I'm addressing this mainly to the norcal group, since I know some of you and I want this to be more region specific. Basically I've had AAA all my life and have a spotless record, but I may consider changing since I am going to add another car.

What I'm wondering for those who have modded cars, does your insurance cover the mods on your car? Also for those who have a clean record how much are you paying yearly? If you don't want t post it you can shoot me a PM. For my GS400 I'm paying 1200 yearly for full coverage with a $500 deductible.

Thanks,
Chris

 

My family has been with AAA for over 25 years

 

AAA, family got it from my aunt who works as a rep. When modding came into my mind, I asked her how AAA handled that, she said, if the car is stolen, and you have all your receipts, they will reimburse you for it all. However, if the car is hit/totalled, they will not pay for it.

 

Yea I"m basically worried if someone hits me and my mods get damaged. I've been hit before and luckily none of my stereo components were damaged. But as I mod more and get into other things, I wanna make sure everything is covered if someone should hit me.

 

good thread chris. when i got my insurance, i specifically asked about modifications (in the 10k range) and that they insure it. it was tough.

aaa sux. i talked to couple of reps, in the end they said i can do aftermarket, however 1) i need all receipts, and 2) i need to pay extra premium on each of the parts. that's just stupid imho. so i never use them

21st century was pretty good, they don't need receipt, but only pictures. but they only cover it up to 5000 last time i had them. so after certain point i didn't use them anymore

my previous carrier was farmers. they also only need pictures, no receipts. that's IMPORTANT coz' a lot of times you buy parts used and so you have no receipts. they were ok.

now i am with state farm, and i think they blow the others away. their service is excellent. again they don't need receipts, not even pics. they just see your damaged car when it's at the shop and go from there. no extra premium neither.

i am very happy with state farm now

 

I'm with Geico, but I decided not to bother even having my mods covered. It doesn't make sense to me since insurance companies will only cover "actual cash value" anyway, which is a fraction of the replacement cost. In most cases, once they take off all the depreciation, actual cash value is less than or equal to your deductible. Just not worth it.

 

Henry,

Thanks for the info. I think I know which insurance I"m going to switch too. I was waiting to see what you or Glen said as far as who you had for insurance. I have some things coming and I want to make sure they are protected/insured.

 

AAA will cover some mods. For example, when someone front ended me and cracked my vertex bumper, AAA paid me for a full new bumper, new clearbra application, and paint/labor to have it all done. Luckily the bodyshop I go to is AAA approved so he was able to get me a quote which included the above, when actually I just got the front bumper repaired, repainted, re-bra'ed, re-installed all less than half what AAA gave me. I guess it's beneficial for me to stick with AAA because of that bodyshop connection.

 

i think that's the case if your car is stolen. if something is damaged and they are to be replaced, you should get new ones. at least i have always gotten new parts, never the "depreciated" values


i wonder what that would be, chris but yeah, cars like ours, we definitely need more protection

 

You're probably right about damage with regards to getting in a wreck. But then again in a lot of cases, they might still only be willing to pay out ACV on certain custom parts whether you buy them new or not. You gotta read the fine print. In any case, if I was to get in a wreck, I'd be more likely to part out what's left and start over. I've been burned by the insurance hustle with regards to theft so I try to deal with them as little as possible and assume the risk (within reason) for my mods myself, especially those since most of my mods are mods that are more prone to theft than damage in an accident.

 

All insurance carriers have some kind of clause in their policy you wont like whether it is State Farm or what not. Some companies will use aftertermarket oem replacement parts and many even used parts. Depreciation/betterment is taken off wear and tear items like tires, batteries and etc. You are only entitled to what you had right at the instant before the loss.

I honestly don't think it's stupid you have to pay extra money for aftermarket items/goods on your vehicle. You buy high dollar items, expect to pay an extra premium for those non OEM high dollar goods. You pay for coverages you elect. You don't always get something for nothing. A lot of consumers always think the insurance company is out to screw them. In reality, it's the consumer that doesn't understand the coverages on what they signed up for and pay per month, then when it's time to file a claim, they get mad at their insurance company. It's important to know what you are signing up for. Read your policy definitions carefully. You may think you have coverage for other things you have on your vehicle, but in reality, you're only paying for basic coverages.