Swiftcover & Insurance Queries

[original guvnor]

Well it's that time of year again for my insurance renewal from Swiftcover. This year they wanted £1,140 (versus £800 last year) so I did the usual trawl of the main comparison sites and found several policies with 320 excess (100 voluntary and 220 compulsory) for around £750. I should point out that I'm 42 with 9 years NCD, 1 SP30, car parked on a driveway in a moderate/low crime area.

It was very interesting to note that on these searches Swiftcover repeatedly came up as not willing to offer a quote. So curiosity got the better of me and I rang them and was told they'd significantly changed their under-writing policy this year so it looks like M-Power cars are now a no-no.

As I started to investigate these other quotes, I thought I'd look at the Policy Document in detail, especially when it comes to using non-BMW spare parts in repairs. Every single policy i looked at (including More Than, Esure etc) had a clause in there reserving the right to use non OEM parts to repair your vehicle. I seem to recall PVR mentioning this about Swiftcover but it seems industry standard now ?

My query is...if you have an fully comprehensive BMW Insured Warranty as I have, can you insist your insurer uses ONLY BMW parts? Will it invalidate your Insured Warranty if an insurer doesn't ? If it does, which insurers guarantee to only use OEM parts in repairs? Because I can't find any that will guarantee.

Thanks in advance for any assistance !

[mmm-five]

Sounds like another reason to insist your repairs are carried out at a BMW dealership, as they'll only use genuine parts.

However, the fact that they 'reserve the right' to do so, doesn't mean they will do so in all instances, and it might simply be on cheaper cars they can repair rather than writing off as there may be plenty of aftermarket parts available.

There is one set of T&Cs I read which said they reserved the right to use 'salvaged' and 'pre-used' parts - that would scare me more

[peddy]

There is one set of T&Cs I read which said they reserved the right to use 'salvaged' and 'pre-used' parts - that would scare me more

IIRC Swiftcover state they reserve the right to use refurbed parts.

[pvr]

That was indeed me who read those scary T&C details ...

My current is with Churchill who do not use refurbished or non OEM parts, and also "allow" dealer repairs anyway.

Trouble is keeping on top of the changes that they slip through the backdoor ...

[mmm-five]

You assume the insurance regulator/ombudsman would have mandated a clear policy with regards to changes of policy terms & conditions if they've changed between renewals.

Otherwise your renewal is not on the same terms you agreed to the previous year.

I had it with an insurer in the past where I was insured for trackdays (with a doubling of my excess), and about 3 months into the policy I informed them (as per their original T&Cs) that I was going to be doing a track day. They simply replied that they no longer provided track day cover and I'd have to go elsewhere to get cover for trackdays. This was despite me never claiming in the 3 years I was with them, and them putting up the premium every year for less & less coverage.

If it hadn't been for the 'inform before trackday' clause in the original policy, then I wouldn't have contacted them at all, and I'd have been in a right pickle if I'd had to claim.

Have not used them ever again, even when they've been cheaper than my current insurer, and I tell them that whenever they ask why I didn't take their policy out after being told they were the cheapest