Insuring Classics

[Vanin]

Just heard a radio 4 programme on a lad who had bought a VW Golf and had an accident.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b070601v

The insurance were trying to wriggle out of it by saying that it had been fitted with non standard factory parts.
This had all been done before he bought it.
It was mentioned that some companies could even wriggle out by saying non standard wheels and tyres and even a non standard stereo had been fitted.

I have a sixty year old car that must have had most of its wearing parts replaced at some time and probably non factory.

How much should we declare to an insurance company which is not obviously performance enhancing or potentially dangerous.

[Riley Blue]

Speak to your insurer for the definitive answer - when I called mine to advise them I'd fitted a brake servo to my Riley they said that as it improved safety there'd be no increase in premium yet it was never a factory fit.

[aardvark64]

If you insure with a classic specialist, I can't imagine there'd be a problem. Go with a mainstream insurance company who like modern, low-emission boxes and who want to sell you life insurance and home contents cover at the same time, then I think you may have a problem. They aren't set up to deal with knowledgeable owners and often don't have teams or depts devoted to classic cars.

For what it's worth, I've used the likes of Footman James, Adrian Flux and Cherished Vehicles in the past and not had any trouble.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes, Colin