45 replies to this topic

[mini-thomas]

Hi
My first ever post on here, and its a negative one!
I got a quote for my isurance a week ago, im 17 and i hav diabeties so i was suprised to hear that footman james could insure me (thrid party, fire and theft) for £595. Over the past week my dad bought me a roll cage and it has been fitted. I then rung footman james again to tell them, an they would not insure me!

Any ideas of what to do or who to go to next?

[WiredbyWilson]

it is generally better to ask an insurer about modifications prior do doing them - not the ther way around.

very few companies would insure a 17 y.o. with a roll cgae - the cage suggests you may not be driving "normally" but rather "spiritedly".

only option you may end up having is taking the cage back out I am afraid.

[Bungle]

your lucky to find a cheap quote being a 17 year old but as soon as you modify your mini it's always going to go up

insurance company don't like roll cages because they think your mini will be used for competition and also worried about making the inside of the car dangerous resulting in personal injury clams

if you hit your head on a steel tube your going to do a lot of damage to your self, if you hit it hard enough your going to need care the rest of your life

[Mini Adam]

Hi
My first ever post on here, and its a negative one!
I got a quote for my isurance a week ago, im 17 and i hav diabeties so i was suprised to hear that footman james could insure me (thrid party, fire and theft) for £595. Over the past week my dad bought me a roll cage and it has been fitted. I then rung footman james again to tell them, an they would not insure me!

Any ideas of what to do or who to go to next?

Take out the cage? Is it needed?

Adam

[Bungle]

handy to have something to bang your head on when the mini breaks down on a wet evening in the middle of no where

the roof leaves dents

[Carlos W]

After you've taken the roll cage out see how much a fully comp quote is, and see how much it is to add your dad as a 2nd driver!

I'm 28 years old, been driving for 10 years and having my dad on as 3rd driver makes it 25 quid cheaper (he's driven the car twice in 3 years)

Unfortunately many companies wont insure young drivers on cars with modifications!

[SAP]

Hi
My first ever post on here, and its a negative one!
I got a quote for my isurance a week ago, im 17 and i hav diabeties so i was suprised to hear that footman james could insure me (thrid party, fire and theft) for £595. Over the past week my dad bought me a roll cage and it has been fitted. I then rung footman james again to tell them, an they would not insure me!

Any ideas of what to do or who to go to next?

Hi for what it worth we insured my son (17) with Footman James on fully comp classic car insurance (u dont get any no cliams bonus) but at abt 1000 pounds it was the cheapest - mini is 998 stage 1 kit 13x7 alloys all mods advised to insurance company before quoting the lady we spoke to knew more than me about minis and was very helpful

sometimes help if you are a member of local mini club

hope you get it sorted

Steve

[Stevee]

£595 ON THRID PARTY fire and theft !! WHAT!!!

my mini will be standered with set of alloys on it cause i dont have the steels and footman quoted me £750! thrid party fire and theft and im 19!! soon to be 20 :|

[haggz]

just looked at footman james website, thought i would go for a quick quote. This came up

•The vehicle is over 15 years of age
•The vehicle must be garaged at night
•The vehicle is being used for social domestic and pleasure (including commuting) only
•The vehicle has not been modified from the manufacturer's standard specification
•The vehicle is not a grey or parallel import including US imports
•The vehicle is not valued at more than £50,000
•The vehicle is not a van, pickup, motorhome or any other commercial vehicle
•All drivers hold a Full UK driving licence and have done so for a minimum of 5 years
•No drivers have made any claims or had any accidents in the past 3 years
•All drivers must be aged between 25 and 74
•No driver has more than one fixed penalty speeding conviction
•UK post codes only (excluding Northern Ireland)
•The vehicle is owned and registered to yourself
•No driver is employed in any of the following occupations:
◦Entertainment, Radio or TV presenter
◦Celebrity
◦General Dealers
◦Courier or Delivery drivers
◦Debt collectors
◦Money lender
◦Professional Sports persons
◦Unemployed persons

i noted section 8, and section 10. surely people browsing for insurance would see this and go elsewhere. i would or am i just reading it wrong

[mikey72]

The next line is

If we are unable to provide an on-line quote and you need urgent cover, please call us on 0845 458 4356 (8.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday) and we'll be happy to discuss your unique insurance needs with you.



Well worth giving them a call.

[M J W J]

Hi
My first ever post on here, and its a negative one!
I got a quote for my isurance a week ago, im 17 and i hav diabeties so i was suprised to hear that footman james could insure me (thrid party, fire and theft) for £595. Over the past week my dad bought me a roll cage and it has been fitted. I then rung footman james again to tell them, an they would not insure me!

Any ideas of what to do or who to go to next?

First of all getting insurance at 17 for £595 at the minute I wouldn't complain. I pay £802 on my astra. I am 20 have 3 years no claims, no points, have never had an accident and have never had to claim. I would advise you to take the cage out and leave all modifications until you have a few years no claims.

Next, this isn't going to solve your current problem but is worth trying. You might want to ask your insurance company whether you being diabetic makes any difference. I am diabetic and was once given a leaflet by someone in the diabetes clinic at hospital about getting car insurance. It said about asking car insurance companies if it made any difference. Some of them will tell you that it puts up your premium by x amount. You should then turn round to them and point out that diabetes is classed as a disability and by trying to charge more they are in fact discriminating against you (by law they are not allowed to treat you any differently just for having a medical condition) . As long as you have informed the dvla when applying for your licence then they have deemed you fit to drive and should not be charged more for insurance. I did this a couple of years ago with direct line. The woman on the end of the phone said she would speak to their legal department. I then received a phone call about an hour and a half later and they said that I was right so they dropped the renewal quote I got from them by about £70. A lot of companies are aware of this so don't charge you any more but is worth asking just incase.

[mini-thomas]

Hi
Thanks for all the advice.
My dad rung them up yesterday, an after telling them it was for saftey only they eventually gave a quote of about £750, i have joined the BMC, and have both parents on it.
I think, problem solved!

[davies145]

dont tell them any mod, my brother been driving his wit 13 inch wheels loads of other mods and the polce dnt bother, none of my mates have either my car has been changed and i dnt plan on say anything as it will go up sooo much just try not to crash and get the car taken home on a crash and change everything to standard, if not u will get paid out for a standard mini, save alot in the long run, or try adrian flux mate was gunna change his engine to a 1380 and they said they will not change the price of his insurance,

Edited by the.stroker, 11 November 2010 - 02:56 PM.
This is bad practise , TMF do not condone actions such as this , in the event of an accident your insurance will be null and void , Please think about what you are saying on a public forum , you never know who is watching

[Mini Adam]

I got a quote yesterday for £550 fully comprehensive on my own policy which means I'll build up my own no claims bonus with £500 excess. I'm 17, and this is for when I pass (I set the start date as my test date) and this quote is valid for a month (my test is in less than a month) so look like i'm sorted for insurance! goes to show you can get it cheap if you shop around Oh and I also get free cover abroad in most european countries, not that I could drive in a lot of them
I'm very happy with this quote

[mikey72]

I got a quote yesterday for £550 fully comprehensive on my own policy which means I'll build up my own no claims bonus with £500 excess. I'm 17, and this is for when I pass (I set the start date as my test date) and this quote is valid for a month (my test is in less than a month) so look like i'm sorted for insurance! goes to show you can get it cheap if you shop around Oh and I also get free cover abroad in most european countries, not that I could drive in a lot of them
I'm very happy with this quote

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