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Insurance for a Modified Jeep?

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Old 04-20-2010, 11:45 AM
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Default Insurance for a Modified Jeep?

Hi All,

I am in the process of lifting my Jeep and putting on some goodies like a front/rear bumper, winch etc. I called my insurance to check on coverage and they said they would not cover my vehicle with a 4" lift.

So I called Geico and they also turned me down for coverage based on the lift and winch. Can anyone recommend an insurance company for a modified Jeep?

What do you all do?

Thanks for your help!

John
Old 04-20-2010, 11:50 AM
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wow..they just flat out refused you coverage or wouldn't cover the lift/winch cost?
Old 04-20-2010, 11:57 AM
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I used to own a show truck. Insurance was hard to find. Some companies like Statefarm and Progressive allow you to add a 'modification' amount, for example you can add $2000 of added mods to your policy. My truck was worth $50,000 because of all the mods. I went with Infinity Insurance. It was an agreed value so if anything happened to my truck, I got a check for $50,000. The problem was, if you had 2 people in your household, you need 3 cars. They wanted to make sure the show vehicle was not a daily driver. You also couldn't do errands unless they were vehicle related. You could do pleasure driving . To insure my truck for $50K cost me $1000 a year. Another problem is, once you say 4x4 they think 'oh...let's increase the premium because he could roll it.'

I just checked my Progressive insurance. To add $3000 worth of mods to my policy cost me an additional $102 a year.

Last edited by Christine; 04-20-2010 at 12:01 PM.
Old 04-20-2010, 08:16 PM
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we have American Family and all i have to do is give pictures of mods that i want covered and then pay a little more to have the extra stuff covered because they only cover stock stuff unless you have an endorsement for your mods. My wife used to work for them and she set that up for us.
Old 04-20-2010, 08:28 PM
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Dont let your Ins. company know anything other than what it came with equipped with form factory on the window sticker that is what we have done with our JK and have had no problems an with that being said they haven't had to take any pictures or inspect it or anything and my rates have been extremely low for being such a new vehicle...

Hope this helps,
Chris

Last edited by illinoisoffroader; 04-21-2010 at 08:43 AM.
Old 04-21-2010, 07:42 AM
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I have to disagree with illinoisoffroader. I am an insurance agent here in Illinois and most insurance companies make their agents ask if a vehicle is altered on a new app or when a vehicle is added to a current policy. Let your agent know if you have made any changes to your vehicle. It is possible a company can deny coverage, especially if an accident happens because of any alterations thay you made that may have contributed to or made an accident worse. If your current company won't insure your vehicle because of alterations you have made, try to find one that will. I represent 15-20 companies and if a vehicle is lifted they don't want to write it. Here in Illinois we're pretty much screwed, with our strict lift laws our vehicles are not street legal if we add much lift at all, and I don't know of any company that will insure a vehicle that is not street legal. I've been in the business 16 years and I have never had a company deny a claim even if there are alterations to a vehicle. A small lift will probably not cause any problems, but an excessive lift is a different story. With my job I see both sides, and contrary to what some people believe, most companies aren't out to screw their insureds.
Now changing bumpers adding lights etc shouldn't affect insurability. If you want coverage on these items, you should talk to your agent and schedule them on your policy. Most companies only cover items that came on your vehicle from the factory, unless you schedule them and pay an extra premium to insure them.

Last edited by trevorjay71; 04-21-2010 at 08:03 AM.
Old 04-21-2010, 08:08 AM
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I am with State Farm, and my agent says I am covered. Just make sure to have pictures or receipts in case the vehicle is stolen. If it rolls, or something then they don't need it since obviously any mods will still be on the vehicle.



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