questions about remap and blackbox

[arronleeds]

so i only had my first car for 9 months then decided to get a leon fr 1.4 150 act.

however due to me being on my first year of driving ive got a sh*t black box, i know right.

Now, i want to get it remapped and have been quoted around the 180-190bhp mark. however someone told me that my insurer will know its been modified, and my question is how? box is already installed. surely they wont know unless i put a claim in?

 

[R4CK5]

One of those grey areas I think. Chances are you're not going to make a claim on your insurance as statically accidents are low. However if you do need to make a claim and they find out it's mapped and you haven't told them and they refuse to pay out, you're left with the repair bill for 2 cars which could both be right offs plus you'll also be done for driving with no insurance as it'll be a voided policy. Got to question if it's worth the risk as you'll effectively be driving around as an uninsured driver.

 

[SRGTD]

The premium you're currently paying is for an unmapped car. An insurance underwriter would consider that remapping a car to increase its performance represents a higher risk, requiring a higher premium then the equivalent unmapped car.

If you check the small print in your insurance policy, you'll see that there's a requirement for you to notify your insurer of any modifications. If you don't, in the event of a claim, your insurer could void your policy, which would effectively mean you've been driving without insurance. You will also have committed insurance fraud, defined by the Association of British Insirers (ABI) industry body as;

'Insurance fraud is when someone invents or exaggerates a claim, or does not tell the truth in order to obtain cheaper cover. It is a serious crime which can result in a criminal conviction and even imprisonment'.

Your insurer is also likely to add your details to the Insurance Fraud Register, which is an insurance industry-wide database, available to all insurers. This could impact your ability to obtain insurance in the future, and / or affect the premium you're charged.

If you do decide to get your car remapped, please do make sure you tell your insurer; it's not worth running the risk of driving uninsured and getting a criminal record.

 

[arronleeds]

i may have to leave it until october then guys because... i tried to get a 1.8 180 dsg leon and my insurance company would not insure me, so im just gonna assume they wont insure me if i remap it to the same bhp although the engine is smaller, all i can do is ring and ask, no harm in trying.

i knew you're supposed to declare any mods

 

[Deleted member 103408]

Main stream insurance companies don't like more than one or two mods or mods for young drivers so you have to shop around. There are a few specialist insurance companies on this site you can contact if you are going to mod the car but I have to tell you as a older driver I can get a mapping change or spoilers with no problems (there is a cost but not a refusal) but if you get into serious changes then you need to go to specialist insurance companies. One thing I got when looking to go to stage 2 with all the bits that surprised me was that you had to declare if you were having bonnet vents fitted, small cosmetic change but it does add to the cost. Bottom line from an old guy don't modify your car in any way without talking to insurance company the real cost if you get caught are very high and its not worth it.

 

[SRGTD]

Bottom line from an old guy don't modify your car in any way without talking to insurance company the real cost if you get caught are very high and its not worth it.

^Excellent advice.

I have contacts in the insurance industry and most insurers consider a modification to be anything that changes the factory build spec of a car. So, in theory, something as innocuous as vinyl wrapping the door mirror caps would be construed as a modification.

An interesting article here that gives an indication of the possible premium impacts of various modifications;

https://www.keithmichaels.co.uk/modified-cars-insurance/car-insurance-modifications-guide/

The list may not be exhaustive (e.g. It doesn't include wheel spacers, which I know some insurers won't accept) and the % premium impacts might not be current, but it gives you an idea of the likely premium impacts. Depending upon the type of modification, there may also be increased excess impacts and the insurer may take other risk factors into account when considering whether or not they will cover a modified / non-standard risk, such as driver age and experience, theft risk, cost/value of modifications.