Volkswagen’s Own Insurance

[Broch Hunter]

I am in the process of buying a new California (outgoing T6 model) and the current deal includes the offer of 12 months insurance provided by VW. I am currently insured with Devitt through the CMC and weighing up whether or not to take up the VW offer.

Does anyone have experience of VW insurance for a California and have any advice to offer?

 

[WelshGas]

I am in the process of buying a new California (outgoing T6 model) and the current deal includes the offer of 12 months insurance provided by VW. I am currently insured with Devitt through the CMC and weighing up whether or not to take up the VW offer.

Does anyone have experience of VW insurance for a California and have any advice to offer?

Remember CMC should include New for Old for 2 years.
VW may not and may just cover the vehicle, not all your camping stuff and may have limited, by time, overseas cover, so check carefully.

 

[Broch Hunter]

Thanks WG. VW only appear to cover for New for old for 12 months. However, as far as I can tell, both CMC and VW refer to the ‘new for old’ only being applicable if a vehicle of the same make and model is available in the UK, otherwise settlement would be at market value. I may be over suspicious, but I wonder if this would preclude replacement by a T6.1? The contents cover is much lower with VW.
My current CMC policy ends in March and I also wondered if the recent reclassification by DVLA of the California as an MPV rather than a motor caravan/home may cause difficulty for renewal with CMC (I will be phoning them tomorrow)

 

[WelshGas]

Thanks WG. VW only appear to cover for New for old for 12 months. However, as far as I can tell, both CMC and VW refer to the ‘new for old’ only being applicable if a vehicle of the same make and model is available in the UK, otherwise settlement would be at market value. I may be over suspicious, but I wonder if this would preclude replacement by a T6.1? The contents cover is much lower with VW.
My current CMC policy ends in March and I also wondered if the recent reclassification by DVLA of the California as an MPV rather than a motor caravan/home may cause difficulty for renewal with CMC (I will be phoning them tomorrow)

Let us know what they say about the MPV Body Type.

Converting a vehicle into a motor caravan (motor home)

www.gov.uk

Motor caravan external permanent features
This list describes the external features which are commonly seen in motor caravans, and it is intended to provide guidance on what DVLA expects to see when considering your application:

• 2 or more windows on at least one side of the main body (this does not include windows on the driver or passenger doors) to provide a reasonable amount of daylight into the living accommodation
• a separate door which provides access to the living accommodation of the vehicle (this excludes the driver and passenger doors); a window on this door counts as a separate window on the main body
• motor caravan-style graphics on both sides of the vehicle
• an awning bar attached to either side of the vehicle
• a high-top roof (this does not include a pop-top elevating roof)

DVLA will need photographic evidence of the completed conversion.

 

[Borris]

I am in the process of buying a new California (outgoing T6 model) and the current deal includes the offer of 12 months insurance provided by VW. I am currently insured with Devitt through the CMC and weighing up whether or not to take up the VW offer.

Does anyone have experience of VW insurance for a California and have any advice to offer?

I've just insured our brand new T6 Beach with VW having previously been with Devitt through the CMC.

When I went to insure our new van, Devitt thought they would rip me off with a ridiculously high quote. Our previous two brand new Californias were insured through them and I was very happy with their level of cover. I've had no accidents or convictions and haven't made any claims. My circumstances haven't changed at all and all I wanted was the same cover on the new van which is the same model as our previous T6. So long story short, I sacked them.

VW's insurance provides a more basic level of cover with only 12 months new for old cover and no contents cover. So if you want the contents covered then make other arrangements. They don't restrict mileage or care where it's parked or for how long either. Also they didn't seem that bothered about a tracker. Any accident damage is repaired by VW approved repair centres using only genuine VW parts. They weren't the cheapest quote but were still several hundred pounds cheaper than Devitt. Devitt even had the bare faced cheek to say something along the lines of, "try us again next year as we will probably be able to give you the cover you want at a much cheaper rate as you'll then be a new customer". Unfortunately this sort if behaviour is pretty normal amongst insurance organisations. I could have just paid up but I have a strong aversion to being ripped off.

 

[Broch Hunter]

Thanks Boris that is very useful.

This morning I spoke firstly to CMC. After some discussion at their end, it now appears that CMC accept that, although the California is registered as an MPV, there is no problem with them insuring it. They have clearly encountered the problem several times and adapted accordingly. However, when I sought clarification of their new for old policy, the response was more worrying. It appears that they would consider the T6.1 to be a new model. So in the now almost certain event that a ‘like for like‘ new T6 model was was not available, their settlement figure would be the market value at the time, ie a lower figure.

I then spoke to VW about their 12 months free insurance and confirmed that it provided new for old cover. When questioned on the T6 replacement by the T6.1, after discussion at their end, I was advised that it would be by the closest available model. So in the likely unavailability of a T6 the replacement would be a T6.1.

It looks as though I will be taking up the free 12 months insurance offer from VW.

NB I have none of this in writing.

 

[Borris]

Thanks Boris that is very useful.

This morning I spoke firstly to CMC. After some discussion at their end, it now appears that CMC accept that, although the California is registered as an MPV, there is no problem with them insuring it. They have clearly encountered the problem several times and adapted accordingly. However, when I sought clarification of their new for old policy, the response was more worrying. It appears that they would consider the T6.1 to be a new model. So in the now almost certain event that a ‘like for like‘ new T6 model was was not available, their settlement figure would be the market value at the time, ie a lower figure.

I then spoke to VW about their 12 months free insurance and confirmed that it provided new for old cover. When questioned on the T6 replacement by the T6.1, after discussion at their end, I was advised that it would be by the closest available model. So in the likely unavailability of a T6 the replacement would be a T6.1.

It looks as though I will be taking up the free 12 months insurance offer from VW.

NB I have none of this in writing.

Oddly enough Devitt via the CMC were the only insurance company out of those I spoke to that raised the MPV issue. However after I explained that they had been happy enough to take my money for the previous three years for our previous T6 Beach even though that wasn't classed as an MPV, they rapidly backed down.

The comparison on the New for Old cover is very interesting. That was one of two issues that attracted me to the CMC (Devitt) policy. I think on balance I'd rather have the VW policy for this the first year at least. The second year is a level playing field as both companies will only offer the current market value.

The other reason that I've had the Devitt policy in the past is the contents cover. However there are other ways around that issue.



Good luck with the new van and the free insurance cover. I must have been slightly too early for that bonus having collected on the 24th October.

 

[BikerGran]

About the re-classification of the California - I take this is not retrospective? I would hope that if it was I would have recieved some sort of notification?

 

[WelshGas]

About the re-classification of the California - I take this is not retrospective? I would hope that if it was I would have recieved some sort of notification?

Correct. Not Retrospective.