SVA KIT CAR Magazine

[graham]

For Everyone, interesting view/article on P7 of latest Kit Car magazine on SVA testers.

Graham

[John Tisbury]

Thanks for the info Graham

I'll pop along to WH Smiths and purchase a copy.


Regs
John

[wilf]

Graham - you are right, but the article does raise other questions (I have already raised this with Iain Hyne). To wit - if effectively every kit car on the road is not in exactly the same state as that in which it passed SVA - what is the implication for Insurance cover?

In the event of any major insurance claim ( say a kit car drives into a queue of people at a bus stop heaven forbid), any insurance company would inspect the vehicle involved in fine detail. They would find non SVA components (fitted after SVA, like wheel spinners, windwings, sun visors, non-SVA mirrors etc., or removed after SVA like side indicator repeaters, taped up edges etc.) and that could give them reason to not pay the claim, leaving the driver totally up sh*t street.

We have to realise that insurance companies will take any excuse to defend a claim - are we all in danger from this?? It is probably an issue most people would never think about, but a real problem nonetheless. I bet none of us tell our Insurers about post SVA mods on proposal forms!!!

Food for thought


Wilf

[robert]

This has been something I have harped on about for quite a while, the legality of post SVA changes, including engines etc.

Best Regards

Robert
Forum Admin

[Kevin W]

Does this mean 4x4 owners with bull bars and luggage racks with sharp edges arent insured properly? Or do we think kit cars are potentially subject to the specialist insurers know-how on SVA, meaning we are susceptable to particular scrutinisation on the sharp edges thing?

I've known garages who have changed mxitures for the MOT test, and then changed them back to the owners prefered setting after the test! I suspect it'll only be a problem if the accident involves a specific and very obvious SVA compliance issue such as injury sustained by catching a necklace on the slots of a Mota Lita steering wheel. Even then I think you'd be unlucky if it was a problem.

Pay your money take your chance I suppose.

But I think you have to notify your insurer in any situation if you mod the engine in any way, kit car or tin top regardless.

Kev

[wilf]

Kev- my good lady was involved in the insurance business, and I can only say that when it comes to a serious claim, like people dead/severely injured, where more than 6 noughts could be on the end of a claim figure, the insurers would probably do anything to mitigate their loss. I feel that the only body that could resolve this might be STATUS, and I might just lobby them about it. We do have a real problem here, but because its "potential" rather than real, we are behaving like ostriches. Woe betide the first of our number to come face to face with it - I pray it's not me!

At least we have insurance - there are 1 million bas**rds out there driving cars without - and we all pay for it in increased premiums.



Wilf

[Kevin W]

I think we need a poll to nominate a Cob driver to write to his insurer specifically asking these questions, and deflecting the obvious 'why are you asking us this?' reply, and the scrutiny his car might come under.

Or maybe we could get an article in ST after asking a number of insurers to respond to this kind of FAQ. But I think we can guess the reponse.

Perhaps a more revealing question might be what happens if your car passes SVA with a non-compliant part fitted 'as-is' e.g. no sticky tape etc covering a so-called sharp edge. This is the case with Hillman boot hinges, and how many of us really have wipers that conform to the required no. of wipes per second? As was stated in another thread, well-built cars get treated a little more leniantly during the test. So if they pass, doesnt that mean they don't conform to all aspects of SVA? - so doesnt that then mean they're technically uninsured?????

I think there has to be a degree of interpretation somewhere. My guess is that razor sharp spinners will attract trouble, but a 2.0mm (i.e. illegal) radiussed boot hinge won't.

Kev

[wilf]

Kev - my good lady confused me last night with technical insurance banter. In summary, what she said was that as long as you have an Insurance Certificate, then "RTA" cover is guaranteed, whatever you do, whatever you drive. I will try to find out what this actually means!! I think its to do with third party liabilities.

Wilf

[paul]

Hi there here is a question regarding SVA and insurance my car passed it's SVA prior to the deadline of Jan 2000 which meant I was exempt for internal/external projections etc, but the car still was issued with a MAC cert to say it has passed SVA but if put against a SVA test now some items would fail (not many)so how can an insurer prove or disprove the state of my car ???
cheers
Paul

[wilf]

A very interesting question posed by Paul. Even more compelling reasons, I believe, for some "official" body (STATUS???) to come up with some explanation of wether post SVA mods are or are not legal. After all, there is nothing to stop anyone fitting "accessories" to a production vehicle which would never pass an SVA test (ever looked at the "eyebrows" on some VW beetle headlights???). In theory we should tell our insurers of all mods/additions, but I know that I, for one, faced with the question "Has your vehicle been modified from standard" on the insurance proposal form, answered: "This is a kit car, assembled from a wide variety of parts from a wide variety of sources, there is no "standard" configuration".

Is that enough tho'???

Should we ask the CRC to commence a discussion with STATUS or a relevant Insurance body?

Wilf