Can I Put 17" Wheels On My Fiesta Studio?

[iNath]

Nath they would probably have to employ you to refit it to the car

Exactly! And I could name my own price ;)

[HA06ZZA]

70 pound to declar a black roof aswel

[scotthunter]

Are you kidding? Mine's only £300 and I'm 29 with 7 years NCB. Use the Tesco comparison site, Hastings always come out cheaper.

That's pretty cheap! I think I'm the only person I know who's looking forward to their 25th birthday next year. Only because my insurance should (hopefully) plummet.

I'm ~£500 a year, 24, 1 NCD, 10k miles. It was about £600 until I put my learner Mrs on my policy, she's over 25 so the price went down :)

[Peange]

Are you kidding?

Kidding about what? Nath's being cheap or because mine is £500?

Being under 25 means high premiums, regardless of NCD.

[Peange]

Especially with a modified car

[scotthunter]

I've been driving 7 years now and I have NEVER claimed on insurance. Luckily I have never been involved in any serious accidents but I have damaged bumpers when I had my first car, but never told the insurance company as they would want me to pay £200 premium and it would mean that your premiums would go up for the next 5 or so years as you would then have to declare the claim at renewal. Simply not worth it. It's much cheaper to run a car into the ground then sell it, as the cost of claiming outweighs the increase in value if you had paid for the repairs at the time, especially if the car has high mileage.

Insurance companies are a complete rip off as they make ridiculous assumptions on risk factor just to increase their profits - for instance raising your premiums if you've been in an accident and it wasn't even your fault your risk category is still higher! If it wasn't for the fact that I now have a higher value car I would have stuck with third party only, so that there was just the basic cover to satisfy the police.

Yes, you should (I work in insurance after all). ANY parts/paintwork that isn't on the Ford Etis must be declared or your insurance company has a perfectly legitimate reason not to pay out. I put my dmb badges on my policy (decals/stickers, value £30) and there was no change to my premium.

If it came down to claiming, do you think a business which is trying to make money, is going to pay out just because you think it's too extreme? No. So yes, sadly, you need to tell them everything.

Some companies have a limit on the number of mods too, so if you don't tell them and need to claim, they'll not pay as they wouldn't have taken you on in the first place due to too many mods. If you're lucky you might get that year's premiums back.

If your insurance isn't completely accurate, then you're pretty much paying for nothing.

[scotthunter]

Kidding about what? Nath's being cheap or because mine is £500?

Being under 25 means high premiums, regardless of NCD.

£635 is high, I don't remember paying that much!

[scotthunter]

If your insurance isn't completely accurate, then you're pretty much paying for nothing.

Does this include declaring driving endorsements? It infuriates me that 3 points up to 5 years ago need to be declared, even though they only stay on your record for 3 years and your licence for 4 years. The difference in annual premiums between declaring 3 points and 6 points seems to be about £150. If they are off your driving licence, how can insurance companies find out?

[Peange]

Your premiums won't go up if it wasn't your fault. Your premiums increase due to reduction in NCD, and if you're not at fault then your insurance will claim the payout back from the other insurer. Unless of course it's a hit and run or uninsured driver.

I completely agree with you about not claiming for small repairs. It's not worth it.

The assumptions are not ridiculous, they're based on claim data. It's unfortunate but just because you're a safe driver, doesn't mean everyone else is. It does suck for us safe drivers.

Did you have a 10k car at 22 with as many mods as Nath? My first year's insurance on a £1500 Alfa 147 1.6 petrol was about £1000, and I was 23.

Premiums are so high these days, not due to repair costs, but because people claim for thousands of pounds compensation for injuries. Your car may cost say £7k to replace, but you could seriously injure someone who sues you for over £20k.

And yes it includes driving endorsements. Just because it's not on your licence, it doesn't mean it's not kept on DVLA databases. Which insurers have access to.

[scotthunter]

Your premiums won't go up if it wasn't your fault. Your premiums increase due to reduction in NCD, and if you're not at fault then your insurance will claim the payout back from the other insurer. Unless of course it's a hit and run or uninsured driver.

That's not true. You have to declare if you've been involved in any accident in the last 5 years, even if it wasn't your fault. And apparently insurance companies still see you as a greater risk statistically if you have been involved in an accident that wasn't even your fault, and your premiums will go up accordingly. I'd like to know how they work that one out ?

[scotthunter]

And yes it includes driving endorsements. Just because it's not on your licence, it doesn't mean it's not kept on DVLA databases. Which insurers have access to.

Are you saying that they won't pay out if you got 3 points for a minor speeding offence, say 4.5 years ago, and you haven't declared it?

[Peange]

I would recommend the best thing to do is get an online quote without the claim (if it wasn't your fault and you have the NCD to prove it) then phone the company with your quote number and discuss it.

That way your policy is valid (and the call is recorded giving you proof) and you still get the internet discount ;)

I think we may have hi-jacked this poor man's thread though...

[Peange]

If they ask for it, and you haven't given correct information, they can invalidate your policy due to non-disclosure. Some companies will just not pay out, other may ask you for the difference in premium from your last renewal/policy inception before they'll pay out.

[scotthunter]

If they ask for it, and you haven't given correct information, they can invalidate your policy due to non-disclosure. Some companies will just not pay out, other may ask you for the difference in premium from your last renewal/policy inception before they'll pay out.

It's simply wrong that you are judged and branded a risk taking driver because a slight lapse in concentration resulted in a VERY MINOR speeding offence, that will result in a £150 increase in annual premium 4.5 years later.

God I hate insurance companies.

[iNath]

And apparently insurance companies still see you as a greater risk statistically if you have been involved in an accident that wasn't even your fault, and your premiums will go up accordingly. I'd like to know how they work that one out ?

They will have graphs and statistics that show people involved in an accident are more likely to have another.