Safely Insured

Hi DNK, The refund is usually much quicker than the stated 4-6 weeks, which is more a worst case scenario. Reason being is that we don't hold the premium; the insurer does, so timing of when the refund is issued back to the customer all depends on when it is requested in the payment cycle, which is repeated once every 4-6 weeks. If you need any help, feel free to email us at [email protected] Cheers, Alex

Look forward to it. Please PM me here when the renewal's through and I'll arrange a quote. Thanks

Thanks for the feedback, both. Will take a look into those documents; it is a bit messy and you shouldn't be receiving that many. Thanks for letting me know. Alex

I was using a breathable one on my 650i. Thinking back, I did have reservations about the moisture issues and bits of dirt getting blown up under the cover, but it did the job and in fairness, saved a hell of a clean up when the council cut down a tree at the end of our drive, sending chippings everywhere. Was also useful when we had a lot of snow. Just keep an eye on it. Get a reputable, breathable one like the one mentioned above, ensure the car is clean as a whistle before going on, make sure you're regularly it checking underneath for any debris, and give it a shake here and there to help it dispel moisture. If you've had a night of heavy moisture, I found it beneficial to 'air' the car in sections to further aid the drying. What I was doing was probably overkill, but I wanted to keep the car as clean as possible. Alex

I'll answer these for you. 1. NCB can only be applied to one policy at a time, but as you pointed out, a fair few brokers/insurers will 'mirror' the discount meaning you are no financially worse off for any additional policies you may take. - NCB is just that - A bonus (or discount) for No Claims being made. What counts is any claim against your policy. When you receive a quote, the question will be worded to account for accidents, claims, losses, irrespective of fault or whether or not a claim was made, to ensure everything is accounted for. So whether you had a crash while driving, your car caught fire, or was the subject of vandalism, it all needs to be reported. A good reference is it's not called No Blames Bonus, but No Claims Bonus. 2. What you are referring to there is the maximum NCB that some insurers recognise, and what you'll be knocked back to if you make a claim against your policy. Some see 5 years as Max, some 9, and some unlimited. Ultimately, there shouldn't be a cost difference between them, as the discount they represent should be the same, and if you make a claim, the amount your NCB is reduced by shouldn't change either. For example, you could be knocked back to 3 years from 5, 9, or any other figure. - Protected NCB means that if a claim is made against your policy, your NCB is not reduced. Some make the argument that your premium will increase anyway, which may be true, but it wont increase as much if you had protected NCB. Why? if you have 5 years, or Maximum, this equates to a discount of approximately 65-70%. If you're reduced to 3, that could be a discount of 45-50%. (discounts vary between insurer). However, it's worth noting that repeated claims against your policy will likely result in the protection being removed. 3. To help the insurer form an understanding of the accident frequency/trends of an individual. However, some insurers don't apply a charge on your premium for claims against your policy if they're over 3 years old. 4. Quite a while ago, certain mainstream insurers would lower the rate of your policy if a low-risk driver was on there. This has since become a hit-and-miss money saving technique. Most specialist brokers (like us) don't provide any discount for low-risk drivers as we know it's not always an accurate reflection of actual circumstances. Our prices are rated on the highest risk driver, and to go a bit further, some of our insurers prefer less drivers when it comes to a cherished car policy, but we'd always give the cost difference, if there was one. 5. Points. We only take details of convictions that are currently endorsed on one's licence. If it isn't on there, we're not interested. I can't speak for the industry as a whole, though. Bear in mind, each company is strictly regulated and is answerable to the FCA. I hope this helps, but feel free to contact me if you need anything else. Thanks, Alex

Brilliant. Glad to hear it!

Can't see it being an issue. Can you please PM when the renewal's in for it so I can double-check? Cheers, Alex Edit: Just seen you're up for renewal in another thread. We can easily sort a quote for you, but would need to do it by phone if that's ok? Happy birthday for the other day, btw

Thanks. I am involved with the pricing of policies, so when I hear that a forum member has been told that we weren't competitive, I would like to know why and make sure that there was definitely nothing we could do. Similarly, if a customer feels the service they received wasn't to the level they expect, we would like to look into it. Yes, please PM me when that renewal's through. I'll take a look at it regardless. Cheers, Alex

Sorry to hear this. Please, all, feel free to PM me for any queries. Ill happily see what can be done, and will provide an explanation if we can't assist with something. Thanks, Alex

Many thanks for the feedback

Hi all, I hope you and those around you are keeping safe. Just a quick notification that Sky Insurance is still open, albeit with temporarily reduced hours - Mon-Fri, 9-5, Sat, 9-4. Feel free to drop us a call if you're due for renewal or not - even if you only want an idea of what you could be paying/saving, we'll be happy to speak to you. PM me if you'd like a scheduled callback. Stay safe. Alex

Cosworth's are fine. Alex

Feel free to drop me a PM if you still need a quote for it, or anything else. I'd never pretend to someone that these cars aren't without their faults, but despite the leaks, the engine's are strong and dependable (you'll never find examples of anything catastrophic), and the car is put together well and with good quality materials, so rust, corrosion, paint fade, bumper-sag, etc are a rarity. Very underappreciated, these, and almost like a well kept secret. BMW fanboys don't even know much about them, but luckily it means they're sort of exempt from the BMW image. As I say, great buy for what you paid. That car had a base price of £50k only 14 years ago and I bet it's as fresh as anything. My car was £72k new, and I bought it for considerably less (to the tune of approx £60k less) only 43k miles/10 years later. Shame the weather's been rubbish. Would be nice to hear the V8 rumbling about on a summer's evening. Alex

Congrats! Looks like a good'un and should serve you well. Should hold value very well, too, what with its low miles and super rare manual gearbox. What are your first impressions of it? Well timed purchase, that. Hope you get many miles of V8 fun out of it!

No probs. Hope you get it and enjoy it – perhaps keep a bit of cash aside for potential issues? I agree – you can’t get much more for your money. And like you say, plenty of DIY guides and help out there. Is there a link to it by any chance? Btw, I find this chap’s website quite handy for general maintenance - https://www.meeknet.co.uk/E64/Index.htm

I own a 650i Cabrio which has fundamentally the same engine (N62). There's only a few differences. Had it for four-ish years and love it. Engine is a real gem. There's a fair bit to go wrong, but If you're serious about buying one, find one that's had the common issues sorted (there's plenty out there now). They command a small premium, but will save you a lot in the long run. Valve stem seals, and oil leaks from the rocker cover gaskets, vacuum pump, and alternator bracket are the usual suspects. If you can get one that's had the gearbox serviced as well, you're doing well. Even with all this done, a decent one can still be had for a bargain. Values have hit rock-bottom and are further lowered by internet horror stories (not that I've done much to dispel them!). Expect 23/24 round town and 30/32 on a steady run. Owners love them (see all the PH threads). They're well put together (lots of aluminium), have a lovely engine note, cruise beautifully, and still feel 'special'.

Hi Shawn, For any future queries (renewals or otherwise), please feel free to PM us through the forum, or send an email to [email protected] Luke and I both monitor the email address, and I check the forums on a daily basis. We'll ensure that your request is handled correctly, as it should be. For quite a few reasons, we do indeed try and keep our departments separate. However, there are instances where a customer has become familiar with a certain member of staff, and would understandably prefer to speak with them. I'll pass your comments over. In the meantime, the aforementioned methods of contact will be a good way of getting hold of us. Thanks, Alex

We look at each risk on its own merit, but do have some restrictions in place. Feel free to PM me your full postcode and I'll take a look into it. Thanks, Alex

Apologies we were unable to help. Our criteria is quite simple, so you'll either meet it and we'll be able to offer something competitive, or you wont meet it and we will not be able to quote. We wont (or rather, cant) offer a high price just for the sake of it. Regardless, feel free to PM me your details and I'll take a look into it for you. Thanks, Alex

Where we do struggle with some parts of the North West (M/L postcodes), it is incorrect that we do not cover the entire region. Lancashire/Cumbria are generally fine, as is most of Cheshire. However, apologies we couldn't quote you. If you PM me your name, postcode, and DOB, I'll take a look. Alex

That's great to hear; and thank you for taking the time to post. Cheers, Alex

Thanks for that. Re. the classic car side of things, The issue is not the underwriter, but the scheme the vehicle would be on. Our focus has mainly been imports, modified, and performance cars, which usually fall into a different policy than a classic car would. However, we're in the process of adding a new, more varied, classic car scheme to our already specialist panel. Hopefully, this will help us be even more competitive for the majority of members. Cheers, Alex

Mr Cull, can you please amend your post with our correct email address? Thanks

We've just stopped using [email protected]. Quote requests should now be sent to [email protected] & existing customer queries should now be sent to [email protected] Feel free to contact us should you still need a quote. Cheers, Alex

I assume this is because we've been unable to quote you in the past? If so, please bear in mind that the reason will be just that - we're unable to quote. Nothing to do with not having an interest in your custom. Please feel free to drop me a PM when you're due for renewal and I'll happily see if we can help. Cheers, Alex