Insurance Issues

[CateO]

Just wondering if anyone else has had the following issue and if so how I should go about it when the next year of renewal comes up.

Current Insurer: AAMI
Current Rating: 2
Current Modifications: 1 (alloys)

I want to lower my astra. Nothing out of the ordinary, just legal so I don't look like a 4WD. I called up my insurer who told me that I couldn't lower my car with the wheels I currently have on until I'm 25. I have the following options:

1. Don't lower it, keep the alloys on (They're only 14" )
2. Put stock astra wheels on and lower it.

I don't even have the stock wheels or know where I'd get them from. I don't want my insurance over $1,000. Does anyone have any ideas as to where I can get the stock astra wheels (*shudders @ hub caps*).
What's a better option with Insurer? Most won't touch me with lowering, and Just Car is $1206.

Cate-O :roll:

[kirssn]

which stock astra wheels are you after to start with?

I have a set of 5 stud wheels of a cd astra sitting at home taking up space.
also, thats sounds a bit wrong of aami as well, because their policy is generally 3 mods before they start to increase the price of insurance and decline to insure - might pay to call and speak with someone else from there and get a second opinion?

[Dee]

ring around all the insurance companies and ask if they will touch a lowered (otherwise stock) car and if they do how much for the year.. you might even find a lower premium while you are at it

[ultim8DTM5]

Get Astra Turbo springs, from memory they are lower than stock and because they are OEM you shouldn't have any problems if you don't tell them :)

[CateO]

After a LONG discussion with the AAMI lady, I WON!

I can lower it however I like ...

Thanks for the suggestions though.

Anyone got any ideas on the lowering now? Best places to get it done etc. ? I have a quote from the Tyre Factory but don't know that I really want to go there. Any preferences in the springs also ???

[break]

How much are you paying for insurance atm?

Anything over $600 for a naturally aspirated 4cylinder is ridiculous.

[Dee]

damn trev i was paying $900 in brisbane and now $700 here on rating 4...

i must be living in a high crime area

but then again all the insurance quotes i got about 3 weeks ago (7 - 10 companies) were above $700.....

[break]

My god Donna. $900 for Bray Park is steep!

I only pay $480 a year (with unlimited mods), but that is Albany Creek (and a Rating 1)

[Dee]

rating 1 is different to rating 4 trev :(

i also have a $850 excess cos of my age....

one company told me that my excess (if i chose their insurace) would be $450 + $750 because of my age :shock: needless to say, i didnt choose them

maybe when i get to rating 1 my premiums will be closer to $500....

by then i'll be up for a new car again anyway ;)

[Namus]

er...u shouldn't have had any problems to start with...i'm with AAMI as well....no dramas for me to do that....and my car has a lot of stuff done to it...(see sig)

[kirssn]

dont forget premium is charged not just on area and age but on the car itself - whther you are paying market or agreed value and if agreed value what value that is.

[Dee]

yep

2003 barina
20 y.o driver
3 years driving exp
Dromana, Victoria
3.5 years of previous insurance
1 claim (not at fault)
market value ($14,000 apparently) + $2,000 for wheels

[kirssn]

the claim shouldn't be used against you donna. it wasn't your fault and even if you initially claimed against your policy it would ultimately be repaid in full by the at faults insurance.

[Dee]

it wasnt ever claimed as my fault... i just thought i would mention it anyway ;)

[Petey]

:!: :!: :!:

If u ever do mod your rides, before u do it, CALL your Insurance company first to find out if they WILL cover u & what they will accept. (such as rim widths, lowered suspension, body kits, any engine or gearbox changes etc...)

All companies have their rules (guidelines) that their "Consultants" have to follow and advise you of... But ring before you do anything, so u have the info, the knowledge that it will be accepted & you will be covered...

They can (& have) decline any claim if they find you have done something to your ride & not told them about it!!! Especially if you r in their highest risk age group, ie Male 18 - 24...

Remember they are looking at the RISK of insuring you and it's all based on statistics & nothing more... They have NO hearts...

The main factors they look when working out how to charge you are fairly obvious but all we think of in the end is the money WE have to fork out!!!

Things such as the suburb you live in, the car, its accident rate, theft rate, is it imported or local, repair parts costs, the driver/s history - driving & accidents, male or female, ages, oh & of course profit determine the prices that they charge. Paying GST & Stamp duty add another 20% on top too & there you go INSURANCE = BIG BILL

Sorry, as u can see had an experience once & it can scar you!!! :evil:

But don't get caught out - do your homework, shop around and don't look only at the price!!! Sometimes the quality of the service is more important and never more so than when you are claiming...

God I hate Insurance.... :!: :!: :!:

[CateO]

I've had a LOT of dramas with this insurance crap since I got the car.

Long story short, I was on 3rd party with old car, totalled it (my fault) and had no car for 5 months. Got my astra brand new, and went back to my old Insurance company (AAMI) which was the cheapest out of them ALL. GOt put on a rating 4 with a premium of $1243.00. OUCH. Now I'm @ a rating 2 because my parents are with the same company and I've had the car over a year and only paying about $630.

After the long talk today, I have been told (once again) that I can only have ONE cosmetic change/modification to my car until I'm 25. If I lower it, that's it. Anywhere else doesn't want to know about me because of my accimadental, and expect me to pay up big.

I still don't understand how all these little tackers (P Platers) can get around in totally hotted up cars and get away with it. Starting to think they have real nice parents or no insurance !

I want a hotted up car ... :cry:

[break]

Also, with the calling insurance companies... if your asking "is it ok if I do X" make sure they enter the details into the sytem of your call. Tell them you want all details of your query logged.

That way if they try and void your policy you can say "well, if you look at the log of my policy the consultant informed me that there was no problems doing X".

As for my policy:
2001 Barina (1.4L manuaL)
20 y.o driver
3 years driving exp
Albany Creek, Queensland (good suburb)
3 years of previous insurance
1 claim (not at fault)
Perfect driving record
Agreed value ($12,000) + wheels + stereo + exhaust are all insured (and I don't have an exhaust... it was on the policy incase I did :P).
Unlimited mods (as long as they are legal).

[Dee]

so you have all the same as me pretty much trev..... accidents an all :(

the only thing RACQ wuoldnt give me was unlimited mods... which company are you with?? i might change before my 30 days is up

[break]

so you have all the same as me pretty much trev..... accidents an all :(

the only thing RACQ wuoldnt give me was unlimited mods... which company are you with?? i might change before my 30 days is upI'm with Swann.... but my mate is one of the brokers for Swann, hence why I have agreed value.

Only thing with Swann was it took them AGES to process my claim... my car took 4-6 weeks to repair after that accident :evil: Partly due to they put my claim forms into the wrong 'in' basket :evil:

[Dregger]

... They have NO hearts...



God I hate Insurance.... :!: :!: :!:

i take offence to this, i work for an insurance company and I worked as a claims officer for 18 months and we do have hearts!

once again people are just accepting that 'society dictates to them that insurance companies are evil'.

well here are my details. So you know that insurance companies are NOT evil.

I'm with a leading victorian insurance company.
i'm rating 1 for life.
had 2 claims, 1 each year prior to this year. both to be considered at fault.
i've done stereo, alloys, external mods, springs, shocks. etc
when they saw my car for assessment... twice.....they didn't care about my mods.



do you want to know why?



cause its didn't contribute to the claims!!!!




and yes donna, by the books they will only let you have 1 mod on your car.

but you should be able to negotiate with them. just say that you family (parents sister brother dog bird) are all insured with them, and get them to confirm that on the system. then speak to a supervisor and say that they will loose ALL of their familys business if they dont insure you for the 1 extra mod to your car.



ONCE AGAIN..... IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTION IN REGARDS TO INSURANCE JUST PM ME....IM WILLING TO HELP!!!! doesn't everyone already knwo i work for an insrance company already???

[mr_astra_retired]

doesn't everyone already knwo i work for an insrance company already???

I had no idea..

[Vectracious]

Why are you even posting - General is closed!!!! :roll: :P

[NUTTTR]

I've had a LOT of dramas with this insurance crap since I got the car.

Long story short, I was on 3rd party with old car, totalled it (my fault) and had no car for 5 months. Got my astra brand new, and went back to my old Insurance company (AAMI) which was the cheapest out of them ALL. GOt put on a rating 4 with a premium of $1243.00. OUCH. Now I'm @ a rating 2 because my parents are with the same company and I've had the car over a year and only paying about $630.

After the long talk today, I have been told (once again) that I can only have ONE cosmetic change/modification to my car until I'm 25. If I lower it, that's it. Anywhere else doesn't want to know about me because of my accimadental, and expect me to pay up big.

I still don't understand how all these little tackers (P Platers) can get around in totally hotted up cars and get away with it. Starting to think they have real nice parents or no insurance !

I want a hotted up car ... :cry:

I was gonna say that...... AAMI will NOT allow anyone under 25 to lower the car....... regardless of what they say over the phone - unless you get it IN WRITING it's null and void! Lowering is a PERFORMANCE mod and they do NOT allow performance mods for under 25... Unless you are 24 and a bit - or get some special arrangement with someone there you know, or are really lucky and speak to someone really stupid - but you'll only get away with this once - come renewal time they will tell you to bugger off...... and they have every right to....... also if they "audit" their systems they can say, "look, we'll allow you to continue as you paid in full already, but come renewal, find somewhere else".... that's what NRMA did with me and my car... because the underwriters of NRMA felt that my stereo was too high a risk, i either take it out, devalue it, or choose someone else, no one there can talk about those letters, it's a done deal, no if's no buts...... sucks a bit.... Insurance co's can be real bastards, but they are there to make money, you have to respect that, if their statistics say you have a 200% chance of crashing due to big mags, lowering, and an exhaust, well, that's their figures and you'd better want to bend over and lube up if you want insurance!

Aaron

[JP Dyno]

heh AAMI wouldnt even insure me with my SRI-T when i shopped around.

Any reason you dont want to go to TTF CateO? They've done a couple of my mates cars and have done good prices, and they seem rather professional (the geelong one anyway, The sunshine one where im getting my car done, less so...)

P.S. I think your right, most of the P platers around with highly modified cars either A) Insured under parents name, B) Havent told the insurance company about any mods or C) dont have insurance at all.

[aussievectra]

RACV wouldn't insure me because of the body kit wasn't got through Holden. On the other hand AAMI wouldn't insure me because of the sports exhaust, but Just Car Insurance will insure me for a high premium of $1,667 that is with everything I have on the car.
CateO I have been to TTF in sunshine to get some rims fitted to my old veccy, I found they were unrliable that they told me to bring the car in at a certiain time then left me waiting around all morning till the rims arrived from getting the hole's drilled. I'd go to Beaurepairs or something like that.

[JP Dyno]

yeah the guys nin the sunshine one seem dodgy as..