I heard a rumor once about an insurance company NOT insuring someone because they had "Flames" painted on there car! Can any confirm this? And if so what company is it? Thanks JimV
JimV, concerned about the bucket of flames?? It is insurance companies you are talking about so at some point one of them had to say it.
Jim, When I was a senior in high school I had a Farmers agent tell me that they would not insurance a car that had been modified. That was a long time ago, but if the insurance company in question has that policy then yes they are sure to not want to insure a car with flames. I think that things have loosened up by now, hot rods are owned by respecatble citizens.
No they wouldn't, you are required to have insurance but they are not required to sell it to you. Now if they refused to insure you because you belonged to a special interest group that would be a different story.
its a rumor. have you seen the new progressive commercial with the lowrider? i work for ins co. we cover it all. just add money
It really depends on the type of policy, and the particular company. State Farm will not insure my 59 El Camino as a classic, because the interior is not finished, however it is insured with full coverage, for an agreed value, which I placed at 12 ,000. They had me fill out a questionaire on the vehicle, including listing modifications. AAA gave my brother a hassle with his primered 59 Ford. I heard companies like Haggerty may insure unfinished cars, but am unsure. A custom paint job, especially flames, can be big bucks to repair, and they may want extra for the coverage, but at this point, it is just my opinion.
This is another reason to go with a speciality insurance company. Hagerty will insure your car during restoration or build. You just keep adjusting the agreed value as the buid progresses. State Farm or similar are best for your newer driver but fall far short of understanding the particular needs and problems of a custom or restoration. I have Hagerty and recently some kids shot out my windshield (59 Skyliner). Hagerty not only were prompt but found suppliers for the windshield (not required to use any of them, just as a service to me) and then sent my Skyliner a get well card! They told me the suppliers were aftermarket and they told me that if I prefered OEM glass, that they would cover the extra cost. That willl never happen with a regular auto insurance company. Once I sent them the estimate, within 3 days the check was in the mail.
I insure all my stuff with Am Fam no problems, no specialty price and no mileage provisions. When I banged the pusher up in the snow storm a couple of years ago they gave me enough to replace the broken parts and I was allowed to do the work myself. They gave me the option of going to the shop of my choice or doing the work myself, and compensated me for my time. I broke even that is all I was interested in.
I don't know about paint, flames, or other effects, but around here there are a couple of cars having a hell of a time getting insurance because of the blowers they have on top. Then there is another that is a 9.30 et car that no one wants to insure either.
Perhaps they wouldn't insure a car with REAL flames on it..? Lol, if I was an agent and saw a car with flames coming from under the hood, I would probably refuse the policy. I'm just sayin'...
No trouble at all insuring the truck. The best advice I ever got from an insurance person was if your agent is giving you trouble "get another agent". The State Farm agent I had years ago was great. Would insure anything. Insured my roadster in '90 when you really had trouble insuring a hot rod. If he couldn't insure something he would find a Co.for me that would. A low profile jet boat comes to mind. He retired and I had to find a new agent. The guy was a dick. He wouldn't insure my 48 Ford because it didn't have shiny paint. I started calling around and that is when I got the good advice. "Get a new agent." I went to the next closest agent and she called around to some car guys she insures and they told her flat paint was the new style. When she called my old agent to tell him I was changing agents to her he was pissed. Called me that night and I told him he wouldn't help me so I dumped him. He was double pissed.
I built an off topic 4x4 and was able to get coverage for the cost of the receipts for the upgrades and the original purchase price.
as far as i understand insurance agents ..if its got enough money attached to it for the premiums,, they will insure anything.. greed is what motivates them,, not paint jobs
You think thats NUTZ, just had my new home owners policy cancelled because i have a german shepard, 14 yrs old half crippled, in a fenced area around my shop!
I had several agents in the 14 years that we had the big dawg ask if he was a biter. I always said I don't know he hasn't bit anyone yet. In Missouri it is hard to get homeonwner's if they think your dog bites. I guess for reasons of liability. The bottom line with insurance is that they love selling it and getting paid, but they don't want to shell anything out. Every state has its quirks when it comes to insurance. In Missouri doesn't matter how long you have been driving and how many years you have been insured or how good your driving record is, if you are not insured when you go to insure a car you automatically go on high risk for as many as 7 years if the insurer chooses. The companies will do anything that your state allows. I haven't heard of someone being denied for a flame paint job but I don't doubt that it can happen. Whenever there is a law requiring you to have something you are at the mercy of the providers.
American Modern Home gave my Brother a bunch of shit because they spotted the roll bar in his 55 Chevy in the pictures he submitted to them. They must have been asleep on the day they got the pictures of my 55 because they didnt see my roll bar. You never can tell what they might like or dislike.
LMFAO Chevy 55, When I was still in Oregon in the later '60s I was told by an insurance agent that having a roll bar raised your insurance. The reasoning was that if you had one you must be planning on rolling it.
Wheel tubs, blowers, and roll cages are frowned upon by some of the specialty companies. But like someone said above, for enough greenbacks they'll insure just about anything. Larry T
I struggle to find an insurance company that will write a policy on my Ambulance...and it has flames on it, but don't think that is the problem...
Hagerty was insuring my O/T Nova for over 10 years. I put a blower and a nitrous system on it. Hagerty said they would not insure it because of the nitrous . I removed the nitrous system and Hagerty said they still wouldn't cover because it USED to have a unit on it.
I know my insurance is higher because of the modified and/or non-original engine (327 sbc) I have in the Nash. The alternative is to insure it without telling them, but if they find out after an accident that it's modified I'm sure they could refuse my claim...
Read your policy someday, it actually says what is and isn't covered. Paint is not an issue, it doesn't make it a liability, it just makes it more expensive to fix and you need additional coverage to pay for it.
This is why I plan to remove my seatbelts, airbags, TPMS sensors, etc., from my dd's... because having these safety parts is just BEGGING for them to be used. Apparently they'd rather pay the medical/death benefits of the insurance than have you protect yourself with silly stuff like a roll bar. As a kid, I couldn't get insurance for my V8 Vega, but agent gladly accepted my and my mom's money for other cars. So, as suggested by others on this thread... we got another agent (and I upgraded the V8 Vega to a dual carb'd 400HO Firebird). Yes, I had to use a wheel barrow to deliver my monthly payment... but it was insured.
Local Ins agent saw my shop truck one day when I paid my bill. Told me that because it was lettered I had to have a commercial policy. I said why he said that it is a "target vehicle" for vandalism, ect. Also that it costs more to fix because it was now concidered "custom paint". I then had to inform him that I had a commercial policy already, and there wasn't full coverage on that vehicle any way. ( OT 1990 Astro van) It's all about the $$$$$$'s. The agent can say what is and isn't covered in some instances. The agent gets a bonus for fewer claims. If in doubt as to what is covered call the home office. They can put the agent back on track at times.
I just got an email from Grundy stating that they are back in control of their collector car insurance. Good news.
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