UK Direct Line Insurance and PPF/Ceramic Coatings

[yah_be_cool]

Hi all.

Picking up my Model Y tomorrow but having lots of conflicting views regarding PPF/Ceramic coating for the car and it being covered via direct line.

Anyone covered with Direct Line, who has PPF/Ceramic coating on their vehicles? Did you have any snagging/issues when advising the insurers of the application of the products?

Would appreciate any feedback as I don't want to invalidate my policy, but would feel more assured having the protection of PPF

 

[Gener-L-]

Note that the UK Y's have PPF by the rear wheel arch and mud flaps installed pre-delivery, so you may feel its not necessary. I recently had some chips repaired by Shine! and one of the technicians said ceramic coating was worth it, the other said it was a waste of money... you may be better off with a specialist chips away! kind of scheme than spending thousands on coatings and hassle with insurance.

PS: Direct Line insurance quote was more than double other quotes I got from Admiral and Bell.!

 

[yah_be_cool]

Hi Gener-L.

Thanks for your reply.

For me Direct line ended up being the cheapest insurance cover, but I have had conflicting results when speaking to them via phone regarding ppf/ceramic coating.

Its a circa 2.5K cost to get PPF Front and Ceramic, so I am deliberating whether its worth it, or just suck it up and get any chips repaired at a later date (if any)! Also there will likely be an additional insurance cost as you have pointed out.

 

[Gener-L-]

FWIW, I was thinking PPF is required before delivery, but having taken delivery, I think I'll stick without it and get chips repairs if and when. I've got a local bodyshop repair place that fixed my wife's Model 3's wing mirror she cracked (top and bottom) for £150 (stuck, filled and re-sprayed). Tesla wanted £500+VAT for a whole new wingmirror...

I'll save the money now and consider a colour wrap in the future maybe...

 

[Wattsisname]

Hi all.

Picking up my Model Y tomorrow but having lots of conflicting views regarding PPF/Ceramic coating for the car and it being covered via direct line.

Anyone covered with Direct Line, who has PPF/Ceramic coating on their vehicles? Did you have any snagging/issues when advising the insurers of the application of the products?

Would appreciate any feedback as I don't want to invalidate my policy, but would feel more assured having the protection of PPF

So, with luck, my MY LR will be here for the end of the month. I am thinking seriously about PPF but I am unclear (more like a wrap)
as to the insurance situation. Direct Line, front the Tesla Insurance product. I thought therefore, a good place to start. Not so; after much looking at the rule book, he decided that they would not cover it or insure me at all with PPF. Now, PPF has been around for a while and yet, insurance companies seem ignorant of it or are very reluctant to embrace it. In fact they are still getting their heads around EVs in general.

I asked the guy to take my comments as feed back: Turning away a lot of Tesla business, they ought to find a solution e.g. insure the car but not the cost of repairing the PPF or insure the PPF but calculate a premium to cover it. British insurance companies are often lazy and unwilling to rise to customers' requirements. If 99% of cars don't have PPF, why take the trouble for a share of that 1% (these are not actual stats, I have no idea of the reality).

I then approached my current insurer, Admiral, and the guy there did not seem concerned and gave me a quote. So, I am hoping that will be OK.
Of course, if damage is caused to our PPF covered Tesla by a third party (not our fault) I have no idea how the third party's insurer will handle the claim for replacement PPF costs.

It's all a bit of a mine field and the Car Detailing/PPF industry do nothing to clarify the situation; it's just ignored on their shiny car websites. When surely there should be a prominent warning to "Check with your insurers first".

My expectations as a consumer of goods and services has not changed throughout my life, it's just that the chasm between those exceptions and reality seems to have widened enormously. Much as I love the internet which, for instance allows me to post this, internet trading, for all it's great convenience, has helped to drive down standards in many areas.

Here, I am specifically concerned with motor insurance, the time it took to speak to the human beings (or a very convincing bots) and thereby glean the above information is a disgrace. Yet new generations have grown up with it and consider it normal.

Now then........ I did not intend that to turn into a howling soapbox rant particularly as, after so long, I have a VIN for my Y LR and I am feeling like all my Christmases have come at once.

 

[TheRealWatto]

PPF I sort of get, as it's a specialist product/application and I doubt most insurers have it together to organise it being reapplied to the car, although I'm sure they arguably could. I don't see why it should be a not insure/extra cost, assuming it's noted and there's no expectation to replace.

Ceramic coating as an issue makes no sense to me, as it's not permanent anyway. It's like a much better version of wax. I'm guessing most insurers wouldn't care if you put wax on your car.

 

[Tonedog77]

i have ppfd 3 cars, 2were involved in accidents not on my fault. both times repainted the panel and pff was reapplied at my shop and paid by insurance. Just make sure you point out to the adjuster that you have ppf if you ever have an accident claim

 

[Wattsisname]

i have ppfd 3 cars, 2were involved in accidents not on my fault. both times repainted the panel and pff was reapplied at my shop and paid by insurance. Just make sure you point out to the adjuster that you have ppf if you ever have an accident claim

Thanks but the situation is more complicated in the UK.

 

[Wattsisname]

PPF I sort of get, as it's a specialist product/application and I doubt most insurers have it together to organise it being reapplied to the car, although I'm sure they arguably could. I don't see why it should be a not insure/extra cost, assuming it's noted and there's no expectation to replace.

Ceramic coating as an issue makes no sense to me, as it's not permanent anyway. It's like a much better version of wax. I'm guessing most insurers wouldn't care if you put wax on your car.

Absolutely; I don't believe there is an issue in the UK with Ceramic coating. PPF has been around long enough for the insurers to understand it. There is no problem at all in the USA.

 

[TheRealWatto]

Insurers broadly, but clearly it's not communicated based on how front-line staff need to go to a supervisor, etc. It's not like there aren't insurers that cover it, but I'd be shocked if any insurers actually have a preferred PPF shop like they can do for repairers/body work. I don't think it's mainstream at all and when you look at the price vs. the average new car price it's still probably not worth it for most people.

The other side is the perceived "risk profile", mostly cars getting PPF are probably high-end performance vehicles that are already high risk, plus they may just throw you in the "mods" basket which is probably automatically changing your risk profile.

You could make the argument that PPF should make your car cheaper to insure, given it could save them claims on some scratches, but probably the overall replacement cost is too high to win that one.

Realistically what will likely happen is a couple insurers start sticking their neck out on it and it'll become a tick box item in another 5-20 years