Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Informing insurance of M3W performance mods.

Hi Brownbaker,

I’m confused by your last sentence. When my M3W was new everything was stock. My insurer knew that. Afterwards I changed to Stages 1,2 and didn’t think about informing the insurer. I should have. That’s the point. Any changes to the vehicle that affects performance should be divulged to the insurer so you don’t have problems later if you have to make a claim. I’m the average person and if I didn’t think of doing that then I would suspect other people here might not think of that either, hence the reason I’m reminding people to inform their insurer if they’ve made changes. I hope that’s clearer.

The sentence you highlighted from me was in response to the last sentence of TimG’s post.

By the way here is another point:

Insurance adjusters are now checking Forums such as this to see if they can identify users that are involved in a claim. I heard a Porsche driver saying he had a claim denied because of what had been posted on a Porsche Forum, I don't know the details.

There are differences between insurers in how they consider a modification to affect the policy. Not just performance mods either. Visual mods may be taken into consideration. There are stories floating round of even very minor mods leading to invalidation of a policy or increased premiums. I don’t know how true some are though. Could just be “fake news”.
It is always worth contacting the insurer for clarification. Maybe even before the mods are made so as not to run the risk of cancellation after you do the mod. You then have to declare that cancellation when applying in future.
AWAYS read and check your documents for a policy you have just taken out or renewed. I have found errors a couple of times that needed correction. One led to a reduction in premium.

Just as a rider. If you buy a used car, not new, then you may not be aware of mods done to the car. Legal arguments can arise if a claim is made.
If you have a disclaimer from a previous owner stating no mods then that might help.
If you are an ordinary buyer you might be able to claim that no expert knowledge of mechanics means you may not have misled the insurers.
I have a history folder that came with my Morgan showing servicing, MOT’s, extras bought and fitted. none are performance related though.

Bruce, I think you will find Insurance, regulators and the legal professions find these forums very interesting...

Any performance upgrades from standard need to be declared as a 'material fact' or you will invalidate your policy. If there is a personal injury claim/ loss of earnings they will be knocking on your door. Just call and mention it to your insurer and broker and note when you did it, you may find it doesn't increase your premium. Fitting roll bars, different alloys and different size tyres are all material facts.

If you do have a claim, assessors will make a point of checking tyres on inspection, direct line seemed to be the first, they all do it now. Certain claims will mean they need to check service histories as well. So keep your records up to date.

Assessors are only doing their jobs, this also includes looking for potential fraud as well as looking at repair costs

You might even get a premium reduction once you advise you have had a chassis replacement or some form of bracing to prevent a catastrophic failure...

I advised the two different insurers I have had since 2015, that I had fitted G56 exhausts, air intake and ECU but that the aim was not performance related but to prevent the appalling pre-ignition that the car suffered from in the high ambient temperatures in the south of France in the summer. The pinking was bound to have caused engine damage over time. I had also had multiple exhaust cracking and failures on the single flexy original pipes (at the time, almost certainly being made worse by the multiple chassis failures and attendant flexing). Given the 80kph limit for all the roads I drive it on, they were comfortable with that.

Wilson

I've informed my insurers via Gott & Wynne with no increase in cost

The mods I've declared are:

Morgan factory comfort steering
Morgan factory urban cooling
Morgan factory Centa compensator (to be fitted in the next few weeks)
Moto-Lita wood steering wheel
MMC Stage 1 Exhaust and Air Filter
569 cams and ECU

I think for the most part if the part was an option, or is standard fit on later models then most insurers won't be to fussed, as it will be almost impossible to tell if was factory fit or not (and a lot of owners might not know if a car has for instance a rear mudguard fitted or not - and was it factory or dealer fit?).
Similarly if a dealer performs upgrades to a new car in the showroom that are available as a factory option, how would you know?

A mainstream manufacturer might well keep detailed records, Morgan however..

Personally if it is performance related I would declare it, and sometimes visually as they could argue it makes the car stand out more to thieves - but in the case of the 3 Wheeler keeping track of what stickers may or may not have been on the car from new won't be an easy job! A lot also depends on the insurer, mainstream insurers will be a lot less forgiving than a Morgan specific insurer such as Gott & Wyne.

For the record I always declare everything, best to ask and declare what you need to than be sorry later as most of the time the price is no different.