More on insurance

[Forumadmin]

I would like to question whether Footman James are now giving us the excellent service that they used to. They may be being constricted by their underwriters or by their parent company; but watch out, changes to your policy are occurring and will continue to occur without them clearly telling you what the changes are. Watch out for under 30 year olds not being allowed to drive, named drivers from outside the EU not being allowed, agreed value small print, lack of MOT or road worthiness, modifications or work not carried out by authorised person, after dark driving, parking away from stated home garage.

Scrutinise your next renewal and ask for a full schedule of cover, do not just renew!

[Keith Andrews]

Mot , road worthy, yep that I can understand
But repairs , mod undertaken by un authorised person....??
Thats a insurance rort...the insurance u have when u remain uninsured.
If mods /repairs are road worthy, pass MoT...fine...
But change a brake shoe...or lets say one reuphoslters the rear seat...thats the excuse the insurance company to not pay on a technicality....
On the other hand we have laws requiring mods in certain areas , suspenstion, even seat runners and mounts require certification, and cant get a WoF (MoT) unless have a cert.....If a car fails a WOf for structual damage, the weld / repair must be passed a certified tradesman, inspected before any paint....
Personally I like the system.
And Currently there are issues in NZ with insurance companies, espec after the ChCh earth quakes....

[Keith Clements]

If a car fails a WOf for structual damage, the weld / repair must be passed a certified tradesman, inspected before any paint....

and in the UK we do not require (from November) the MOT for cars prior to 1960.

[ian Howell]

I recently insured my 1930 Long Four with FJ (ever hopeful!) in case of incidents at home now that the 'repair' is fairly well advanced.

When I asked the contact there about the likely situation post November 18, his comment was 'if the Government have announced this, they haven't told us'. Sadly this seems quite likely/possible, but has anyone had any further comment from FJ?

[robert lintott]

A few ---or many --- words on Insurance ( just as a user of classic/vintage insurance since the late 1960s). I started with a 1930 Austin 16 which I still have, now with a Ferrari 308GT4 and the Javelin.Also in the garage is a 1978 Alfa Romeo Spider owned by my son. All were insured with AON and before them John Scott and Partners who they acquired. I think AON bought F-J and moved all their AON classic business into it . Hence all are now with FJ, the first three on one comprehensive policy which I found was a very attractive deal. For the three I pay about £430 pa and the A_R is ca £190 in my sons name . These premia have increased somewhat over the years but not enough to cause pain. I have never made a claim.

FJ are brokers, they do not themselves insure anything . In my case( and many others ? ) they provide insurance from Royal and Sun Alliance, hopefully negotiating a good deal for us . There will be many points of issue arising from government regulations and Insurers industry codes of practice which impinge on our cover . The salvage question is one of them. Last year Fj/ R and S attached a description of this which seemed reasonable .

Shopping around for cover is available for everyone , we do not need to be with FJ. However watch the small print, especially to do with age of insured. My daily car costs me over twice as much as I pay FJ for the three, but despite their willingness to accept one daily car FJ would not accept the addition at my age. I am not sure if they would accept any more classic cars new to me for the same reason , but they will continue with those I have ., they say. We are all getting older and age restrictions are sensitive , beware .

As for roadworthiness /MOT, we are all responsible for safety. Fitting odd bits and pieces as second hand replacements especally to suspension, steering and brakes can be risky and Insurers are naturally wary of claims which are affected by unreported modifications, home made parts etc. It is best to keep all bills from suppliers and garages and fit only parts which are original even if second hand ,inspected and or manufactured by a proper supplier especially for S,S and B. We all know some of our cars have weaknesses, incuding those which an MOT would not show up? See the forum.

This is not a plug for FJ, I just hope they make some money from our business and keep going ...Bob Lintott