There are 2 kinds of car owners. The first one is a car owner who chooses and gets a car on the basis of a vehicle’s functionality. The second car owner chooses and gets a car that he can customize and show on the streets.
For car owners with customized cars, getting an auto insurance that’s easy in the pockets may be a little harder. Most auto insurance companies give high rates for customized cars because for them, customized cars are high risks. Some don’t even want to insure a customized car.
If you’re planning to customize your vehicle, here are some things that you have to consider before doing so.
Be Informed
It’s always wiser to ask first before doing anything to your vehicle. Contact your insurance provider and ask if they will insure your customized vehicle. You may get 2 answers. First, you may find out that your insurance provider caters to customized vehicles but at a higher price, or that your insurance company doesn’t cater to customized cars. Whatever answer you get, you’ll end up rethinking about customizing your car.
If you are willing to pay for the higher insurance cost just so you can modify your vehicle, then you won’t have any problems. Just be sure to understand your custom car policy. Prepare an endorsement stating that you’d like to extend your comprehensive and collision coverage to your car’s customized parts and equipment.
Look into the amount covered under your endorsement. This value may differ from various auto insurance providers. The ideal value of your covered cost should be higher, if not equal, to the cost of the custom parts of your car. Most insurance companies would only cover the actual value of your custom part and not pay for how much it will cost you for replacements.
If your auto insurance provider can’t accommodate the amount that you want, then it might be better for you to shop around and look for an insurance company that can give you a better deal.
Keep Safe
Most car owners who want to customize their vehicles do so by themselves. When customizing your car, always be sure to stay on the safe side. Don’t install your new parts by yourself. Hire a professional to do this for you. Though this may mean added cost on you, it also means that your new parts have been safely installed. If you put those customized parts by yourself, you may not install it properly and risk getting into an accident. When this happens, your insurance policy would greatly be affected.
Customizing your car would already increase your auto insurance premium, don’t make it any higher by getting into an accident. A customized car and road accidents don’t sit well with insurance providers. If you have both, your auto insurance company may not want to renew your insurance anymore and other providers may not want to have your car insured to their company.
Big boys, fast cars and auto insurance, this is a mix that every auto insurance company tries to avoid. When planning to customize your vehicle, be sure to contact your insurance provider and inform them of your plans. You don’t want to be on the losing end and find out that your modifications aren’t covered by your insurance company.