Do you need to tell your vehicle insurance company (liability only) about every little mod?

[rruff]

This came up on another forum and I thought it was silly... but google search and AI insists that they must be informed of even wheel, tire, suspension, brakes, bumper, etc... mods... or they may deny a liability claim. I'm not in the habit of telling them anything, or ever making a claim for that matter. I've just been sending them money forever.

Do you tell your insurance company about every little mod? If so, what has been their response?

 

[Umbrarian]

Never told them anything, never had a problem.

 

[eugene]

Depends on the company.
Crappy ones where your not in good hands will tell you that you don't need that stuff and depreciate it down to pennies.

 

[AbleGuy]

according to recent articles about auto claims denied, it seems you at least need to tell them of every resident of your home, no matter how young they might be

 

[rruff]

Crappy ones where your not in good hands will tell you that you don't need that stuff and depreciate it down to pennies.

This is for liability only, not on my vehicle. I can understand why they wouldn't cover expensive mods that I didn't disclose.

according to recent articles about auto claims denied, it seems you at least need to tell them of every resident of your home, no matter how young they might be

I'm curious about the details of that one!

 

[eugene]

This is for liability only, not on my vehicle. I can understand why they wouldn't cover expensive mods that I didn't disclose.

Again, depends on the company. Erie totaled my wife's car but gave us extra $ when I gave them information on additions.

 

[AbleGuy]

This is for liability only, not on my vehicle. I can understand why they wouldn't cover expensive mods that I didn't disclose.


I'm curious about the details of that one!

story in the news this week, one major insurance giant allegedly denied claims for vehicle damage (in two cases reported) because the owners didn't list their minor children as being residents in their homes, in one case it was their 12 y.o. daughter

GEICO Denied This Michigan Family’s Insurance Claim Over a 3-Month-Old Baby

A Chelsea, Michigan, couple, Kara Vogel and Carson Howatt, were involved in a relatively mild car crash on Christmas Eve 2025. Their vehicle was struck by another driver who failed to yield in a roundabout. ... Read more

www.yahoo.com

A Chelsea, Michigan, couple, Kara Vogel and Carson Howatt, were involved in a relatively mild car crash on Christmas Eve 2025. Their vehicle was struck by another driver who failed to yield in a roundabout. Nobody was injured, and the damage seemed modest — an estimated $5,000 to $15,000 worth.

But when the family filed a claim with their insurer, GEICO, they were initially told the accident wouldn’t be covered. Why? Wait for it—Because they hadn’t listed their 1-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son on the policy, even though they were in car seats at the time.

That twist flipped an ordinary holiday mishap into a stressful ordeal, with potentially serious financial consequences."


also:

GEICO sues driver over car crash that wasn't even her fault due to 'child' rule

A DRIVER is being sued by her insurance company over a mistake most wouldn’t think was an issue. Even though the crash wasn’t her fault, Geico is still suing her and refusing to pay out…

www.the-sun.com

 

[rruff]

Again, depends on the company. Erie totaled my wife's car but gave us extra $ when I gave them information on additions.

That's really good service! Maybe not odd for a good company that wants to keep your business.

I'm talking about is just liability though; what the insurance pays to another party in an accident due to my fault. The buzz (mostly from lawyers) is that you definitely need to tell them of any mods so they can assess if your liability risk is higher. My point is that they don't ask about that, or a million other things that could be more relevant... like my psychological and emotional state, if I drive while intoxicated, how well I maintain the truck, etc. Heck even drunk driver claims aren't denied. But I'll be denied because I have bigger tires and a small lift, and I didn't make a point of telling them?

But when the family filed a claim with their insurer, GEICO, they were initially told the accident wouldn’t be covered. Why? Wait for it—Because they hadn’t listed their 1-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son on the policy, even though they were in car seats at the time.

I was hit by a driver that had Geico. That company is in league with IMO.

 

[eugene]

I was hit by a driver that had Geico. That company is in league with IMO.

State Farm is worse. State Farm customer drove into our house and state farm denied our claim. I had to submit through our insurance and let them sue.

But if you try to tell allstate that you have added something to your vehicle they will tell you to take it off or pay for a rider.

 

[rruff]

State Farm is worse.

Ha! That's who I have. They used to be good, but "times they are a changin"...

I guess the best you can hope for is they try to satisfy the person paying the bills...until they decide the payout exceeds their interest in retaining you.

Geico did extremely underhanded devious BS. And the lawyer who worked for them actually bragged about having a "black soul"...and he was right.

 

[Inyo_man]

I recommend keeping receipts for modifications and cost of parts used for replacement. I used them after an insurance company "totaled" one of my rigs after it was hit by another vehicle. I provided all of the receipts, which included replaced parts, and they honored all of them.

Cheers

 

[SDDiver5]

I have AAA for my car insurance and my insurance guy said that they will cover it if I let them know before and claim is processed and can show proof of purchasing it new, not used.

I'm cheap and buy most of my stuff used so I left the conversation at that. Not sure if it has changed. This was circa 2020

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

I have GEICO, and have had for 12 years according to a letter they recently sent me. Knock on wood, never filed any claims.
All those companies make money by not paying out......what a system

 

[ThundahBeagle]

according to recent articles about auto claims denied, it seems you at least need to tell them of every resident of your home, no matter how young they might be

That's always been the case here
I could let a total stranger drive my truck and they are insured
But anyone in the household that you might let drive your car one day, needs to be listed. Learned that in the 80's

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I recommend keeping receipts for modifications and cost of parts used for replacement. I used them after an insurance company "totaled" one of my rigs after it was hit by another vehicle. I provided all of the receipts, which included replaced parts, and they honored all of them.

Cheers

And pics of everything installed