All of the above.
Definitely salvage rights. (especially if you get a poor payout) you always get the car back.
I have been speaking to RH underwriters recently regarding windscreen cover on classic cars for a very high end car club..
The issue here is - the diminishing skills base with classic car windscreen fitment and the high cost of trims and seals that are required to fit the screen- not the glass itself
Most underwriters including equity red star and Lloyds of London have "deals" with national windscreen companies such as Autoglass. It is these National companies who are declining classic car windscreen replacement. NOT the insurer.
I have been very vocal with the underwriters mentioned above and I'm currently trying to get them to come to a compromise by allowing owners to use "specialist Marque" classic restorers or specialist companies to replace your screen.
The net result so far is that they appear receptive as I have opened a can of worms and stirred things up on my own multicar policy when all the named approved windscreen repairers refused to replace the screen in my 914 and I had to buy the parts and do it myself when I clearly had windscreen cover on my comprehensive policy and the insurer couldn't honour it. All sorts of legal claims could therefore ensue.
In the end I have convinced Equity & Lloyds that the market place has changed and they need to keep up. The result will be a freedom of the owner to choose who they want to use to change their screen. If it's NOT one of the insurers "approved nationals" then the excess will unfortunately increase on a screen claim. They will NOT however cover any trim clips, decorative moldings, specialist sealants or windscreen rubbers, only the cost of the glass and labour less the excess.
One BIG issue with the namby pamby elf and safety National companies is that their "Policy" is to only install windscreens to the current legal safety requirements. Basically bonded in. So for example if the glass is held in a rubber (as it may have been done for 50 years) they will refuse to install it that way as it no longer meets safety standards (may pop out when airbag goes off or occupant of car hits it if not wearing a seatbelt.....even if the car was made long before Airbags or seatbelts were invented !). This is particularly frustrating as you cannot judge what was done yesterday by todays rules. My personal opinion is that its easier and quicker to train monkeys to squeeze a mastic gun and pay them peanuts, than fit a windscreen using rubber seals and draw strings. Therefore you get more screens fitted per hour and training costs and skill base is low, while profits are high
Nick, I don't know any insurer that will cover "test track, or track day" without having a hissy fit
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2016 11:53 am