Alright I posted this in another thread but it seems no one saw. It's a pretty big issue that I'm going to be running into.

Basically the jist of the story is I had a pretty bad accident where I rear ended someone and the damages on my car look pretty significant. My bumper was fully dented in with slight damage to the hood. I have to go through insurance to cover the costs but a guy at the body shop said my insurance might get voided from my mods.

The performance mods that I do have are a CAI, springs and exhaust. I'm not overly sure if the CAI is damaged or not, but would the insurance company void my insurance because of these mods? Im with TD in case that makes a huge difference.
Any help is greatly appreciated

 

first off this is totally my opinion and my take on your situation. but uhh i dont see how the insurance company would have any right to completely void your coverage because you decided to modify your vehicle. i would say worst case scenario is that they agree to pay out for the repairs that were quoted to have your car fixed with OEM parts. maybe you could document and submit to them that it would be cheaper for them to pay out to replace your aftermarket parts (which honestly i wouldnt be surprised if it were cheaper than ordering OEM stuff). i honestly dont know if ins. companies even consider that as an option but hey if you do the research and it works out that way, it couldnt hurt to ask.

oh yeah ive never had to deal with insurance companies so i could be completely wrong, but i hope my thinking makes you feel any better about this.

 

hahah it all depends on whos fault it is. if its not your fault you think they are going to make a big deal about it. Now if its your fault , they are going to ummm how do I say this nicely. pay you the least amount as possible

 

i think inorder to void ur insurnace they would have to PROVE that your aftermarket mods caused your accident if it was your fault.

eg ur shocks blew out and u lose control and slid into some one, they can argue that ur after market springs was a contributing factor.

 

call them up, tell them your name is "Kevin Smith" or something, ask them if they will insure you if your vehicle is modified in the following way i.e. springs CAI exhaust. *67 your number of course

 

I dont know about you guys, but I informed my insurance company of my mods. my insurance went up by 13 dollars a month. And the bodykit and performance mods re covered

 

ive heard many different stories regarding insurance companies and mods, some are ok with it, some are not. which company are you with?

you mentioned you rear ended someone, so i am assuming you're at fault here. If it's only cosmetic damage, you might get away (dont mention your mods) and if the insurance sends someone to check the car, dont say anything about the mods unless he / she asks.

however if the damage is beyond cosmetic and you are going to get insurance to cover the costs of repair then they might check in more detail

 

not sure if you were asking me. I wasnt driving the car the two times, my girlfriend. the rear end one the kid paid up. 2300 for damaging my bodykits.com EVO X bumper. which I might add is up for sale now... if anyone wants to buy it and fix it up. Structural integrity is 100%, just gotta send down and compound in the spider cracks in the fiberglass.

But now that i have the front and rear lips. insurance cuts me a check for its retail value and 75% of its installed labor value.

With StateFarm. Only things state farm said that would screw up my insurance, is ENGINE mods "internal mods" and lowering the car. Both are huge no nos with statefarm.

 

I'm pretty sure it would be stated as my fault. My insurance is with TD and I'm there's more than just cosmetic damage. I know that my radiator is damaged, the A/C system and possibly a few others. From what you guys are saying, I'm getting pretty scared

 

you might want to consider removing your cold air intake before the insurance company sends an agent to check your car. do you know if someone is going to go look at the car?

i even if they see your intake, i do not think they will refuse to insure you on your accident. They might raise your insurance afterward ontop of the increment that you will suffer because of this accident, or they might force you to put your car back to factory or they deny you insurance. I've heard on other forums that TD is generally lenient towards mods though.

 

The insurance company doesn't have to prove a damn thing. They agreed to insure the original car, which you have now modified. They can easily argue that the car is not the one they agreed to insure, thus they are not liable to cover you at all. This is why I tell everyone to inform their insurance company of any modifications.

 

I don't about out there but I'm insured through ICBC and when I bought my car or any time I renew my insurance, they have never asked me if I have modded my car or is it still in original condition. IMO how would they know it didn't come like that when you bought it. I would think they would have to prove the mod is what caused the accident, just like voiding warranty. That's my opinion though

 

Just because they don't ask doesn't mean they allow it. They assume that you'll either A. inform them or B. not mod the car at all. They can easily find out that the car didn't come that way, they're not stupid. Insurance is not like a warranty, your insurance doesn't have to do a damn thing if you mod the car (thus making it different from the car they agreed to cover).

 

^So if I get rear ended and they see my CAI they can void my warranty and not cover the damage?!?

 

If it violates their contract then yes. I don't know of any insurance company that is so **** they void contracts over bolt-ons but legally they could.