In the thread I posted a month or so ago about insurance for the MINI [that got some real finger wagging for my posting] here is another tip:

Many auto insurance carriers will insure the value of your vehicle INCLUDING all the accessories and add-ons you have put into the MINI. This is very important, if you stop to add up how much money you have put into the car. For example, if you get seat covers [$500], wind deflector for the cabrio [$220], dash / interior accessories or upgrades, including shift **** [$500], gauges [$500], alarm [$500] you can be up to $2500 quite easily.

Why should you eat those costs if your car is stolen or totaled?

Some carriers do NOT insure accessories or add-ons. They give you the actual cash value of the car, nothing more.

Some carriers insure you for the total of your loss, ACV on the car and anything you added.

Some carriers will insure ONLY add-ons that are considered "installed"' on the car. In other words, they might not consider seat covers as "installed" but they will say that gauges are installed and became part of the car.

Some carriers will take your word on what you installed on the car and will pay the ACV [your cost new, less an amount for depreciation] of those items.

Some carriers may require you have proof of purchase of the items and installation on the MINI. For this reason, I like to keep receipts and pics of the items as installed in my MINI. [Both these just in case my carrier requires proof.]

Many insurance policies state terms and conditions regarding coverage for add-ons, mods, and accessories. Check your policy and also call the carrier if you don't understand what is covered and what is not.

Again, no reason to eat $2000 to $5000 in mods, accessories or add-ons should you suffer a loss. The time to find out your carrier's coverage conditions is NOT when making a claim. That will be a real drag if the carrier says "Oh, we only cover the base car, not all the add-ons and accessories."

Why do insurance companies have these limitations? Mainly, the concern is that a claimant will fraudulently inflate the size of the loss by saying he or she had a huge number of mods and accessories, obviously so to get more money. It's pretty easy to document [or prove] that you possessed the car subject to a loss [registration, title, insurance payments]. But it is equally easy for an insured claimant to fraudulently assert that the car stolen or burned to a crisp had $5000 in add-ons. So many insurers require proof of add-ons. Others will simply not provide coverage for add-ons and accessories.