Modified Commercial Van Insurance problem

Myles45

Hi All,

Does anyone know of any insurance companies that will cover a cosmetically modified commercial van in the Republic.

I bought the van 5 years ago in Republic & insured it through my broker & stated that it was a unique & unusual van with airbrushing on sides & interior resprayed & re-upholstered etc & asked to have increased value put on it. I suggested I should email pics to them so they could see what I meant, but they said no need & commenced with insurance at agreed valuation.

This year I decided I'd ring around to see if I could get better quote & emailed pics to various brokers & companies only to find that NO one would even look at it due to "Modifications" They would not even consider third party only!! . Saying that with playstation & dvd player etc I could be playing games whilst driving or having parties etc.. I'm 47 & use this van purely as my work vehicle. This is madness!!:mad:

There are UK companies like Adrian Flux that have no problem with this sort of vehicle but will not cover the Republic.

Does anyone here know of anyone who has got insurance for something like this?

Thanks
Myles

Big Nasty

Let me get this straight - there's no engine / performance modifications, just a bit of paint and more comfy seats? I would say fcuk all and carry on as normal. Do you think any van driver with his name on it or companies with wrapped vehicles claim mods to their vehicles?

I realise that you are doing 'the right thing' but I wouldn't bother unless you are dropping in a V8 or something.

oldyouth

Myles, the fact that there is a Playstation and DVD installed in the vehicle means that no insurer will accept that you use the vehicle SOLELY for business purposes. BTW, what is your occupation, is it one that necessitates the use of a commercial vehicle?

Big Nasty

Also pics please!

Myles45

Oldyouth,

My business is Signwriting so it is a legitimate reason to have it done up as it advertises my trade. I only keep tools etc in the back & use it to take signs to fit to shop fronts etc. To be honest I would happily take out the playstation as I wouldn't really have a clue how to use it & the novelty for my kids wore off after the first year or so. It's only purpose is the WOW factor when people look inside the van.

ghogie91

Jasus thats some bus hey

djimi

If those are the pictures that you sent to insurers then its pretty easy to see why they didnt believe that the van was used soley for commercial reasons in fairness!

Myles45

Yeah I understand that but to be honest my business is all about presentation & the essence of advertising is to stand out & be seen which is why I bought the van in the first place & as such it has been invaluable & it does it's job superbly, but unfortunately insurance companies cannot use common sense & don't seem able to be flexible in any way at all.

When you consider that they will not even insure it Third party, what's that all about?

& as for it being a bigger theft risk, I don't agree with that either. In general if somebody steals something they want to do it as easily & risk free as possible & be able to get rid of it as quick as possible. This van stands out like a sore thumb & would be tricky to sell without it being noticed unless it was radically changed which somehow defeats the object I would have thought.

oldyouth

Hi Myles,

Given your occupation, I can understand why you would deck out the van to display your talents. However, Insurers don't 'like' that sort of thing and often refuse to quote because it it is the more cautious option. Lazy, I know but that's the way they are. Square pegs in to square holes etc

Myles45

Finally got cover sorted after many phone calls to my brokers, the Insurance Federation & lastly the insurance underwriters & managed to get them to see sense & compromise a bit at least. They settled at 725 premium with 500 excess for fully comp cover which isn't too bad I don't think.:)

It shows that it pays to be persistent & not just to accept what your told.

Myles

Supergurrier

What company did you end up with ?

Will be looking to insure the car with some modification when current policy runs out, it's easy in the UK in Ireland though it's a case of good luck

Myles45

Supergurrier wrote: »

What company did you end up with ?

Will be looking to insure the car with some modification when current policy runs out, it's easy in the UK in Ireland though it's a case of good luck

It's a bit of a complex one that.. in that I use Brittons Ins. Brokers & they then obviously search various ins. companies for quotes & cover. There was only one company that offered me insurance & that was Asgard, but Asgard do not deal directly with the public so you have to go through a broker & they only normally cover young male drivers (not sure what their policy is on modifications). They only agreed to cover me as a favour to Brittons as they do so much business together.

Your spot on that it's "good luck" in Ireland, which I guess is why there are so many young fellas out there with highly modified cars that don't bother disclosing the mods to the insurance companies. This then creates the problem we currently have, in that there are no insurance companies in Ireland offering modified cover because they don't see that there is a market for it like there is in the UK. If only a company like Adrian Flux would come into the Republic market then it would get things rolling over here.

Myles