Gap Insurance

[jmbrown91]

Hi all,

I have just ordered my new Fiesta Titanium and the dealer advised me that I should have GAP insurance for the car, so I decided to get that through the dealer.

However after being so naive I didn't realise that GAP insurance was not just a dealer and you can actually get it through a different company at half the price the dealer quoted, which was £400, which I have since cancelled.

Does anyone on here know of any reputable GAP insurance providers that they have used or know to be good?

Cheers

[MartynS]

I did a fair bit of research into this when I got my car knowing that the dealer would be a lot more expensive. The main two mentioned everywhere are 'click4gap' and 'Surf and Protect'. I went for the latter as they were the cheapest, and they will try to beat any cheaper quote you get from elsewhere. They also allow you to defer the start date by up to 12 months as some car insurance policies have new car replacement for cars up to 12 months old.

Hence, I bought 2 years of cover (up to £10k) giving me 3 years total for just over £160. This was for replacement cover, so if you have to claim on it your total payout from both insurances will be the value of an identical new car at the current cost. The dealer one would more than likely only give a total payout of what you paid for the car, so any price rises you would have to fund yourself if you wanted a new identical car (known as 'invoice gap' I believe).

[jmbrown91]

Thanks for your reply..I've just checked out that site and it was something like £206 for 3 years cover, but like you said if you can defer it for a year then 2 years makes sense..

I also read that sometimes in your insurance small print if you defer the GAP insurance you could have a problem as your main car insurance may have a restriction on the 'new for old' replacement vehicle. Say they could cap your mileage so if you go over you're not covered for new for old until you're deferred GAP insurance starts..I'll have to check that when I get my quote :)

[MartynS]

hmm, I'm not aware of any restriction on my main insurance (insurance is one of the things I do read the small print of :D). That said though they're all bound to differ, I'm with More Than for the record.

[jmbrown91]

Yeah I'll have to check mine, it just said it's possible they have its probably worthwhile checking..

Though the difference between 2 and 3 years wasn't too much for the quote I got..

I'm with Elephant so will have to check.

Also, just a quick question slightly off topic but I rang my insurance company to get a quote for what it would be to put my new fiesta on and they said that because I'm getting the dress up kit on it it's classed as a mod =/ surely because that's a factory fitted option it shouldnt be classed as a mod??

[MRC89]

Factory fitted option on the titanium, Standard on the Zetec S, They fall into the same insurance groups (when comparing 1.6 Ti-VCT/TDCI) However, different insurers have different policies on what counts as a modification. Have you clearly stated that it's a factory fitted body kit? I think the norm is a marginally small increase in premium. If you're premium shoots up, I'd look at another insurer.

It's kind of silly, same car, same engine, same body kit, different badge makes the difference between standard and (factory)modified...

[Mark M.K]

People like Direct line will refuse to insure you even if its "factory fit" You need to tell your insurance compmany its not aftermarket. Admiral (part of the same group as Elephant) have an option on the insurance for optional extras - such as bodykits and alloy wheels.

[jmbrown91]

Yeah I told them it was factory fitted, I dont think the woman understood what I was going on about though..

Maybe when I get the reg it might state it when they put that in? =/

The other extras I've gone for are keyless entry, interior pack 2 and the spare wheel..I presume I'll have to tell them about all of them then aswel?

[dLockers]

Factory fitted option on the titanium, Standard on the Zetec S, They fall into the same insurance groups (when comparing 1.6 Ti-VCT/TDCI) However, different insurers have different policies on what counts as a modification. Have you clearly stated that it's a factory fitted body kit? I think the norm is a marginally small increase in premium. If you're premium shoots up, I'd look at another insurer.

It's kind of silly, same car, same engine, same body kit, different badge makes the difference between standard and (factory)modified...

I think this is bull. Obviously the operator doesn't understand what's going on.

I have bought numerous cars with numerous options, every option on top of the base car could be considered a 'factory fit mod'.

What even is a 'factory fit' mod? Surely if its a factory fit, its not a modification, because they are building the car in the first place.

Do I need to declare my leather? That was an option, I also have a hanging Pongo air fresher, what's the score with that?

The only time you need to declare modifications if its after market or dealer fitted. I wouldn't even mention 'dress up kit', as that's how the car was from the factory.

[Mark M.K]

To qutoe from what most insurance companies say:

Modifications to your car

You must tell us what modifications you intend to make and obtain

our agreement prior to making them. Modifications are changes

to your car’s standard specification, including optional extras.

These include, but are not restricted to, changes to the appearance

and/or the performance of your car (including wheels, suspension,

bodywork and engine).

If you do not tell us about any relevant modifications, we may:

• reject or reduce your claim;

• treat the policy as void (i.e. as though it has never existed).

This reads to me, anything that up's the cost to repair your car must be told to your insurance company. If you have a Zetec S, then you wont need to say about the bodykit, as this is standard on the car. However, if you add the 17" alloys and rear window tints from the factory, this should be told to your insurance company to avoid possible refusal on a claim after a crash. I'm not sure where insurance stands with things like keyless system and leather. Best to phone them up about that.

[jmbrown91]

I would have thought that the optional extras that are added at the time of build in the factory shouldnt come under modifications?

Surely when they get the reg of the car it should be able to tell them what the car has? unless they dont have access to that kind of information...

I suppose I'll have to see what they say and if this is the case then I'll just have to live with it..unless anyone thinks its worth contesting it?

[Mark M.K]

They wont be classed as a modification. They will be classed as an optional extra. This will only add around £15 a year to your policy. In your case jmbrown, you should only have to tell them about the bodykit and make sure it goes down as an optional extra, NOT aftermarket.

On my policy, it says under the modifiaction section: Alloy wheels - (i have the 16" option alloys) (optional extra) Full Body Kit (optional extra)

[jmbrown91]

If it's not going to make much of a difference then there is no point contesting it and just deal with it..thanks for clearing that up though :)

Thought they were just trying to mug me off! As you have the Keyless Entry too Mark I presume I'll get away without having to mention that if you did?

[Mark M.K]

I'm not sure about what the keyless system does to insurance. I've not told them about it, as its part of the cars security system. Theres no option on Admirals policy for this sort of thing.

[jmbrown91]

Cool, I'll do the same as you then, cross that bridge if it ever comes to that!

Just need to start to get excited for it now..as long as the finance goes through tomorrow *fingers crossed*

[iNath]

You do need to tell the insurers about any optional extras as the reg only tells them what the standard model is. Otherwise they don't know if they're insuring a £13,000 Titanium or an £18,000 one with every single option.

[jmbrown91]

I thought that might be the case Nathan..I'll see what the price will be closer to the time of pick up :)

[GothicRebel]

You do need to tell the insurers about any optional extras as the reg only tells them what the standard model is. Otherwise they don't know if they're insuring a £13,000 Titanium or an £18,000 one with every single option.

I agree with nath......for that exact reason. Direct Line asked me about my alloys, being ones i put on or what, seeing as they come as standard

[jmbrown91]

Yeah i thought that might be the case..

I'll see what they say..although if I was to get a quote now do you reckon they would honor that until I got the car? Say up to 23rd June..Just so I know how much extra I will have to pay..at the moment it's looking around £200 extra..but that wasn't inc the 'extras'

[iNath]

Yeah i thought that might be the case..

I'll see what they say..although if I was to get a quote now do you reckon they would honor that until I got the car? Say up to 23rd June..Just so I know how much extra I will have to pay..at the moment it's looking around £200 extra..but that wasn't inc the 'extras'

Depends on the company, some will quote up to 60 days in advance, others 30. They'll ask the date you want the cover to start over the phone, tell them and see what they say :)

[YAMS]

It definitely all depends on the insurance company. Im recently went down this same route as you are.

I'm also with Direct Line and they class the Fiesta dress kit as a modification. So time to look elsewhere...... I found two company's that didn't class the kit as a mod. They were Aviva and LV. LV were in paticular very helpful. If you go to their website interactive FAQ and type in modifications it tells you that anything factory fitted is not a mod. I even rang them to clarify this and it was correct.

[jmbrown91]

Yeah I'll give Elephant a ring tomorrow and see what they say about the 'mods' that I've made and how long the quote will last..still got 6 weeks to go yet so might have to wait a few weeks