[arcticnick]

Hi all,

Looking to collect my M340i next week and been inspired by some of the great looking cars on this forum to look at aftermarket wheels to really make this “my” car.

Thought I’d check the potential insurance impact and filled in an updated RFQ on Go Compare. Premiums went from £450 to £1150 once wheels and spacers were declared! If I removed the wheels and kept spacers it fell to £950.

I’m nearly 40, good postcode, 9+ NCD, private drive etc.

How are people getting the sums to add up on new wheels?

Was looking at 795Ms or 813M replicas, but even OEM wheels would count as a mod and almost all the big name insurers refuse to quote.

TIA!

[Isow]

Originally Posted by arcticnick

Hi all,

Looking to collect my M340i next week and been inspired by some of the great looking cars on this forum to look at aftermarket wheels to really make this “my” car.

Thought I’d check the potential insurance impact and filled in an updated RFQ on Go Compare. Premiums went from £450 to £1150 once wheels and spacers were declared! If I removed the wheels and kept spacers it fell to £950.

I’m nearly 40, good postcode, 9+ NCD, private drive etc.



How are people getting the sums to add up on new wheels?

Was looking at 795Ms or 813M replicas, but even OEM wheels would count as a mod and almost all the big name insurers refuse to quote.

TIA!

Obviously the more attractive wheels make the your car stand out
and therefore more ‘nickable’.
The insurance companies have their statistics.

[paulockenden]

It’s why, when I get round to buying winter wheels, they will use exactly the same alloys as my normal wheels.

No brainier really.

[NanasBack]

Makes me wonder.

What changes are really necessary to 'declare' to an insurance company.
They don't want to alienate people. They want customers.

Eg.
It is generally not mandatory to advise if you are fitting winter tyres.
(Check your policy).

They don't want you to contact them to notify every little detail because it consumes man hours. Money.
(Read person hours, if you are that way inclined)!
But if you put winter tyres on different rims, does is it then become necessary?

Is it worth the bother?

If the car gets nicked, who's going to know WTF has been modified if they can't find it?
If it is found, maybe the thieves modified it, prior to moving it on?

[paulockenden]

It’s at the time of a claim that you need to worry. Insurance companies will do everything they possibly can to avoid paying out.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by arcticnick

Premiums went from £450 to £1150 once wheels and spacers were declared! If I removed the wheels and kept spacers it fell to £950.

Tells you a lot of how insurance see spacers. Probably raises the alarm bells, with many insurance companies.

Spacers are not a good engineering solution, plus it indicates you are likely pushing the wheels out beyond OEM geometry.

One work around, if you want the stance without spacers, get rims with the appropriate offset.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by NanasBack

Makes me wonder.

What changes are really necessary to 'declare' to an insurance company.
They don't want to alienate people. They want customers.

Eg.
It is generally not mandatory to advise if you are fitting winter tyres.
(Check your policy).

They don't want you to contact them to notify every little detail because it consumes man hours. Money.
(Read person hours, if you are that way inclined)!
But if you put winter tyres on different rims, does is it then become necessary?

Is it worth the bother?

If the car gets nicked, who's going to know WTF has been modified if they can't find it?
If it is found, maybe the thieves modified it, prior to moving it on?

Legally? Everything. They can choose how they deal with it but your policy is one where you have to declare everything....

[JoeM340i]

Just thought I'd add my experience on this, as I recently acquired an M340i touring and fitted spacers with 795M wheels - declared both mods (in addition to full M Performance body kit) to Admiral and...no additional charge! I was very surprised and pleased I must say...

I guess there is always going to be a lot of inconsistent treatment between insurers. Might be worth trying a mod friendly insurer such as Adrian Flux?

Joe

[225]

Agreed very much depends on company. I declared the tuning box on my old 340 with admiral and policy hardly went up.

It's all a dark art and heavily weighted against consumers, anything they can do to get out of paying a claim they will.