When you turn your car into a monster truck

There are lots of expensive trucks and SUV’s on the road these days. Since the cost of gas has remained low for the last few years people are trading in smaller cars for SUV's. Even in California where we pay the most for gas bigger vehicles are still the most popular. We Americans do love our SUV’s and Trucks and along with buying these monster vehicles people are spending a lot of money to customize them. There is a huge market that sells everything from custom paint, to expensive sound systems, to lift kits and custom wheels. You can easily drop tens of thousands of dollars on this stuff and it’s important to make sure your auto insurance is going to cover these expensive additions.
Most morning as I drive to work I run across the same giant truck.  One day I should go introduce myself to this guy since we live parallel commute lives.  Normally, I wouldn’t notice a car. But, this is no ordinary Toyota Corolla.  This guy has a custom sound business and his entire truck is wrapped with graphics. He has a huge lift on the truck. I can only imagine that he gets gallons per mile, compared with miles per gallon as he drives.  The truck is huge, the lift is huge, he has every other custom item you can add to a truck. Mud flaps, running boards, light bar on the roof, custom grill and I can only imagine the sound equipment in there. Since that is his business and all. Once you start adding equipment you need to check with your auto insurance company to see how they cover all these additions
Some auto insurance companies will automatically cover any wheels, lifts or running boards. Other companies will only cover what was stock on the vehicle originally. It’s important to check with your insurance carrier to see how they would handle a claim.
Additionally, things like stereos, navigation and other aftermarket sound equipment are covered differently. Most auto insurance companies will cover the stock equipment, but most companies offer the ability to add and endorsement the upgrades. The cost to insure equipment on cars varies dramatically by carrier.
When you are getting insurance quotes make sure that you mention any additional equipment so that you can make sure it is covered properly.  Save all your receipts for your upgrades too. Take some pictures of your vehicle with the equipment. Both of those things will help your insurance claims adjusters value the additions to your vehicle and help you get paid. If your agent asks what type of car you have mention the additional equipment so that they can make sure you are covered properly. If you'd like a quote on your cars, trucks or SUV's give me a call at 951-395-0754.