Thread: Won’t be retro...

Originally Posted by ozscott

Give it a go. Ring RACQ for example and tell them that you have dropped from 20 inch to 17's and added rubber to take tyres back to stock diameter. All you can do is ask. Would be interesting to see the result. Cheers.

Sadly, the most likely answer you will get will be "Not allowed." This is not because it breaches your policy conditions, but simply that the 17 year old call centre person can't find the answer in the "frequently asked questions" file on the screen in front of them, and more than likely, has absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
A young friend who worked in call centres for a number of years was instructed in this technique, to avoid spending too much time on one call. KPI's often over-rule customer satisfaction!

Try calling for an insurance quote on a camper trailer. First question they all ask - "Does it have an annexe?" I haven't found one yet that actually knows the difference between a camper trailer, and a caravan!

I'd suggest trying to contact their assessor, or ask if they have some sort of "policy specialist" you can discuss some issues with.

The person to get through to is the Underwriting Manager. Insurers are very risk adverse these days. Shannons is still flexible.

Honestly the older vehicles without dynamic stability control didn't raise these issues but expect manufacturers will say that they build in the safety of DSC based on the tyre profile height and size they design the system on...and that departing from such specs means the system cannot be guaranteed to perform as designed (they may go further and say the system will be compromised). These are the sorts of things insurers will jump on more and more especially in a rollover, failure to take a corner etc.

Cheers

Just remember that the assessor is not your friend, but is paid to save the insurer from having to pay out, so almost any reasonable excuse may be grabbed to save the company money.

Originally Posted by ozscott

He already recieved the replacement. Freelander 2 in Black.

Blackrangie mate...I'm not sure where to start with your post about insurance...if you are content to think that dropping rim size and increasing tyre size on a vehicle with anti slew control will never cause problems with insurance honouring your policy...wel...I recommend you go get some legal advice. I have seen insurers refuse to pay out in a number of areas of modifications. You have a duty to tell and insurer anything that might reasonably relate to the risk insured (underwriting issues) and if a modification from stock could reasonably be said to have contributed to an accident you would have to then prove the mod, on balance, did not do so....now when you are talking anti-slew tech and say a rollover mid corner that gets murky very quickly.

Cheers

Read my post again

Originally Posted by ozscott

Give it a go. Ring RACQ for example and tell them that you have dropped from 20 inch to 17's and added rubber to take tyres back to stock diameter. All you can do is ask. Would be interesting to see the result. Cheers.

We don't need to as it's a non issue

Originally Posted by blackrangie

We don't need to as it's a non issue

This is dangerous advice. And wrong. You must have no experience of insurers denying claims. I have many times over nearly 30 years. I know there are a lot of smart blokes on here that would be careful and make informed choices on these things....thankfully given your comments.

Cheers

Originally Posted by blackrangie

Read my post again

Arrgghh... no.

Cheers

Honestly most insurers have no idea about rim sizes on discos, I would bet almost every insurer would be fine with your policy if you said I have upgraded rims 17inch or 18 inch and 33inch tyres. Wouldn't bat an eyelid.

However as I said above:

"Insurers will generally insure most things, will they pay out? that's another thing. If law of state says you can't rim drop even with engineering that's news to me"

Land Rover over engineer these things to be able to drive safely at very high speeds (maybe for Germany or and other high speed countries)

I would be very surprised if the law of the state says rim drop in size is not allowed. And I would be even more surprised if a disco, RRS, RRV or the new defender on 18s or 17s (if brakes allow) and 33sor even 35s would not pass engineering swerve and brake tests at our comparitvly low highway speeds.

I have spoken to the guys that built this RRS drives like stock apparently on 37s and 6inch lift! Running stock air suspension