Will Stereos and TV’s in Car Increase Auto Insurance Rate
Reader’s Question:
Were gonna have our car heavily customized for a TV show here in San Francisco (think state-of-the-art Hi-Fi Stereos, huge rims, hydraulics, etc.,). Will this, in anyway, affect what I’m paying for car insurance now?
Kenneth
San Francisco, CA
Yes. Normally, your vehicle’s value will increase after extensive customization and along with it so will the price of your car insurance. With the growing popularity of car customization shows as well as the seemingly endless availability of high-end, high tech accessories and gadgets that can be installed in to your vehicle and make any true-blue car mod enthusiast happy all year long. But do you know if your current car insurance provider will still provide coverage for all the changes, customizations, and installations done to your vehicle? This is a very important question to ask even before you begin customizing or modifying your vehicle.
You would want to talk to your car insurance company first before agreeing to have your car customized. Ask how this will affect your current policy, if you will need to provide documentation or a list of changes and maybe even a price list of all the additional fittings done on your car. This will determine the additional monetary worth of your vehicle should the insurance company need to replace your car in case of loss, repair any damage in the future, or reimburse you if they are unable to replace the vehicle. Some insurance providers might even have appraiser evaluate the job done towards your vehicle so make sure that only professionals handle the customization of your vehicle.
Finally, do not compromise the safety features already in place in your car. This might actually increase you’re car insurance premium due to the higher risk of passenger injury if you do so.