RE: Sponsored - Tales from the call centre, part II

RE: Sponsored - Tales from the call centre, part II

Thursday 25th February
Sponsored - Tales from the call centre, part II
Chances are you may have modded a car in your time; here are the most common - and unusual - upgrades Flux customers have declared

As you will probably be aware PistonHeads has signed up with Adrian Flux as an official insurance partner, with deals for PHers on policies specially tailored to the kind of cars we drive.

as an official insurance partner, with deals for PHers on policies specially tailored to the kind of cars we drive. In a new series of sponsored articles called 'Tales from the call centre' we'll be looking at some of the insights, stories and trends Flux's team pick up in their daily business of preparing quotes and policies. Is there a sudden upswing in certain cars indicating popularity in the classifieds? What are the most common mods PHers are listing for their cars? What are the craziest cars being insured? All of this and more over the coming weeks and months. Our first story covered the; our second examines the most popular - and unusual - declared modifications Flux customers have carried out on their cars.

Whether it's an expression of personality or a quest for improved performance, many enthusiasts have been tempted to modify their cars.

While some go for the whole spoilers, body kits or paint jobs look, others are more interested in boosting performance by re-mapping engines, or fitting aftermarket air filters or sports exhausts.

But like Christian Minister Reverend, who fell foul of her insurer's rules governing modifications when she covered her Vauxhall Zafira with religious slogans, many people are unsure what is and isn't a modification and what they need to declare.

The Rev Parry's stickers came to light when she sent photographs of her car to her insurance provider, Age UK, following a claim - and was promptly told her policy could be void because insurer Ageas did not cover modified vehicles.

We had a look through our records to find the top 10 modifications declared in a typical month - plus some of the least common - and added some simple advice about what you need to tell your insurer.

We've been providing cover for modified vehicles for more than 40 years, developing a range of special policies that can cater for everything from minor alterations to home-built one-offs like this three-wheeled.

The 10 most common vehicle modifications, out of more than 20,000, declared in a typical month:
1.     Alloy wheels (4,366)
2.     Exhaust system changes (1,804)
3.     Uprated, lowered or stiffened suspension springs (1,597)
4.     Tinted windows (1,535)
5.     Changes to suspension dampers (1,390)
6.     Upgraded air filter (839)
7.     Conversion to run on LPG (829)
8.     Body kit (724)
9.     Uprated brakes (555)
10.  Changes to the interior (496)

And some of less common modifications:
1.     Cruise control (2)
2.     Removal of seats (3)
3.     Badges indicating increased performance (4)
4.     High level brake light (7)
5.     Roll bars (9)
6.     Additional windows (10)
7.     Flared wings (13)
8.     Spotlights (17)
9.     Supercharging (27)
10.  Non-standard paintwork (30)

Importantly, only some of these modifications will result in an additional premium - generally the ones that increase performance or may make the vehicle more of a target for thieves or make it more likely to be vandalised.

But, irrespective of whether or not insurers will charge extra, you must declare anything that differs from the manufacturer's standard specification or run the risk of having your policy cancelled should non-disclosure come to light. Some insurers may void your policy even if your non-disclosure was entirely innocent, purely because they may not provide any cover for modified vehicles of any description.

So the simple message is: if in doubt, declare it.

Images: Max Earey (M4), Ben Lowden (Fiesta)