Air bag deactivation key/insurance

[jace1969]

Ok when i had my car it had a air bag switch fitted for the passenger side to turn it off and i told the insurance which was all fine,it was added by other person.

I would not of known if i didn't have it from ford and they told me it was on.

My question is that fiesta have these fitted now on the top model from new (looked at a few in showrooms)

Does this make any change to the insurance as if i had this from another garage which the sales person i would not of known so i didn't know it was added then

just insured it how would i of got on if i had a claim and this was a added item,it wasn't my fault as i didn't know.

I have rang up my insurance for a new quote as up soon and being with them for 2 years and its gone through the roof like £400 more and they can only put it down to this.

Im shopping around for cheaper quotes and to declare that this is fitted £64 to de-activate it or they say if i just pull the key switch off the Air bag light will come on.

[isetta]

I have 2015 Fiesta Style (which is a lowly model). That has the airbag deactivation key lock in the glovebox as standard (not an added extra). 

I had a 2007 Fiesta which did not have it, handbook said you could ask the Ford dealer to instal one (it had the space/shape in the plastic moulding in the glovebox to fit it).

I think it is madness for insurance company to penalise you on this as lots of cars have this feature. As long as it has a warning light to show when airbag is turned off.

I can see why it might not be good to have a switch but no warning light.

Insurance companies' attitudes vary a lot on various things, also bear in mind you find many idiots working for insurance companies (I have worked for many insurance companies and they do have staff dealing with motor insurance who have never even driven a car)

[jace1969]

This is what i cant get as some cars or a lot of cars have them because of have kids in,i was with AA car insurance for 2 years and great quote and this was

on my policy and i sent them a form from ford saying it was on there and did nothing and this year its gone mad.

I will shop around but they did say it can only be this but when i get a quote now online on a few and done add this as you cant AA and not in the quotes and there are a alot.

What would go on if i didn't know about this and had a accident as i didn't know about it as every garage don't know if these was fitted from new as they are now.

[jace1969]

Update.........After talking to 4 insurance places because i got online quote no one at all said that the on/off is not classed as a modification (in there list)

as it don't make speed difference or safety etc when driving and also its an item which has to be manually turned off by someone so not on all of

insurance people Mods page to add extra cost,i got a quote off all of them that worked out a good £300 less that the one im with now AA.

So yes rang them back AA and there fault,the person i spoke to added it as a mod so another quote and yes its around the same as last year.

There are some very very dopey people and/or people who try to get a hell of a lot more off us,my language was very ''held back''

[isetta]

Just got my Admiral renewal by email. No changes to my car / address /claims etc in last 12 months but it has gone up by 26%.  Everyone says- well of course insurance premium tax has increased this year, I agree, but it went from 10% to 12% which creates 1.8%  more, not 26%.   Obviously I will see what price I can get elsewhere. Insurance companies, when inviting renewal, now have to tell you what you paid last year. They must hate that as it makes the increase obvious and can't exploit people who did not remember what they paid last year.

(I am aware that there is a change to the Ogden tables by the Govt which means that injury claims involved long term care for injured people costs insurance companies more now)

Anyway, time for a rant. The whole principle of insurance premium tax goes against the principles of the Govt wanting people to act responsibly and have insurance instead of relying on the state if they lose their house and contents in a fire etc. Up to 01 Oct 1994 there was no insurance premium tax. On that date it started at 2.5%, then 4, then 5. then 6, then 9.5, then 10, now 12%. I reckon they won't stop until it reaches the VAT rate.  (insurance premium tax on travel insurance has been the same rate as VAT for 20 years now). Most EU countries have insurance premium tax, but not all, Poland and Sweden for example do not.

 

[TomsFocus]

Admiral take the mick with their renewals now...

Mine shot up this year and so did my parents multicar policy.  Unfortunately I'm in an odd situation which means there are very few companies that will insure me so I had no choice but to stick with them.  I hope to have changed car for something totally standard by next renewal (March) as the remap is part of the problem.  I did get to the point of deciding to just not declare it, the car is standard otherwise, and I'm sure they'll find something to get out of paying if I tried to claim for my own car anyway (they cant avoid 3rd party claims) so it seems pointless letting it cause so much extra hassle and cost, but I just know I'd be constantly worried about it so did keep it declared this year.  

 

[jace1969]

3 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Admiral take the mick with their renewals now...

Mine shot up this year and so did my parents multicar policy.  Unfortunately I'm in an odd situation which means there are very few companies that will insure me so I had no choice but to stick with them.  I hope to have changed car for something totally standard by next renewal (March) as the remap is part of the problem.  I did get to the point of deciding to just not declare it, the car is standard otherwise, and I'm sure they'll find something to get out of paying if I tried to claim for my own car anyway (they cant avoid 3rd party claims) so it seems pointless letting it cause so much extra hassle and cost, but I just know I'd be constantly worried about it so did keep it declared this year.  

 

Its open my eyes how these days its a complete Rip off world,gone from £900 to £550 just for a  30 mins phone call over 2 days.

[isetta]

"(they cant avoid 3rd party claims)",

well yes and no.  If they find something they don't like, like a non-declared modification they still have to pay the third party (like you say) but they can pursue you to recover their outlay. Whether they would or not depends on whether or not they think it is worthwhile - like have you got the means to repay them - not just cash, but assets also.   The insurance law is to protect innocent third parties but does not protect the policyholder against recovery of the sums paid to the third party.

 

[jace1969]

Why do they give you a quote like i had first then take a hell of a lot off it,sure they look into it before they send quotes out in the post or email way over and some

poor chap just thinks ''oh its gone up a lot ok ill pay'' when you can save a lot by having a moan at them

Also the pass airbag switch don't even come into it as its not on most insurances list of mads as 3 places told me this.

[TomsFocus]

They give you that quote because a lot of people don't have time to shop around and get better ones, most automatically renew now as well so by the time you get round to it, it's already done.  Plus they prey on the elderly who still think loyalty means something, Saga is awful for that, both for house and car insurance.

I wouldn't have told them about the airbag switch tbh.  I can understand speed mods make you more likely to crash, and aesthetic mods make it more likely to get nicked...  But anything else is just daft, I've seen people have insurance cancelled because they didn't declare stickers even!