Thanks Scavenger!

I've been in touch with Gargash and all the other main ones listed- interestingly so far from the quotes I've had back AXA seem to give the most amount of cover for the cheapest price.

I actually have a few more questions that have risen as a result of looking deeper into the insurance situation:

I've noticed that on some policies it says that it's only valid when the car has not been modified or is 'stock'.

Given that I will want to go off-roading, and the car I'm currently hoping to buy has not been off road at all, it has none of the extra fittings I've been advised by some people to attach (this is something I was going to go into more detail later on once I have the car, but it's relevant to bring it up now regarding insurance!).

These include (and I apologise if my terminology is incorrect!):

- Aluminium front plate
- Aluminium skid plate
- Rear towing point

Are these of concern to insurance companies?
Do you guys tell them about any mods you have made or plan to make, before you take out any policy?

Also, as a separate issue, I would just like to double check that I have the process correct in terms of insurance when buying second hand.
Just to be clear, in the case of the vehicle I want to buy- the owner has said that I can transfer his current policy (which lasts until July '14) over to my name, but given that they don't provide the same level of cover as AXA, and Wasif suggested taking out a fresh policy, this is what I intend to do.

When asked on the phone, the AXA advisor told me that:

- First I should take out a new policy myself (while the old one for the current owner is still running)
- Then I should meet with the owner to transfer registration of the vehicle over to my name.
- Once that is complete, he can then cancel this policy.

Is anyone familiar with this?

Many thanks!

Joe

If you are planning sensible mods like bash plates etc then its OK to not inform the insurer. If you do the premium will go thru the roof.

The steps suggested by the AXA rep are how insurance deals are t be done when purchasing a used car. I suggest you get a new policy, regester the car in your name, get the seller to have his policy cancelled and give you any premium that is refunded to him.

Thanks Wasif!

Would that not render the insurance invalid though, in case I have to make a claim at any point?
Or do they turn a blind eye to things like that when it comes to it?

Joe

If you breakdown off-road, you either fix it on the spot or have your buddies tow you to the closest tarmac - you never go out into the desert alone so it's no big deal and we always help one another. And you as well - you see someone needs help in the desert, you always offer a hand.

Transfer of old owner's insurance is iffy and won't take you to next registration because it's not 12 months so it's better to do a fresh one yourself. You're now looking at a refund potential of 1% value on a purchase of 23k, so that's not really worth going through the hassle of transferring, canceling, refunding. It's your call, of course, and maybe every bit makes a difference, but I just imagine the car actually cost 23,300 and I'm happy. If the refund is above 500 dirhams then maybe it's worth negotiating it.

My insurance was 900 dhs for 13 months, including all of Oman - so really making a fresh one is easy and much more convenient.

The transfer procedure I follow is:

Meet owner at traffic police (registration place)
car passes inspection
make sure owner is ready to pay any fines
make my insurance
transfer ownership
pay seller at moment of signing transfer
massalama, he does what he wants with his old insurance (he can take photo of new reg card with mobile phone, as he will need to prove the car is no longer his)

As for insurance not covering off-road, as long as car is registered as 4x4 and used under regular conditions (not rally racing, etc) then it's covered by law unless the contract specifically excludes off-road (like rental cars).

As for mods, you can't claim insurance to cover their damage (unless listed on policy) and only if they are deemed by police as the reason for the accident (like an aftermarket turbo-charger and you were illegally racing at night) then the insurance can default. Skid plates, extra lights, etc., are normally not an issue with insurance trying to not honor claims.

As pr put it and to add what information the nice lady working in rsa explained to me about their policy on modified car repairs.
If you are cause or at fault in an accident and you car is modified, (eg - my jeep has barely anything stock nowadays hehe) they would cover the cost of replacing stock factory parts but no after market parts. But she said they are not rigid and would negotiate on how to pay or proceed with fixing after markets part.
For example, if i crashed and damaged my front metal bumper from usa with winch, i would have to come to an agreement with them on how much i pay and how much they pay to replace it. But keep in mind this is RSA insurance. Different insurance companies, different policies and clauses.

Thanks for the replies guys!
Very helpful indeed!

I went with RSA after all.
The main reason being that AXA's system was down and didn't get back to me in time to insure me before I went to finish the deal with the seller!

Thanks for the replies guys!
Very helpful indeed!

I went with RSA after all.
The main reason being that AXA's system was down and didn't get back to me in time to insure me before I went to finish the deal with the seller!