He's in Canada. I bet the laws are different. And don't insurance laws here differ state to state?

 

I had my insurance canceled on my '96 200SX SE-R, the reason they gave was it is "modified for high speed driving" this was in Oregon.

This was after 20 years with the same company, and a few minor claims.

 

Realistically, you'll either end up with a lot of restrictions written into the policy or very high premiums. If you know anything about how rates are determined, and how statistics play into this matter, I'm sure you would see this. Not trying to discourage you, but there is a reason why insurers do what they are doing now. In the end, all businesses are there to make a profit.

 

Based on the context of your message I'm thinking you work in an agency. And at that, it would be an agency dedicated to a particular company. If that is the case, I would expect your view to be limited to only State Farm, their underwriting practices and their policy language. I've worked with 2 different carriers and each of them have several differnt polices and different underwriting practices for each book of business they write. Within the same company, they can have broad coverage on one policy and limited coverage on another. And both the companies I have experience with are big names. One is the biggest in the world. The size of the company does not determine what is covered. As I said before, the policy is your contract. The insurance company is both bound and limited to what is stated in the policy. Not all policies are written the same. And I can assure you I have seen 4 different policies put a dollar limit on the amount of aftermarket parts you can have. As a claims person, I know better than to assume what is covered and not covered. The policy is laid out in black & white. When there is a question, you always revert back to the policy language first. Ultimately, if the dispute needed to be resolved in court, the court would analyze the policy first as well.

The size of the company also does not matter. The biggest insurance/financial company in the world has an auto insurance division that targets the sub-standard market. And other large comapnies do as well(AAA-CSAA, Mercury - California Casualty, AIG Mass Marketing - Granite State Insurance, SAFECO preferred - SAFECO standard[used to be insureQuest], and many others). These are all examples of large premier carriers that have a sub-standard book of business.

Any agency must adhere to the policies and practices of the insurers they write for. The mom & pop agencies you speak of (which fall into the independent agent category) will generally write for many carriers and the way they write each policy must adhere to the insurer's practices. If they do not, they can end up liable in the end. But their job is to try and find teh best solution for each customer in order to meet the customer's insurance needs. So it's not the agencies telling them no, it's the companies they write business for that say no. Agencies in this case are really just the messenger.

I'm not trying to flame you here, but you seem to have a limited view of insurance and I'm just making sure people who read this aren't misled. Insurance products are much more diverse that you realize. And I have personally only seen a small portion of what is out there. But, do I know for a fact there are policies that limit aftermarket parts. Yes. Have I seen policies rescinded because someone lied on their application. Yes. Do I speak for every policy? No. I have worked with a policy that offered a broad level of coverage. They are out there. But many have more conservative underwriting practices which means they may not insure you if you have certain types of aftermarket parts or too many of them.

 

$2500 for wheels/tires? That wont even buy you a new set of factory rims with TPMs I would think that since MSRP for my aftermarket rims is less than MSRP for factory 18" ($800), I'm still good right?

 

I'd speculate the language might state the limit only applies to aftermarket wheels. And if this were the case, you can't relate it to the factory wheels. Keep in mind that the insurance company can replace a damaged wheel that is covered with a used undamaged wheel(if available), which would likely be significantly cheaper.

Interestingly though, I do remember a claim I had once where I paid a customer for aftermarket wheels that were cheaper than the stock steelies and their corresponding hubcaps. They were the same size as the factory wheels so the tires were the same price.

 

I use StateFarm and have had excellent coverages on all my modded cars the
past several years without a hitch. I had my bent SSR wheels replaced
once.

I think it really depends on your insurance co and your agent. I know I won't
be changing agents for a long time.