But now I find I am asked by insurers if the car has been modified. Does this count as a modification? If I answer “yes” on the online quotes I get a dropdown list but there is nothing like this mod presented as an option to choose, and if I select “body mod “ I always end up being told the car cannot be insured.

Phone them up then!

Tell them what you did and why. I cant imagine it would make much, if any difference to the policy cost, but better to cover your own back.

If the original setback had the holes for a headrest but just not the headrest itself, that would suggest the extra headrest was an option. In that case, I wouldn't have bothered informing insurance. Also, if leather was an option on your SRI and you got complete set of seats front and rear, I probably wouldn't bother informing the insurer here either.

But as the rear seat back is part leather and (presumably) the rest of the upholstery is cloth, it is clearly a non-standard part. In the eyes of your insurer, I'd be fairly certain they would consider this a modification.

Anything non-standard varies from insurer to insurer in my experience.

I fitted wind deflectors to the windows my car with one insurer, was declared when changing to a new insurer who insisted they could only remain if they had been sourced AND FITTED by franchised dealer. How utterly crass and stupid? Deflectors now binned.

How does anyone know, with reasonable certainty, what mods/extras have been fitted by a previous owner and by whom and what might contravene an insurance company interpretation?

Another example, a friend bought a Mini, a previous owner added spotlights and changed the mirror caps from one colour to another =- basically cosmetic. He had a bump, and insurance co found online a pic of said car taken prior to his ownership without these alterations and initially refused to pay out as he'd not 'declared' modifications. His argument was as these were done by a previous owner whom he had no contact with as car was bought from a dealer, so how would/should he know? Ins Co backed down on Ombudsman threat.

What next, telling Ins Co, you've a fluffy dice air freshener?

Edited by Miniman777 on 24/04/2024 at 12:50