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If you’re keen to give some personal touches to your car through accessories and modifications, you should do your research and check whether these changes could detract from the vehicle’s value in the future when it comes time to sell, as well as significantly increase your insurance premiums.
Many car insurance companies urge motorists to resist the temptation to modify their vehicles, as higher premiums may be charged for features such as fins, spoilers and other equipment, as these modifications typically make cars more tempting targets for thieves. As such, the policyholder’s risk increases along with their premiums, which can be particularly expensive for younger drivers. If you neglect to inform your insurer about these changes, you could also pay a heavy penalty by your policy being invalidated, meaning you won’t be covered in the event of accidents or theft.
It’s not only external modifications that can drive up insurance prices either, as internal features such as built-in car phones may cause premiums to rise by more than 40 per cent. Modifications are defined as any additions to cars that were not present from production, so even adding satellite navigation, CD changers or other entertainment systems could prove expensive for insurance customers, especially when multiple modifications are made.
Making permanent changes to your car can also have a long term impact on its value, as the cost of a tinted windscreen replacement or having to replace other non-OEM parts such as a damaged alloy wheel could make the vehicle less appealing to prospective buyers in the future. Even smaller additions such as stickers may cause damage if these cannot be easily removed or leave permanent marks behind, so it’s advised that car owners only make modifications that are easily removed if they want to set their vehicle apart and add some personal flair.
When arranging any car services or replacing parts, you should always try to use original equipment manufacturer parts where possible, and have these services performed by authorised garages and dealerships to avoid invalidating your warranty. Buyers will want to see a full service history when deciding whether to buy your car, and unauthorised or low quality modifications could have a negative impact. If you’re considering buying a used car, you should ask about any modifications made in its past as well as learn some of the signs to look for, to make sure you know the condition and history of the vehicle you’re buying.
Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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