I'm posting this in here because this is where the modified JK folks are!

I'm shopping for new insurance, I'm willing to pay more $$$ to get my add-ons covered, at least in the theft or some sort of non-wheeling major incident...

thanks for your help

matthew

 

I think your standard policy could cover upgrades. You may need to specify ply tell them each or have proof of purchases.

 

You have to be very careful with this, though. My insurer, and I believe quite a few, will assess the value of the vehicle including aftermarket modifications. This means they can say that they are insuring aftermarket upgrades. But my Jeep is worth less than it would have been had I left it stock, despite having nearly $20k in modifications. Presumably, they would therefore pay out this lower amount. Almost no companies will offer an agreed upon value insurance since it's not an antique (they have a date cutoff for doing that, and it's a whole lot older than a JK!). I just don't worry about it, what can you do?

 

I would say unless you are totally unhappy with your current company and really have the urge to move on, I would talk with your agent and see what they can do for you. It's only a quick visit or phone call to find out what they may be able to come up with. Since you've already decided that it will cost more to cover the addons and you are willing to pay, nothing to lose by talking to them.

 

Most companies have a rider for modifications. The policy is covering the vehicle as a stock build unless otherwise specified. Even if you have receipts of purchases, that does not mean that the insurance company is covering that modification as it wasn't agreed upon under the policy. I believe you'd be responsible for updating your coverage with a rider for mods in order for that to be covered. I can't say I've had direct experience with this from an insurance claim, but the insurance companies gonna screw you the best they can.

In regards to a rider for mods, I think christensent has a valid point as well. This is really a damned if you do, damned if you don't thing.

 

Amen to that!!!

From my experience, even talking to an agent can put you in a bad situation. You need to keep in mind, what the different roles are within an insurance company. The agent is there to sell you insurance. So if they say something is covered, then you damn well get that in writing because they're not the person who determines what is covered and what is not covered once you have to make a claim.

That is the claim agents role, and the claim agent is there to save the insurance company money, which means they'll scrub through your policy trying to find things to deny paying for out of the insurance company's pocket.

 

What you need is a stated value policy. That takes all the negotiating out, but you're going to have to show the value is there. They're not going to write a policy covering $80K when you've got $40K into the vehicle. Setup an excel spreadsheet and start totaling up all your mods.

I went through this with Progressive with a SXS I had. Stated value, built a spreadsheet, they came out and took pics to verify the mods, condition, etc. It ended up getting stolen and they wrote a big check with no issues.

As you noted, you are going to pay a higher premium for the extra coverage. Most standard policies will offer $2,500 to $5,000 in accessory coverage, which doesn't put a dent in even a mild build. Get the stated value and sleep easier.

 

I have progressive with my Harley. When I called to get it insured, they specifically asked me what mods it had so that they could be covered.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I'll start with progressive

matthew

 

I have two close friends that have worked at Prog for a very long time. One being an adjuster explained it to me this way. If he shows up to inspect the vehicle and the decision is made to fix it, it has to be repaired to the condition that it was in before the accident. Say you have an aftermarket wheel that need sto be replaced. Chances are the aftermarket rim may be less expensive than if they had to replace it with a new OEM wheel. I was also told to accept nothing short of satisfaction. Bitch as much as it takes to repair your baby to the point that makes you happy.
My TJ (with mods) was wrecked a couple times. Insurance company replaced the ARB bumper both times. Everything that was damaged oem or aftermarket was repaired to the state that the vehicle was in prior to the accident. Another example, got some damage to my oem hood, adjuster cut me a check for new "oem" hood and paint. Turns out the AEV hood that I replaced it with was cheaper. So to be honest I would not sweat it with aftermarket components. They will have to spend to fix it anyway. I would definitely communicate with the shop to coordinate replacement parts. In my case I gave the shop all the info where to get everything. This is just my experience.