Wheels and insurance

G

glastoveteran

Active member
 Bristol
So I've got some 19" E46 M3 wheels on my M and I'm currently getting insurance renewal quotes.

The difference in premium between declaring them as non-standard alloys and optional extra alloys is about £75, so given that they are BMW wheels as opposed to aftermarket do you think I can get away with claiming they are an optional extra?
 
Definitely not worth the risk, in my opinion. You are in fact supposed to list every OPTIONAL extra you have on the car too, on most policies. Yes, right down to the cupholders.
 
IK. said:
Definitely not worth the risk, in my opinion. You are in fact supposed to list every OPTIONAL extra you have on the car too, on most policies. Yes, right down to the cupholders.
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And how many people know this?

If insurance companies are wanting to know every extra item as new, then i would look at other companies! And how would you know? Absolute rubbish imo
 
tend to agree with IK..... why gamble on a policy that is worth 15-20 k for the sake of 75 quid.... all goes well until you are faced with a total write off.

my policy usually does not charge but I tell them when i make a change.
 
chris said:
IK. said:
Definitely not worth the risk, in my opinion. You are in fact supposed to list every OPTIONAL extra you have on the car too, on most policies. Yes, right down to the cupholders.
Click to expand...

And how many people know this?

If insurance companies are wanting to know every extra item as new, then i would look at other companies! And how would you know? Absolute rubbish imo
Click to expand...

Dito!

If I were in your position I would not be declaring them..if you had a crash and they could prove that the wheels had some influence on the crash..well then it may get intresting but the chances of that happening are slim to none and they would really be clutching at straws for a payout otherwise.
 
Im wit AF and they dont charge much at all for aftermarket wheels etc. And cosmetic mods up to the value of £1000.

Its all down to how picky they are if you do have a crash. As an assessor if they really want to get out of a claim will pick up on anything. However has anyone actually had experience of insurance not paying out over wheels? And not a mate had a car etc :lol: Never heard of it really, not unless the car is seriously modified. And BM wheels for BM wheels i would not even bother telling them tbh, but i personally do, because it does not cost me anything.
 
I'm with AFlux too and they are very flexible on this kind of stuff........... so i tell them ..... but i would tell them if I had to pay out.

Range Rover wheels are regularly fitted to Discoverys and the advice is always tell the insurance company and be clear they are OEM butnot the same model.
 
doofus4000 said:
If I were in your position I would not be declaring them..if you had a crash and they could prove that the wheels had some influence on the crash..well then it may get intresting but the chances of that happening are slim to none and they would really be clutching at straws for a payout otherwise.
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I don't think it's a matter of proving whether they influenced an accident or not.
Most Policy wording is such that you have to notify them of any modification, If you don't, they are quite at liberty to refuse to pay as you have not followed the terms of the contract.
that isn't something you can argue about.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

I'll probably just play it safe and declare them as non-standard, but I guess part of my question was could I argue that they are an optional extra? i.e. could you have gone to a dealer and spec'd up a new Z4MC and said "I'd like some M3 wheels on it please". If they oblige, does that could as an optional extra? I'm sure there may well be a clause in the T&Cs that state they have to be in the brochure or something.

I will get a quote from AF, but I suspect Admiral / Elephant / Bell with the extra price for the wheels will be lower.
 
Bah dont get me started on insurance companies!! I am with A flux for the Z, but recently cancelled my 172 policy as they seem to have become increasingly inflexible. Last year my quote with them was £340, this year £600 and I havent got any extra points or anything, anyway I left in a huff!

As for telling the insurance company about optional extras I cant help thinking that its basically just giving them a stick to beat you with. However for things like wheels I would tell them. Stuff like cup holders...no way!!

Even typing this makes my blood boil!!
 
gookah said:
doofus4000 said:
If I were in your position I would not be declaring them..if you had a crash and they could prove that the wheels had some influence on the crash..well then it may get intresting but the chances of that happening are slim to none and they would really be clutching at straws for a payout otherwise.
Click to expand...

I don't think it's a matter of proving whether they influenced an accident or not.
Most Policy wording is such that you have to notify them of any modification, If you don't, they are quite at liberty to refuse to pay as you have not followed the terms of the contract.
that isn't something you can argue about.
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Each to their own but I think some people freak out when they see/hear 'any'..if you want peace of mind then you should declare all
 
As above let them know about wheels they are not bothered by stubbys or nice mats but wheels they will use to get out of paying i remember a TV program years ago when the insurance company refused to pay out due to a rear spoiler not being declared.
 
I'm a bit cyical about ins co's I'm afraid, their first loyalty is to profit, not you. So if they can get out of a pay-out, they will. So best not give them any excuse imo. Your insurance covers you for a lot more than the value of the car, don't forget.
 
Basically in the UK what happens with modifications is this...

i) In the event of an accident the insurance will pay out as long as the modification wasn't a contributing factor. ie. as long as the upgraded wheels were in good condition, were fitted correctly, are the right size etc. then they won't have an effect. If they were a contributing factor they will probably not accept your claim or take it to arbitration.

ii) If the car gets stolen or broken into the insurance company may say that the wheels made it more desirable and may go to arbitration.

iii) if the wheels themselves get stolen you're not covered at all.

At arbitration you will generally end up with some kind of payout but it won't be for the full amount (and may be very little if the wheels were big factor in the claim), you'll also end up with a legal bill (unless you have legal cover).

General rule of thumb is that any standard factory fitted mods which don't improve performance will be fine, anything aftermarket gets a bit grey.
 
As I have said before, I have non OEM's on my car with BMW centre caps. It would surely be very difficult for an insurance company to prove that I didn't buy the car with these on and not know they were aftermarket thus declare.

A very grey area.......
 
A very good point, and one I've often thought about Sticks. How on earth, unless you were a Z4 forum member, would you definitely know what options were options on your car, and what weren't? For example, I thought heated and memory were standard on seats, but they weren't. Same goes for Glasto's M3 wheels. If not bought new, how on earth would he know they weren't standard wheels? (As of course he 'bought the car with them on'... :wink: )
 
These threads make me laugh in the sense that it's so easy to say it doesn't matter, nodody will know, etc. It's the same as not having contents insurance, or insuring for a lower value. Sure it doesn't matter - until there's a problem... If it's a big problem assessors and engineers WILL find it and if the circumstances warrant it use it to counter claims.

If you change anything from original supply OEM, then in the eyes of insurers it increases risk or repair costs. Some modifications based on statistics correlate to an increase accident rates, likelihood of theft, etc. Think of the young lad in the Corsa. The one who fits different wheels, mesh grille spoiler, etc. is likely to drive it harder than the 'same' lad who keeps it stock. Different wheels, spoilers, sideskirts, steering wheel are indicative of a different risk category of driver and hence premium.

So the next step is to see if there is a material difference. If you fit genuine OEM wheels of the same size, tyre offset then little risk and that will be reflected in no premium increase. Go to 19" and low profile tyres and watch the premium rise a lot.

For my part I declare everything, supply written notes to the insurer and it's all covered. No worries :driving. Others take the gamble on wheels, remapping, bumpers, etc. etc. Good luck to them.
 
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