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U.K - My Insurance would not allow exhaust upgrade on 2020 GT

Cpcloud

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Not knowing UK laws or OP's policy contract wording, I am reluctant to advise OP to act against the insurer's advice.
I find it interesting how you selectively left out of my insight and background as to why he would get covered in the case of an accident.

Even contracts aren't justification as to why an accident wouldn't be covered if unless the exhaust is the at-fault reason. This is an EASY case in court. Threaten litigation and the insurance reserves goes up further than the payout. OP gets covered without this going to court - this has nothing to do with US LAW, this has everything to do to how insurance works fundamentally.

OP is an adult and can decide for himself.
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RonsterGT

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For my US based cousins:

In the UK, it is a requirement of just about every Insurance firm, to declare any modification that is done to the car after it leaves the factory or Dealership from a "Brand new" state. If you don't and you get stopped by the Police, they can query with the Insurance Firm and get a list of the mods..... and you will be in a whole heap of bother - think massive fine, points on driving license and a marker on you so that any future insurer will want to rip you a new one price wise.

Edit: And if you have an accident and get caught with the mods, the Insurer would be within their rights to refuse to pay out.....

So my GT Vert that has: Roush Axel Backs, Vinyl Stripes, Stubby Aerial, LED interior lights, the GT350 Start button/Shift Knob/Steering wheel pack, Strut bar, Sto n Sho, Steeda Jacking Rails and US Spec Deck lid all declared on the Insurance Document, one to keep the nice Police Officer happy, but should anything happen, you can cliam for the stuff (importing from the US is not a cheap exercise)

OP - when your renewal is up, contact APlan (Thatcham Branch) or Adrian Flux or Brent Acre and they should be more helpful as they deal with modded cars. The mainstream insurers in the UK are very wary of modded cars. I'm with APlan and they've been very understanding.
Very similar principle in Commonwealth countries. Canada is no exception. Not identical, but similar.

No offense intended, but there are days when I wish we had joined The Tea Party eons ago.
 

Pittpa

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I find it interesting how you selectively left out of my insight and background as to why he would get covered in the case of an accident.

Even contracts aren't justification as to why an accident wouldn't be covered if unless the exhaust is the at-fault reason. This is an EASY case in court. Threaten litigation and the insurance reserves goes up further than the payout. OP gets covered without this going to court - this has nothing to do with US LAW, this has everything to do to how insurance works fundamentally.

OP is an adult and can decide for himself.
I left it out because it is irrelevant, as is my own 29 years in automobile casualty claims and litigation, if we aren't familiar with UK law and insurance contracts.
 

Mike Clark

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Since it's a requirement for insurance companies to declare any modification, why don't they do so (and raise the premium as appropriate) instead of refusing to cover the car?
Some of the “main stream” ones here will insure for some mods and will bump the premium accordingly and in fact for a year I was with a main stream insurer, but once the mods start is when you have an issue.

Bearing in mind that you have to declare the mods, when you tell the agent that you’ve replaced the “deck lid“ and they look on the computer for said part and it says “nope, do not have on my list” things get sketchy. Same thing for the Strut Brace and Jacking Rails. At which point the Insurer politely says that they can’t offer cover and you enter the realms of the specialist firms.

in fairness it’s not too bad, at 43 years old, clean driving license, no accidents recorded and all declared mods, I’m paying £600 a year for a policy with 12,000 miles of “personal“ use and 1,000 business miles where I can use it if my firm send me somewhere and I decide to drive rather than take the train.
 

raptor17GT

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I find it interesting how you selectively left out of my insight and background as to why he would get covered in the case of an accident.

Even contracts aren't justification as to why an accident wouldn't be covered if unless the exhaust is the at-fault reason. This is an EASY case in court. Threaten litigation and the insurance reserves goes up further than the payout. OP gets covered without this going to court - this has nothing to do with US LAW, this has everything to do to how insurance works fundamentally.

OP is an adult and can decide for himself.
Quite simple, UK insurance company asks details of car and then specifically asks if any modifications from manufacturers spec. If OP answers no to this but then changes the exhaust, it's not std as per manufacturers specification. If OP lies at insurance setup that car is standard but he's changed exhaust then again not as per standard specification.

If OP has accident whether or not it's his fault the non declared mods on his car means he's in breach of contract with Insurance company and thus not covered. He then gets charged with driving with no insurance and likely gets his car crushed as an added benefit. Of course, he's still liable for any outstanding car payments and good luck getting insurance in the future.

Just because one can vmax on the motorway in Germany doesn't mean one can do so in the UK or the US. Different countries, different rules.
 

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I told my insurer about the blower and rims so they would be covered if I’m in an accident. But then I also live in the us and pay a slightly higher premium. The accidental breakdown coverage I have through the insurer will cover the blower too. Pretty awesome.
 
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MidwayJ

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Some of the “main stream” ones here will insure for some mods and will bump the premium accordingly and in fact for a year I was with a main stream insurer, but once the mods start is when you have an issue.

Bearing in mind that you have to declare the mods, when you tell the agent that you’ve replaced the “deck lid“ and they look on the computer for said part and it says “nope, do not have on my list” things get sketchy. Same thing for the Strut Brace and Jacking Rails. At which point the Insurer politely says that they can’t offer cover and you enter the realms of the specialist firms.

in fairness it’s not too bad, at 43 years old, clean driving license, no accidents recorded and all declared mods, I’m paying £600 a year for a policy with 12,000 miles of “personal“ use and 1,000 business miles where I can use it if my firm send me somewhere and I decide to drive rather than take the train.
It seems strange to be so ignorant of simple parts. If your car was in an accident and sustained damage to the decklid, presumably they would need to cover replacement of that part. I can understand why there is a place in the industry for the specialty firms.
 

Pittpa

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Some of the “main stream” ones here will insure for some mods and will bump the premium accordingly and in fact for a year I was with a main stream insurer, but once the mods start is when you have an issue.

Bearing in mind that you have to declare the mods, when you tell the agent that you’ve replaced the “deck lid“ and they look on the computer for said part and it says “nope, do not have on my list” things get sketchy. Same thing for the Strut Brace and Jacking Rails. At which point the Insurer politely says that they can’t offer cover and you enter the realms of the specialist firms.

in fairness it’s not too bad, at 43 years old, clean driving license, no accidents recorded and all declared mods, I’m paying £600 a year for a policy with 12,000 miles of “personal“ use and 1,000 business miles where I can use it if my firm send me somewhere and I decide to drive rather than take the train.
I believe that’s about US$800. What sort of coverage does that buy you?
 

1emglenn

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News-Flash. When a major corporation wants some truly huge capital for any project, do they go to a bank? No! They go to an insurance company because more of the world's capital is in the insurance companies, not the banks. They are the fact cats and all the political centers of the world do what the insurance companies want them to do. Because like casinos, insurance companies don't like to have to pay-out. They are in existence to make money. End of story.
 

JCFoster

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I can tell you if Louisiana insurance co’s ever figured all this out they’d make killing denying claims on every half ton truck with straight pipes, tint, and wide tires. It’s gotten stupid. But with liberal courts no one cares.
 

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If you report the mods to your insurance company they will replace the items if damaged in a crash. So if you have a high dollar splitter and did not report it when you hit the tree, the insurance will only cover costs for the stock splitter.

This is the way it works under Ky insurance law.
 
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Guys I think I decided to just use up all my miles that are left on this insurance and just get a new one that would allow the mods.

Ive had the car for under 6 months, so there is no need to rush it with the mods, and will be something to look forward to.

Plus I haven't actually heard in person how the Borla Attak or the Corsa Sport - Xtreme active exhausts sound like. So it will give me a chance to spot and hear a Mustang with one of those exhausts first, so I would be sure which one to go for.
 

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Quite simple, UK insurance company asks details of car and then specifically asks if any modifications from manufacturers spec. If OP answers no to this but then changes the exhaust, it's not std as per manufacturers specification. If OP lies at insurance setup that car is standard but he's changed exhaust then again not as per standard specification.

If OP has accident whether or not it's his fault the non declared mods on his car means he's in breach of contract with Insurance company and thus not covered. He then gets charged with driving with no insurance and likely gets his car crushed as an added benefit. Of course, he's still liable for any outstanding car payments and good luck getting insurance in the future.

Just because one can vmax on the motorway in Germany doesn't mean one can do so in the UK or the US. Different countries, different rules.
What happens when you purchase a second hand car at a car auction that was modified by one of its previous owners?
 
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WD Pro

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What happens when you purchase a second hand car at a car auction that that was modified by one of its previous owners?
It becomes the new owners responsibility to declare the mods to his chosen insurance company :like:

In the instance of an accident, you can't plead ignorant and expect them to cover you by stating 'I didn't know the car was supercharged and thought they were all like that ...' lol

There is a grey area in the middle where I suspect some 'small' things are allowed to slip, but if it impacts the costs to the insurance company or if they really wanted to, they could reject the claim.

Even tinted windows = car could be seen as more attractive = car could be higher up a thief's priorities and / or could be more expensive to replace glass as part of an insurance claim.

If we look at switching an exhaust and then you get rear ended, they may well cover the claim, but I wouldn't expect them to replace the exhaust 'like for like' - chances are it would come back with an OE ford pipe back on it.

Funny (sad ?) story - I had some insurance work done on a BMW and after a week or so of it being returned, I noticed that during the repair someone had swapped out the silver turn signal bulbs and returned them to factory orange, even though they didn't replace the lights, they only had to remove / refit them during the repair. I don't know if that was purposeful or if it was just a case of some light fingered worker deciding he liked them and hoping I wouldn't notice upon collection ...

WD :like:
 

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Guys I think I decided to just use up all my miles that are left on this insurance and just get a new one that would allow the mods.

Ive had the car for under 6 months, so there is no need to rush it with the mods, and will be something to look forward to.

Plus I haven't actually heard in person how the Borla Attak or the Corsa Sport - Xtreme active exhausts sound like. So it will give me a chance to spot and hear a Mustang with one of those exhausts first, so I would be sure which one to go for.
Sounds like a reasonable approach. It's been educational for me learning how this works in the UK. Yikes. :)
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