1zzLy

Yep it's with Willis Aust.

Hmm.. will have to re-read the novated lease contract again.. can't remember a thing abt having mods on there.. but then again I intend to buy the car after the lease anyways.

Hi,

One other thing to bear in mind, is that when the insurance company says it has to be legal, that means it has to be RTA legal

For example, cold air intakes are illegal in NSW

Wheel and tyre combos must be within guidelines with appropriate load ratings Also, suspension changes must be within RTA accepted guidelines.

If you change things like seats, steering wheel, airbags etc that needs and engineers certificate

Cheers

Robbo

[Gr1zzLy]

Cheers Robbo.. yeah most if not all of my mods have been JCW so they'd be legal otherwise MINI wouldn't be allowed to sell them in Aust.

[bigturtle]

Quote: Originally Posted by kyl72

Are these premiums for market value or agreed value? I have only found NRMA to do agreed value in QLD. All others like Suncorp who I am with are market value. I am about to change because Suncorp I am paying $890 a year for market value with a $350 excess on a standard cooper chili. For the same price NRMA will do it for an agreed value of $38,000 with an excess of $450. NRMA also gives you choice of repairer. Thats with a %65 no claim bonus rating 1. Anyone have any problems with NRMA???

We've been with NRMA for a few years now, and they're the only crowd I've bothered getting a quote from so far. (Our Mini isn't due for about 7 weeks). For agreed value of $45k on a Cooper S Checkmate, they've quoted me about $760, or about $820 if I wanted freebie windscreen replacements. $450 excess, rating 1, living in Brisbane, good driving record, etc etc.

[bigturtle]

Cancel that previous message! Our Mini is only a week or so away from delivery now, so I phoned NRMA again yesterday to check their pricing. $711/year, or $769 if I want to include windscreen cover without paying any excess. I expect that's about as good as I'm going to find.

[Sambo99]

This last post is a little old, so I thought I would post and see who else out there can provide some more up to date information.

I am shopping around for insurance at the moment for a R56 MCS Chilli pack. I am very tempted to go through an insurance broker... I am lucky enough to be over 25, have ten years driving experience and never had to lodge a claim...

Been ultra busy at work recently so havent been able to call around to get quotes. Tomorrow I will call around and will post the results if anyone replies to this thread between now and then