Remap Remaps and associated insurance costs

[Glepor]

Hi all. I'm thinking of having my 2.2 iCTDi remapped by Celtic Tuning after reading the positive reviews on here and would like to try and get an idea of how much other peoples' insurance has increased by after having it done? Have most people even informed their insurers? Thanks.

[NH Dan]

Originally Posted by Glepor

Hi all. I'm thinking of having my 2.2 iCTDi remapped by Celtic Tuning after reading the positive reviews on here and would like to try and get an idea of how much other peoples' insurance has increased by after having it done? Have most people even informed their insurers? Thanks.

1) ring your insurer and ask them if you were to have it done, how much extra would it be.

2) Anyone who is daft enough to have it done and not inform their insurer will have invalidated their cover and in the event of an accident, they may find that their cover is void.

[cb550]

Originally Posted by Glepor

Hi all. I'm thinking of having my 2.2 iCTDi remapped by Celtic Tuning after reading the positive reviews on here and would like to try and get an idea of how much other peoples' insurance has increased by after having it done? Have most people even informed their insurers? Thanks.

My insurance,Direct Line quoted me according to the power difference from standard i.e. 10% increase,20% increase and then greater than that.

I bought a tuning box for my Alfa 147 which came in at 20% increase in power.Personaly,I'm glad I've never had the Civic modified,as I currently have a warranty issue (knocking from under the car).when accelerating hard.

Had the car been tuned and had that subsequently been discovered,I'm pretty sure the dealer could have grounds to refuse warranty work if for example it turned out to be a drive shaft etc

[hondatech]

Had the car been tuned and had that subsequently been discovered,I'm pretty sure the dealer could have grounds to refuse warranty work if for example it turned out to be a drive shaft etc[/quote]

your absolutly right,honda have already released a service bulletin to the dealer network stating that if the vehicle has been fitted with a tuning box/remapped etc then in the event of a warranty claim on the engine or associated driveline components WARRANTY WILL BE VOID. With the current price of a i-cdti around the 10 grand mark fitted it needs serious consideration before embarking on the tuning route whilst under 3yrs old with your warranty still in place !!

[illegalhunter]

If you write it off do you really think the insurance company will flash your ECU . I dont think so , me i would tell them nothing.

[davee7]

Originally Posted by illegalhunter

If you write it off do you really think the insurance company will flash your ECU . I dont think so , me i would tell them nothing.

This is exactly the kind of nonsense that has a knock-on effect for everyone else - the end result being higher premiums for honest people.

When considering the re-map option, I spoke to my brother-inlaw - who works in insurance - and he said he has seen plenty of examples where insurance has NOT been paid out due to remaps/tuning boxes that haven't been declared.
Remember, insurance companies will do anything to avoid paying out - and know exactly how to look for anything that could void an insurance policy. You have been warned!!!

My own view on the whole remap option is this - I do plan to get Celtic Tuning to remap my car, but only after my Honda warranty has expired. And my insurance company will be informed.

[coolice]

[quote=davee7;178193]This is exactly the kind of nonsense that has a knock-on effect for everyone else - the end result being higher premiums for honest people.[quote]

Hey,

Dont really think this is strictly correct mate as it's basically the uninsured etc. which bump up our premiums and not sensible drivers who just happen to have their car chipped. If they wont pay out for the chipped car then they haven't lost money.

At the end of the day making any kind of adjustment to a car brings about the question "does my insurer need to know?" and sometimes it is best to be sensible and honest.

At the same time, as you have mentioned insurance companies will try to wriggle out of paying anything when push comes to shove, but will gladly take your money

One thing to think about that could happen in real life is if someone brought a second hand car that had been chipped, but was not made aware of this when purchasing. Later down the line if/when a claim is made where do they stand?
By rights it's not their fault and if your not that into your cars they probably wouldn't even know.

Me I've been honest, on previous cars exhausts, head lights etc. have all been declared.

This is just my thoughts on the matter.

Ian

[ciderman4]

Originally Posted by illegalhunter

If you write it off do you really think the insurance company will flash your ECU . I dont think so , me i would tell them nothing.

I agree with you.

Originally Posted by davee7

This is exactly the kind of nonsense that has a knock-on effect for everyone else - the end result being higher premiums for honest people.

That's bs, premiums go up due to the huge number of uninsured drivers.

[cb550]

If anyone tunes their car and has'nt told their insurance company,the policy is'nt valid,neither will it be if the car was bought unwittingly already modded.They are driving around uninsured.Everyone's personal call.I would'nt do it for all the tea in china.

[Pottsy]

Originally Posted by ciderman4

That's bs, premiums go up due to the huge number of uninsured drivers.

If you have mis-declared your details, then are you not driving uninsured? So if you crash into someone, your insurance company won't pay up for you (ie it's not just the cover on your car that's invalid, but also the third party cover).

[davee7]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

If you have mis-declared your details, then are you not driving uninsured? So if you crash into someone, your insurance company won't pay up for you (ie it's not just the cover on your car that's invalid, but also the third party cover).

Exactly Pottsy - thank you for backing me up.

I can't believe the lack of common sense here! If you don't declare your remap then you void your insurance - hence you are driving uninsured.

[Dimplyred]

Originally Posted by davee7

Remember, insurance companies will do anything to avoid paying out - and know exactly how to look for anything that could void an insurance policy. You have been warned!!!

Davee is right, the assessors know what they are looking for. If it were a more serious accident you could also find your car being inspected by the Police.

If you are getting the remap done, wouldn't it make it more enjoyable knowing your car is still covered. I know it would for me.

[Duecut]

Originally Posted by Pottsy

If you have mis-declared your details, then are you not driving uninsured? So if you crash into someone, your insurance company won't pay up for you (ie it's not just the cover on your car that's invalid, but also the third party cover).

The third party is covered in this situation. Ive had first hand experience of this. When I got hit by a modded car (he strapped a turbo onto a ford orian), My car was repaired by their insurance, their car repair was refused.

[3rd Honda]

I enquired from my insurance what the increase would be for another car (not the Civic). I told them (truthfully) that the power increase would be bringing the engine output up to the same level as a similar but later model. The result - no increase in premium since the later model is in the same group. The work was done - and I have been very pleased with the result. The insurer was duly informed.

I would never do it without the insurance being fully informed, but I note that there is nothing written in my policy to say that it has been done.

I have chosen at present not to do it on the Civic since at present I still have several warranty issues (none of which relate to the engine) and I'm also somewhat concerned by the number of people with standard cars who have already had clutch troubles at quite low mileages. It will be interesting to see if this is just a few cars, or whether this proves to be a growing problem as more cars get to a higher mileage.

[Pottsy]

Originally Posted by Duecut

The third party is covered in this situation. Ive had first hand experience of this. When I got hit by a modded car (he strapped a turbo onto a ford orian), My car was repaired by their insurance, their car repair was refused.

Ah - I didn't know that. Not the kind of thing you want to ask your insurer though!

I pay a small premium for mine - and it's worth every penny (I can relax about the whole insurance thing).

[Miggins]

Big problem with modifications comes when you need to renew - a large %age of insurers won't touch modified vehicles.

I have had 2 slightly 'modified' vehicles and have learn't it is often how you explain/describe the mods that makes the difference.

Insurance is not an issue if:
1 - The mod was added by the dealer you purchased the vehicle from.
2 - The mod is the same spec as what the manufacturer supplied on the same model at some point.

I had a genuine Rover 220 Turbo spoiler I fitted myself to my 214 (yes it did make a difference) and stated it was fitted by the dealer. Crime of the century - I don't think so. I can fit body parts better than the dealership

I also fitted after market wheels - upped an inch in diameter. As they were the same size as an OEM option and cheaper - no charge.

This all depends on the insurer and the handler you talk to - just ensure the details are clearly stated on your insurance doc. I have fallen foul on more than one occasion due to insurance company mistakes

All this is easy for a spoiler not so sure for a re-mapped ignition! (Superchips used to remap the engine management systems for Rover so they could easily have put the wrong map on....mmmm)

[Duecut]

some changes are ok to make with out informing the insurer, eg changing the wheels (the insurer only cares if you have alloys or not, they dont care about the size)

But bear in mind that if an assessor sees 20" rims on your car their going pay a lot of extra attention to your car

[Dimplyred]

I had a real job explaining to my insurers (Esure) about my front and rear splitters, luckily they didn't charge me any extra.

They had to put me on hold twice while they contacted the underwriters to explain my description until they were happy to offer cover.

Don't give them any excuse to wriggle out of a claim, tell them everything.

[coolice]

Originally Posted by Duecut

some changes are ok to make with out informing the insurer, eg changing the wheels (the insurer only cares if you have alloys or not, they dont care about the size)

But bear in mind that if an assessor sees 20" rims on your car their going pay a lot of extra attention to your car

Hey,

I'm sorry to say that even this is not the cae, essentially you are altering the car from it's original manufactured state into another using 3rd party items. A change in wheels needs to be declared as well really as this is the foot-in-the-door route they will need to deny the claim.
Cosmetic changes are looked into more so as it makes the car more attractive to thieves.

What gets me though is that even after declaring the mods the insurer will still only repair the car to stock spec after a claim, not take into account the different items you have fitted and paid extra for.

Ian

[Dimplyred]

Originally Posted by coolice

What gets me though is that even after declaring the mods the insurer will still only repair the car to stock spec after a claim, not take into account the different items you have fitted and paid extra for.

That's not what they told me.

I wonder if it varies from one insurer to the other.