# I can't believe how hard it's been!



## Soul boy 68

As per title, I've had a right headache trying to find insurance on my M2, most mainstream insurance companies won't even ensure the car full stop, regardless of my age and my proud driving record as well as 20+ years no claims. Now get this, one insurance company would ensure the car even if I went ahead with an ECU remap as long as it was no more than a 10% increase but as soon as I told then I've had the roof wrapped the underwriters didn't want to know figure that out! I even declared that I have had dealership options such as my carbon trim accessories, those of you who have seen my car on here will know, even the M performance exhaust I've had fitted as deemed as a modification according to some underwriters. When I filled out the on line forms the mods list seems to unambiguous for me, how do you define a mod fitted to your car, is it from the dealership or third party? Four insurance companies did agree to ensure my M2 but they wouldn't replace like for like so for example they would replace the exhausts with the stock set and in turn would leave me out of pocket. All this experience has really surprised me. I have had to go to a specialist ensurer that deals in performance cars in which only seven came up. I am already bracing myself for renewal in 2018 as it looks like for as long as I own the M2 it's going to be these types of insurances I'll need to turn to. Have any of you been faced with this dilemma before? Oh and by the way I have a 14 day cooling off period so if any of you can recommend a particularly ensurer and I haven't checked them out then I will.

thank you :thumb:


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## Alfieharley1

Have you tried Dan @ Adrian Flux on here mate? He may be able to sort you out


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## Losirob

As above


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## Soul boy 68

Alfieharley1 said:


> Have you tried Dan @ Adrian Flux on here mate? He may be able to sort you out


Adrian flux insurance and Dan is the man to speak too right?


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## wish wash

If you tell us the insurance companies that would quote we may be able to suggest others.


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## Blackroc

Insurers (and manufacturers) are just getting less tolerant of modified cars full stop. It's being guilty by association unfortunately that you are now reckless and going to speed through towns and do donuts in McDonalds, and as such they make it difficult for you to be insured. 

It's all stemmed the amount of lowered, altered and remapped (VW group and BMW cars especially) that get taken back for warranty work (when the owners have not declared them) and then try to make out that the car is now a warranty issue as it's 'standard' 

Lots of people don't declare mods for the issues you are finding or for the costs involved..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Soul boy 68

wish wash said:


> If you tell us the insurance companies that would quote we may be able to suggest others.


Too many to mention fella, I've done the usual go compare search, u switch, confused.com and it's thrown up loads of insurance companies and most of them won't ensure the vehicle with the mods I've had fitted, they would ensure the vehicle with stock parts but that's about it, then as you know the further down you go the more expensive it becomes, I've had up to £3,000:doublesho.


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## wish wash

Have you tried Keith Michaels plc they only do high end cars/ performance.


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## Soul boy 68

Blackroc said:


> Insurers (and manufacturers) are just getting less tolerant of modified cars full stop. It's being guilty by association unfortunately that you are now reckless and going to speed through towns and do donuts in McDonalds, and as such they make it difficult for you to be insured.
> 
> It's all stemmed the amount of lowered, altered and remapped (VW group and BMW cars especially) that get taken back for warranty work (when the owners have not declared them) and then try to make out that the car is now a warranty issue as it's 'standard'
> 
> Lots of people don't declare mods for the issues you are finding or for the costs involved..
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


One question then fella, how do drivers ensure super cars and other high performance cars with twice as much power as mine?


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## Andy from Sandy

Would you liked to be a named driver? lol

Just for a 2016 M2 no mods declared.


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## Kerr

One of the insurance companies that sponsors the Babybmw site will not offer insurance to first time RWD drivers at the moment. They've been telling guys that their underwriters just won't accept it. 


The M135/140i is one of the cheaper performance cars on the market at the moment due to PCP deals. I've a horrible feeling that claims are going through the roof due to amount of young guys jumping right in 320bhp+ cars and running out of talent. 

Out of interest I just ran a quote for the M2 to see that I got. I'm getting quotes of £223, which is less than what the M235i is. 

This insurance profiling works very strangely. There's obviously something in your profile that is harming you.


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## Blackroc

Soul boy 68 said:


> One question then fella, how do drivers ensure super cars and other high performance cars with twice the power as mine?


Because they aren't modified they aren't as much as you think! R8's for example can be insured for under £1k for example. Especially if they have things like trackers fitted

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Soul boy 68

wish wash said:


> Have you tried Keith Michaels plc they only do high end cars/ performance.


Now that's one of two insurers I've never heard of.:thumb: there must be loads more I've not come across yet.


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## Soul boy 68

Kerr said:


> One of the insurance companies that sponsors the Babybmw site will not offer insurance to first time RWD drivers at the moment. They've been telling guys that their underwriters just won't accept it.
> 
> The M135/140i is one of the cheaper performance cars on the market at the moment due to PCP deals. I've a horrible feeling that claims are going through the roof due to amount of young guys jumping right in 320bhp+ cars and running out of talent.
> 
> Out of interest I just ran a quote for the M2 to see that I got. I'm getting quotes of £223, which is less than what the M235i is.
> 
> This insurance profiling works very strangely. There's obviously something in your profile that is harming you.


I've had similar to that quote Kerr but the problem is that I have the mods fitted and some wont replace like for like in the event of an accident.


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## wish wash

My R35 cost me £600 a year fully comp, having a tracker makes no difference on the premium and I've only 9 years no claims. Yes I'm young late 20's


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## Soul boy 68

The best I have had so far is £635 from performance direct which will cover everything I have mentioned.


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## wish wash

Soul boy 68 said:


> The best I have had so far is £635 from performance direct which will cover everything I have mentioned.


That's who I'm with


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## Hereisphilly

Soul boy 68 said:


> One question then fella, how do drivers ensure super cars and other high performance cars with twice as much power as mine?


I head that what alot of very wealthy people do with supercars is put a large amount down as collateral in case of an accident etc, and then the insurance company can use that if something happens

But we're talking megabucks here

When you say mods, are these options on the car, or something you've done post delivery?

Because my understanding is that anything specced at the factory isn't classed as a modification

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## uggski

Try 1 Answer
REIS
Henderson taylor
A plan
All were very MOD friendly for my Lotus's one which had been converted to an Audi engine the other had a Honda engine from a CTR modified to about 350 with a jackson Supercharger.

Also included trackdays


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## wish wash

When I watching these YouTube bloggers some are paying 4K. Schme150 said in a previous video his insurance is a 5-6 figure sum but he has millions worth of cars


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## Soul boy 68

Andy from Sandy said:


> Would you liked to be a named driver? lol
> 
> Just for a 2016 M2 no mods declared.


Believe Me I was tempted Sandy but I dare not risk it, I'm ok, it's the others.


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## Soul boy 68

wish wash said:


> My R35 cost me £600 a year fully comp, having a tracker makes no difference on the premium and I've only 9 years no claims. Yes I'm young late 20's


That's nearly as much as my quote and I your old enough to be my son:lol: . Who are you ensured with?


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## Soul boy 68

Hereisphilly said:


> I head that what alot of very wealthy people do with supercars is put a large amount down as collateral in case of an accident etc, and then the insurance company can use that if something happens
> 
> But we're talking megabucks here
> 
> When you say mods, are these options on the car, or something you've done post delivery?
> 
> Because my understanding is that anything specced at the factory isn't classed as a modification
> 
> Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


The so called mods are dealer fitted options except for a the wrapped roof


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## Soul boy 68

wish wash said:


> When I watching these YouTube bloggers some are paying 4K. Schme150 said in a previous video his insurance is a 5-6 figure sum but he has millions worth of cars


I am a small fish in a big pond in comparison :lol:


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## Soul boy 68

uggski said:


> Try 1 Answer
> REIS
> Henderson taylor
> A plan
> All were very MOD friendly for my Lotus's one which had been converted to an Audi engine the other had a Honda engine from a CTR modified to about 350 with a jackson Supercharger.
> 
> Also included trackdays


Looks like I'll have a busy morning tomorrow on the telephone


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## muzzer

Glad i didnt go down the M2 route now, think it cost me an extra tenner a month, do about 400 a year. I am the best part of 50 so you would think it would be less but i live in a dodgy area of a dodgy town, police helicopter over our flat most nights, parked on the road etc so i think i got off lightly to be fair.





Watch get royally fleeced when the renewal comes up now :lol:


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## Christian6984

had to do a quote out of curiosity, got a quote from my insurer for a M2 - £842, 30 year old with 5 years NCB and parents on as well and area is the lowest risk for insurance


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## srhutch

Kerr said:


> One of the insurance companies that sponsors the Babybmw site will not offer insurance to first time RWD drivers at the moment. They've been telling guys that their underwriters just won't accept it.
> 
> The M135/140i is one of the cheaper performance cars on the market at the moment due to PCP deals. I've a horrible feeling that claims are going through the roof due to amount of young guys jumping right in 320bhp+ cars and running out of talent.
> 
> Out of interest I just ran a quote for the M2 to see that I got. I'm getting quotes of £223, which is less than what the M235i is.
> 
> This insurance profiling works very strangely. There's obviously something in your profile that is harming you.


Quite a few of us Z4 guys that have upgraded from 2.5/3.0 to the ///M have found our premiums fall. Mine dropped by 20% instantly upgrading from a 2.5si


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## Soul boy 68

Christian6984 said:


> had to do a quote out of curiosity, got a quote from my insurer for a M2 - £842, 30 year old with 5 years NCB and parents on as well and area is the lowest risk for insurance


I guess my only quote so far from a specialist insurance company of £632 isn't so bad then.


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## BillyT

Insurance is shocking now i have 20+ years no claims no points no mods only a Focus Zetec and my insurance is £550.
Your lucky you dont live in Northern Ireland.


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## armufti

Just renewed this evening for £1600 on a 30 year old with 2 years NCD on the mazda far better than aviva who suddenly bumped my premium from a £150/month to £470 after a no-fault accident.

Aviva can go do one!

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk


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## Caledoniandream

Check your profile, certain jobs throw you out, e.g. Working in the automotive world, transport, catering or service industry etc.
Civil service and certain office jobs give you a better and easier quote. 

The quote you have is not bad, but have a look at a company called "original" they guarantee that in case of an accident everything is replaced with original parts. 
I get decent quotes every year.


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## DLGWRX02

+1 for keith michaels, but you have to speak to the right guy.

One guy there, cant remember his name ( but specialised in Subaru insurance) insured me on my forester sti (jap import) with all mods declared and a like for like replacement and it was only £450 a year. This included Tein electronic adjustable coil overs, performance remapped and exhaust, intercooler and turbo upgrades, and bigger race spec brake upgrades. But when it come to switching to my audi s4 cabriolet it went up to over £1000 for a quote. so changed to direct line who quoted £320 for it.

What i did find with Keith Michaels, was you had to speak to them direct rather than submit an email enquiry and that could be easier said than done.


Speaking of insurance
Ive just got the renewal for my wife on her car, shes (not gonna thank me) 52, 20+ years of driving, 12+ years ncb, the car is an unmodified 2015 toyota aygo 1.0 excite value about £8500, parked on a locked driveway covered by cctv, shes a housewife and does less than 5000 miles a year. Last year she paid £229 (inc monthly installment fees basically it was just continued from her previous vehicle) the renewal from "More than" was £395! So some online searching and I've got it down to £195. I think there was one insurance company at the bottom of the page was happy to quote £5200 per year!


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## willywonker

Soul boy 68 said:


> I guess my only quote so far from a specialist insurance company of £632 isn't so bad then.





DLGWRX02 said:


> ......unmodified 2015 toyota aygo 1.0 excite value about £8500......
> 
> .... and I've got it down to £195.


So £195 for a 1.0 Aygo, or

£632 for a £40k+, brand new, modified, attention grabbing, 4.5 sec to 60, RWD, BMW M-car!!!

Come on, that's an absolute bargain.


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## Soul boy 68

willywonker said:


> So £195 for a 1.0 Aygo, or
> 
> £632 for a £40k+, brand new, modified, attention grabbing, 4.5 sec to 60, RWD, BMW M-car!!!
> 
> Come on, that's an absolute bargain.


You're completely right fella, I shouldn't complaim with the price.


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## Soul boy 68

Caledoniandream said:


> Check your profile, certain jobs throw you out, e.g. Working in the automotive world, transport, catering or service industry etc.
> Civil service and certain office jobs give you a better and easier quote.
> 
> The quote you have is not bad, but have a look at a company called "original" they guarantee that in case of an accident everything is replaced with original parts.
> I get decent quotes every year.


I've checked out Original and one of the criteria you have to meet is to not have your car modified, it goes completely against my gripe with these insurance companies.


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## Soul boy 68

I am going to spend the entire morning speaking to:

Adrian flux
Keith Michaels
Footman James
Sky insurance
A-Plan
And see if they can better the £635 from performance direct. I'll let you know how I get on later today.

The top thre sound more like solicitors :lol:


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## JMorty

With mods, it doesn't matter if they are dealer parts...If they were fitter after leaving the 'Production Line' then its a mod.

I bought a Clio with loads optional extras on, I though they were there from factory...turns out they were fitted afterwards and are classed as a mod. Had to ring Renaut to get the original options list for the car to find out what was what.


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## percymon

Soul boy 68 said:


> The so called mods are dealer fitted options except for a the wrapped roof


Which are assessed differently to factory fitted optional extras - perhaps not so much these days but dealers used to offer non manufacturer upgrade wheels, bodykits etc

AJManning do specific Porsche and Aston Martin policies - might be worth asking them ?


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## gatecrasher3

If you haven't already tried them Greenlight are very good for modified vehicles and track cover should you require it.


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## Hereisphilly

gatecrasher3 said:


> If you haven't already tried them Greenlight are very good for modified vehicles and track cover should you require it.


I was going to recommend them but I think they exclude BMWs, which is surprising as it's a blanket policy

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk


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## pantypoos

+1 for REIS, very good with mods, but may not cover an M2 as they tend to steer towards track cars, but they did an excellent price for my Elise with many mods.


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## Marve

The main thing to ensure when taking out insurance is to ensure you know how much it is going to cost to insure the car you want to ensure you are able to drive.


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## Alan W

Marve said:


> The main thing to ensure when taking out insurance is to ensure you know how much it is going to cost to insure the car you want to ensure you are able to drive.


You should have ensured you used one these  at the end of your post.

It ensures a slightly different, and light hearted, understanding of your post. 

Alan W


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## Cookies

Alan W said:


> You should have ensured you used one these  at the end of your post.
> 
> It ensures a slightly different, and light hearted, understanding of your post.
> 
> Alan W


I was actually unsure as to whether he meant insure or ensure.

This is an interesting thread SB. I've a set of AC schnitzer springs and black kidney grilles for my 3 series, and haven't fitted them because my current insurance company will not cover any mods whatsoever. I've asked them to refer to their underwriters as it's literally pushing people towards not declaring modifications , which I suppose is how they would wrangle out of paying. I may just have a chat with some of those on your list to see how they compare with my 'standard' renewal price.

Cooks

Sent from my D6603


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## kingswood

Soul boy 68 said:


> The best I have had so far is £635 from performance direct which will cover everything I have mentioned.


was reading with interest wondering how much ud been quoted. to be far just over £600 doesnt sound to bad to me - depending on how much you use it i suppose? how many miles a year is that?

as for 'modified' id be pretty sure that doesnt count dealer options as thats a directly supplied car?


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## Alan W

Cookies said:


> I was actually unsure as to whether he meant insure or ensure.
> 
> Cooks
> 
> Sent from my D6603


I think the post was in relation to SB's spelling and a point was being made. 

Alan W


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## Soul boy 68

OK chaps, I have settled with Adrian Flux:

£630 including with £150 excess, legal cover up to £100,000, windscreen cover, courtesy car, protected NCB and roadside assistance and they will replace like for like in an event of an accident, they have given me 5% discount on my dash cams also so all in all I an satisfied. I will make a note of all those other insurers that you guys have listed in readiness for 2018 renewal.


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## ashleyman

I've found it really difficult to declare mods to cars as some of the people you speak to just don't have a clue what stuff is and what it does. 

I gave up trying to declare a DTUK pedal box on the Golf R as every single person I spoke to wanted to put it down as a power upgrade. It wasn't, it does nothing for the power of the car. It just adjust the throttle responsiveness. They couldn't understand so I gave up. 

I managed to declare the extra power for the DTUK Tuning Box. The only way that was possible was to pay £26 for 25% more BHP. It's not listed as a specific modification, just a 25% power increase.


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## Alfieharley1

Did you mention you was part of a club & Adrian flux is a member on detailing world as I'm sure they would have offered more discount?


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## Soul boy 68

Alfieharley1 said:


> Did you mention you was part of a club & Adrian flux is a member on detailing world as I'm sure they would have offered more discount?


I was not aware of this Alfie, I will give them a call and find out. :thumb:


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## JoeyJoeJo

ashleyman said:


> some of the people you speak to just don't have a clue what stuff is and what it does.




Reminds of a convo I had many years ago when I was declaring a stainless steel dump valve that replaced a plastic broken one.

"We don't cover cars with dump valves, sorry, we'll have to cancel your policy"
"You've covered me for three years while the car had a standard dump valve?"
"If we'd known the car had a dump valve we wouldn't have covered it"
"It's always had a dump valve since it left the factory"
"Sorry"
"So what's the situation if I get a new factory fit dump valve and fit that?"
"You've told us it has a dump valve so that's on file and we can't cover you any more"
"It's always had a dump valve since it left the factory"
"Sorry"

This went round in circles for some time then I gave up


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## Christian6984

Soul boy 68 said:


> I guess my only quote so far from a specialist insurance company of £632 isn't so bad then.


if only i was in a position to be able to afford one :lol:, lovely looking car. This was just under my own insurer as they have been the cheapest more or less for several years now on both the Fiesta ST (£263) and the little mk6 diesel (£303). Just went through comparethemarket and the M2 came out at £477 with a 600 excess which surprised me


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## Soul boy 68

Christian6984 said:


> if only i was in a position to be able to afford one :lol:, lovely looking car. This was just under my own insurer as they have been the cheapest more or less for several years now on both the Fiesta ST (£263) and the little mk6 diesel (£303). Just went through comparethemarket and the M2 came out at £477 with a 600 excess which surprised me


All sounds good Christian £477 that's until you delve deeper and start declaring mods or even dealership fitted options and then it all starts to go Pear shaped. I have now learn't that performance car specialist insurance is the way to go. Thanks for the kind comment by the way. £477 is basically factory spec and how many M2 owners are really not going to mod their cars up? especially with a tunable engine :thumb:


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## willywonker

Soul boy 68 said:


> OK chaps, I have settled with Adrian Flux:
> 
> £630 including with £150 excess, legal cover up to £100,000, windscreen cover, courtesy car, protected NCB and roadside assistance and they will replace like for like in an event of an accident, they have given me 5% discount on my dash cams also so all in all I an satisfied. I will make a note of all those other insurers that you guys have listed in readiness for 2018 renewal.
> 
> View attachment 49329


Glad you got it sorted, next year will be better as you will have owned the car for a while, and this makes a noticeable difference high performance motors.

Out of interest, which insurance company did they put you with?


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## Soul boy 68

willywonker said:


> Glad you got it sorted, next year will be better as you will have owned the car for a while, and this makes a noticeable difference high performance motors.
> 
> Out of interest, which insurance company did they put you with?


For the life of me I can't remember, once I get the paperwork I'll let you know, by the way what do you mean by a noticeable difference? In performance or in the premium for the following year?


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## willywonker

Soul boy 68 said:


> For the life of me I can't remember, once I get the paperwork I'll let you know, by the way what do you mean by a noticeable difference? In performance or in the premium for the following year?
> 
> View attachment 49340


Sorry, difference in your premium. quite a few insurers will avoid high performance cars in the first year of ownership, as this is when you're most likely to stack it. So this time next year (hopefully claim free) you should see either reduced premiums and more insurers quoting for you.


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## Soul boy 68

willywonker said:


> Sorry, difference in your premium. quite a few insurers will avoid high performance cars in the first year of ownership, as this is when you're most likely to stack it. So this time next year (hopefully claim free) you should see either reduced premiums and more insurers quoting for you.


I hope you're right fella, it's been a real ball ache.


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## Christian6984

Soul boy 68 said:


> All sounds good Christian £477 that's until you delve deeper and start declaring mods or even dealership fitted options and then it all starts to go Pear shaped. I have now learn't that performance car specialist insurance is the way to go. Thanks for the kind comment by the way. £477 is basically factory spec and how many M2 owners are really not going to mod there cars up? especially with a tunable engine :thumb:
> 
> View attachment 49337


very true, shame they cant make it as simple as and extra box on the quote to quantify the cost of mods and dealer fit accessories and take that into consideration when pricing. I had to check when i got the ST what was and wasn't a modification in their opinion as the tick boxes were some what vague. The clear lens indicators to get rid of the fried egg look had to be declared but the shorter aerial so i can get it in and out of the garage didnt... its a crazy world as dont think if anything bad happened to the the car id be chasing the cost of either as it probably is less that £40.


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## great gonzo

Did you try keith michaels?
They were very good with my modified Impreza. 

Gonz.


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## Soul boy 68

great gonzo said:


> Did you try keith michaels?
> They were very good with my modified Impreza.
> 
> Gonz.


I did Gonz, they were £45 more.


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## great gonzo

Fair play but they are a great company to deal with which sometimes is worth it's weight in gold. 

Gonz.


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## John-R-

willywonker said:


> Sorry, difference in your premium. quite a few insurers will avoid high performance cars in the first year of ownership, as this is when you're most likely to stack it. So this time next year (hopefully claim free) you should see either reduced premiums and more insurers quoting for you.


Very true, years ago the first year insurance was meant to be mental on Cosworth's but the second year dropped dramatically, as you hadn't stacked it or had it nicked.

John


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## BillyT

I got my renewal today 2013 focus Zetec s with 22 years no claims bonus and no points £650 near choked on the smelling salts.


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## Soul boy 68

BillyT said:


> I got my renewal today 2013 focus Zetec s with 22 years no claims bonus and no points £650 near choked on the smelling salts.


I had to have a lie down after reading this, that's ridiculous!


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## uggski

BillyT said:


> I got my renewal today 2013 focus Zetec s with 22 years no claims bonus and no points £650 near choked on the smelling salts.


Guess you'll be looking elsewhere then. I got my renewal for my van. £257 which was only £15 more than what I could get on the Insurance sites so quite happy to leave it to renew.


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## BillyT

uggski said:


> Guess you'll be looking elsewhere then. I got my renewal for my van. £257 which was only £15 more than what I could get on the Insurance sites so quite happy to leave it to renew.


Yes i will they had a cheek to say its competitive.


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