Alarm proof needed for Insurance

[dannyboyo]

Hi chaps, my thieving insurance company are demanding a certificate proving that my '95 Chimaera has and alarm and immobiliser fitted. I've tried explaining that they come factory fitted, and that without the alarm I couldn't even open my doors to get in the bloody car! But no, they want a model number and proof! I've offered to show them the paragraph in the owners manual explaining how the alarm work, but still they persist!

They suggest going to an independant fitter and getting them to issue a certificate, I don't see why I should have to. Does anyone know the model number of the Foxguard (I think) fitted alarms, and are they CAT1 or CAT2?

Has anyone else had hassle over this?

I think I might phone up the original dealer, see if they can help (Haha!)

Then I'll open a can of Whoopass on the insurance company (My God, they irraite me!)

Thanks

[incorrigible]

Demand your money back from the insurance company

That usually shuts them up

Sorry I haven't got anything usefull to say

[shpub]

It is simple:

You can throw your rattle out of the pram, generate so much stress that you die of cardiac arrest and never get to enjoy the car and then your beneficiary has to contact an independent for a certificate...

or change to a different insurer...

or get a new alarm fitted and you get a certificate anyway....

or go contact an independent for a certificate...

I would suggest number 4.

BTW the insurers don't know you from Adam whoever he might be, the alarm is about 8 years old and may be defective for all the insurers know. All they are doing is protecting their interests.

Steve

[mike_e]

Wouldn't happen to be the company with the Red Telephone in their adverts by any chance. Had similar fun and games with them insuring the 4x4.

When it comes to insuring the Cerb, I have a very nice letter from the Guys in Blackpool stating my chassis number and the exact type and model of alarm / immobilser fitted. I just wave that under their noses.

Some companies can be a real pain and insist on proof, others know the vehicle and accept they have factory fitted equipment.

[dannyboyo]

shpub said: It is simple:

You can throw your rattle out of the pram, generate so much stress that you die of cardiac arrest and never get to enjoy the car and then your beneficiary has to contact an independent for a certificate...

or change to a different insurer...

or get a new alarm fitted and you get a certificate anyway....

or go contact an independent for a certificate...

I would suggest number 4.

BTW the insurers don't know you from Adam whoever he might be, the alarm is about 8 years old and may be defective for all the insurers know. All they are doing is protecting their interests.

Steve

Fair enough, I am thinking of getting a new alarm, and also of changing insurers. Unfortunately, money is a big issue at the moment, and their cancelling my insurance in 2 days unless I get a certificate to them (in Wales!). Looks like my saturday's taken care of then! Anyone know any good alarm fitters in the Herts area that could issue me a certificate?

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm just stressing I won't be able to make Virginia Water on Sunday!!


Edited to say: Mike e, it's Swinton, but just as bad as DL I'd imagine!!

>> Edited by dannyboyo on Thursday 30th January 13:31

[judas]

Contact TVR direct. When I got my Tuscan it came with a letter from TVR saying it was fitted with a Cat 1 alarm and immobiliser as standard at the factory, and listed the make amd model details. Actually, when I first got it it came with a TVR letter for a Chim! I had to ask them for a Tuscan one - so I know they do exist!

[grey42cerbie]

Try faxing the relevant pages from the manual. If that fails phone them up every half-hour and put the ear piece to the alarming module.

Steve
Grey 4.2 Cerbie

[plipton]

shpub said: It is simple:

You can throw your rattle out of the pram, generate so much stress that you die of cardiac arrest and never get to enjoy the car and then your beneficiary has to contact an independent for a certificate...

or change to a different insurer...

or get a new alarm fitted and you get a certificate anyway....

or go contact an independent for a certificate...

I would suggest number 4.


Steve

Steve,

I seem to remember a copy of a letter from TVR stating that all Tivs are supplied with alarm and immobiliser and that this was acceptable proof. Is this not still the case ?(about page 265 from memory)

plipton



>> Edited by plipton on Thursday 30th January 14:39

[shpub]

judas said: Contact TVR direct. When I got my Tuscan it came with a letter from TVR saying it was fitted with a Cat 1 alarm and immobiliser as standard at the factory, and listed the make amd model details. Actually, when I first got it it came with a TVR letter for a Chim! I had to ask them for a Tuscan one - so I know they do exist!

That letter for the Meat sorry Meta alarm is in the bible because people found it difficult to get. With the Foxguard alarm I ended up having to get a certificate for the one on my first Griff. Cost me a tenner.



>> Edited by shpub on Thursday 30th January 14:45

[darty]

I had a similar problem when I had my 95 Chimp. Insurance company were happy to accept that it was fitted with Cat 1 alarm (Lazer 996 in this case) when confirmation supplied on headed paper from the dealer. Maybe worth a try?

[dannyboyo]

judas said: Contact TVR direct. When I got my Tuscan it came with a letter from TVR saying it was fitted with a Cat 1 alarm and immobiliser as standard at the factory, and listed the make amd model details. Actually, when I first got it it came with a TVR letter for a Chim! I had to ask them for a Tuscan one - so I know they do exist!

Just phoned TVR (spoke to a sweet and helpful lady) who said that they don't think Thatcham approved alarms were fitted ti Chimaeras till about '98!!
So it's off to the shop for a flash new alarm for me! Are Clifford still the best to go for? Thinking about a remote start and remote boot too! Hmmmmmmm........nice!

[dannyboyo]

Sorry, posted twice

>> Edited by dannyboyo on Thursday 30th January 15:15

[Mr Freefall]

If you phone Hannah at TVR Blackpool you can get the file on your car if you give them your chassis number from the logbook. The whole file cost £30, but I'm sure if you speak to her nicely she should be able to pull the section out on the alarm fitting and send it to you as proof of the alarm being fitted etc. This should help being from the manufacture...

Your insurance company sound like a bunch of Muppets; it might be a good idea to post their name so we don’t get caught out using them!!!

[beano500]

If it is the Red Phone people (as suggested before) they won't be happy with the standard TVR letter and it will need a little certificate from an alarm specialist to say that it's got one fitted. I think that the typical £10 or so would be worth paying, unless. of course, you can find better or cheaper insurance. As previously posted, for me the Red Phone people were £60 cheaper than the next best - I certainly saved more than a tenner over three years.

Annoying, but perhaps it's worth putting up with?

>> Edited by beano500 on Thursday 30th January 15:28

[wedg1e]

I used to repair and install car alarms.... Foxguard, Laserline, Vecta Immobilisers....etc. I'm an approved Datatool Installer (OK if you have a bike!) Can I call myself a specialist and make money out of this?
I have a Clifford on my 390; I hate to compliment an American product but it is pretty good. OK, OK, it's damn good. But then nobody's tried to steal the car yet...

Ian

[dannyboyo]

Just spoke to Premier alarms in Northampton (my old stomping ground!) and they'll fit me a Concept 300 with boot release for £400, sounds resonable, and apparently they've worked on loads of TVRs before. Well helpful people, just give them a couple of days notice amd they'll need the car for a day. Lush, I luv new gadgets

[arattray]

£400 sounds a tad more expensive than the tenner a certificate would have cost! (Hope it works OK). No-one seems to have mentioned the fibreglass body problem yet.

From THE letter: From 2 Jan 1996 all TVR's were fitted with a Meta M99T alarm with a M36T immobiliser & additional GEC Plessey Mk4 microwave.

It might say "cat 1" on the box, but if it's not fitted by a professional so that all the features work it shouldn't get a certificate & TVR's don't use the ultrasonic feature (the microwave sensor effectively replaces its function) or boot & bonnet pin switches.

The M36T immobiliser is worthy of cat 2 status & TVR letter quotes approval number TEI 199/0895.

If your cars older Gemma Kinsella kindly gives the number for queries 01253 509013.

If you're set on having the new one, have a word before they fit it to make sure you will get the certificate you need.

Anyway I did a LOT of phoning around and found AJ Manning to be within £20 of the cheapest (Tesco) quote I got & they didn't ask to see the certificate.

Andy

[manek]

I had this problem at first (with THAT car!) and got a letter from the dealer telling my insurance company that it was fitted with what, when built, was a Cat 1 alarm system. That sorted it. (Of course, the goalposts have moved as technology moves on and it's a Cat 2 now.)

Yours has a Foxguard system -- I had been thinking of upgrading it to a Meta so Fernhurst could add tweaks such as a boot opening switch on the fob. Also because bits such as sirens wouldn't a) need to be replaced every few months because they get wet and cr*p out, and b) said bits would be much easier to get hold of.

Hope you get it sorted, Danny.

[Graham]

when i had the same problem i phoned TVR and they faxed over a standard letter explaining exactly what the car has.... and that was fine..

[chim450]

Had this problem with old insurance company, note the word "old". 98 Chimaera with Meta alarm, faxed them the relevant page in the manual, etc.. they still wanted more proof, I offered to get a covering letter from TVR which they agreed to, but then they told me that in the meantime my car would not be covered if it was stolen!!! At this point I told them (and I actually said this I was so wound up by now) to p!"s off, and cancelled the policy.
Got a better deal elsewhere with trackday cover and breakdown cover thrown in.