Insurance Cover - Advice needed

[subseauk]

Hi all

New member and owner of my first Def 90 hard top, ( believed ex mod as Q plate, blue under current green paint!! ), with Disco 200Tdi fitted. Several upgrades fitted such as 2" lift, upgraded HD radius arms, Diff and steering guards, electric front winch plus a few other bits and pieces.

With regards to insurance i went with Adrian Flux initially as they were first to respond and with me having little idea of what to expect they seemed pretty clued up to begin with but now having had a few more replies from other companies i am a little concerned and therefore looking for some advice.

I wanted a Def 90 primarily for use with regards to conservation and deer control which i do as a hobby. It needs a smallish vehicle capable of going off road into forestry, woodland and farm field type areas ( all with permission ) etc. I will not be doing extreme off roading or competition.

I explained this to AF who said over the phone all their 4x4 insurance would cover this. A few other companies have since come back at over £200 - £250 Cheaper but state they only cover green lane and official off road meets like pay & play. The cover policy has just arrived from AF but does not mention green lane or the sort of off road cover i discussed with them regarding the use in forest & fields etc.

They also made several errors on the paperwork which i assume can be easily corrected but does not instil much confidence as i emailed all the details and gave them again on the phone. The premium of nearly £400 also seems a bit steep for 49year old no points or claims etc (( ever ) unless it is loaded because of the off road bit which i am happy to pay if covered.

What was a little annoying was three phone calls to three different operators got three differing answers on several points. Also this vehicle has been insured by 3 previous owners through AF so they already have all the details on file including pictures but two operators said they cannot transfer details to my folder and one said they could without a problem!!! who is correct? no changes since last owner who was with AF also!!! all a bit convoluted really.

Because of all the "extras and upgrades" i would also like to insure at agreed value which again i assume would add cost but how much should this be on average for £4000?

I will be in touch with AF first thing Monday to check but was hoping for some feedback from other members who may have similar setups. Any info greatly appreciated.

Best Rgds to all

Kev

[JJB Serenity]

I've not used AF but have got quotes from them from time to time. If the schedule of policy does not state the full extent of the cover you discussed, AF will have to amend it. If they refuse to amend it (or agree but at a higher premium) tell them where to get off. If the schedule of policy does not state explicitly the full extent of cover, the ambiguity will bite you in the backside when you come to make a claim.

Many people here have recommended Frank Pickles, I am with Lancaster. Might be worth trying these before going with AF.

Hope this helps.

[landy V8]

i'll recommend Frank Pickles also.They accom for modified LR's were a lot don't.I think mine is £170 TPFT with all mods declared.thats on a V8 90

[Bill in Nova Scotia]

Nice to see that insurance companies are just as clueless and lack customer service there in the UK as they do over here in North America. I've dealt with companies living in both Canada and the US and there are no differences in how they interact with their customers. And I'd bet that the claims process isn't any different either. So my advice is that to make sure that you are satisfied and that it's in the policy wording that your intended use is covered. Having also spent 10 years in the business (as an IT guy), I also know that generally speaking if it's not in the policy wording in some way, it isn't covered. I would further suggest that you have someone in a managerial level point to the appropriate wording in the policy if they claim that it is covered and then make notes in case you need to refer to it at some point in future.

Good Luck,

Cheers,

Bill

[hobson]

Aah, insurance, isn't it fun?

the thing with insurance cover, is that many people are a bit 'economical with the truth' regarding what they use their vehicle for and what mods it has. this has the advantage of getting cover but the disadvantage that the company may refuse to pay out if you have an accident.

just because someone else has got it insured doesn't mean they had proper cover, or had the cover you will need.

With regards to what you're using the vehicle for, the insurance will vary due to things like; are you on public land? or is it privately owned? is it part of your job and therefore essential or is it just a hobby? if you're on private land it's probably worth getting a letter from the landowner stating that you do have a genuine need to use a vehicle off-road rather than just taking it off-road to go bombing around.

I'm wih NFU (national farmers union) and live and work on a privately owned farm, i use our 110 all over the land for different reasons, but do have a need to do that, anything from transporting hay to dragging a downed tree, and can get proof of that from the landowner, it is insured for private and business use, and NFU are aware of what it's being used for.

So there's a lot of difference to how i would use a vehicle off-road, and how someone going bombing around on a pay 'n' play site would use a vehicle off-road, thats how the insurers see it, it's about the risk.

you have to explain what you're using it for and why, at the end of the day, i think it's better to pay a little extra on a premium and know you've got good cover.

HTH

[subseauk]

Aah, insurance, isn't it fun?

the thing with insurance cover, is that many people are a bit 'economical with the truth' regarding what they use their vehicle for and what mods it has. this has the advantage of getting cover but the disadvantage that the company may refuse to pay out if you have an accident.

just because someone else has got it insured doesn't mean they had proper cover, or had the cover you will need.

With regards to what you're using the vehicle for, the insurance will vary due to things like; are you on public land? or is it privately owned? is it part of your job and therefore essential or is it just a hobby? if you're on private land it's probably worth getting a letter from the landowner stating that you do have a genuine need to use a vehicle off-road rather than just taking it off-road to go bombing around.

I'm wih NFU (national farmers union) and live and work on a privately owned farm, i use our 110 all over the land for different reasons, but do have a need to do that, anything from transporting hay to dragging a downed tree, and can get proof of that from the landowner, it is insured for private and business use, and NFU are aware of what it's being used for.

So there's a lot of difference to how i would use a vehicle off-road, and how someone going bombing around on a pay 'n' play site would use a vehicle off-road, thats how the insurers see it, it's about the risk.

you have to explain what you're using it for and why, at the end of the day, i think it's better to pay a little extra on a premium and know you've got good cover.

HTH

Cheers for all the input guys.

I got back on to A/Flux this morning and went through all the points. i explained in detail what i wanted cover for and the girl taking the call said " if you're on our 4x4 insurance ( yes ) then you are fully covered for green lane and any other "off road" except competition.

When i explained that this was not mentioned on the schedule / policy paperwork and in fact actually said in the exclusions "any off road" she just said ah that's ok we know what it's being used for etc!!!!

I just appologised and said please can you ammend the policy to indicate this cover etc. Result was they will apparently issued a covering letter in addition to the policy to specify i am covered for this "off road" use. ( Just waiting for this to appear ).

For info the land i will be using ( with permission ) is private forest estates and farm land where i stalk and would like to use the 90 to recover carcasses etc. I've done all the racing etc i want to and just looking for easy in & out and not having to drag big weights over 100ms of muddy fields etc. ( to old for that now )

I did try Frank Pickles but they specifically said they would not cover non-green lane off roading!!

Thanks again for feedback

Rgds

[hobson]

I'd definitely make sure you get a letter or amended cover note stating that the vehicle is in fact covered for off road use. don't rely on someone on the phones word, it's always best to cover your backside with insurance companies and get it in writing, that way they can't give it the old "ah, well the person shouldn't have said that" or "they were mistaken/confused/sacked etc" if it's in writing, it's official.

It might also be woth getting a letter of permission to use the land from the landowner if possible, it covers you with the insurance, and it's also useful if someone reports you for illegal off-roading so you can show it to the police.

this has happened to me before when i had permission to shoot on private land a few years ago.

hope you get it all sorted.

Regarding the letter, i've found it easier to type something out myself and then get the landowner to read and sign it, saves them time!

Edited December 6, 2010 by hobson

[JJB Serenity]

what hobson said but with an extra caveat:

If a contract term is not explicit (and it cannot be implied through legislation) it is not a term of the contract. This means that despite the cover letter, if the schedule of the policy does not say that x, y and z is covered, the contract you have made with your insurance provider does not include x, y and z as a terms of that contract.

atb