Modifications, legal requirements & Insurance

Ratbag

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Gidday Folks

Kevin has created a new sub-forum for discussion and information about these sometimes vexed issues.

This will prevent these subjects pulling a lot of threads somewhat OT because of these requirements.

If you want to make a point about compliance with local laws, e.g. Australian Design Rules (and the spin-off regulations made under these), please post a link in the thread to the appropriate thread in this sub-forum.

Keeps all this info together in one place, where it can gradually build up into a valuable reference material about how to stay safe and legal with your modifications.

For example: Tyres would be discussed in the tyre thread, or in a thread under the tyre forum here:

https://www.offroadsubarus.com/forumdisplay.php?f=19

However, legal and/or insurance limits on rims or rim/tyre sizes should be discussed here in this sub-forum, with links back to it in any thread where this is, or may be, relevant.

While legal compliance is just that, IMO one should always check with one's own insurer as to their attitude to any proposed modifications.

One is often caught in a cleft stick, because legal requirements and your insurance company's attitude may well be different from each other.

Remember that the statutory compulsory third party injury insurance will always go by the law/s (ADRs in Oz), while your comprehensive insurance company will also use these to exclude claims.

Your insurer may have specific requirements that are outside those that are legislated - e.g. mine is very unhappy if I want to fit after-market alloys instead of the OEM alloys currently fitted. However, they are very relaxed about my fitting 215/65 16" tyres in place of the placarded 215/60 16". They want written notification if I want to fit any kind of lift kit or any other non-standard suspension modification.

Some basic rules of thumb with your own insurer are:

1) Telephone them before doing expensive modification work.

2) Notify them in writing of any modifications done from the OEM specifications for your particular vehicle and model.

3) Make certain that your insurer sends you a new policy document recording the modifications done to your vehicle in it.

In Australia any non-compliance with the ADRs and associated regulations automatically makes your vehicle "technically" un-roadworthy, which automatically voids all your insurance, both statutory and comprehensive/TPPD.

I hope that this sub-forum is useful to members, and will become a first port of call for those contemplating modifying their vehicles.
 
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^ Thanks. I have been contemplating the problem for a while, and I mentioned it to Kevin this morning. And here it is ... :iconwink: :ebiggrin: :biggrin:.

Methinks it might be a good idea for existing threads or sequences of posts that really belong here to be moved here as they come to our attention.

As I said to OB4 this morning, this stuff is spread throughout the forums and threads and posts, making it all but untraceable - as he mentioned.
 
AAMI/Justcar , is more inclined in pricing structure to insure under 25's, GIO/Suncorp's pricing structure is geared to push away under 25's. APIA (suncorp groups over 50's) is priced cheaper, but is restricted in policy for claim conditions compared to the general products offered by aami/gio. Given I don't work in the industry anymore and my info is a couple years old, but i worked in claims and recoveries. Only real advice is sales staff don't really understand the legislative aspects of insurance and recoveries/settlements, and go a long way to perpetuating false information. Like what isn't covered if your cars undroadworthy, which depends highly on circumstance.

So if you have very specific questions like if a mod is covered, call claims, ask for rec/set and ask the part of the company that's actually going to authorize your claim.

EDIT: was going to put this in the insurance what you've got thread, but the info is more general than that.
 
So if you have very specific questions like if a mod is covered, call claims, ask for rec/set and ask the part of the company that's actually going to authorize your claim.

Thats a good idea! But what's "rec/set"? recoveries/settlements at a guess?
 
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