How do you find out what optional extras are on your car?

[Primer]

Hi Guys

Just about to return to Audi ownership after a 3 1/2 year hiatus as about to buy a 2012 A4 3lt tdi allroad and recently saw a tv program that was on about insurance companies using every trick possible to weedle out of paying up for claims due to modifications not being declared on the quote and it was saying you need to declare every optional extra over the base model spec as a modification, it was something I'd not really thought about before as always thought of modifications as engine tuning, alloys, exhaust etc BUT how the hell do you find out what the original buyer ticked on the options list on a 2nd hand car?
I've viewed a pdf of the sales brochure for that year but finding it hard to identify all the options (sat nav, heated seats, xenon lights, OE alloys, electric tailgate, mettalic paint etc), is there a way of finding out i.e. can you just pop to a local Audi dealership, supply them the reg number and they give you a printout of the spec?

Cheers

 

[briceportier]

Hi Guys

Just about to return to Audi ownership after a 3 1/2 year hiatus as about to buy a 2012 A4 3lt tdi allroad and recently saw a tv program that was on about insurance companies using every trick possible to weedle out of paying up for claims due to modifications not being declared on the quote and it was saying you need to declare every optional extra over the base model spec as a modification, it was something I'd not really thought about before as always thought of modifications as engine tuning, alloys, exhaust etc BUT how the hell do you find out what the original buyer ticked on the options list on a 2nd hand car?
I've viewed a pdf of the sales brochure for that year but finding it hard to identify all the options (sat nav, heated seats, xenon lights, OE alloys, electric tailgate, mettalic paint etc), is there a way of finding out i.e. can you just pop to a local Audi dealership, supply them the reg number and they give you a printout of the spec?

Cheers

download the myaudi app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.myaudi.mobile.assistant

register, add your car using the VIN and check the options section, et voilà!

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

 

[Primer]

Thanks Brice just what I was looking for, much simpler than I expected.

 

[weekenny]

It’s easy with the options code sticker too, it’s in the front of your service book and under the boot floor, just input the three digit codes in one of the many online decoders.

 

[rum4mo]

Another approach could be to get yourself along to your local Audi dealer's parts department and request what is known as "CAR DATA" print out for your car. This print out of many sheets of paper contains all the possible options for parts or optional extra used to build that car and it also indicates the date of build.
I have found that this information is very useful later on especially if you tend to do most of the maintenance and repair of your car, I have always been able to get this information for all the family VW Group cars until my wife got her new Polo in August 2015, at that point the supplying VW dealer's parts department could not understand that term, I really need to get along to the other branch as hopefully "an old guy" still works there and he knew what this was some years ago - though maybe he has been retrained or replaced!

Edit:- I do agree that this is a nasty development probably made by insurance companies due to the initial costs of a basic car and "your" car being so far apart, same for Jaguar, BMW and M-B. I'd hope that trim level would cover most extras that could be involved in an insurance road accident claim, leaving any "nice" interior located extras unharmed - though tough luck if you had missed you had these extras when it came to settlement time, so yes, find all that stuff out now and inform your insurance company.

 

[Darren92]

Send me your VIN and I can get the details.

 

[Primer]

All sorted thanks guys, luckily I had the vin number on my invoice so put that into the "myaudi" app and it's given me the details I needed, Looking forward to picking the car up on Monday, although not looking forward to the 5hr drive to get there first.

 

[jdp1962]

All sorted thanks guys, luckily I had the vin number on my invoice so put that into the "myaudi" app and it's given me the details I needed, Looking forward to picking the car up on Monday, although not looking forward to the 5hr drive to get there first.

Just think about the five hour drive back in the new car.

 

[Primer]

[QUOTE="rum4mo, Edit:- I do agree that this is a nasty development probably made by insurance companies due to the initial costs of a basic car and "your" car being so far apart, same for Jaguar, BMW and M-B. I'd hope that trim level would cover most extras that could be involved in an insurance road accident claim, leaving any "nice" interior located extras unharmed - though tough luck if you had missed you had these extras when it came to settlement time, so yes, find all that stuff out now and inform your insurance company.[/QUOTE]

You can sort of understand it with the cost of the extras as it's easy to soon add 10's of thousands to the base price, I notice the adaptive xenon lights mine has were a £1130.00 option, so a small front-end bump could see you seriously out of pocket once the insurance company find out it's not standard spec, start adding adaptive cruise and parking plus and you are soon nudging £3k.
Never really thought about it before but my last Audi had £10k+ of extras fitted, the couple of cars I've had since had a high spec as standard so I didn't need to worry.

 

[MarkWizard]

My interpretation of the insurance question and some of them quote it on their website when entering info for a quote is - has the car been modified since it left the factory. I'd assumed from that they'd know about any factory fit options such as leather etc. Not sure how they'd cope with dealer fit options though. I only normally declare my towbar which doesn't add anything to the premium

 

[Dippy]

In my experience its only a few insurers who want factory-fitted options declared. I suggest they be avoided.

 

[scotty76]

Admiral wanted to know all the factory fit options so I moved to Aviva.

 

[rum4mo]

I might move from Admiral next year if they want to argue/discuss prices again against the back ground of falling premium costs.

 

[Primer]

Luckily One call didn't want to know about factory fit optional extras, they said only things fitted after delivery. Good job I checked as adding some of the extras via a couple of the online comparison sites almost doubled the quotes.
I ended up having to cancel my current insurance (only 2 months since renewal) and take out new with One call as the underwriter for my previous vehicle wanted an extra £350 to change vehicle (ontop of the £320 I'd already paid)

 

[audiwaterpump]

Admiral wanted to know all the factory fit options so I moved to Aviva.

Have always found Admiral not so admirable.