Car Insurance with Aftermarket Turbo

[DylanBerg]

I called my AAA insurance today to get a quote for an e30 that i am interested in. The e30 has an m20 and a turbo. The insurance employee told me they don't insure cars with aftermarket turbos but she gave me a quote for the car without the turbo installed. My question is how do you insure an aftermarket forced induction car without insurance fraud/lying. I am also only 20, which probably has some impact.

[TK-421]

Just don't tell them. If anything happens to the car they won't care about it and if it gets totaled, you'll get a check written for the car as if it was bone stock. That's what happened to me when my 240 was hit by a drunk driver and it had a full roll cage, motor swap, front end swap, etc., as well as my E30 with its M50 swap and turbo (HX35, ARP studs, MLS headgasket, 411whp ).

[c_ozanich]

Originally Posted by dillbob3124

I called my AAA insurance today to get a quote for an e30 that i am interested in. The e30 has an m20 and a turbo. The insurance employee told me they don't insure cars with aftermarket turbos but she gave me a quote for the car without the turbo installed. My question is how do you insure an aftermarket forced induction car without insurance fraud/lying. I am also only 20, which probably has some impact.

Hagerty Insurance. Company built for car guys, they appraise value and quote you based on what the car is actually worth to replace exactly what you have.

Also, I have State Farm and my agent has been a family friend for years-I totaled my first car (awd Eagle Talon) that had quite extensive modifications and by keeping all receipts and proving what was in the car; they said that the insurance was liable for it. It's the same principle that if your car gets broken into, and expensive things are taken (buddy lost an xbox that way) then insurance is typically the company that you go through to have it replaced.

[DylanBerg]

It's not that I need the turbo to be covered in an accident. It's more when I get in an accident, that's my fault, I don't want my insurance to drop me because I lied about my engine. And then I wouldn't be able to afford medical bills and pay for all the damage that I can cause.

[DylanBerg]

Bump

[F32]

Originally Posted by dillbob3124

It's not that I need the turbo to be covered in an accident. It's more when I get in an accident, that's my fault, I don't want my insurance to drop me because I lied about my engine. And then I wouldn't be able to afford medical bills and pay for all the damage that I can cause.

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

[DylanBerg]

Originally Posted by F32

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Are you being sarcastic? Could you explain a little bit more?

[F32]

Originally Posted by dillbob3124

Are you being sarcastic? Could you explain a little bit more?

Ok, you got me...perhaps I was a little sarcastic. It wasn't the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, but it's up there.

Don't be a weenie. They will insure the car just fine. If you call and ask such a thing, there is no protocol to cover modified cars, so of course they're going to err on the safe side and just say no. Risk analysts have enough work to do. Do you really think they would have rates figured on on different levels of modifications for every car they cover?

But if you do insist on calling them again and making sure, be sure to let them know about any brake, suspension, and tire upgrades potentially making the car stop and brake better, giving you the ability to avoid accidents. That will offset the increased premium due to the extra power. I'm sure they have all that figured out, too.

[ptack]

Adding a turbo per se will not make you a greater risk and less insurable. It's what you do with the car that could effect your coverage. If you wreck the car on a race track you might be SOL. You need to read the fine print in the policy. They will probably not insure the value of aftermarket upgrades on the car, but neither should they penalize you for them. Assuming the car is maintained in good working condition and complies with all local regulations, I wouldn't worry about not being covered by having after market parts.
I had a friend who had a vette that he had done a lot of work on and had it totaled by some clown on the highway who just careened into him. The insurance company covered him for the base car and let him remove as many of the aftermarket parts as he could.

[Sniz]

turbo M3 driver here.....have classic insurance on my car, agreed value of 25k if its totaled.

keep looking.

[BRAISKI]

Originally Posted by F32

That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

What do you expect he's 20 lol

[derryck]

The problem with 'stated value' and/or most 'classic' insurers like Hagerty and others is that your mileage is extremely limited and they have stipulations on where you can drive the car. I have a 1991 300zx twin-turbo that I rescued and dumped a ton of money in and had stated value insurance for a while but dropped it because I couldn't really drive the car whenever I felt like it. I have extensive receipts and while I'd probably get less than I would with stated value the trade off is worth it with 'normal insurance' because I can drive the car whenever I want.

[to_riffic]

Don't know if this was mentioned since I didn't want to read all the comments. You're in SD, there's a company called Wawanesa insurance based in San Diego that will cover any aftermarket part on your car and treat that as an additional bit of premium. I have all my aftermarket parts on my MINI covered so in case I get into some type of accident at least I know I can replace them if an issue arises. Their quotes are really good and they are 1yr agreements, not 6 months!