Volvo owners club insurance scheme via chris knott insurance

[ChrisKnottIns]

Originally Posted by Steve940estate

For example, In the case of a Volvo 940. All models in the range are the same in regard brakes and most suspension components. One originally fitted with a non turbo 2.3 engine and then changed for a turbo one with the same capacity. What you now have in essence is a car that Volvo produced.
Why does it then cost more to insure than a 940 turbo that left the factory as such ?
Admittedly if any conversions of this sort are carried out if done badly could be dangerous. Cars originally fitted with a 1 litre engine then suddenly being a 2.0 litre turbo but haven't had brakes and suspension upgraded to suit.

What I am suggesting is that with a bit more specific product knowledge you could help out more. This lack of understanding is the biggest problem with insurance companies.

While I am here perhaps you could explain why roll cages are such a bad thing. Ok drives of Saxos might think they will make their cars faster but for someone who wants to drive a competition car to and from an event it makes things very difficult and expensive. The last thing they would want to do is smash a car up on the way to an event so they are hardly likely to be driving like a fool.

Perhaps there is a job going for someone who can work with yourselves and the club to make it possible to insure all club vehicles properly ?

Hope you don't mind answering a few questions, it's not often you can actually speak to insurance people without sitting on a phone for hours at great expense.

It doesn't help and it's a rubbish answer but the truth is that even though we can see the sense in your argument, our hands are often tied by the insurance companies themselves with regard to what they will and will not accept. There's also the issue of safety following amateur modification. We all remember the case of the guy who flipped his landrover into a river, killing four of his children because it was incompetently modified. Provision of an engineer's report (which we do require) will certainly help us assess whether an engine swap keeps the car 'standard' enough and knowing it has been professionally done also helps.