Bell...

[JAHill]

I've got an Avensis Colour Collection and have just got hold of some *standard* Toyota alloys for a T3S. I will be putting these on the Avensis *with* locking nuts. Bell want £25 extra for this and they wouldn't be covered either... Are they taking the mickey or not?

[Bibbs]

If they were an "option" then tell them to "stop being so silly".

Insurance companies will mug you for anything until you complain.

If you car didn't have the option, I can see thier point. But if alloys WERE an option, stress this too them, that what difference would it be to them at the beginning, if the car you insured had the optional wheels.

[Leeky]

The way i see it is that if its been made by toyota then its not an aftermarket part hence not a mod so i dont declare it ;)

My Aristo wheels are from a mk2 and not the mk1 i have but they are genuine toyota wheels and came with the car so i havent declared them :)

[JAHill]

Damn... While the wheels are standard (16" Eight Spoke) on the T3-S, the optional ones for the CC are 18" jobbies, for which I would probably not have to pay any extra. This is insane. Best bit is, the CC,T2,T3-S and T3-X 2.0 D4D are all group 7E. Very tempted to find someone else and keep 'em in the shed for a few months.

Oh, and that £25 was for the remainder of the cover so for the whole year it would probably be £50! I got them for £80, trying to save cash and all that. So on top of a new set of wheel nuts, centers and a tyre transfer... Ouch. :ffs:

Edit: Yeah... Just did an online quote for a T3S and my CC. Both the same. Crooks!

[Lou-Lou]

Change insurance companies, and while you're at it, tell them you've had a quote for £x (knock £200 off whatever you have been paying). They'll try and beat that price.. works every time :)

If they're gonna screw us over, best to do the same.. all's fair etc..

[Bibbs]

The way i see it is that if its been made by toyota then its not an aftermarket part hence not a mod so i dont declare it ;)

My Aristo wheels are from a mk2 and not the mk1 i have but they are genuine toyota wheels and came with the car so i havent declared them :)

And that's why, in an accident, you may have problems ..

You are supposed to inform them of EVERYTHING. And yes lee, that includes TRD parts ..

[Leeky]

The way i see it is that if its been made by toyota then its not an aftermarket part hence not a mod so i dont declare it ;)

My Aristo wheels are from a mk2 and not the mk1 i have but they are genuine toyota wheels and came with the car so i havent declared them :)

And that's why, in an accident, you may have problems ..

You are supposed to inform them of EVERYTHING. And yes lee, that includes TRD parts ..

But seeing as the Aristo is an import model only the standard spec details are a grey area. Can they prove that it didnt come with the wheels when the car was brand new? no, can they prove that i put the wheels on? no

I bought the car as it stands today and the previous owner did not point any modifications out to me.

No problem B)

[sotal]

The way i see it is that if its been made by toyota then its not an aftermarket part hence not a mod so i dont declare it ;)

My Aristo wheels are from a mk2 and not the mk1 i have but they are genuine toyota wheels and came with the car so i havent declared them :)

And that's why, in an accident, you may have problems ..

You are supposed to inform them of EVERYTHING. And yes lee, that includes TRD parts ..

What if the parts were on when you bought the car? Are you supposed to research what came as standard, what was factory options and what has been fitted since??

Most people aren't into cars as much as people on here and wouldn't have a clue if parts are standard or not

[Leeky]

The way i see it is that if its been made by toyota then its not an aftermarket part hence not a mod so i dont declare it ;)

My Aristo wheels are from a mk2 and not the mk1 i have but they are genuine toyota wheels and came with the car so i havent declared them :)

And that's why, in an accident, you may have problems ..

You are supposed to inform them of EVERYTHING. And yes lee, that includes TRD parts ..

What if the parts were on when you bought the car? Are you supposed to research what came as standard, what was factory options and what has been fitted since??

Most people aren't into cars as much as people on here and wouldn't have a clue if parts are standard or not

Indeed, i mean lets face it - if you bought a car with real mods like a big exhaust/aftermarket wheels/induction kit etc then you would know this just by looking. But if your car is 100% genuine manufacturers bits then i dont think you should have to declare them.

My Lotus hasnt got standard Headlights or Clutch etc but there have been over 20 different versions of the car so im not going to start listing mods which i dont consider to be blatant. Very few people would be able to tell about my lights or clutch - and deffo not some twit from Elephant when he comes to assess damage :)

[Bibbs]

What if the parts were on when you bought the car? Are you supposed to research what came as standard, what was factory options and what has been fitted since??

Most people aren't into cars as much as people on here and wouldn't have a clue if parts are standard or not

If you think the Insurance company will say "you didn't know those aren't stock? Oh, that's fine then, here is your XXX pounds for your accident" then don't declair stuff.

If you think they'll spend 15mins researching to save a fair few quid, declair stuff. You'd be supprised as to what they know and how far they go. After my last accident, the inspector listed EVERY little detail with photo's as proof (this included engine bay, dash, interior, wheels, brakes, measuring tyre tread, suspension height, checking lights etc) and that was for a 10mph non fault shunt from behind.

i dont think you should have to declare them.

I agree, I don't see why we should delaire anything .. but if you want to give the insurance company an oppertunity to bottle out of cover and payment (and then you "driving without insurance"), don't declaire anything.

[PaulT]

It's a question of motivation. For a relatively small amount of work on the part of the insurer (looking up the original car spec) they can save a lot of money (forking out for your replacement car).

This is why they do it! Sadly the aftermarket wheels on my car cost me nearly £150 extra on the premium compared to stock (and they are tatty rubbish), but there's no way the insurer will be able to wriggle out of a claim if I have to make one.

Paul.

[sotal]

My Celica has genuine Toyota (well Momo but Toyota used them) Alloy Wheels with locking nuts.

I bought my Car from a dealer so the person who owned the car before me couldn't say they were factory fitted or not.

I have no idea whether or not they were fitted at the factory or afterwards (and I actually told the insurance company that and they said as long as they were original type it wouldn't matter - that's Direct Line) They were more bothered about Locking Nuts and told me if I didn't have Locking Nuts then if the car was stolen they would base the value on a car with steel wheels and if the wheels were stolen I wouldn't be able to claim for them.

[alanbradley]

This is why they do it! Sadly the aftermarket wheels on my car cost me nearly £150 extra on the premium compared to stock (and they are tatty rubbish), but there's no way the insurer will be able to wriggle out of a claim if I have to make one.

Paul.

Ditto - apart from the "tatty rubbish" bit. My insurers know everything about my car so that they have no "wriggle room" at all. When my last car was written off the insurance company (oh, okay... Toyota Insurance) tried to tell me that they weren't going to pay out as it wasn't my name on the invoice due to a typo by the garage.

I'm never getting caught on anything like that again <_<

A

[Lou-Lou]

What if the parts were on when you bought the car? Are you supposed to research what came as standard, what was factory options and what has been fitted since??

Most people aren't into cars as much as people on here and wouldn't have a clue if parts are standard or not

If it's your car and you're insuring it it's your responsibility to check whats standard and whats not.

Just saying 'oh, I didn't know' won't be good enough!

It's like if you get caught doing something illegal, like doing 60 in a 30 for example, saying you didn't know the law/what the speed limit was, isn't an excuse, you'll still get done.

[sotal]

There's a big difference with your example...

A lot of people just wouldn't know where to start to find out what was on the car when it left the factory. With some cars it would just be impossible. Land Rover for example are known for being very bad at keeping records of what was fitted to a vehicle. So even if you asked them they just wouldn't be able to tell you.

Everybody has the chance to know what speed it is supposed to be.

You see the difference. You are allowed to claim to have not known if it is reasonable that it is hard to find out.

[Bibbs]

I hate to say it, but "ignorance is not an excuse" ..

"I didn't know it was illegal to murder someone" ..

It's up to YOU to prove and check your car hasn't been modded.

[sotal]

That's what I'm trying to say though there's a difference between ignorance and just not being able to know.

Go out and buy an oldish Landrover, it's doubtful that over time it's managed to be kept 100% original. So when your insurance company says has it got any mods you say "humm I'm not sure I'll go ask Landrover" so you send a letter to the department in Solihull which deals with that and they send a nice letter back saying "Your Landrover was built in 19xx it was either a LWB or a SWB and it was possibly a Series 2A or possibly a Series 3"

They don't even know what kind of vehicle you've got never mind what was fitted when it left the factory. So it isn't ignorrant not to know whether parts were factory fitted or not it is in some cases impossible!

Now with the Celica it would probably be quite possible that I could phone Toyota and ask them to send me a list of exactly what parts where fitted to my car when it left the factory and they probably could do it but they'd soon get ****** of if all their customers did this.

[Bibbs]

And I'm sure when processing a landrover claim, they'll turn up and look at it and as long as it's all period parts (not 22" spinners) say "fine".

When they turn up and see a "normal" car, on 18" chomes, with tints, coloured engine hoses/wires, extra guages, harnesses and parts with 'TRD', 'Blitz' and 'HKS' on them. They'll know.

I don't see why we should be charged extra for these parts (when it's not a like for like replacement policy), and as long as it passes the MOT they must be legal. So how can they justify it, I don't know.

But if you play the game, make sure you know the rules ;)

[sotal]

I know what you mean with 18" Chromes tints etc, yes the insurance company should be notified about things like that

but... my celica is completley standard but it's got 16" Momo alloys which I know came as standard on the SR model and I believe they were an option on the ST. I have no idea if they came on mine but I doubt they did from the factory. It's that kind of thing that I'm on about and I don't see anything wrong about not informing the insurance company (like the topic started out ) - In my case I chose to tell the insurance company that I didn't know if the alloys were standard and they were happy at that.

[JAHill]

Just had more words...

The reason they are going to charge (can't get around it) is that they are a "modification to the original spec" and that they "make it more attractive to thieves."

So, - and this is my point, which in my opinion is a &#33;Removed&#33; good one - how come the T3-S, which is essentially mine with these alloys and sat-nav and a better Badge is less attractive to thieves than mine which has no sat-nav and the alloys put on instead of steels and a Badge that says "mine is the cheapest you can buy!" ? Duuuuuuuhhh.

The T3-S also costs more than mine did and it costs the same to insure it as mine but as soon as I stick the wheels from a T3-S on mine, mine is suddenly more expensive to insure even though it would cost less to replace.

Oh, and the wheels won't be covered. Even with lock nuts!

And I can't just go somewhere else until october as I've paid for the year. :ffs: :censor: :ffs:

Criminals. Ain't changed much since 1920s prohibition USA. :!Removed!:

Options are

1. Cheapest: Flog the wheels and keep the steels on.

2. Pay "The Man" and go elsewhere in October... and tell "Him" this in no uncertain terms.

3. Keep the alloys in storage until October, ring around and find an insurer with a bit of knowledge (hard) and a sense of fair-play (impossible)

[Bibbs]

No 3. It's not that bad .. just say they are toyota alloys when you come to renew.

[JAHill]

No 3. It's not that bad .. just say they are toyota alloys when you come to renew.

Yeah... That's what I was thinking. Go elsewhere and do the insurance on the phone, not online and say "Yeah, it's got 16" Toyota Original Equiment Wheels on it instead of steels, with lock nuts." and see what they say. It's not like I've stuck 19" jobbies on it... Hmm.

There's no way I'm not declaring them as I know someone who did that. He was very lucky not to face charges of somekind as he limped home from the accident in his car. Took off the BBS he had put on and stuck his OEM ones back on. The fact that it had also been lowered wasn't missed either! Unfortunately for him, the photos that the other party had took with their mobile had his with the BBS on it.

Busted! Not a penny. Although he managed to blag not being visited by the plod by saying he swapped them as soon as he could 'cos his balancing was way out!

I ain't playing that game for the sake of a few quid. I just think £25 for five months is a bit steep. Although if you look at it as £5/month it ain't too bad... It's just the principle of the thing. (I hate saying that!)

[Bibbs]

Mine tried to charge £150 for alloys and an exhaust .. I had 6 weeks left on the insurance. I told them to stick it. The alloys etc are in the garage waiting to be fitted.

[Gnome]

Are you already in a policy with them JA?

If so, is it because you're making a change to the policy, that a fee has been put in place, as I'm sure it's £25 for changes to a policy once it's in effect.

Or is it definately just because of the new wheels?

[JAHill]

Are you already in a policy with them JA?

If so, is it because you're making a change to the policy, that a fee has been put in place, as I'm sure it's £25 for changes to a policy once it's in effect.

Or is it definately just because of the new wheels?

I'm pretty sure it's the wheels but it could be worth another call. They made all sorts of claims that it was due to this that and the other. If they had said it was £25 just because I'm changing the policy I wouldn't really have a problem with it. If it's going to be a premium on top of what I usually pay every year then I'd be a bit miffed. It also seems to differ, depending who you talk to! ;) I might try on saturday.