Automotive

auto insurance and tuned vehicles

  • Last Updated:
  • Jan 9th, 2020 1:16 pm
Newbie
Jul 2, 2010
54 posts
2 upvotes

auto insurance and tuned vehicles

does anyone here have auto insurance for a tuned car (thinking of getting an APR stage 1 done) and if so what insurance company are you with?
10 replies
Deal Guru
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Mar 13, 2004
13840 posts
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Ontario
Tune the car and dont say anything. I dont think there is a benefit of letting them know, its not like if you crash the car they are going to give you an extra $800 because it was tuned & they are not going to look into it and check if you were. If its not visible I dont see a reason to let them know.
duffman316 wrote: does anyone here have auto insurance for a tuned car (thinking of getting an APR stage 1 done) and if so what insurance company are you with?
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Feb 11, 2007
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GTA
sickcars wrote: Tune the car and dont say anything. I dont think there is a benefit of letting them know, its not like if you crash the car they are going to give you an extra $800 because it was tuned & they are not going to look into it and check if you were. If its not visible I dont see a reason to let them know.
I think the risk is that they could deny you coverage for modifying your car and not informing them.
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Member
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Jan 8, 2015
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Mississauga
engineered wrote: I think the risk is that they could deny you coverage for modifying your car and not informing them.
Insurance does not cover mechanical failures regardless of it being tuned.
So it does not matter. Thats a warranty issue not insurance issue. Wont be a problem unless its been turned into a racecar
Last edited by sebakaa on Jan 8th, 2020 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Deal Addict
Jun 20, 2010
2278 posts
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Tune an adjuster won't be able to see. What you need to worry about are visual modifications. It's up to the adjuster's discretion, but they can deny your coverage if you ever get in an accident and need to submit your claim as mentioned by @engineered. If you disclose your mods, they can refuse to offer coverage.

I was at a shop when an adjuster showed up for a friend's car and he went through it with a fine tooth comb checking for everything from performance, suspension and brake mods. I've also seen adjusters who didn't care.

I shouldn't be saying this, but if you choose to mod your car, you need to have a shop where you can have it towed to if you ever get in an accident to have it demodded.
Deal Expert
Jan 15, 2006
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Richmond Hill
sebakaa wrote: Insurance does not cover mechanical failures regardless of it being tuned.
So it does not matter. Thats a warranty issue not insurance issue. Wont be a problem unless its been turned into a racecar
This is not entirely true as some insurance co's will cover blown engines, such as TDMM.
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Aug 22, 2011
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I remember reading an article where the adjuster requested the dealership to pull out the ECU and check for modifications.
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Feb 11, 2007
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sebakaa wrote: Insurance does not cover mechanical failures regardless of it being tuned.
So it does not matter. Thats a warranty issue not insurance issue. Wont be a problem unless its been turned into a racecar
Yea, I'm not talking about blowing up the car, I'm saying that if you crash, they may claim it was due to mods and deny coverage. Now this shouldn't be a problem for basic stuff, but if you crash because your car is stanced or something dumb like that, then it makes sense not to cover it. Same goes for lifted bro trucks.
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
Newbie
Jul 2, 2010
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vkizzle wrote: I remember reading an article where the adjuster requested the dealership to pull out the ECU and check for modifications.
christ that is scary
Deal Expert
Aug 22, 2011
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duffman316 wrote: christ that is scary
Yup.
All modern vehicles store information such as speed and whether the driver applied the brakes before a collision occurred.
Tech's are able to determine if a modification was done to the ECU (aka tune) even if we revert back to stock, as the ECU has a "write" counter.
Deal Fanatic
May 4, 2014
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Toronto, ON
Slap two Type R stickers on it and be done with it.

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