The 510 Realm

I finally got a 510 and have icbc liability coverage, but I want to get comprehensive and was wondering what company you guys use.

Also, it doesn't have a catalytic converter right now, do I have a chance in hell of passing aircare or should I go ahead and order a cat. My gut feeling is that I'm going to need a cat judging from all of the other posts about trouble passing aircare. The car has a stock L16 with a header and exhaust.

Did they not suspend Aircare up there?

Insurance partially depends on how much your car and how you drive it. Different companies in Canada, but I wrote this a few years ago:

DQ Volume 7 Issue 4 - Insurance For Your Classic Car - Insurance is one of those things you should always have but hope you never need to use. Once your 510 approaches a certain value, you would be wise to take a look at the other insurance offerings on the market. We look at Actual Cash Value, Agreed Value, and Stated Value policies.

When I bought it the insurance agent said I had to register it out of province because it didn't have aircare. It didn't need it on Vancouver island, but I guess I still need it in the city?

Interesting article. A local mechanic was actually telling me to not get collision because the icbc likes to total these cars if they get something as small as a dented bumper. I'm assuming because they value them at almost nothing.

BCAA won't insure anything over 25 years old unless it's collector car insurance at which point they want it as close as possible to stock. I guess I'll keep looking around a bit.

My apologies on the Aircare:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=23883&hilit=aircare

Your best defense against ACW types of insurance companies is to document as many 510 sales as possible to bolster your claim that the car is worth more than they say. If insurance companies up there have agents, find one who is a car guy/gal and build a relationship with them. Agents who are also car people will fight their underwriters more often and more successfully.

In general the situation is much the same here as far as ACW companies, but we also have specialist companies like Hagerty that are much friendlier. Flip side is that they demand you have a second car registered in your name and used as a DD. Might not be covered if your 510 gets dinged in the parking lot of the grocery store.

Techromancer wrote:

Interesting article. A local mechanic was actually telling me to not get collision because the icbc likes to total these cars if they get something as small as a dented bumper. I'm assuming because they value them at almost nothing.
.

What kind of a tool is this person?
So... nope dont get this insurance because,they will total it?
Umm if you dont get it,and its your fault...you get nothing
Ultimately it is up to the owner,
you can choose not to make a claim..and the car is not labelled as a rebuilt or a total loss.

Why not just get everything through autoplan,its alot easier to deal with one company,and I can guarantee that a private insurer will total much sooner than the corp will.

One thing everyone needs to remember when dealing with ICBC - it's YOUR car, not theirs. You may not like the settlement that comes out of the deal because that is the power they have, but never forget that the car is your car until you sign the settlement.
A word of caution - when disputing a claim against YOUR car, get the car back in your possession immediately if there is any sign of the claim dragging out. People car's get "lost" if any part of the process drags out. I know of one case personally – then there all the hear say which can not be quantified properly. The cars usually get auctioned off, and if this happens to your car before you are done then you are screwed.
In essence, be wise, be cautious, keep in mind that ICBC has many tricks up their sleeve like removing the tax after your settlement, and then reducing that number further with environmental exceptions incentive offers and the like.
Put it this way, ICBC makes sure you won't come out ahead in any way, so it's best to avoid the situation – they are scoundrels when it comes to your car, their job is to make sure they don’t pay out – your job become proving the actual worth of the vehicle.
Private insurance - well that's an unknown because there is no system at all. At least you can read the ICBC system.

My $.02 worth on the subject - having had a 510 written off and gone through the ICBC game.

BTW – your car will likely pass aircare without a cat; we pretty much get away with murder in the emissions departmentbecause that’s how these old cars were designed and no one should expect a car to be better than when it left the factory. If it does fail, then there is something likely wrong, or you have a heavily modded car, like a big cam with big overlap – also been there, done that!

Byron

I am one of those who's 510 " disappeared". My wife's 1970 4 door got T-boned in White Rock..I had just put a friends 1800 in it, new tires,some other bits. I very clearly stated I wanted to buy the wreck back. Low and behold, I go to ICBC's claim center...and the car is GONE!!!! I got some bullshit story that the woman claims adjuster should not have done that, blah, blah...but....THE CAR IS GONE!! I tried to ask where, and I get some story it has been crushed ALREADY!!!! It turns out, she misrepresented a form that supposedly authorized the car to be towed from the storage yard, to the center. What is was, buried in the fine print, said they could dispose of the wreck!!!!!

You cannot imagine how mad I was....they would not let me speak to the woman...I was ballistic in there....they knew I would have ripped her heart out her you know what.....she had even agreed to a price...which I felt was fair considering I had 500 worth of new tires, the nice 1800 engine..LOW MILES...and some other 510 accessories.

Bottom line....SIGN NOTHING.... till you are sure of whatever...and keep control over the car till you are really done!

Hate those bastards.....

Man, that sucks Keith. I don't mind taking money for something that's replaceable, but when you've put so much time and effort into something the least they can do is let you pull your parts back off of it.

I'll take the car by aircare and see what they say, I don't think anything is wrong with it, so I should be fine.

I'll let you guys know if I find a good insurer.

And as always, thanks for the info and advice.

There are private insurance companies here in B.C. BUT you still need to have your basic coverage though ICBC. I've never tried it but my bro swears by them.

James

The problem I'm having in the states is that the stated value policies I've found for "classics" also include mileage or usage restrictions. I drive my car a lot, I don't want a "classic" or "collector" policy, I am willing to pay more to cover what I believe the car is worth, but I also want to use it, so what to do?

Hagerty says they have a mileage restriction, but they've never asked me for a reading at renewals, and I don't believe they even asked me for the mileage originally, though I'd have to check my app to make sure. They DO limit you to non-errand tasks, but have always seemed to be the most free in allowing you to enjoy your car. Might be worth a call to them to see if they have a higher-mileage policy you can opt for. But the whole idea behind their niche is that people don't put as many miles on a car insured through them as they would a DD, hence the cheaper rates for higher-dollar coverage.

Hagerty requires a daily driver that isn't the car you're insuring. I ride the bus to most places, which they explicitly don't recognize as a valid alternative. So much for going green?

Also, I failed aircare for CO2, which I guess means that I'm running rich.

Check the timing - lean it out a bit - raise the idle speed.

James

chart

Cool, thanks for that.