Insurance Tips For My Vintage Ride Needed
Man, the radio thing cracks me up—mine gave me the third degree over a set of seat covers once, but didn’t care at all about the disc brake conversion. Makes you wonder if they just spin a wheel to decide what’s “important” that day. Ever try explaining to an agent why you *need* fuzzy dice for authenticity? Didn’t go well for me.
I’m with you on only telling them about the big stuff. Engine swaps, brakes, anything that could make a claim messy or change the value—I’ll call. But I’ve never bothered with little things like period-correct mirrors or badges. I do keep a folder of receipts and photos too, just in case. Learned that one the hard way after a fender bender where they tried to argue my paint wasn’t “original.” Spoiler: it was, but apparently their definition and mine didn’t match.
One thing I always wonder: how do you handle stuff like upgraded headlights? Technically safer, but not original—my guy acted like I’d committed a crime when I mentioned LEDs. Yet he didn’t care about my aftermarket exhaust, which is way louder than stock. Is there some secret insurance logic we’re missing?
I guess as long as it’s not something that could get them out of paying (like major safety mods or engine changes), it’s probably fine to keep quiet. But man, those policy wordings are vague sometimes... Has anyone actually had a claim denied over something minor? Or is this all just insurance urban legend territory?
Is there some secret insurance logic we’re missing?
Honestly, I think you nailed it—sometimes it really does feel like they just pick a random thing to care about. I once had an agent get hung up on my car’s floor mats (apparently “not OEM”), but had zero issues with my upgraded brakes. Go figure. As for claims, I’ve never heard of anyone getting denied over minor stuff like mirrors or lights unless it somehow caused the accident. The big-ticket mods are what they’re really after, in my experience. Just keep your paperwork straight—always seems to help when they start splitting hairs.
Yeah, it’s wild what they fixate on sometimes. I had a buddy who got grilled over his aftermarket steering wheel but they didn’t care about his swapped engine at all—makes zero sense. Has anyone actually had luck getting agreed value coverage for a vintage car with a bunch of mods? I keep hearing mixed stories, especially when it comes to stuff like custom interiors or paint.
Man, the stuff insurance companies pick to care about can be so random. I’ve had similar experiences—my last adjuster barely glanced at my shaved door handles but wanted a full write-up on the aftermarket stereo. Go figure.
On the agreed value thing, it’s definitely possible, but you’ve gotta be persistent and document everything. Photos, receipts, even shop invoices for your custom interior or paint work—it all helps. Some agents really just don’t get the whole “restomod” vibe and want everything to look stock, but I’ve found that if you keep pushing and show them how much time (and money) you’ve put in, they’ll usually come around. Hagerty’s been decent for me, though I know not everyone’s had luck there.
Don’t let the horror stories scare you off. Plenty of us with modded classics have managed to get proper coverage—it just takes some patience and a bit of stubbornness. The peace of mind is worth it for those long road trips where you don’t want to worry about every little thing that could go wrong...
It’s wild how they’ll nitpick the weirdest things, right? Last time I renewed, my agent wanted a detailed list of every single safety upgrade—seat belts, LED lights, even the horn—but didn’t care at all about my upgraded brakes. Guess it depends who you get. But yeah, keeping receipts and photos is huge. I’ve found that even just a spreadsheet with dates and costs helps if you ever need to prove value. It’s a hassle but worth it if something ever goes sideways.
