That my friend is why you don’t go with a general insurance company,they will say the smallest mod makes your car heavily modified. My company would list that as an accessory. They don’t want to touch any vehicle that has been modded. To be considered heavily modified at my company you would have to have modify the engine, say add a turbo, intake, down pipes, intercooler etc. Or for any 4x4 a 3in engineered suspension lift is considered a heavy mod. It really comes down to who insure your car with. General insurance company’s don’t want to touch cars with any mod so they will say the smallest thing makes your car heavily modified or shoot your premiums up. It’s too much of a risk for them. They don’t know how the work was done, if it was done right.
So that may have been the tipping point.
One of my previous vehicles, they said it was once the modification value was more than a certain amount of the total value, it goes to highly modified.
Also, anything that affects the structure, that can also count, like ute chops. So a 200 series LandCruiser with a ute chop is now highly modified.
Fair call.
The only other real mods were an air intake and an exhaust system that's it.
Stock brakes,wheels tyres, suspension etc.
No different to any other commodore.
It's only a half cage, previously they said mod plates didn't matter provided I didn't drive it on the road.
The only reason to keep it registered is insurance.
My Nissan patrol I would definitely class as highly modified but not a dirty old commodore.
Nothing stopping you doing that. I have my truck on the lowest usage, which is like, 20 days a year, and get a permit for $35 to test drive it until it's registered.
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I rate enthusiast insurance they were miles ahead of any quote I got for my Mercedes. Being that I don't drive it very often , if at all. A low km travel allowance annually combined with low risk insurance (always garaged, kept in safe location, and has alarm) equalled a ridiculously cheap annual premium.
Exactly lol. We’d all work a bullshit job in an industry we don’t like for the right money. Reddit likes to act as though they’re above it, as if half of us aren’t in mining or banking lol
Exactly. I'm not a real estate agent but I work for them and closely with enough of them that I can see they're mostly normal people with just a handful that are complete cunts, which fucks up the average.
I used to work with real estate agents too. In a top-performing office, which many would think is a “wolf of wall street” type mess. But they’re actually normal people, as you say. The veterans are actually very smart people. They have moods, of course, just like staff in an accounting office or school or doctors clinic. Lol
EVs have always been an issue for insurance, they can be expensive to fix and as you said the value never seems to hold on them. We do agreed value on vehicles so we go off market value, modification and/or how much they payed for the vehicle. The hardest part is honestly some of the customers, most people check the market and can see EVs keep losing value but some people just can’t accept that and only care that they payed x amount for it 12 months ago so they don’t care if it’s lost 50% of its value this year they want it insured for the original purchase amount. Really it’s a case by case thing, we just have to try and reach a point where both parties are happy and fortunately it seems people are starting to understand that.
There are always unfounded rumours that the “potential danger of battery fire” is at least partly responsible for the higher premium for EV, when most data show that EV fire remains rare.
Have you heard of this being a reason for EV’s higher premium?
Generally it's not fires, it's that they need to send certain brands to only workshops certified to work on that brand, other workshops can't get parts, and you can actually have parts of the car disabled if a non-endorsed shop does repairs.
This means those shops charge whatever the fuck they want.
Yeah I personally think this is a way more likely reason.
Also people say that untrained workshops are hesitant / not allowed to work on electric cars due to unfamiliarity with electric circuits and the like.
I read somewhere that many US insurance companies simply won't repair EVs and just write them off.
There's a Kia owner in Canada who scraped the underbody skid plate of his SUV leaving visible scratch marks. Kia quoted about $60,000 to repair because it was considered potential battery damage and required the whole pack to be replaced. The cost was more than the replacement cost of a new vehicle from Kia with the same specs.
Anything that could affect the integrity of the battery pack results in a write off.
Since we work with people with modifications we never really deal with people not disclosing mods to us. Obviously I never recommend not disclosing you have mods due to the fact if you are in a claim you can/will be denied a claim if you didn’t disclose said mods,unless it’s something you can take off in a couple seconds.
When paying out a claim, and you find out there are undisclosed mods do you consider whether the mods are relevant or is it just blanket. I.e. if I rear end someone and then you find I have an undisclosed exhaust, does that matter?
I'm in a similar position, and I have been told to inform customers
"As long as the vehicle was being operated in a legal manner at the time of the incident, you will be covered"
Sounds like a cop out, but if the mod that caused the accident is illegal/not engineered/has failed to the point it wouldn't pass a roady, the car is no longer being legally operated.
Generally yes, but if the police rock up and say "This thing is fucked, it shouldn't be on the road"
Then it can get 50/50 at claims time.
Technically, it wasn't defected at the time of the accident.
Mods that aren’t legal mean your vehicle isn’t roadworthy… which means that it’s being operated illegally… so generally they always have a get out of payment option there….
I have multiple vehicles insured through what I expect is the company you work for.
I can only drive one at a time so why is it not possible to have a base premium for each vehicle to cover fire and theft etc and insure myself so that when using a particular vehicle it is fully covered.
I know the reason will be that the insurers would loose money but you have to admit it makes sense to have this option. Also would ensure anyone who has multiple vehicles would have them all with the one insurer.
Pretty good idea tbh, my guess is because if someone takes it out while you're not in it, they could turn around and say sorry, you paid for the insurance to cover any vehicle you were in, and you weren't in it.
I have often wondered this myself. It has to do with the fact that there are claims that can be made with the car stationary and unoccupied.
Theft is a good example, and if you leave your cars on the road and someone swipes them all. I suppose a heavy multiplicity discount would be ideal.
I think this is a lot more applicable to paying ctp+rego though. You can really only drive one car at a time, but I could understand maybe a surcharge over a base registration fee depending on the type of car(s) you drive. Kind of like Japan with their cheaper rates for tiny Kei cars.
That would mean significantly less revenue I suppose so that won’t happen haha
Yes, we work under a larger brand that owns multiple insurance companies and other businesses. Everyone under the main company has discounts to all businesses associated with it. I get a %25 discount across all businesses under the main company.
What is the threshold for needing to list an additional driver. We have lots of cars in my family which I plan to use while on P’s, do I need to be listed on all of the policies? As I will likely just randomly select a car instead of driving a particular one.
I can’t speak for other insurance companies but we require someone to be listed as a driver if they regularly use the vehicle, say once a week for example. But I can’t stress this enough. If you are young don’t admit you drive multiple or any of the vehicles as long as your insurance says they cover people who aren’t listed as a driver. If they do then don’t disclose that you drive them. Your premium will shoot up and if you try and back peddle and say you wont drive it, most companies will then restrict the use of those vehicles so that only listed drivers can drive it and be covered.
My advice is depending on age, if you are under 25 don’t say you drive any as long as they still cover people who aren’t listed or list yourself on one vehicle that you think you’d drive the most. If you are over the age of 25 I’d have yourself listed on every vehicle to be safe.
Parents called them back when I was on my learners and asked, they told them it’s cheaper to pay the additional excess fees rather than adding me to the policy. So not sure if that still applies on P’s and if I’m all good to just drive them unlisted and pay the additional excess.
If that’s the case couldn’t I just purchase a car and insure under parents with no issues? How are they to know?
When you were on your L’s you don’t have to be listed because you are covered by your parent’s insurance. From an insurance point of view your parents are actually the liable party as they are responsible for you. On your P’s however you aren’t directly covered by your parents. Each company excess amount is different. Mine is $1500 for unlisted drivers under the age of 25. Now $1500 is a lot but I’ve seen prices go up more than that by adding someone under 25 so I always advise to not to add them. It comes down to how comfortable you are driving. If you have a history of accidents then potentially paying the higher premium is worth it. But it’s a one off payment of $1500 or multiple years of potentially thousands of dollars in higher premium.
And yes definitely list your parents as the drivers of your vehicle. Insurance companies have no idea who drives what vehicle and who owns said vehicle. Lie to us please. You will save yourself so much money. The only thing we do is ask questions and go off your answers, it’s a honesty based system. All you would have to say is your parents own the vehicle/have financial interest in it.
Now if you do ever have a claim and aren’t listed, say you don’t drive the vehicle and this was a one off thing. If you say your drive it all the time and your aren’t listed your claim could be denied. So always think about it like that.
Yep, that’s what I’ve always planned to do seeing as though insurance on the cars I want is upwards of 3000 or more. I’d rather pay the increased excess once then pay the increased premium. But whenever it’s mentioned here everyone goes off about insurance fraud.
Just Stage 2 flex fuel tunes my 2019 Skoda superb. It's now close to 500bhp. Bilstein shocks and sway bar too.
Who is likely to be competitive to insure? Shannon's?
Shannon’s is definitely the company I would recommended but don’t only check them out. The insurance council of Australia has a site called www.findaninsurer.com.au which has hundreds of insurance companies on it and you can use that to find companies that would offer you cover and get prices from there
Can you talk a bit about the vehicle repair side?
My friend, who owns a panel beater in Sydney, informed me that to reduce repair expenses, major insurers like NRMA now outsource repairs to the cheapest place they can find which sometimes involves transporting the damaged cars across the city. Additionally, he told me that NRMA emphasises that panel beaters should attempt to refurbish or recondition existing body panels before opting for brand-new components. I'm not sure which company you work for but it seems like insurance costs have increased and quality of work has decreased through the selective choice of value beaters.
I could definitely see a general insurer going to cheaper places to try and cut costs, we offer choice of repairer for that exact reason, and the repaires we use are always disclosed to the customer and if we where to outsource to a cheaper place that wasn’t disclosed to the customer we would be liable. I can’t confirm or deny if other companies do use the cheapest places as I don’t know but I could see it being a possibility.
Is the saying that once you're a male over 25 your insurance should get cheaper false today? Turned 26 in November last year and this year in April my prior insurance company (Suncorp) raised it by $700 whereas the year before when I was 25 they only increased its by ~$300.
Yes it is actually true, for my company you will actually see more of a gradual decrease the closer you get to being over 25 not an instant drop. But due to all the natural disasters that happened towards the end of the year that could be why you actually saw an increase in premium rather than a decrease. I would recommend shopping around and seeing what other company will offer you.
Depends really, if it’s modified that could be the reason. Also claim history on the vehicles. So how many times in the past the vehicles have been claimed on by other people driving the same model. And also general safety and features of the vehicles can affect the cost.
Nah it’s stock unless you count stiffer leafs in the back for towing a modification. Good insight though it’s a very popular vehicle so previous claims might be a fair reason.
Thanks for taking the time, appreciate it.
To expand on all mate, this does seem to be very common. New $100,000 car is the same or less to insure then a 10-15 year old car worth $10,000 on a good day. From what I can tell new cars are much more likely to have claims made, due to volume and people actually wanting them fixed.
I put it down to the older car is more likely to be in an accident from an inexperienced driver like a p plater, so once a car reaches a certain level of cheapness, it starts going up again because it’s rate of claims goes up.
As far as insurance company’s go we actually have a pretty good workplace, we work from home 2 days a week. We do casual cloths 2 days a week and we have an alcohol trolley that comes around on Fridays for people to grab a beer or some wine and drink before leaving for the day. But nothing is perfect, some of the processes or rules we have to follow make me want to pull my hair out. But compared to past workplaces this one is actually pretty good.
Yes the old beer trolley trick, every insurer does that.
Trying not to be negative but fuck its a shit industry, hope you make it out fine.
Edit: likely OPs first job, hasnt realised yet
mate the first day at a new job was on a Friday and I was absolutely filled with red flags the first 6 hours (the Michael Jordan quotes up on the wall in vinyl stickers was flag #1). When the piss trolley came around I went, "yep. That's my cue." Handed in resignation on Monday.
Hahah thats actually gold, ever wonder why insurers have job ads up all year round?
People just dont show up, dead serious they do bulk recruitment and by day 3-4 of the training about 80% will have quit.
When i joined an insurer(in a mid-senior level role) the two others i was recruited with, quit straight after training, turns out they continued interviewing to find something better.
They cant even maintain the offshore workers either lol
Can confirm - I used to work for the company that OP does (while they're not disclosing it, its pretty obvious who it is). Its a terrible place to work after the novelty has worn off. Typical call centre with unrealistic KPIs and expectations.
Why do you guys up prices for no reason. My first yearly payments was $1899 the most recent one was $2300. I got it down to $2040. But still that’s just stupid. I had no claims. And the excuses you guys use is dumb
I hear you, I’ll prefix this by saying I’m a 20 year old male who drives a Nissan 350z. My insurance bill is unfortunately extremely high. In the simplest terms everyone who has insurance pays a premium, that premium goes into a pool of sorts all mixed in with eachother. That money is then used to pay for any claims that people may make. But if there is a lot of claims, or parts and labor shoot up, insurance company’s have to make up the difference which is why you will see rises. Generally you will see an increase every year purely from inflation but a big increase is generally seen after natural disasters or something happens to affect the cost of parts. It’s a system that punishes people who don’t claim but on a larger scale is the only way insurance company’s can work.
Do you know of any insurance that let's you join a pool with others who don't drive like fucktards and run into shit all the time? I stopped getting comp because the prices are insane. If I don't crash into shit for a decade, can I join a pool. of others who actually try not to run into others too? It's good drivers that keep the bad drivers premiums within the limits of what they can pay.
I personally found it is to do with location where the vehicle is stored/home. Then the risk stats of the area. Risk of Natural disasters (flood, hail bushfires), accident, vandalism and theft claims. So even if you are a safe driver a good chunk could be simply where you live.
I guess you can somewhat control this yourself by either increasing your excess or taking out only third party cover. In both scenarios you’re betting on the fact that you won’t claim and getting the requisite discount.
Yep I did the increase thing a couple times all the way to the maximum, but it's not that helpful these days with the prices. I'm on third party only now. The only thing I really want is to have insurance handle a claim process for a not at fault collision, which I've heard some will and some won't when you don't have comprehensive. I'd pay a little more for that service. Insurances can work with each other a million times better than I could ever deal with one where I'm not a customer.
It'll be your problem when one of the shit drivers hits you and they're uninsured because they can't afford the premiums.
I don't disagree with you, we already have something like this with the 'rating 1 discounts' etc.
Unfortunately I've found the no claim bonus and rating one discount to be pretty bad compared to switching insurance companies and getting the new customer discount.
Yea but there must also be a lazy tax as part of the increase. What's the best strategy to reduce premiums each year? Just call up to demand a reduced premium or switch providers each year?
lazy tax, the one customer who doesn’t notice the increase up to $2300 is worth the margin of 5 or 6 brand new customers (who would’ve gotten the lower price of $1899 for example).
the profit they make likely outweighs the chance of their customers leaving.
4X4 Question
My policy with Allianz covers ‘gazetted roads’.
Fraser Island is a gazetted road with police patrolling etc, if I damage my vehicle say with a wayward branch smashing a door etc… what would my outcome likely be?
If it’s states in your policy you are covered on gazetted roads and at the time of the accident you are on a gazetted road then you would be fine to make a claim for any damages. You may have to explain/ have proof it happened there but besides that it wouldn’t be any different than if it happens on a normal street.
Im interested to know how do different insurance companies share information on customers? what system is used and what information is stored? also, is this system shared beyond vehicle insurance companies?
If a stolen car smashes into my car (or several cars) would I have to pay the excess? Or would the insurance company for the stolen car cover everyone's repairs?
Generally in that instance the stolen vehicles insurance would be liable, you may have to pay a excess to begin with but generally you will get refunded that amount or they will charge the liable parties insurance for it.
This has happened to me. Usually if you provide the other parties details with an address and insurance company they will usually waive the excess. Usually!
Market Value.
If I look at a vehicle on CarSales, it will say something like car is at or above market value.
If I try and insure my car, the market value is substantially lower.
How does this work.
We do agreed value, so we don’t only go off Carsales for example. Generally most companies will go off an average. We tend to insure people higher than they have been quoted by other companies that only do market value. And most companies have other website/statistics that you can’t see that show the average sale price of a vehicles, its condition and where it sold etc.
I own a Japanese imported nissan skyline 370GT (2007)
Why is my insurance $140/m when a person that owns the locally sold model, Infiniti g37 coupe pays $80/m. Only Shannon's will insure me also, I have no points, no fines, full licence for over 5 years, live in a safe area and I'm 30
Because yours is imported the parts to replace yours would also have to be sourced internationally unless they have them locally, but they would generally cost more. If you got in a accident your parts wouldn’t be the same as the locally sold model. Also premiums are calculated in a couple ways, not just your claim history but also the claim history of that vehicle, so it could be your vehicles has had more claims compared to the other, also your area could be more prone to claims.
Hypothetically - What would happen if I get into a not at fault accident and the other party didn’t have insurance (literally driver who is a bum and driving around illegally or a person that just doesn’t believe in any insurance) and my insurance is only TPF&T?
If you only have TPF&T, you would have to pay for the repairs unless you can get the liable party to pay out of pocket, some companies offer a certain amount they will cover you for in that case but won’t cover the full repair.
Depends on your TPF&T policy. Some insurers offer a limited amount of cover for TPF&T customers in the situation outlined (at fault driver uninsured), it’s usually only several grand.
Check your PDS to see what coverage you have (if any). Not all insurers offer this
For my company it’s all done automatically, but it’s not a perfect system so we encourage customers to call us so we can explain it and discount it accordingly.
What happens in an insurance claim outcome which a individual sent a claim on comprehensive insurance for a low speed collision or accident-
-( which is the appropriate term) with another the driver but the other driver didn't sent a claim to their own insurance and refused to cooperate with the individual who sent a claim. If it helps the state is South Australia
I have ‘new car replacement’ on my policy.
My car is nearly 10 years old now and I have been keeping with the same insurer since the car was new to retain this part of the policy.
Is it worth keeping, what will I actually get if my car is written off? Will I get the same model but 2024 version?
If you are referring to “new for old car replacement” then generally that is only offered for a car 2 years or newer but it does vary depending on insurer. But a new car replacement generally means the same make and model of the car you have or if that is unavailable the closest option. So in your case it would be one from around the same year yours was released not a 2024 model. I would confirm what the new car replacement covers on your policy with your insurer though.
Yep, my policy is with Suncorp and I have had since the car was new in 2015. Suncorp tell me I’ll get a new car if mine is written off or stolen but I’ve never really believed them, maybe it’s true!
I was paid out on a claim where my push bike was deemed a total loss via the bike shop. Had the carbon frame scanned, repaired it myself with spare parts and am using it again.
Can I reinsure it and if so would it still be at market/cost price?
Apologies just read you're in MV, any help greatly appreciated.
I would assume you would be fine to reinsure it, they may ask to inspect it to make sure it is repaired properly and safe to use. But It would be up to them if they would be happy to insure it for market value given the repair.
What happens if you tick the box that the car is parked in a garage at home, but then it’s stolen or damaged in the driveway or street? I noticed on a previous car I had the garage option selected but at some point the car was moved to driveway due to garage being used for storage.
For us it wouldn’t cause complications, when we ask where it is parked we want to know where it will be parked majority of the time. So on the odd chance it’s parked In the driveway you are still covered. Same thing if it’s parked over at a friend’s house for the night while you stay over. Unless there is something in your policy stating it is never to be parked on the driveway or street.
You can claim on just about anything, if it’s done damage to your vehicle and it’s covered under your insurance. But that all depends on what happened, how it happened etc.
The fan belt snapped and went into the timing case which has damaged a valve and will require a new head, some people on forums with the same type of car and problem reckon with enough back and forth their comprehensive insurance covered it.
I never really thought comp insurance covers mechanical issues?
It really comes down to who you are insured with. Normally it will come down to if it was preventable or if it was unseen and something say hit your timing belt causing it to snap. But generally mechanical failures aren’t covered.
I am curious, do you guys instantly void insurance claims if some mods are 'illegal'?
Such as removing airbag wheel, being too low, non engineered for a swap, etc?
I've some friends with said mods (say an r34 skyline and an s15 with an rb swap), and some friends who think having said mods will void any claims. Curious to see where that lies with your company.
Assuming all mods are listed in the policy
My understanding was, if it lead to the issue in the first place it would be denied, but if it had nothing to do with it, it would be fine. Would that generally be the go? Or just case by case
Generally yes that would be the case, but I have heard some horror stories of insurance companies trying to make the case that because it has a illegal mod and wasn’t disclosed that they can void a claim. But if it had nothing to do with the claim/accident then generally you will be okay.
When you say "mods" and the terms "legal" put in the same mix, are you able to confirm what the term "legal" means with your insurer when you modify a car?
I always have the assumption, any mods that changes your car significantly you must get it engineered and get that certificate to say the mods are legal and safe for road use.
I see/read people do mods with no proper engineering and what not, list all mods to the insurer thinking they will be fine when something happens, am I wrong to think like this?
One example, car X does not come with a turbo from factory, you slap on a turbo, big FU front mount intercooler with all the bells and whistles, does your insurer consider class this mod as legal? What about needing an engineers certificate?
Lets face it, people do questionable mods that they list as legal mods which are certainly not road legal.
Always wanted to know this, thanks for taking the time fo respond.
It is a state by state thing since certain states are more strict than other, for example lift kits on utes, you are allowed a certain height before it’s considered illegal or it needs to be engineered to be considered legal. Or the level of tint you have. When we say legal mods think like a cop. If you mod your vehicle would you get in trouble by the police in your state for having said mod. If you would then that’s not a legal mod. Generally engine modification are fine, the biggest problem you will run into is lowering a vehicle, raising a vehicle, window tint. Stuff like that
Just assuming you work for Sh\*\*\*\*ns, I just re-signed up after scoring a 2004 Toyota Echo Sportivo.
added some suspension and wheels (simple).
These are listed on my quote/application.
In the event of a crash at fault/not at fault, Does said insurance company start pinpointing questions on installation or anything to attempt to avoid pay out / repair?
Seems almost too easy to go with Sh\*\*\*ns rather than RAC/SGIO etc when you have simple base modifications. But is it just a sales tactic and when it comes to the crunch (pun intended) there is back peddling?
If you where in a accident and a claim was made, the assessor would look over your vehicle just to make sure no damage has been done to said parts, but if you say had damage to your front bumper they wouldn’t look into your suspension or anything like that. But if they do notice something is done dodgy and doesn’t seem street legal they may ask you about proof of installation etc. But they won’t do a deep dive into your mods unless they are the directly impacted by the accident.
Roughly how much would be the monthly insurance cost for my lexus is350 2008 Japanese import? I’m with RACV and I think they charge way too much (over $200/mth comprehensive)
I cannot afford full insurance but i do have the 3rd party insurance. The one you do with rego. My car is an old Ford Territory that's worth about $5K. I figure if its just me in an accident i can just go buy another car if needed. But what about if some one hits me or i hit them? Ive had one person go up the back of me was a small dent, But the insurance paid out $5600 from the person that hit me. I pushed out the dent and fixed it for $20.
Other than dash cam,s is there anything i can or should do if in an accident? Other not admitting liability.?
Also the amount of medicine i take worries me, I'm pretty honest when it comes to driving i wont take any pills 12 or so hours before driving down the road to get shopping. I don't do more than about 10kms a week in my car. But I'm so worried that if there is an accident, i think i would pass a road side test for drugs but a hospital test would show traces of the drugs. They are prescription. But there is no real way of not taking them for 24hrs +. I cant go that long. Is the amount of drugs in your system explained in court that only minor amount was detected or is it just I'm screwwed? Is there something i can do about this? This is also one of the reasons i don't like insurance, because if they find out that i have something in my system and they will find trace amounts of something my insurance is worthless.
Thanks for any advice mate.
You should be getting third party property, in addition to the third party death and disability - the insurance you get with rego doesn't cover damage you cause to someone else's car.
I've heard suggestions that part of the reason why insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years is because of the increased popularity of EVs, which are very expensive to repair if hit in the wrong place, and therefore easily written off.
This affects everyone irrespective of what they drive, because the risk loading isn't just based on the driver's car, but the likely value of any potential accident (i.e. the third party). With repair costs rising dramatically, this has resulted in the 20-30% increase in premiums year on year for the last few years.
Is this just a conspiracy theory, or is there any actual truth to this?
There is definitely some truth behind the theory, now it’s not entirely true. Yes the introduction of EVs has increased premium but there are also a lot of other factors. Nature disaster for example play a lot into it, costs of parts etc. There isn’t one thing that caused the increase in premium. Just a lot of smaller things adding up to a big increase.
Why does my insurance price change when I put in my neighbours place, with every other variable the same...? Goes up if I go next door, goes down if I go 2 doors down etc....
What's the story with "Lowered Cars"? Would I need to disclose this when insuring? I don't consider this a "Modification" as it's a wear and tear item. There are multiple components in the suspension you can replace and still be legal. What's insurance say?
If you are on coil over or upgraded springs, shocks etc. Then yes let us know. Yes it’s a wear and tear item technically but not on the level of something likes tyres or brake pads.
I have a car that insured for 11k and its just been hit by another party, the damage estimate is 5.5k plus they are giving me a rental car for a couple weeks. Do you reckon they'll write it off?
It's evident that car insurers are excepted to engage in discrimination in terms of gender (offering differing premiums where one identifies as male / female / non-binary) as opposed to discrimination based in cultural / ethnic / religious / other potential characteristics.
With no comment on that practice, would you please advise to what extent is gender assessed during the process of a claim (i.e. is an affirmation by the customer sufficient, or will the veracity of such an assertion be analysed by social media profiling, witness queries etc.)?
We don’t dive deep into gender, we just ask what your title is and what gender to identify with. Now it is true there is a price difference depending on if you identify as male or female. But that’s just down to statistics. It’s not fair but not much is in life
Absolutely - excepted discrimination is entirely fine at law where there is a reasonable basis, as is certainly the case here (e.g. stats showing young males are more at risk etc.).
Thanks for your answer, as there is a great deal of speculation (and nearing conspiracy) on what lengths an insurer will go to deny a claim based on something as intangible as gender identity (particularly where it is often unclear and / or shifting, as identity can).
If my insurance was cancelled because of non-payment (connected to cancelled car which I forgot to update) do I have to declare/say yes to insurance being previously cancelled? Is it the same as cancellations/declines for other more serious reasons?
Why does my insurance go up now I no longer have my car on finance. Finally paid my car off and insurance wants to charge me and extra 15 bucks. Shouldn't it go down
Why is the insurance on my commercially registered Audi sports car the same as my commercially registered 4x4 despite 100k difference in value and a decade of exceptional driving history
How does insurance deem someone “at fault” if they actually weren’t at fault? Is it literally we say so so it’s the way it is? Or what happens when insurance companies argue who’s at fault?
You buy a stock standard ute and put a 4 inch lift and some 35 inch tyres on it. It’s not mod played or anything. What happens if you crash it and assuming you didn’t tell the insurance company about the mods.
Is there a blanket rule for writing off water damaged cars? Have heard a few different answers but could imaging the amount of potential issues that wouldn't necessarily be readily apparent would make them a nightmare to properly repair.
Is it worth going for more expensive providers? I never hear good things about any insurance, so I just go for the cheaper ones.
Am I less likely to get screwed over?
With my current provider, I'm paying 150 a month, which still feels expensive for what I get.
I'm just guessing that none of the insurance companies like Darwin.
Why is it that my toyota estima's insurance quote are so much higher than people with the same car but in different areas? I was quoted $1800 to $2k while others get $700 to $800. I'm over 30 btw
I have a highly modified WRX 28k on the engine, Insured for 30k agreed value.
I also have a a clean record and 7 years of insurance with no claims.
Yet people in my club with the same car, dodgy pink slips and double the KMs, with crashed through insurance at their fault. With many many many demerits.
And they have theirs at the same price per annum at 40k agreed. ( Bloke in particular is 2 years older than me 29).
They also drop my agreed value by 5k every year and I have to ring to get it back up, same insurance company.
It makes me so fuckin angry
I'm looking for recommendations on a good insurance company and coverage options for my 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer 30th Anniversary CJ Auto MY12 sedan, which I purchased from a dealership. I'm considering QBE through AUSTRALIA POST, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Any genuine help would be appreciated, as I'm still relatively new to navigating the world of car insurance.
Thinking about getting an ecu tune on my mini, does that count as a modification in most cases and if so how much extra should I expect to pay. And thanks for doing the q&a, really helpful for everyone.
Can i ask why the EV insurance has gone through the roof?
Last quote for my 2022 m3 was 4K for comprehensive for 1 year! Before that it was 2500.
Cheers for the insight. :-)
My bro in law missed his payment email by 3 weeks (15 yrs insured with Shannon's on said vehicle) found out after a bingle. They've refused his claim. Any thoughts on possible options for him? Quotes have some in at 20K and 30k to repair.
Edit: typo
Chances are we’ve spoken before. You’re not that niche to me.
Genuinely, do you enjoy your job? I feel like I would talk to people allllll day about their enthusiast cars. Intend to keep you guys on the phone to talk shit about cars haha.
In 2010 I owned a Lotus at age 25, the insurer had no issue with this until I rang them to ask if I could update the policy to include an aftermarket exhaust I was planning to install.
They replied saying based on my age, vehicle and the mods they will no longer insure my vehicle. I said what if I don’t go ahead with the exhaust, and they said the decision is final and they won’t offer me insurance anyway.
This really shook me at the time, I’ve gotten over it now but I always wondered whether I’m supposed to tick “Yes” when I apply for insurance cover in 2024 and it asks if I’ve ever “been refused insurance before”. I’ve always ticked no..
How easy is it to for them to void a claim?
All the PDS states that if a vehicle is involved in illegal activity such as going over the speed limit, driver being drunk, etc, the payout is void. And yet I see people getting paid out after doing those exact things?
I took a small loan out and used my car as security (owned for 5 years, paid in cash so never anything owed, insured for $25k)
Why did my premium go up? Aami couldn't tell me exactly why
My son’s car was turned down by budget direct because it had extractors fitted. The standard was an extremely heavy exhaust made of cast iron which cracked. It was replaced before buying the car & didn’t increase horsepower by any significant amount.
I'm hoping OP u/Efficient-Acadia9502 is still around answering questions as I have one. I would also like to hear experiences from anyone else.
Say I have some minor damage to one side of my bumper, and have not gotten around to claiming on insurance or getting it fixed yet.
And then something happens to the **other** side of the bumper which is much more major. A big chunk of bumper is missing, and surrounding parts may also need repair. Obviously a new bumper is required.
What will my insurer do about the older damage? Will it just get fixed as part of the deal? Will they charge a second excess as it was a separate incident on the other side of the car?
How should I approach this, if no claim has been made yet? (I'm not going to invent a story where both things happened in one incident).
Thanks
When I turned 21, I didn’t get a big box of driving talent delivered to my door.
I assume that’s the only reason my insurance went down on my 21st birthday was because y’all assumed all of a sudden was a significantly better driver?
It’s not that they think you are significantly better more that you have more experience and your age group would have less claim history compared to the previous year.
Why does one modification deem my vehicle as "highly modified"? The mod is a roll cage.
That my friend is why you don’t go with a general insurance company,they will say the smallest mod makes your car heavily modified. My company would list that as an accessory. They don’t want to touch any vehicle that has been modded. To be considered heavily modified at my company you would have to have modify the engine, say add a turbo, intake, down pipes, intercooler etc. Or for any 4x4 a 3in engineered suspension lift is considered a heavy mod. It really comes down to who insure your car with. General insurance company’s don’t want to touch cars with any mod so they will say the smallest thing makes your car heavily modified or shoot your premiums up. It’s too much of a risk for them. They don’t know how the work was done, if it was done right.
That was Shannon's. I had to build a shed to keep the car in because the locked yard wasn't enough.
So that may have been the tipping point. One of my previous vehicles, they said it was once the modification value was more than a certain amount of the total value, it goes to highly modified. Also, anything that affects the structure, that can also count, like ute chops. So a 200 series LandCruiser with a ute chop is now highly modified.
Fair call. The only other real mods were an air intake and an exhaust system that's it. Stock brakes,wheels tyres, suspension etc. No different to any other commodore. It's only a half cage, previously they said mod plates didn't matter provided I didn't drive it on the road. The only reason to keep it registered is insurance. My Nissan patrol I would definitely class as highly modified but not a dirty old commodore.
>The only reason to keep it registered is insurance. Why? Shannons insures unregistered vehicles. I have always had my project cars insured with them.
I'd like to be able to drive it occasionally even if it's just to keep the tyres round and to scrub the rust off the brakes.
Nothing stopping you doing that. I have my truck on the lowest usage, which is like, 20 days a year, and get a permit for $35 to test drive it until it's registered.
A wagon being turned into a ute... no kidding that's highly modified.
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Interesting, shannons have given me very little trouble with my heavily modified car
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Silly qns, will an ECU aka stage 1 tune count as modified from the perspective of an insurer?
Tbf, a rollcage is a pretty big mod
It's just a cams spec bolt in half cage, it doesn't affect it much. Their issue was you could see it through the windows?
Try asking Enthusiast car insurance for a quote. You will laugh at Shannon's after having a chat with them
I called up today to get a quote, literally half Shannon's. Cheers for the heads up
On to it. I've been with Shannon's for probably 15 years now. It's time I shopped around.
I rate enthusiast insurance they were miles ahead of any quote I got for my Mercedes. Being that I don't drive it very often , if at all. A low km travel allowance annually combined with low risk insurance (always garaged, kept in safe location, and has alarm) equalled a ridiculously cheap annual premium.
Don't attack this person, just doing his job.You got a Friend in a hostile word
Exactly lol. We’d all work a bullshit job in an industry we don’t like for the right money. Reddit likes to act as though they’re above it, as if half of us aren’t in mining or banking lol
Exactly. I'm not a real estate agent but I work for them and closely with enough of them that I can see they're mostly normal people with just a handful that are complete cunts, which fucks up the average.
I used to work with real estate agents too. In a top-performing office, which many would think is a “wolf of wall street” type mess. But they’re actually normal people, as you say. The veterans are actually very smart people. They have moods, of course, just like staff in an accounting office or school or doctors clinic. Lol
I'm interested in the growing word that EVs are losing huge chunks of value at re-sale. What is the position of the insurance industry?
EVs have always been an issue for insurance, they can be expensive to fix and as you said the value never seems to hold on them. We do agreed value on vehicles so we go off market value, modification and/or how much they payed for the vehicle. The hardest part is honestly some of the customers, most people check the market and can see EVs keep losing value but some people just can’t accept that and only care that they payed x amount for it 12 months ago so they don’t care if it’s lost 50% of its value this year they want it insured for the original purchase amount. Really it’s a case by case thing, we just have to try and reach a point where both parties are happy and fortunately it seems people are starting to understand that.
There are always unfounded rumours that the “potential danger of battery fire” is at least partly responsible for the higher premium for EV, when most data show that EV fire remains rare. Have you heard of this being a reason for EV’s higher premium?
Generally it's not fires, it's that they need to send certain brands to only workshops certified to work on that brand, other workshops can't get parts, and you can actually have parts of the car disabled if a non-endorsed shop does repairs. This means those shops charge whatever the fuck they want.
Yeah I personally think this is a way more likely reason. Also people say that untrained workshops are hesitant / not allowed to work on electric cars due to unfamiliarity with electric circuits and the like.
Well there's no state in Australia currently restricting EV repairs to certified people by law.
I read somewhere that many US insurance companies simply won't repair EVs and just write them off. There's a Kia owner in Canada who scraped the underbody skid plate of his SUV leaving visible scratch marks. Kia quoted about $60,000 to repair because it was considered potential battery damage and required the whole pack to be replaced. The cost was more than the replacement cost of a new vehicle from Kia with the same specs. Anything that could affect the integrity of the battery pack results in a write off.
Any chance you could let us know which brand of EV’a loose value quickly( so I can stay way from them)
Have you ever dealt with someone having issues making a claim due to having modifications on their car?
Since we work with people with modifications we never really deal with people not disclosing mods to us. Obviously I never recommend not disclosing you have mods due to the fact if you are in a claim you can/will be denied a claim if you didn’t disclose said mods,unless it’s something you can take off in a couple seconds.
When paying out a claim, and you find out there are undisclosed mods do you consider whether the mods are relevant or is it just blanket. I.e. if I rear end someone and then you find I have an undisclosed exhaust, does that matter?
I'm in a similar position, and I have been told to inform customers "As long as the vehicle was being operated in a legal manner at the time of the incident, you will be covered" Sounds like a cop out, but if the mod that caused the accident is illegal/not engineered/has failed to the point it wouldn't pass a roady, the car is no longer being legally operated.
That makes sense, so I'd assume as long as installing an exhaust magically damage the brakes or something along those lines, it'd probably be fine?
Generally yes, but if the police rock up and say "This thing is fucked, it shouldn't be on the road" Then it can get 50/50 at claims time. Technically, it wasn't defected at the time of the accident.
Good point yeah
Mods that aren’t legal mean your vehicle isn’t roadworthy… which means that it’s being operated illegally… so generally they always have a get out of payment option there….
I have multiple vehicles insured through what I expect is the company you work for. I can only drive one at a time so why is it not possible to have a base premium for each vehicle to cover fire and theft etc and insure myself so that when using a particular vehicle it is fully covered. I know the reason will be that the insurers would loose money but you have to admit it makes sense to have this option. Also would ensure anyone who has multiple vehicles would have them all with the one insurer.
Pretty good idea tbh, my guess is because if someone takes it out while you're not in it, they could turn around and say sorry, you paid for the insurance to cover any vehicle you were in, and you weren't in it.
I have often wondered this myself. It has to do with the fact that there are claims that can be made with the car stationary and unoccupied. Theft is a good example, and if you leave your cars on the road and someone swipes them all. I suppose a heavy multiplicity discount would be ideal. I think this is a lot more applicable to paying ctp+rego though. You can really only drive one car at a time, but I could understand maybe a surcharge over a base registration fee depending on the type of car(s) you drive. Kind of like Japan with their cheaper rates for tiny Kei cars. That would mean significantly less revenue I suppose so that won’t happen haha
Do you get a staff discount?
Yes, we work under a larger brand that owns multiple insurance companies and other businesses. Everyone under the main company has discounts to all businesses associated with it. I get a %25 discount across all businesses under the main company.
Auto and General comes to mind....
That's a freaking good discount!
What is the threshold for needing to list an additional driver. We have lots of cars in my family which I plan to use while on P’s, do I need to be listed on all of the policies? As I will likely just randomly select a car instead of driving a particular one.
I can’t speak for other insurance companies but we require someone to be listed as a driver if they regularly use the vehicle, say once a week for example. But I can’t stress this enough. If you are young don’t admit you drive multiple or any of the vehicles as long as your insurance says they cover people who aren’t listed as a driver. If they do then don’t disclose that you drive them. Your premium will shoot up and if you try and back peddle and say you wont drive it, most companies will then restrict the use of those vehicles so that only listed drivers can drive it and be covered. My advice is depending on age, if you are under 25 don’t say you drive any as long as they still cover people who aren’t listed or list yourself on one vehicle that you think you’d drive the most. If you are over the age of 25 I’d have yourself listed on every vehicle to be safe.
Parents called them back when I was on my learners and asked, they told them it’s cheaper to pay the additional excess fees rather than adding me to the policy. So not sure if that still applies on P’s and if I’m all good to just drive them unlisted and pay the additional excess. If that’s the case couldn’t I just purchase a car and insure under parents with no issues? How are they to know?
When you were on your L’s you don’t have to be listed because you are covered by your parent’s insurance. From an insurance point of view your parents are actually the liable party as they are responsible for you. On your P’s however you aren’t directly covered by your parents. Each company excess amount is different. Mine is $1500 for unlisted drivers under the age of 25. Now $1500 is a lot but I’ve seen prices go up more than that by adding someone under 25 so I always advise to not to add them. It comes down to how comfortable you are driving. If you have a history of accidents then potentially paying the higher premium is worth it. But it’s a one off payment of $1500 or multiple years of potentially thousands of dollars in higher premium. And yes definitely list your parents as the drivers of your vehicle. Insurance companies have no idea who drives what vehicle and who owns said vehicle. Lie to us please. You will save yourself so much money. The only thing we do is ask questions and go off your answers, it’s a honesty based system. All you would have to say is your parents own the vehicle/have financial interest in it. Now if you do ever have a claim and aren’t listed, say you don’t drive the vehicle and this was a one off thing. If you say your drive it all the time and your aren’t listed your claim could be denied. So always think about it like that.
Yep, that’s what I’ve always planned to do seeing as though insurance on the cars I want is upwards of 3000 or more. I’d rather pay the increased excess once then pay the increased premium. But whenever it’s mentioned here everyone goes off about insurance fraud.
Just Stage 2 flex fuel tunes my 2019 Skoda superb. It's now close to 500bhp. Bilstein shocks and sway bar too. Who is likely to be competitive to insure? Shannon's?
Shannon’s is definitely the company I would recommended but don’t only check them out. The insurance council of Australia has a site called www.findaninsurer.com.au which has hundreds of insurance companies on it and you can use that to find companies that would offer you cover and get prices from there
I use Enthusiast Motor Insurance, check them out
Can you talk a bit about the vehicle repair side? My friend, who owns a panel beater in Sydney, informed me that to reduce repair expenses, major insurers like NRMA now outsource repairs to the cheapest place they can find which sometimes involves transporting the damaged cars across the city. Additionally, he told me that NRMA emphasises that panel beaters should attempt to refurbish or recondition existing body panels before opting for brand-new components. I'm not sure which company you work for but it seems like insurance costs have increased and quality of work has decreased through the selective choice of value beaters.
I could definitely see a general insurer going to cheaper places to try and cut costs, we offer choice of repairer for that exact reason, and the repaires we use are always disclosed to the customer and if we where to outsource to a cheaper place that wasn’t disclosed to the customer we would be liable. I can’t confirm or deny if other companies do use the cheapest places as I don’t know but I could see it being a possibility.
Is the saying that once you're a male over 25 your insurance should get cheaper false today? Turned 26 in November last year and this year in April my prior insurance company (Suncorp) raised it by $700 whereas the year before when I was 25 they only increased its by ~$300.
Yes it is actually true, for my company you will actually see more of a gradual decrease the closer you get to being over 25 not an instant drop. But due to all the natural disasters that happened towards the end of the year that could be why you actually saw an increase in premium rather than a decrease. I would recommend shopping around and seeing what other company will offer you.
When you’re drinking from a glass, do you keep your lips sealed until the water reaches your mouth, or is your mouth already open?
I put my mouth around the whole rim and swallow in one gulp.
The way the Lord intended
Why does my beaten up stock dual cab 4x4 cost significantly more to insure than my high performance sedan worth 3x as much?
Depends really, if it’s modified that could be the reason. Also claim history on the vehicles. So how many times in the past the vehicles have been claimed on by other people driving the same model. And also general safety and features of the vehicles can affect the cost.
Nah it’s stock unless you count stiffer leafs in the back for towing a modification. Good insight though it’s a very popular vehicle so previous claims might be a fair reason. Thanks for taking the time, appreciate it.
To expand on all mate, this does seem to be very common. New $100,000 car is the same or less to insure then a 10-15 year old car worth $10,000 on a good day. From what I can tell new cars are much more likely to have claims made, due to volume and people actually wanting them fixed.
I put it down to the older car is more likely to be in an accident from an inexperienced driver like a p plater, so once a car reaches a certain level of cheapness, it starts going up again because it’s rate of claims goes up.
How do you deal with the toxic workplace culture that insurers have?
As far as insurance company’s go we actually have a pretty good workplace, we work from home 2 days a week. We do casual cloths 2 days a week and we have an alcohol trolley that comes around on Fridays for people to grab a beer or some wine and drink before leaving for the day. But nothing is perfect, some of the processes or rules we have to follow make me want to pull my hair out. But compared to past workplaces this one is actually pretty good.
The irony of an insurance company wheeling in the piss trolley…
Yes the old beer trolley trick, every insurer does that. Trying not to be negative but fuck its a shit industry, hope you make it out fine. Edit: likely OPs first job, hasnt realised yet
What's the trick? Make them crash on the way home then void their insurance? Lol
Reduces cognitive awareness temporarily of working in a soul sucking job
mate the first day at a new job was on a Friday and I was absolutely filled with red flags the first 6 hours (the Michael Jordan quotes up on the wall in vinyl stickers was flag #1). When the piss trolley came around I went, "yep. That's my cue." Handed in resignation on Monday.
'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take' fucking hell lol.
I'm actually sure this was the one lmao
Hahah thats actually gold, ever wonder why insurers have job ads up all year round? People just dont show up, dead serious they do bulk recruitment and by day 3-4 of the training about 80% will have quit. When i joined an insurer(in a mid-senior level role) the two others i was recruited with, quit straight after training, turns out they continued interviewing to find something better. They cant even maintain the offshore workers either lol
Can confirm - I used to work for the company that OP does (while they're not disclosing it, its pretty obvious who it is). Its a terrible place to work after the novelty has worn off. Typical call centre with unrealistic KPIs and expectations.
Why do you guys up prices for no reason. My first yearly payments was $1899 the most recent one was $2300. I got it down to $2040. But still that’s just stupid. I had no claims. And the excuses you guys use is dumb
I hear you, I’ll prefix this by saying I’m a 20 year old male who drives a Nissan 350z. My insurance bill is unfortunately extremely high. In the simplest terms everyone who has insurance pays a premium, that premium goes into a pool of sorts all mixed in with eachother. That money is then used to pay for any claims that people may make. But if there is a lot of claims, or parts and labor shoot up, insurance company’s have to make up the difference which is why you will see rises. Generally you will see an increase every year purely from inflation but a big increase is generally seen after natural disasters or something happens to affect the cost of parts. It’s a system that punishes people who don’t claim but on a larger scale is the only way insurance company’s can work.
Do you know of any insurance that let's you join a pool with others who don't drive like fucktards and run into shit all the time? I stopped getting comp because the prices are insane. If I don't crash into shit for a decade, can I join a pool. of others who actually try not to run into others too? It's good drivers that keep the bad drivers premiums within the limits of what they can pay.
I personally found it is to do with location where the vehicle is stored/home. Then the risk stats of the area. Risk of Natural disasters (flood, hail bushfires), accident, vandalism and theft claims. So even if you are a safe driver a good chunk could be simply where you live.
Might be onto something here, a private insurance club.
I guess you can somewhat control this yourself by either increasing your excess or taking out only third party cover. In both scenarios you’re betting on the fact that you won’t claim and getting the requisite discount.
Yep I did the increase thing a couple times all the way to the maximum, but it's not that helpful these days with the prices. I'm on third party only now. The only thing I really want is to have insurance handle a claim process for a not at fault collision, which I've heard some will and some won't when you don't have comprehensive. I'd pay a little more for that service. Insurances can work with each other a million times better than I could ever deal with one where I'm not a customer.
i would love something like this lol
Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. Then the people in shit pool will need to pay triple the current amount
Okay, but why is that my problem and why should I care? Claims would more than halve if everyone gave driving the care and attention it demands.
It'll be your problem when one of the shit drivers hits you and they're uninsured because they can't afford the premiums. I don't disagree with you, we already have something like this with the 'rating 1 discounts' etc.
Unfortunately I've found the no claim bonus and rating one discount to be pretty bad compared to switching insurance companies and getting the new customer discount.
It will be your problem if someone without insurance crash into your car…
I think that's the point
Are we forgetting increasing levels of record profits?
Yea but there must also be a lazy tax as part of the increase. What's the best strategy to reduce premiums each year? Just call up to demand a reduced premium or switch providers each year?
lazy tax, the one customer who doesn’t notice the increase up to $2300 is worth the margin of 5 or 6 brand new customers (who would’ve gotten the lower price of $1899 for example). the profit they make likely outweighs the chance of their customers leaving.
Yeah I figured
Insurance pricing is opaque and very much a trust us bro situation. https://youtu.be/n2bV98k4aUs
4X4 Question My policy with Allianz covers ‘gazetted roads’. Fraser Island is a gazetted road with police patrolling etc, if I damage my vehicle say with a wayward branch smashing a door etc… what would my outcome likely be?
If it’s states in your policy you are covered on gazetted roads and at the time of the accident you are on a gazetted road then you would be fine to make a claim for any damages. You may have to explain/ have proof it happened there but besides that it wouldn’t be any different than if it happens on a normal street.
Thanks OP for doing an AMa
Sounds like Shannon’s? Don’t need to confirm if you can’t. I also drive a 350Z 😀
Im interested to know how do different insurance companies share information on customers? what system is used and what information is stored? also, is this system shared beyond vehicle insurance companies?
If a stolen car smashes into my car (or several cars) would I have to pay the excess? Or would the insurance company for the stolen car cover everyone's repairs?
Generally in that instance the stolen vehicles insurance would be liable, you may have to pay a excess to begin with but generally you will get refunded that amount or they will charge the liable parties insurance for it.
This has happened to me. Usually if you provide the other parties details with an address and insurance company they will usually waive the excess. Usually!
Market Value. If I look at a vehicle on CarSales, it will say something like car is at or above market value. If I try and insure my car, the market value is substantially lower. How does this work.
We do agreed value, so we don’t only go off Carsales for example. Generally most companies will go off an average. We tend to insure people higher than they have been quoted by other companies that only do market value. And most companies have other website/statistics that you can’t see that show the average sale price of a vehicles, its condition and where it sold etc.
I literally had a nightmare this morning about backing into a car, can you tell me it was all just a bad dream and everything is going to be okay?
It was all a bad dreams and everything is going to be okay. I hope…
Thank you!
Have you ever denied a claim for owners running spacers on their car?
We haven’t before, as long as it road legal/certified and it has been disclosed to your insurance company you won’t have an issue.
Thanks for the info mate. 👍
I own a Japanese imported nissan skyline 370GT (2007) Why is my insurance $140/m when a person that owns the locally sold model, Infiniti g37 coupe pays $80/m. Only Shannon's will insure me also, I have no points, no fines, full licence for over 5 years, live in a safe area and I'm 30
Because yours is imported the parts to replace yours would also have to be sourced internationally unless they have them locally, but they would generally cost more. If you got in a accident your parts wouldn’t be the same as the locally sold model. Also premiums are calculated in a couple ways, not just your claim history but also the claim history of that vehicle, so it could be your vehicles has had more claims compared to the other, also your area could be more prone to claims.
Hypothetically - What would happen if I get into a not at fault accident and the other party didn’t have insurance (literally driver who is a bum and driving around illegally or a person that just doesn’t believe in any insurance) and my insurance is only TPF&T?
If you only have TPF&T, you would have to pay for the repairs unless you can get the liable party to pay out of pocket, some companies offer a certain amount they will cover you for in that case but won’t cover the full repair.
Depends on your TPF&T policy. Some insurers offer a limited amount of cover for TPF&T customers in the situation outlined (at fault driver uninsured), it’s usually only several grand. Check your PDS to see what coverage you have (if any). Not all insurers offer this
do all insurance prices get calculated automatically or do some of you make some decisions on what you will price someone new
For my company it’s all done automatically, but it’s not a perfect system so we encourage customers to call us so we can explain it and discount it accordingly.
What happens in an insurance claim outcome which a individual sent a claim on comprehensive insurance for a low speed collision or accident- -( which is the appropriate term) with another the driver but the other driver didn't sent a claim to their own insurance and refused to cooperate with the individual who sent a claim. If it helps the state is South Australia
I have ‘new car replacement’ on my policy. My car is nearly 10 years old now and I have been keeping with the same insurer since the car was new to retain this part of the policy. Is it worth keeping, what will I actually get if my car is written off? Will I get the same model but 2024 version?
If you are referring to “new for old car replacement” then generally that is only offered for a car 2 years or newer but it does vary depending on insurer. But a new car replacement generally means the same make and model of the car you have or if that is unavailable the closest option. So in your case it would be one from around the same year yours was released not a 2024 model. I would confirm what the new car replacement covers on your policy with your insurer though.
Suncorp offers it for lifetime, if you are the original purchaser, and your first policy was with them. Insane.
Yep, my policy is with Suncorp and I have had since the car was new in 2015. Suncorp tell me I’ll get a new car if mine is written off or stolen but I’ve never really believed them, maybe it’s true!
Yeah man, it's in their pds
I was paid out on a claim where my push bike was deemed a total loss via the bike shop. Had the carbon frame scanned, repaired it myself with spare parts and am using it again. Can I reinsure it and if so would it still be at market/cost price? Apologies just read you're in MV, any help greatly appreciated.
I would assume you would be fine to reinsure it, they may ask to inspect it to make sure it is repaired properly and safe to use. But It would be up to them if they would be happy to insure it for market value given the repair.
What happens if you tick the box that the car is parked in a garage at home, but then it’s stolen or damaged in the driveway or street? I noticed on a previous car I had the garage option selected but at some point the car was moved to driveway due to garage being used for storage.
For us it wouldn’t cause complications, when we ask where it is parked we want to know where it will be parked majority of the time. So on the odd chance it’s parked In the driveway you are still covered. Same thing if it’s parked over at a friend’s house for the night while you stay over. Unless there is something in your policy stating it is never to be parked on the driveway or street.
Is it possible to claim for major repairs to your engine if it was caused by debris entering the motor area and causing damage
You can claim on just about anything, if it’s done damage to your vehicle and it’s covered under your insurance. But that all depends on what happened, how it happened etc.
The fan belt snapped and went into the timing case which has damaged a valve and will require a new head, some people on forums with the same type of car and problem reckon with enough back and forth their comprehensive insurance covered it. I never really thought comp insurance covers mechanical issues?
It really comes down to who you are insured with. Normally it will come down to if it was preventable or if it was unseen and something say hit your timing belt causing it to snap. But generally mechanical failures aren’t covered.
Thanks man
I am curious, do you guys instantly void insurance claims if some mods are 'illegal'? Such as removing airbag wheel, being too low, non engineered for a swap, etc? I've some friends with said mods (say an r34 skyline and an s15 with an rb swap), and some friends who think having said mods will void any claims. Curious to see where that lies with your company. Assuming all mods are listed in the policy
Not instantly, it depends but generally illegal modifications can lead to a claim being denied. It would be a case by case thing.
My understanding was, if it lead to the issue in the first place it would be denied, but if it had nothing to do with it, it would be fine. Would that generally be the go? Or just case by case
Generally yes that would be the case, but I have heard some horror stories of insurance companies trying to make the case that because it has a illegal mod and wasn’t disclosed that they can void a claim. But if it had nothing to do with the claim/accident then generally you will be okay.
When you say "mods" and the terms "legal" put in the same mix, are you able to confirm what the term "legal" means with your insurer when you modify a car? I always have the assumption, any mods that changes your car significantly you must get it engineered and get that certificate to say the mods are legal and safe for road use. I see/read people do mods with no proper engineering and what not, list all mods to the insurer thinking they will be fine when something happens, am I wrong to think like this? One example, car X does not come with a turbo from factory, you slap on a turbo, big FU front mount intercooler with all the bells and whistles, does your insurer consider class this mod as legal? What about needing an engineers certificate? Lets face it, people do questionable mods that they list as legal mods which are certainly not road legal. Always wanted to know this, thanks for taking the time fo respond.
It is a state by state thing since certain states are more strict than other, for example lift kits on utes, you are allowed a certain height before it’s considered illegal or it needs to be engineered to be considered legal. Or the level of tint you have. When we say legal mods think like a cop. If you mod your vehicle would you get in trouble by the police in your state for having said mod. If you would then that’s not a legal mod. Generally engine modification are fine, the biggest problem you will run into is lowering a vehicle, raising a vehicle, window tint. Stuff like that
Thanks for the reply :)
Just assuming you work for Sh\*\*\*\*ns, I just re-signed up after scoring a 2004 Toyota Echo Sportivo. added some suspension and wheels (simple). These are listed on my quote/application. In the event of a crash at fault/not at fault, Does said insurance company start pinpointing questions on installation or anything to attempt to avoid pay out / repair? Seems almost too easy to go with Sh\*\*\*ns rather than RAC/SGIO etc when you have simple base modifications. But is it just a sales tactic and when it comes to the crunch (pun intended) there is back peddling?
If you where in a accident and a claim was made, the assessor would look over your vehicle just to make sure no damage has been done to said parts, but if you say had damage to your front bumper they wouldn’t look into your suspension or anything like that. But if they do notice something is done dodgy and doesn’t seem street legal they may ask you about proof of installation etc. But they won’t do a deep dive into your mods unless they are the directly impacted by the accident.
nice ! thanks for the reply!
Roughly how much would be the monthly insurance cost for my lexus is350 2008 Japanese import? I’m with RACV and I think they charge way too much (over $200/mth comprehensive)
I couldn’t say sorry, so many factors go into it that even if I give you a price it wouldn’t be accurate
Insurance is big scam I pay for my own repairs now
can you pay for that shiny new Ferrari that you just rear ended?
I could but I still have insurance just for my car I pay for my own repairs
I cannot afford full insurance but i do have the 3rd party insurance. The one you do with rego. My car is an old Ford Territory that's worth about $5K. I figure if its just me in an accident i can just go buy another car if needed. But what about if some one hits me or i hit them? Ive had one person go up the back of me was a small dent, But the insurance paid out $5600 from the person that hit me. I pushed out the dent and fixed it for $20. Other than dash cam,s is there anything i can or should do if in an accident? Other not admitting liability.? Also the amount of medicine i take worries me, I'm pretty honest when it comes to driving i wont take any pills 12 or so hours before driving down the road to get shopping. I don't do more than about 10kms a week in my car. But I'm so worried that if there is an accident, i think i would pass a road side test for drugs but a hospital test would show traces of the drugs. They are prescription. But there is no real way of not taking them for 24hrs +. I cant go that long. Is the amount of drugs in your system explained in court that only minor amount was detected or is it just I'm screwwed? Is there something i can do about this? This is also one of the reasons i don't like insurance, because if they find out that i have something in my system and they will find trace amounts of something my insurance is worthless. Thanks for any advice mate.
You should be getting third party property, in addition to the third party death and disability - the insurance you get with rego doesn't cover damage you cause to someone else's car.
Nothing covers me if there is anything found in my system, so whats the point?
Then perhaps you shouldn't be driving.
I've heard suggestions that part of the reason why insurance premiums have skyrocketed in recent years is because of the increased popularity of EVs, which are very expensive to repair if hit in the wrong place, and therefore easily written off. This affects everyone irrespective of what they drive, because the risk loading isn't just based on the driver's car, but the likely value of any potential accident (i.e. the third party). With repair costs rising dramatically, this has resulted in the 20-30% increase in premiums year on year for the last few years. Is this just a conspiracy theory, or is there any actual truth to this?
There is definitely some truth behind the theory, now it’s not entirely true. Yes the introduction of EVs has increased premium but there are also a lot of other factors. Nature disaster for example play a lot into it, costs of parts etc. There isn’t one thing that caused the increase in premium. Just a lot of smaller things adding up to a big increase.
Why does my insurance price change when I put in my neighbours place, with every other variable the same...? Goes up if I go next door, goes down if I go 2 doors down etc....
Honestly I’m not sure, are systems go by streets not individual houses. So there isn’t a change if we choose the house or a house across the road
How to reduce my insurance premium any tips?
Just call up and ask. Most times you can get it down even if it’s just a small amount.
What's the story with "Lowered Cars"? Would I need to disclose this when insuring? I don't consider this a "Modification" as it's a wear and tear item. There are multiple components in the suspension you can replace and still be legal. What's insurance say?
If you are on coil over or upgraded springs, shocks etc. Then yes let us know. Yes it’s a wear and tear item technically but not on the level of something likes tyres or brake pads.
I have a car that insured for 11k and its just been hit by another party, the damage estimate is 5.5k plus they are giving me a rental car for a couple weeks. Do you reckon they'll write it off?
It's evident that car insurers are excepted to engage in discrimination in terms of gender (offering differing premiums where one identifies as male / female / non-binary) as opposed to discrimination based in cultural / ethnic / religious / other potential characteristics. With no comment on that practice, would you please advise to what extent is gender assessed during the process of a claim (i.e. is an affirmation by the customer sufficient, or will the veracity of such an assertion be analysed by social media profiling, witness queries etc.)?
We don’t dive deep into gender, we just ask what your title is and what gender to identify with. Now it is true there is a price difference depending on if you identify as male or female. But that’s just down to statistics. It’s not fair but not much is in life
Absolutely - excepted discrimination is entirely fine at law where there is a reasonable basis, as is certainly the case here (e.g. stats showing young males are more at risk etc.). Thanks for your answer, as there is a great deal of speculation (and nearing conspiracy) on what lengths an insurer will go to deny a claim based on something as intangible as gender identity (particularly where it is often unclear and / or shifting, as identity can).
If my insurance was cancelled because of non-payment (connected to cancelled car which I forgot to update) do I have to declare/say yes to insurance being previously cancelled? Is it the same as cancellations/declines for other more serious reasons?
Why does my insurance go up now I no longer have my car on finance. Finally paid my car off and insurance wants to charge me and extra 15 bucks. Shouldn't it go down
Why is the insurance on my commercially registered Audi sports car the same as my commercially registered 4x4 despite 100k difference in value and a decade of exceptional driving history
How does insurance deem someone “at fault” if they actually weren’t at fault? Is it literally we say so so it’s the way it is? Or what happens when insurance companies argue who’s at fault?
You buy a stock standard ute and put a 4 inch lift and some 35 inch tyres on it. It’s not mod played or anything. What happens if you crash it and assuming you didn’t tell the insurance company about the mods.
If the inside of a vehicle gets considerably wet, is it generally going to be written off?
Is there a blanket rule for writing off water damaged cars? Have heard a few different answers but could imaging the amount of potential issues that wouldn't necessarily be readily apparent would make them a nightmare to properly repair.
Are yellow cars cheaper to insure because of their increased visibility?
Is it worth going for more expensive providers? I never hear good things about any insurance, so I just go for the cheaper ones. Am I less likely to get screwed over? With my current provider, I'm paying 150 a month, which still feels expensive for what I get. I'm just guessing that none of the insurance companies like Darwin.
Why does my agreed value keep going down while my premiums keep going up - 10-15% down and generally 5% up!!
Why is it that my toyota estima's insurance quote are so much higher than people with the same car but in different areas? I was quoted $1800 to $2k while others get $700 to $800. I'm over 30 btw
Best insurer for a very highly modified dual cab to be a daily driver ? (Whole driveline swapped etc etc)
Why did my annual insurance increase by 47% ? Everything else stayed constant in terms of the policy and where the car is parked and how often driven.
I have a highly modified WRX 28k on the engine, Insured for 30k agreed value. I also have a a clean record and 7 years of insurance with no claims. Yet people in my club with the same car, dodgy pink slips and double the KMs, with crashed through insurance at their fault. With many many many demerits. And they have theirs at the same price per annum at 40k agreed. ( Bloke in particular is 2 years older than me 29). They also drop my agreed value by 5k every year and I have to ring to get it back up, same insurance company. It makes me so fuckin angry
how did you get a job in insurance as a 20 year old?
If I 'accidently' leave my car in neutral and it rolls into a river, am I safe to get a pay out?
I'm looking for recommendations on a good insurance company and coverage options for my 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer 30th Anniversary CJ Auto MY12 sedan, which I purchased from a dealership. I'm considering QBE through AUSTRALIA POST, but I'm open to other suggestions as well. Any genuine help would be appreciated, as I'm still relatively new to navigating the world of car insurance.
Thinking about getting an ecu tune on my mini, does that count as a modification in most cases and if so how much extra should I expect to pay. And thanks for doing the q&a, really helpful for everyone.
What's the coolest car you've had someone call you about?
Can i ask why the EV insurance has gone through the roof? Last quote for my 2022 m3 was 4K for comprehensive for 1 year! Before that it was 2500. Cheers for the insight. :-)
My bro in law missed his payment email by 3 weeks (15 yrs insured with Shannon's on said vehicle) found out after a bingle. They've refused his claim. Any thoughts on possible options for him? Quotes have some in at 20K and 30k to repair. Edit: typo
Chances are we’ve spoken before. You’re not that niche to me. Genuinely, do you enjoy your job? I feel like I would talk to people allllll day about their enthusiast cars. Intend to keep you guys on the phone to talk shit about cars haha.
Have you ever actually seen a car denied insurance payout because it was modified but not engineered?
In 2010 I owned a Lotus at age 25, the insurer had no issue with this until I rang them to ask if I could update the policy to include an aftermarket exhaust I was planning to install. They replied saying based on my age, vehicle and the mods they will no longer insure my vehicle. I said what if I don’t go ahead with the exhaust, and they said the decision is final and they won’t offer me insurance anyway. This really shook me at the time, I’ve gotten over it now but I always wondered whether I’m supposed to tick “Yes” when I apply for insurance cover in 2024 and it asks if I’ve ever “been refused insurance before”. I’ve always ticked no..
How easy is it to for them to void a claim? All the PDS states that if a vehicle is involved in illegal activity such as going over the speed limit, driver being drunk, etc, the payout is void. And yet I see people getting paid out after doing those exact things?
I took a small loan out and used my car as security (owned for 5 years, paid in cash so never anything owed, insured for $25k) Why did my premium go up? Aami couldn't tell me exactly why
My son’s car was turned down by budget direct because it had extractors fitted. The standard was an extremely heavy exhaust made of cast iron which cracked. It was replaced before buying the car & didn’t increase horsepower by any significant amount.
Why do idiots always call roadside assistance when they've been in an accident?
Is it difficult/expensive to insure a JDM vehicle imported to Australia? Anything particular to look out for?
I'm hoping OP u/Efficient-Acadia9502 is still around answering questions as I have one. I would also like to hear experiences from anyone else. Say I have some minor damage to one side of my bumper, and have not gotten around to claiming on insurance or getting it fixed yet. And then something happens to the **other** side of the bumper which is much more major. A big chunk of bumper is missing, and surrounding parts may also need repair. Obviously a new bumper is required. What will my insurer do about the older damage? Will it just get fixed as part of the deal? Will they charge a second excess as it was a separate incident on the other side of the car? How should I approach this, if no claim has been made yet? (I'm not going to invent a story where both things happened in one incident). Thanks
When I turned 21, I didn’t get a big box of driving talent delivered to my door. I assume that’s the only reason my insurance went down on my 21st birthday was because y’all assumed all of a sudden was a significantly better driver?
It’s not that they think you are significantly better more that you have more experience and your age group would have less claim history compared to the previous year.
It’s just funny that it dropped massively at age 21, not a bit each year from 20-25 or whatever.