Freelander

[stevie619]

I have recently had my Freelander stolen from a Public road. After a long battle with my insurance company( this includes solicitors letters etc) they have decided not to pay me out. The reason which they gave me for not paying out my insurance is that Freelanders can not be stolen without a key.

1. Is this True ?

2. What can i do next ?

[Ethel]

Obviously it is not true - it could be loaded on to a recovery truck, for example.

Have you got all the original keys?

Was it stolen from outside your house, when you told the insurance company you kept it in a secure area?

[Ethel]

I think there is more to this than stevie619 is saying.

If it can be lifted by a recovery truck or any towing device it can be stolen.

[Ethel]

On the face of it, but he could have had another set made and given the copy to somebody else.

[gouldc]

Was your car ever found? I investigate insurance claims, and you cannot give a definitive ''it can't be stolen withou a key'' answer - it's not true. if a car never turns up, it is very plausible it was towed away - as mentioned.

However, there were a series of thefts about three years ago in the lake District where a load of Freelanders were stolen without the keys from campsites. The police told me they knew they were taken and driven without the keys, but the few people they caught wouldn't tell them how.

What insurance company was it who refused to pay (hope it wasn't me!)

[Ethel]

This has been niggling at me all day.

Assuming you have a standard insurance policy, you have been paying for insurance against theft. If they say they will never pay out for theft of an unattended vehicle because it can't be stolen (as opposed to a carjacking) have you had a discount on your insurance premium?

I very much doubt it.

[factor-fiction]

Are you saying the keys definitely weren't left in the ignition?
Has the vehicle been recovered?
Is this the only reason given by the insurer for not paying out- or is the insurer saying there was something you didn't declare when you took the policy out?
We need all the facts before we can start to help

[factor-fiction]

Good point from Ethel and Zacmaster, although I suspect only a very small proportion of any car's insurance value relates to theft cover. I believe the biggest element of premiums relates to third party costs- the risk of injuring other road users and damaging other cars- and to the extortionate costs of repairs where the tiniest bump can cost many hundreds of pounds. I'd guess the premium would only be reduced by maybe 10% at most for an unstealable car.

[Ethel]

Yes, I agree entirely with you there, factor30.

A �100 banger could literally cause hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage and injuries.

But I do think that if an insurance company is going to exclude theft from the policy it should be very clear at the point of sale.

[stevie619]

The keys were not left in the ignition and no the vehicle hasn't been recovered ,and no there was nothing i didn't declare when i took the policy out.

[gouldc]

If the car hasn't been recovered, then there must be some other evidence available for them to refuse the claim - if they've simply put to you that they cannot be stolen without keys, then they have very poor grounds for a repudiation, and I would suggest you go to the ombudsman.

I can count on one hand the amount of recovered thefts I've dealt with that have turned up with no theft related damage that have turned out to be geneuine (the rest tend to be crashed when drunk/reported stolen).

How old was the freelander? It's not unknown for these to turn up in a container at Folkestone headed for the MIddle East or Africa.

It is very possible that the car has been uplifted by a recovery truck (more and more common). You also state it was stolen from a public road - which town/city - London is notorious for having casrs towed away, but TRACE don't always get the details for weeks at a time off unscrupulous contractors who rack up storage charges in the meantime - any parking restrictions where you parked?

[munchie63]

this seems crazy.

if the car hasn't been found, how can they say it was stolen without a key ?

are they really saying it can only be driven with the keys ?

my friend had a Aston martin, and was warned about leaving it on his drive....although it needs the key to start the engine, it could easily go on a trailer....and have a new steering column fitted once abroad.

i think the insurance comapny are trying it on big time.

[Ethel]

I can only assume stevie619 could not give the insurance company all the keys to the car.