Hymer and other A Class insurance, windscreen prejudice ? (1 Viewer)

[veevee]

We are thinking of buying a Hymer 670 1992, in all respects standard.

I am 63, 40 years clean driving licence and full no claims on my day to day vehicle. 1 windscreen claim this year but no others ever.

Was quoted online by a very respected company often mentioned on here for good pricing and service £594. We used this same company in the past until we sold our previous MH and also have nothing but good to say of them.

Phoned and asked why is the premium at this level when others with more valuable MH's are quoted either side of £300. I also asked if the screen claim on another vehicle on another policy had affected the premium, told categorically that the screen claim had nil influence.

The chap (as I remember from previously dealing with them) took the time to explain.

There is a problem with the cost of A Class windscreens, to the extent that £2000 - £3000 claims were becoming frequent. Insurers have become nervous and increased premiums dramatically when A Class is mentioned.

I asked for a comparison with say a similar MH but semi integrated, ie the base manufacturers screen in the standard cab. This very kind chap duly arranged for a similar vehicle quote which with every detail identical including it being a Hymer, the quote was £343.

Two other minor details emerged. Hymer are priced higher than other makes (cost of parts?), plus we live in a middle class prosperous quiet town that isn't remarkable in any way, but the insurers had had an increase in claims from this postal region which includes other towns and had loaded a small percentage on top of usual premiums.

Neither of these last two points affect the two quotes as make and place of residence were the same.

Is it only this broker with their particular insurers that have this bias or this widespread. Is it the fact that the MH is 19 years old (age was identical for both quotes). Are there brokers who would quote closer to the £300 mark for such a vehicle?

I prefer not to name the broker as maybe some of the info was for inhouse use only?

It makes us think that A Class is maybe not for us, in particular Hymer A Class, which would be a great pitty as we had set our hearts on using one.

Thanks for reading to the end.

 

[wasp]

I did read somewhere about windscreens on A class MHs being mega expensive and they have to be ordered as they are not on the shelf items, hence the high costs.They aren`t that common to get broken.:thumb:

 

[Peter JohnsCross MH]

Lets hope they don't suss the cost of new headlamp assemblies at £1500 each or some mirrors at £800 odd each (Rapido)

MH insurance is really cheap when you consider the values insured.

Peter

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[bobandjanie]

Hi, might be worth you getting a quote from Saga, I think the breakdown cover is up to 16 years old vehicles and don't know if refers to UK or just Europe. We have an A Class with a big windscreen and bigger than Hymer double glazed side windows and no problem with Saga. Bob.

 

[beachcaster]

I suspect that one of the benefits of C class ( like a fiat ducato ) is they use a commercial van windscreen........true ?

barry

 

[pappajohn]

i recently got two quotes for my 33ft american RV.

one was £408 with a £1000 limit on windscreen and a £75 glass excess.
the other was £454 with no limit on windscreen glass but a £90 excess

a full replacement screen for mine could be in excess of £5000 (a member on RVOC just had both half's replaced at a cost of £5380) so a £1000 limit is of no use to me.

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[veevee]

Lets hope they don't suss the cost of new headlamp assemblies at £1500 each or some mirrors at £800 odd each (Rapido)

MH insurance is really cheap when you consider the values insured.

Peter

Hello Peter

I don't think I was judging the cost per se, rather that others appear to have quotes around the £300 mark and this is double to what we have factored in.
The other point is that a £50,000 A class is insured in a different manner to a £50,000 C class and in this instance double the cost due to the windscreen.

 

[sedge]

Absolutely - bit of a bend in the hab door frame, ie the frame on the door itself, not the frame it hinges and closes on, due to low-lives - have to buy the entire assembly including all the bits that are alright, £1,500 or so.

Of course you can chase your tail round the entire insurance market if you choose to do so, but they are all catching on to their own claims experience, and frankly after a lifetime spent as either an insurance underwriter or broker - I'd far rather go with someone who understands the meaning of the words 'habitation door' when you need to claim for it .... mutter mutter ...... oh:

 

[Leltel]

I will name a company, Comfort. I don't know if they are whom you have had a quote off of?
Peter mentioned the cost of a headlamp, we had ours on our HymerExsis replaced under the insurance (Hymer said it was a stone chip). Cost, £1500, our excess on that was £200 in the end.
We renewed with Comfort and the cost was £340, including European breakdown cover.
This does include up to £3000, windscreen cover & we know that the cost of a replacement is £3000.
Hope this helps
Lesley

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[Chris]

We have an A class and have just renewed with Equity Red Star via the C&CC.


We had a reduction in premium due to no claims bonus( £600 odd last year, £495 this year). Just prior to renewal we had a new windscreen. I was told by Autoglass that the cost of the screen alone was £2300.

When renewing they assured us that this claim would have no bearing on the premium and as shown above, it didn't.

Only a £50 excess too.

 

[ShiftZZ]

We went to see a dealer some 6 months ago and he had a number of Hymers, he told us that thieves had come around and popped the Hymer Windscreen in the middle of the night. Apparently not too hard to do..

So there is out there a Hymer owner driving along with a windscreen he did not get from a dealer...Possibly knowingly.

We too were put off A Class for the same reason..

 

[Wildman]

I suspect that one of the benefits of C class ( like a fiat ducato ) is they use a commercial van windscreen........true ?

barry

My "A" class uses a common comercial van windscreen, a ford cargo they had better not try that one on me.

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[darklord]

One point to contemplate is, when an A Class is made, they don't make it, then phone a windscreen manufacturer and say "Right, fill that hole", a windscreen for a hymer WILL fit something else, could be a hopper bus, might be a tractor, could even be a container straddle carrier, but they for sure, wont be making a wndscreen just for a hymer b545.
same thing happens with wheel bearings on caravans, when the collapse beside the road, recovery is normally the only option, yet if someone bothered to take the other side bearing out and look at the numbers on it, it would probably be the same as a vauxhall astra, which a local halfords will have...1/2 hour, job done (same applies to the rears on MH's, most will be alko, some will not).
For the mechanical side of things, look on your MH as a big kit car, built with bits from different manufacturers....ducato base van or iveco chassis, alko back end, swift hab box, truma heating blah blah blah,.........anything thats a bit oddball, it would be worth finding out its original home, GO INTO a windscreen firm on aquiet day with a five pound note, and get someone to look on the computer to cross match part numbers.

(i have seen the same part number, same item , sold for different prices for cars.....ie indicator stalk for 1970 landrover £14, inicator stalk for MGB V8 £28..same part and part number)

 

[stcyr]

When we bought our Dethleffs Globetrotter A-class, 1991, we insured her through C.Club, fully comp., for £170. W'screen excess £60. (with AXA). The 1986 Merc 608 self-build we had before cost the same. We are 65 & 57, no claims made ever etc etc. Also got Greenflag UK breakdown cover also through CC, for £89 (no age/weight/length restrictions).
Will be getting b'down cover with ADAC shortly though, which covers any vehicle anywhere in Europe/N.Africa ...
:thumb: