Insuring the Parts That Did Not Come With the Car

If you have spent real money on equipment bolted, wired or welded to your vehicle, this is the provision that decides whether that money is part of a claim settlement or a story you tell afterwards.

What it is

Broadly, a custom parts and equipment provision extends physical damage coverage to permanently installed items that were not part of the vehicle as originally delivered. Wheels, suspension, audio, bed liners, camper shells, winches, lighting, racks, tool storage, lift equipment, paint and wraps depending on wording.

How it typically works

You declare what is on the vehicle, provide values, and the carrier adds a limit for that equipment, usually with the same deductible as your comprehensive and collision coverage. Some companies include a small amount automatically and let you buy more; others require everything to be scheduled from the start. The differences between companies here are large, which is exactly why we will not summarise them as though they were uniform. Ask for the wording.

What it asks of you

• An honest inventory. Item by item, with what you actually paid.
• Receipts. Kept somewhere that is not the glovebox of the car being insured.
• Photographs. Wide shots and close shots, ideally with the equipment installed.
• Updates. A limit set three builds ago is not protecting the current one.

When it is worth it

When the equipment represents a sum you could not comfortably replace out of pocket, and when it is permanently attached. A toolbox you unbolt and take with you may be better handled elsewhere. Portable electronics are usually a homeowners or renters conversation instead.

When it is not

If the additions are cosmetic and inexpensive, or if the car is old enough that you are already considering dropping physical damage entirely, adding a schedule may be solving a problem you do not have. We would rather tell you that than sell you a line item.

The settlement question

Ask how the equipment is valued at claim time — whether depreciation applies, and how the carrier treats an item you can no longer buy. Ask it in the calm of a quote conversation, because it is the answer that determines what this coverage is actually worth to you.

Send us your list and we will find out which of the companies we work with handles it the way you need.