nullspace Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 Forgive me if this is the wrong forum, just move it along to the correct one. Okay. Engine conversions. We've all seen them, a lot of 'us' have done them; either a 1.6/1.8 up to a 2.0 silvertop, or even a 2.0 I4 from the good old RS. The question is, how many people are bothering to inform the DVLA? My insurance is due, and its taken a fair drop, which i'm pleased about. In light of this, I was toying about with the idea of doing a resto of a 2.0 zetec or an I4 sometime next year. So over the last couple of days i've been scouring the forums/googling for escort conversions I can use on insurance comparison websites for a quick quote. While I can go check my quote on a genuine RS, I've no idea how much more that quote might be for an RS replica. So there I am, searching around, throwing registration numbers into the DVLA and confused etc. Natta one of them has checked out. Not one. DVLA still lists them all as 1.8 Si's or GTI'S or whatever, and the same shows through the insurance companies. Surely not everyone is doing it illegitimately; so I can only assume you're not telling the DVLA but you are telling the insurer? How exactly does it work? I ask because I really want to do a conversion next year but I literally have no reference point in terms of insurance. And when I kill somebodies horse in a head-on and taken through the cleaners for damages, I certainly don't want my insurer/DVLA to turn around and say 'wait a minute son, this isn't a 1.6 zetec' - you know? lol. So yeah... I guess those who are doing it 'illegally' (frankly I don't give a rubbish - it's a calculated risk, and if the risk is low then why the hell not?), wont reply. But if you are driving around in a legal MK6 conversion then please tell me how drastically the conversion altered your insurance quote in comparison to a genuine (where applicable) escort of the same displacement. Ballpark figures here, i'm not after your national insurance number. Okay, i'm done. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawdreamer Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 you do realise there's people associated with insurance companies and the police using this site right? http://www.evo-host.co.uk/getimg/31458.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 a lot of the time insurance companies are only interested in the engine size. when i phoned adrian flux for a quote they asked literally nothing more than the size of the engine i planned to put in the escort...... they then told me they couldnt cover me due to the change but by current insurer admiral were fine with it. once again they didnt ask anything other than the new engine size.it put the annual premium up by around £100, but then again ive got other mods declared so its not a straight comparison to the vehicle i got the engine from Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidrick Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I'd imagine that most who have done an engine conversion on this site will not have declared it, because they are pikeys. They'd be worse than daft to admit it on a public forum, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNDQ Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 No one tells the insurance lets be fair, i.e i looked on ebay as was thinking of maybe getting a Escort Cossie just bout everyone was registered as a XR3i/RS2000 was god knows whats going on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 well i havent actually done mine yet but ive already called insurance companys to ask them about it because iv never done anything like this before, ask supersport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
co-op scooby Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 I can understand a petrol engine swap going undeclared,where the engines still look as factory fitted,but there have been numerous vans for sale on e bay having rs2k or similar engines transplanted into diesel vans and still registered as diesels on the V5C. If they cant be bothered to notify Swansea, you can guarantee they ain't notified their insurance company either.Certainly a lot braver than I am.I would have guilt written over my face everytime I drove the fecker.Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOHNDQ Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 IM sure as well now they ask for a letter from the garage that "done" the work. I know one of our customers at work changed a engine on his car sent the log book off and it came back from them asking for all the engine no's etc on headed paper from a garage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee grout Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 they then told me they couldnt cover me due to the change Why's that??? Considering they specialize in modified cars!!?? Sumit a bit iffy there surely! Are you an offender of some sort scotty I would always tell them. I know most cant be arsed, but if you have an accident from thrashing your new 2.0 turbo and they think its a nice slow 1.6 and they find out, your insurance will be void and just think if you end up killing someone whilst your not covered! It wouldn't bear thinking about. Although the outcome may be the same before anyone says it, insured or not, its the difference between living with guilt or guilt and prison sentence! Worst case scenario I know but a valid point.....and a serious one at that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 My escort is all registered with the DVLA and all the mods declared to my insurance. DVLA was the easy bit! I look at this way if my car was stolen i don't want it replaced with a 1.6! Plus don't want want the insurance cancelled if they caught up with me! you do realise there's people associated with insurance companies and the police using this site right? A very good point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze4door Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 You have to get an engineers report for the insurance so they can see its not been thrown together and is gonna fall apart give it a few years and escorts will be classed as classic cars so declaring the engine swaps will not cost loads on insurance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 no im not an offender lol look at my thread my engine change isnt even done yet! adrian flux are just a poor insurance company imho. they have declined me so many times when ive called them. but mainstream insurers dont seem to have a problem. the only things ive not declared are my white dials and my gti steering wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullspace Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Thanks for all the replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it a bit crazy not to declare it (and void the policy as mentioned above). Its also interesting, however, just how many people are flogging rs/cossie vans still registered as diesels etc. I guess it really is as widespread a practice as I thought. you do realise there's people associated with insurance companies and the police using this site right? If you read my post, you'll notice I'm not interested in hearing from those who aren't legit; I even state explicitly that I expect no reply from them (for obvious reasons). I'm simply curious as to peoples experience with insurance quote rises, and whether or not the 'illegal' conversion really is as prevalent as I'd assumed (which, shockingly, appears to be the case). I neither have nor had any intention of ever doing an unregistered conversion; hence my frustration at not being able to find a legit vehicle with which to run a 'test quote'. In fact given that police and insurance companies, as you suggest, might visit this site makes the practice even more shocking. The amount of illegitimate conversion threads dotted over the place with registration plates happily on show is frankly retarded. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nullspace Posted September 17, 2013 Author Share Posted September 17, 2013 Perhaps you misunderstood what I wrote about 'calculated risk'. It is a calculated risk, but it is your calculated risk. What I'm saying there is that if you personally think the risk is low enough, then (as I'm sure many do) go ahead with the undeclared conversion. I, personally, think the risk far too great not just to myself, but others, and thus would never proceed down this route. Hope that clears it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottybo Posted September 17, 2013 Share Posted September 17, 2013 the reason people dont bother saying anything is... if i opened the bonnet on an escort with a 1.8 130 zetec engine in there, and then opened the bonnet on an escort with an older cast efi 1.6 zetec would anyone be able to tell the difference just by looking (if the sticker on the air pipe was missing). i certainly wouldnt be able to tell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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