Reader question:

If I install a better engine, expensive stereo, leather seating and all that into my car, how do I make sure it is covered by my car insurance policy?

Markel

Good question.

If you are already with a car insurance company that provides coverage to typical cars, you will probably have to change companies if you intend to make all of those modifications and additions. Once the changes are made, your car has transformed into a high performance vehicle, and a high performance vehicle needs high performance vehicle insurance. Regular companies won’t cover all that stuff, so if you get into an accident, all you will get back is the same old car you had before you put all that time and money into it.

So the first step is to find a company that insures special high performance cars. There are plenty of them out there and you can easily find them and get a rate quote for your coverage over the internet. These companies tend to charge more and have stricter policies since they are dealing with customers who are higher risk. This is not necessarily a bad thing, considering that they cover you for much more expensive things and still have options like discounts to help you get the price down a little.

While you are making the additions and modifications to your car, you will need to document the process. It isn’t enough just knowing what was done, although that helps. You also have to provide your car insurance company with who added the feature or made the modification and when they did it. This documentation is important, and it may be one reason to avoid modifying your car on your own. If you do something yourself, then it might not be covered.

Cheers,

Fashun Guadarrama.