# Snow Tyres/Invalidate



## ivor (Sep 24, 2008)

A story has come to my attention recently that would not surprise me if true 

A friend of my my mums had an accident in the snow the circumstances of which I do not know but the outcome of this accident is that the insurance company will not pay out due to the fact that her car had snow tyres on and not normal road tyres and because she had not told them they classed it as a modification.

Would this surprise anyone ?

When A tyre meets all UK regulations what is the problem ?

If you have two different brands of tyres on your would this also invalidate it ?


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## chch (Jan 2, 2010)

I don't know about UK, but here we have the opposite, the insurance does not pay if you DON'T have snow tires. They are mandatory here when there is snow. Even if they wouldn't be mandatory, almost everybody has winter tires (all 4).

Sorry I know my post did not help, but I would change the insurance company on all cars in the family if this would happen to me.


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## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

Been mentioned a lot on here http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=195874&highlight=snow+tyres


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## BrummyPete (Jun 10, 2010)

Doesnt surprise me, a friend of mine didnt have a pay out on his car when he crashed it because he had an aftermarket stereo, and its classed as a modification because its more attractable to thieves, the mad thing about it was, he was told by the insurer that if he had of declared the stereo there would have been no extra charge for it. So he lost out on almost 5 grand because he didnt make a phone call


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## smegal (Aug 14, 2009)

One issue is that snow tyres have a lower speed rating than standard and insurers can get funny about that.

And let's face it insurers will quibble over anything they can.


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

I think the insurers are using it as an exscuse to not pay out. If she hadn't have had snow tyres in this weather they'd be moaning that way...


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## ghost_walker (May 8, 2008)

erm snow tyres aren't a mod. and as such the mib said so and thats who the insurers have to abide by. them ad the fsa


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

You will find most Nangka-doone cheapo tyres are marked M&S as in "Mud" & "Snow"

My 205 had cheapo tyres on it when I got it...and guess what they were mud & snow.

To be totally honest this is a load of BS and it wont be long before these robbing insurance companies are pulled up for it.


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

ivor said:


> A story has come to my attention recently that would not surprise me if true
> 
> A friend of my my mums had an accident in the snow the circumstances of which I do not know but the outcome of this accident is that the insurance company will not pay out due to the fact that her car had snow tyres on and not normal road tyres and because she had not told them they classed it as a modification.
> 
> ...


Doesnt surprise me in the slightest. Biggest bunch of con artists going are insurers.

I've read of lots of people notifying their insurers about putting snow tyres on and the insurers have been bumping premiums because they are 'modifications.' Utter rot.

I think your mums mate needs to kick up a stink about this, complain to the ins co, ins ombudsman and press.

Its ludicrous the insurance industry tries every underhand trick to get out of paying claims.

Beep, beep :driver:


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## beginner101 (Jan 19, 2010)

technicly yes its a mod because did it roll out the factory fitted, same it your car was fitted with conti sportcontact 3s and you fit michelin tyres they are not standard


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

beginner101 said:


> technicly yes its a mod because did it roll out the factory fitted, same it your car was fitted with conti sportcontact 3s and you fit michelin tyres they are not standard


So you are saying that they are within their rigths to refuse a claim then?

Is sheer poppy-c)ck.

It need addressing now before it gets really out of hand!


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## beginner101 (Jan 19, 2010)

i agree its wrong what they are doing, but life is never easy


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## ghost_walker (May 8, 2008)

thre is prob more to it than what has been said. changing from one brand of tyre to another is not cause to refuse a claim. neither is changing to winter tyres.

it may be she has changed size of wheel? going from say std fit 17's to snow tyres on 15's that's a mod and could then invalidate the policy.

but until all details are know this thread is pointless heresay


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

beginner101 said:


> technicly yes its a mod because did it roll out the factory fitted, same it your car was fitted with conti sportcontact 3s and you fit michelin tyres they are not standard


Not quite correct. Many manufacturers such as BMW, refer to snow tyres in their handbooks as standard winter equipment.



ghost_walker said:


> thre is prob more to it than what has been said. changing from one brand of tyre to another is not cause to refuse a claim. neither is changing to winter tyres.
> 
> it may be she has changed size of wheel? going from say std fit 17's to snow tyres on 15's that's a mod and could then invalidate the policy.
> 
> but until all details are know this thread is pointless heresay


Actually some insurers have said its a modification despite what the owners handbook and logic says!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...otor-insurers-slide-into-winter-tyre-row.html

However, the AA said it believed that call-centre staff at insurance firms might have misunderstood the situation when motorists called in to report that they had fitted winter tyres. "Staff may have misread this as a modification to the car and ticked the appropriate box on the computer screen, automatically raising the premium,"

If they take the line its a mod when clearly its not, then they will refuse to pay out. Granted the article doesnt say an insurance company has refuse to pay out but its the next logical step.

Beep, beep :driver:


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## Flair (Dec 11, 2010)

Nearly all insurance companies state in there T&C , that if you change you change your tyre type, size, rating etc they have to be told. Iirc, bell insurance t&c even state that if you change the tyre brand from the standard factory fit you have to tell them.


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## beginner101 (Jan 19, 2010)

and by changing tyre makes the ISO and prob TUV cert void that the manufacturere (cant spell) gets void because the cert is based on that tyre brand


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## tmagnet (Feb 27, 2009)

On the flip side of this, my car when new had the option to upgrade the alloys from 16" alloys to 17" alloys with winter tyres. That would be a factory option as it would have left the factory with the alloys and tyres fitted. So would the insurance expect you to let them know if you fit summer tyres in the summer?


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## beginner101 (Jan 19, 2010)

yep because summer tyres was not fitted as standard


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## butcher (Sep 3, 2010)

It's no wonder people drive without insurance, when they're going to quibble over your snow tyres. It seems people are lucky to get any kind of payout at all these days. 

I don't really care what's in the terms. If that's true, it's completely immoral, and no better than straight up robbery if you ask me.


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## smegal (Aug 14, 2009)

butcher said:


> It's no wonder people drive without insurance, when they're going to quibble over your snow tyres. It seems people are lucky to get any kind of payout at all these days.
> 
> I don't really care what's in the terms. If that's true, it's completely immoral, and no better than straight up robbery if you ask me.


A lot depends on the insurer. I was with one company once and had to claim, they had a reason to not pay out but instead they charged me retrospectively for the issue and still paid out on the claim (the charge was a fraction of the payout).

I would bet that less reputable companies would simply not pay out.


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## hutchingsp (Apr 15, 2006)

I suspect there's a little more to it than the scaremongering headlines.

Look in the owners manual for your vehicle at the tyre size and speed rating and stick to that (summer or winter) and I doubt you'd have any issue whatsoever so long as your tyres are legal.

If you look at any given manufacturer they typically don't ship their vehicles with the same tyre in different markets, or even within the same market - they have the same issue as we do in that a tyre vendor discontinues a tyre, they have a shortage etc.

If in doubt, ask your insurer.


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

Flair said:


> Nearly all insurance companies state in there T&C , that if you change you change your tyre type, size, rating etc they have to be told. Iirc, bell insurance t&c even state that if you change the tyre brand from the standard factory fit you have to tell them.


Well if bell insurance try that one they want severely reprimanding by ABI, Government and deserve to go bankrupt by drivers avoiding them.

Not having a go at you but its an absolute joke to say that because the car came out of the factory on say Michelin but you've change the brand to dunlop (same tyre size and speed rating etc) that they'll refuse to pay up.

Are they going to say the wiper blades have been changed from the factory fit so your vision may not have been as clear as the manufacturer intended?

Beep, beep :driver:


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## smegal (Aug 14, 2009)

You get what you pay for and bell are cheap. 

Nothing more to add.


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## David 1150 (Jun 6, 2009)

Apparently the ABI has issued guidance to insurers that fitment of winter tyres should not be classed as a modification. It may be worth referring to this in the event of a request for an increased premium (or worse, a refusal to pay out).


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## APK (Oct 6, 2008)

I think this raises a lot more issues concerning mods, I bet we have all "modified" our car in some way and not declared it? How many have towbars? or changed the head unit? or mods such as LED bulbs, they may all seem trivial, but things like LED bulbs may reflect that the owner has "boy-racer" tendancies and so the premium should be higher, the problem is how far do you go? just about any mods mean that you normally can't get quotes on line so at renewal then have to spend 20 minutes on the phone getting a quote from each insurer.


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## NeilG40 (Jan 1, 2009)

APK said:


> just about any mods mean that you normally can't get quotes on line so at renewal then have to spend 20 minutes on the phone getting a quote from each insurer.


Yeah, 20 minutes speaking to somebody who barely knows what a car is only to be told they won't cover you because you did the work yourself:wall:


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## ivor (Sep 24, 2008)

The tyre issue is a joke no matter how you look at it as has been said if they are e-marked then you should be able to fit what you want either to suit your budget or your preference.

With ref Mods I have a lot of mods on my skyline and have fully declared the company I used actually understood everything I had done and did not have a problem but I'm lucky enough not to of had to put a claim in whether they would pay out or not would remain to be seen


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## VooDoo (May 14, 2006)

Wonder what the insurance companies made of this BMW deal? My neighbour did this, and having tried it it is a huge improvement in the wet and snow etc.

Would like to buy refurb wheels and try it myself (rear wheel drive) but do not wat to risk the insurance issue. I did call them but the girl could give me no answer, so i asked for a decision in writing....................i might be waiting a while!! :wall:

Cheers

Greig


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