Hi all,

Been a long time since I have posted, still lurk about the forum now and then though.

Renewal time for insurance on the ZS and for the first time it has come up categorising the parts of the Street Pack as optional extra's, adding at least £100 if not more to my premium.

The insurance company specifies a modification as "anything which changes the maker's standard specification or alters its performance, including cosmetic changes or any non-standard parts". Given that the Street Pack was factory fitted I was in the mind of thinking that surely this would be thought of as standard spec and thus I could remove them from the mod's list.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Cheers,

Mike

Just tell them the car is as it came from the factory but admit it does have the options.. Otherwise you could find yourself in the mire if a claim is made and perhaps the engineer spots it.. If you were to have a wee incident where the street pack parts were damaged it unlikely you could claim..

Its just one of the downfalls of having nice kit on your car and I'm sure you would want it covered properly ..

If it's a manufacturer option fitted at manufacture such as the Street Pack then you don't need to declare it.

Anything fitted after it was made does.

Cheers for the opinions guys, I checked on Etis and everything was fitted at manufacture so I am leaning towards not declaring the parts, would still appreciate any other views people have.

Agree with Sandycat

Had this discussion with my insurance company .if it left the factory with it on then it dosen`t count as a modification ( tinted windows / rear parking sensors)

Not wishing to be disagreeable but you do have to declare options.. Imagine putting in a claim for the same spec car if and its a big if of course to have a big accident or one that involves damage to those side skirts...

Just ask.. An insurer must be given all the facts in order to asses the premium they apply.. Not telling them the full story could render you in the crap if something were to happen..

Your insurance company could also check on ETIS as well ..

Its you choise and your car but pleading ignorance maybe later on could give problems..

Well as an insurance broker with 35 years experience I would like to think I know but it's up to you of course. No harm in telling them but the problem with the internet is you can only tick boxes. If in doubt speak to a human at your insurer and get their confirmation.

Insurers factor in all the available factory options when deciding the group rating but they cannot factor in the unknown which is why post-manufacture mods have to be declared.

Well as an insurance broker with 35 years experience I would like to think I know but it's up to you of course.

I think I'll side with the expert on this one :). I always assumed that you state the car you have and its approximate value. Factory fitted options are not modifications, and I don't remember ever seeing anything on insurance sites about declaring options, it's only ever modifications that you declare from what I've seen.

Well as an insurance broker with 35 years experience I would like to think I know but it's up to you of course. No harm in telling them but the problem with the internet is you can only tick boxes. If in doubt speak to a human at your insurer and get their confirmation.

Insurers factor in all the available factory options when deciding the group rating but they cannot factor in the unknown which is why post-manufacture mods have to be declared.

I thought this would be the case, up until this renewal I have only ever declared the mod's I have made, when I spoke to them yesterday they were happy enough to take the other items off for me when I said they were fitted as standard for the model.

I will have to get back in touch with them and get a definitive answer. Have already managed to knock £80 off the renewal with some discount they applied so I will see how much of a difference this makes and if they can't provide an answer then I'll have to decide if its worth the risk of not declaring.

I think I'll side with the expert on this one :). I always assumed that you state the car you have and its approximate value. Factory fitted options are not modifications, and I don't remember ever seeing anything on insurance sites about declaring options, it's only ever modifications that you declare from what I've seen.

On the comparison sites I have to check the mod's to add the exhaust etc and on each of them there it has other items listed such as 'Alloy Wheels (optional extra)'. I don't know if its just a ploy to fleece those who aren't savvy enough to question it.

On the comparison sites I have to check the mod's to add the exhaust etc and on each of them there it has other items listed such as 'Alloy Wheels (optional extra)'. I don't know if its just a ploy to fleece those who aren't savvy enough to question it.

I just had a look on confused.com and I think I understand it now, they make it more confusing than it needs to be. You have to answer yes or no to "Does the car have any modifications?" and when you click the question mark the description is:

"Modifications are non-standard changes made to the car after manufacture, such as new spoilers, alloy wheels, exhaust pipes, changes to the engine capacity etc."

Based on that description, you don't have to declare optional extras that were fitted to the car at the factory, including a body kit if it wasn't standard, or different alloys. There is option for "Bodykit (optional extra)", so this would be when you have had the Ford body kit fitted afterwards, as opposed to "Bodykit (non standard)" which would be an after-market body kit. That's the way I understand it anyway.

I think you should ask the particular insurance company who are underwriting your car rather than some fellas on the internet.. Whilst we are happy to offer opinions we won't be around if something were to happen ..

If your not happy with your quote just cancel and get a cheaper quote elsewhere. I never stay with the same company each year unless they match my cheapest quote and pay £180 fully comp for the year. No point being loyal nowadays.