Installing Mk2.5 Spoiler On Mk2 Focus - Insurance Need To Know?

[GSM]

Hi folks,

So, I've just bought a spoiler off eBay for a Focus mk2.5 Titanium, and when it arrives I plan to fit it to my Focus mk2 Ghia as per the FOC guide ().

But, I was just wondering if this is the type of mod that you really need to tell your insurance about? Afterall you are fitting a genuine Ford spoiler which comes as standard on cars which are essentially just newer versions of my own car. Is it the kind of thing they could use to justify not paying out in the event of a crash?

For anybody who has made this mod, did you tell your insurance?

[NorthSussex]

Hi folks,

So, I've just bought a spoiler off eBay for a Focus mk2.5 Titanium, and when it arrives I plan to fit it to my Focus mk2 Ghia as per the FOC guide (http://www.fordowner...mk2-mk25-focus/).

But, I was just wondering if this is the type of mod that you really need to tell your insurance about? Afterall you are fitting a genuine Ford spoiler which comes as standard on cars which are essentially just newer versions of my own car. Is it the kind of thing they could use to justify not paying out in the event of a crash?

For anybody who has made this mod, did you tell your insurance?

I would always tell the insurance company in writing for any change from original spec, then they have no excuse for not paying out after a crash, it's unlikely to increase your premium.

[alkyz89]

hi mate,

Im pretty sure that anything that wasn't on your car from brand new that they don't know about can justify for them not paying out...

Im with elephant insurance and i told them about changing the rear fog light to a clear one... didn't mention the dual reverse light mod though lol

But they have categories with a price list that each mod can fall into, which in my case was exterior styling which included body kits, stickers n all that jazz... which didn't incur any cost.

So it was definitely worth mentioning, but always ask first as if your planning for the future in case they stick a big cost on it.

hope this helps

[GSM]

hi mate,

Im pretty sure that anything that wasn't on your car from brand new that they don't know about can justify for them not paying out...

Im with elephant insurance and i told them about changing the rear fog light to a clear one... didn't mention the dual reverse light mod though lol

But they have categories with a price list that each mod can fall into, which in my case was exterior styling which included body kits, stickers n all that jazz... which didn't incur any cost.

So it was definitely worth mentioning, but always ask first as if your planning for the future in case they stick a big cost on it.

hope this helps

Thanks for the replies!

I'm with Admiral, which is essentially the same company as Elephant, so hopefully I'll also incur no cost!

Still seems a bit dodgy that they can refuse to pay out for ANYTHING. After all I'm sure there are plenty of people who will have purchased modified cars which they didn't know were modified (e.g. there will be plenty of people out there who would buy my car in the future, not knowing that the spoiler isn't standard for that model). Seems unfair that they could have their claim rejected for that reason - especially as there's no mechanism for having to record styling modifications and pass that record to new owners, in some sort of official logbook or something.

Anyway, I'll give them a bell and see what they say. Hopefully it won't incur a cost, then I'll just inform them in writing when I make the mod.

[NorthSussex]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm with Admiral, which is essentially the same company as Elephant, so hopefully I'll also incur no cost!

Still seems a bit dodgy that they can refuse to pay out for ANYTHING. After all I'm sure there are plenty of people who will have purchased modified cars which they didn't know were modified (e.g. there will be plenty of people out there who would buy my car in the future, not knowing that the spoiler isn't standard for that model). Seems unfair that they could have their claim rejected for that reason - especially as there's no mechanism for having to record styling modifications and pass that record to new owners, in some sort of official logbook or something.

Anyway, I'll give them a bell and see what they say. Hopefully it won't incur a cost, then I'll just inform them in writing when I make the mod.

I agree, but insurance companies are a law unto themselves, if they can wriggle out of paying they will.

[Paul Zetec-S]

I recently changed my rear lights for the LED ones that are standard on the ST. I phoned my company and they said anything cosmetic doesn't need to be. Only performance enhancing changes or major body work.

[Stoney871]

I did this mod and informed my insurance.

No change to premium at all.

[jeebowhite]

I receieved an email the other day... Might have been confused.com with their "news", basically they had a guy on there who was explaining why the insurers rip you a new one for anything. If I can dig out the link I will pass it on...

As a rule, if it didnt have it when it left the factory, you should advise your insurers. EVEN down to the nuts holding the wheels on the car...

I removed the locking wheel nuts on my Zetec, because of a whole host of issues, and informed the insurer straight away. I was told that if my wheels had been half inched, or been in an accident they WOULD have null and voided my insurance... all that for the sake of £45 of Locking Wheel Nuts...

[NorthSussex]

I receieved an email the other day... Might have been confused.com with their "news", basically they had a guy on there who was explaining why the insurers rip you a new one for anything. If I can dig out the link I will pass it on...

As a rule, if it didnt have it when it left the factory, you should advise your insurers. EVEN down to the nuts holding the wheels on the car...

I removed the locking wheel nuts on my Zetec, because of a whole host of issues, and informed the insurer straight away. I was told that if my wheels had been half inched, or been in an accident they WOULD have null and voided my insurance... all that for the sake of £45 of Locking Wheel Nuts...

As was pointed out in another post, if an insurance company voids your insurance it has a knock on effect on all insurance policy's you may have, including your house insurance, don't take the chance. :(

[GSM]

I receieved an email the other day... Might have been confused.com with their "news", basically they had a guy on there who was explaining why the insurers rip you a new one for anything. If I can dig out the link I will pass it on...

As a rule, if it didnt have it when it left the factory, you should advise your insurers. EVEN down to the nuts holding the wheels on the car...

I removed the locking wheel nuts on my Zetec, because of a whole host of issues, and informed the insurer straight away. I was told that if my wheels had been half inched, or been in an accident they WOULD have null and voided my insurance... all that for the sake of £45 of Locking Wheel Nuts...

Oh wow. I never even thought of this... I INSTALLED a set of locking wheel nuts only last week after discovering that my Focus didn't have them. Didn't even think to tell them.

TBH I found it strange they didn't have them, as I'd have thought a Ghia with those alloys would have locking wheel nuts as standard. One nut on each wheel looks a lot newer than the others so I reckon the previous owner has taken them for themselves and replaced them with standards. Which, if it is the case, is exactly what I was talking about before - previous owners could make these kinds of subtle changes to a car, not inform the new owners - new owner doesn't realise, has an accident, and gets their claim voided. It's nuts! ... if you'll excuse the pun.

Kind of scares me - what else isn't standard on my car that I don't know about? It's not as if you can even check these things without taking it to a dealer - and even they probably won't know precisely.

Anyway, I contacted Admiral today by e-mail and the absolute THIEVES replied and are wanting to charge me £17.50 to change the spoiler on the car. It's daylight robbery imo. Changing from one standard spoiler to another doesn't increase the performance of the car or my style of driving, and it's not as if I'm getting an ST/RS spoiler which might possibly suggest that I'm a bit of a "boy racer". I think I'll phone up tomorrow and tell them exactly why I think its ludicrous and if they can't see their way clear of overlooking the charge, I'll be telling them I'll be switching at renewal.

Insurance is ludicrous. It really is time somebody done something about the state of the car insurance industry.

[NorthSussex]

Moding the car means you are no longer the same risk they thought you were when you took out the insurance or it could just be an admin fee for making a note on there records, shop around on renewal but still declare the mods.

[GSM]

Moding the car means you are no longer the same risk they thought you were when you took out the insurance or it could just be an admin fee for making a note on there records, shop around on renewal but still declare the mods.

Yeah, I know that's the reasons they may give, but they still don't make sense.

Modding your car only superficially can't possibly suggest anything about your level of risk, unless you're making "boy racer" type changes which could, possibly, suggest that you drive a tad carelessly, etc. There may well be some statistical correlation, but correlation doesn't imply causation.

As for the admin fees - I've always hated that term. I could cause them much, much more of an admin headache by phoning up every 2 hours for a quote on a different modification, without ever making the mod and therefore without ever being charged for it.

[jeebowhite]

I have been with admiral for 2 years now, and I just renewed with them. They like others do have admin fee's, but I havent made any modifications to declare to them. Having said that when I swapped from the focus to the Cee'd, they didnt charge me a penny to swap the policy to the new car? they seemed to waive all admin fee's for me, and I was quite happy about that.

My renewal came in at just under 750, I reduced the excess by £150, added on Hire car protection, and instead of costing me about £830 for all this, I got them down to just over £707. Baring in mind thats an £80 saving with them, and the fact that my renewals through comparison and direct, where ALL above £950, I thought I got a good deal with them...

I digress! A single charge of £17.50 to add a spoiler is excessive, I think if you do it in future, do a load of mods and make that £17 worth it :P otherwise Adrian Flux allow unlimited modifications in the same premium for the most part. As a forum member you can get a discount, unfortunately, not even a chance they could beat my renewal price so I havent taken advantage of it...

and I digress again!

[GSM]

I have been with admiral for 2 years now, and I just renewed with them. They like others do have admin fee's, but I havent made any modifications to declare to them. Having said that when I swapped from the focus to the Cee'd, they didnt charge me a penny to swap the policy to the new car? they seemed to waive all admin fee's for me, and I was quite happy about that.

Same for me actually - when I swapped my previous car for my Focus, they changed the policy without fees. Also, a few months after I renewed this year, I changed address. When I phoned up to inform them, they didn't charge an admin fee, and my refunded me for how much my premium had reduced.

My renewal came in at just under 750, I reduced the excess by £150, added on Hire car protection, and instead of costing me about £830 for all this, I got them down to just over £707. Baring in mind thats an £80 saving with them, and the fact that my renewals through comparison and direct, where ALL above £950, I thought I got a good deal with them...

I digress! A single charge of £17.50 to add a spoiler is excessive, I think if you do it in future, do a load of mods and make that £17 worth it :P otherwise Adrian Flux allow unlimited modifications in the same premium for the most part. As a forum member you can get a discount, unfortunately, not even a chance they could beat my renewal price so I havent taken advantage of it...

and I digress again!

Perhaps, but I think the £17.50 is an increase in premium for the mod rather than an admin fee - that's how it came off when they described it to me. So probably modding and informing in chunks won't help much!

I'll definitely be shopping around even more ferociously than usual, and trying Adrian Flux, etc, too.

[alkyz89]

the charge could be for the mod... some insurers will charge you for the mod as they feel it would make your car more desirable to thieves... ring them and explain the mod and they may be able to change it to a different category??

like i mentioned before every mod falls into a certain group which may or may not have a price increase attached... like for for exterior styling didn't incur any cost...

but yea i agree they are a rip off lol

[Stoney871]

It's usually just because the policy has been modified rather than the car.

Bloomin' admin charges.