Obsolete Service/Maintenance Parts and Insurance
Discussion
I have an ageing car which is nearly 20 years old, the manufacturer in question (VW) is not known for supporting the parts supply of their vehicles. Even an oil filter is now obsolete!
I'm a big believer in keeping things OEM, as it helps keep the residual value strong versus modified cars on the market.
I'm now at a point where the suspension is getting tired and a suspension refresh is needed. However, key components such as shock absorbers are no longer available from the manufacturer and this will necessitate non-genuine OEM equivalent components. In this case Bilstein B4 Shock Absorbers and H&R Roll Bars.
I've queried this with someone at Admiral, explained the situation to clarify if a change to the policy is required, and was surprised to be told despite being wear and tear/maintenance parts that I would need to inform them when the changes were completely and the policy subsequently increased in price.
Has anyone had experience of this? Or know of any other insurance companies that are a bit more logical in their approach?
I'm a big believer in keeping things OEM, as it helps keep the residual value strong versus modified cars on the market.
I'm now at a point where the suspension is getting tired and a suspension refresh is needed. However, key components such as shock absorbers are no longer available from the manufacturer and this will necessitate non-genuine OEM equivalent components. In this case Bilstein B4 Shock Absorbers and H&R Roll Bars.
I've queried this with someone at Admiral, explained the situation to clarify if a change to the policy is required, and was surprised to be told despite being wear and tear/maintenance parts that I would need to inform them when the changes were completely and the policy subsequently increased in price.
Has anyone had experience of this? Or know of any other insurance companies that are a bit more logical in their approach?
Bilstein B4 is an OE equivalent and it makes this clear on their website... "The BILSTEIN B4 brings back the original driving experience. Built to OE standards in the same plants as our original-equipment shocks, it matches the factory part’s tuning and fit, with coverage for almost every model and equipment variant."
H&R roll bar is definitely not OE. They are typically thicker with performance in mind.
I would say B4 shocks and standard anti roll bar would not require any notification for insurance.
H&R roll bar is definitely not OE. They are typically thicker with performance in mind.
I would say B4 shocks and standard anti roll bar would not require any notification for insurance.
Consider someone like Febi bilstein. They make "OE matching quality" parts and recently started doing shock absorbers.
You absolutely don't need to tell your insurer that you're replacing parts with like-for-like parts, even if they're from a 3rd party, or even if they're the worst, cheapest, Temu reject landfill. As long as they're designed to do the same job in the same way then it's no concern to the insurer. You wouldn't tell your insurer if you fitted a different brand of tyre or filled up at Esso instead of Shell. If you were fitting parts designed to change the vehicle in some way (stiffen, lower, adjustable etc) then yes, that needs reporting to the insurer.
I suspect your insurer has heard Bilstein and thought aftermarket upgraded components. Those on the phone are rarely knowledgeable about cars and know what questions to ask. They're often stuck to a bit of a script as well.
You absolutely don't need to tell your insurer that you're replacing parts with like-for-like parts, even if they're from a 3rd party, or even if they're the worst, cheapest, Temu reject landfill. As long as they're designed to do the same job in the same way then it's no concern to the insurer. You wouldn't tell your insurer if you fitted a different brand of tyre or filled up at Esso instead of Shell. If you were fitting parts designed to change the vehicle in some way (stiffen, lower, adjustable etc) then yes, that needs reporting to the insurer.
I suspect your insurer has heard Bilstein and thought aftermarket upgraded components. Those on the phone are rarely knowledgeable about cars and know what questions to ask. They're often stuck to a bit of a script as well.
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