Denied Isurance because "Freightliner is a commercial vehicle"

fitek

New member
I have had private auto policies for my regular auto titled Freightliner Sprinter with Safeco and Geico no problem. Recently I backed into a minivan and my rate went up, so I went shopping and found I can get better rates elsewhere.

The best rate was by MetroMile-- but I was denied a policy because "Freightliner is a commercial brand." I said this van is the same as the MB and Dodge vans-- if I had an MB van, would you issue me a policy? They said yes. They were happy to issue me a policy for my Sienna minivan in the meantime.

I called the California Insurance Commissioner and they recommended I file a complaint as with only 1 point on my record I qualify as a good driver and can't be denied a policy-- if the vehicle is under any weight limit they might have AND titled as a private passenger auto.

Trying to dig up anything relevant from the various California codes.

Anyone ever heard of such a thing? Sounds totally bogus to me. I get the feeling they just dont have Freightliner listed in their system and the agent didn't want the hassle.

I'm a little iffy about plugging Metromiles dongle into my OBDII port but will test it out on the Sienna and my wifey's Honda first :) It looks like we'd save quite a bit of money...
 

smiller

2008 View J (2007 NCV3 3500)
I get the feeling they just dont have Freightliner listed in their system and the agent didn't want the hassle.
Probably right. You will probably prevail once you get them to actually listen to you but still you may not want to go with the absolutely cheapest vendor because I've found you get what you pay for with insurance companies. Sometimes the lowest-cost option can end up being a real hassle, your initial experience above being maybe an indication of the future.
 

GaryJ

Here since 2006
I have Progressive insurance on my motorhome at a cost less than half of what Allstate charged, and progressive has better coverage, including all but liability when in Mexico. But when I purchased my 06 Freightliner and asked Progressive for coverage they wanted more than twice what Allstate wanted for the same coverage. They also classified it as a commercial vehicle. It pays to shop around.

Gary
 
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autostaretx

Erratic Member
2011 144" WB Arctic White Freightliner Crew Van
... just out of curiosity, what are the 3rd and 4th characters of your VIN?
(the two just after the initial "WD") ... those are the Body Type codes.
They identify if it entered the USA as a "passenger vehicle" or a "truck".

(the entire first 11 characters would even be more illuminating)

--dick
 
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This sounds like it is not too far from what I experienced when dealing with AAA recently. After previously been assured there was no problem with covering my 06 Freightliner and because of that assurance, I moved my two vehicles insurance and my renters insurance to AAA.

Now, their road hazard towing will not help me if I need it, without paying an added premium tacked on. Five years ago it was not a problem for AAA. Now every sprinter is classified by them as a class B RV and requires an added cost for the road service towing. Even though my registration clearly shows my model is not an RV, it fell on deaf ears. It appears for the last five years I have been lucky to have not needed AAA for a tow with my sprinter PASSENGER van. Something stinks here and I am not the only one apparently.

AAA did send me a check for the amount of the added premium for one year, I suppose, to try to placate me for the last five years of what I thought I was covered for and was not the whole time. Something stinks here.

If my California state registration says my model is not a class B, how can AAA continue to deny that fact and lump all sprinters in as one type of vehicle? Lastly, something stinks here.
 

glas1700

Member
I'm a little iffy about plugging Metromiles dongle into my OBDII port but will test it out on the Sienna and my wifey's Honda first :) It looks like we'd save quite a bit of money...
Read what has happened to various vehicles when an insurance dongle was connected to the OBDII port before you connect one. I won't ever do it, even if the insurance is half the cost of my present policy.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
If my California state registration says my model is not a class B, how can AAA continue to deny that fact and lump all sprinters in as one type of vehicle? Lastly, something stinks here.
It's not the "class B" which means anything ... it's the Sprinter's rated GVW class which determines what flavor of tow truck is legally required.

("class B" means "built on/in an existing vehicle (perhaps raising the roof)")

The weight class are the 5th and 6th characters in the VIN

That said, your AAA may be lumping all Sprinters into the 11,000 GVW class, even if you're an 8550.
(a few years ago, individual states' AAA branches had different self-imposed rules about whether they'd handle a Sprinter or not. That may still be true, with Calif just choosing the extra-cost option (which is, perhaps, better than a flat-out "No"))

--dick
 
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fitek

New member
Read what has happened to various vehicles when an insurance dongle was connected to the OBDII port before you connect one. I won't ever do it, even if the insurance is half the cost of my present policy.
What I'm hoping is that when I get the dongle for the other car I'll be able to look up more information on the device itself.

It's definitely made me worried but a coworker had the same device on his BMW.

I have a collection of cheap cars and just the nice Sprinter and Honda, having to pay, for example, $260/6 months for the Sienna which I bought for 2k and I probably drive 1000 miles a year is pretty darn annoying. So per-mile insurance is very attractive.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
I could'a sworn that people have posted a PDF copy of a letter/advisory from MB advising that things NOT be plugged into the OBD socket.
(you could ask your dealer...)

--dick (just ignore that ScanGauge....)
 

fitek

New member
I could'a sworn that people have posted a PDF copy of a letter/advisory from MB advising that things NOT be plugged into the OBD socket.
(you could ask your dealer...)

--dick (just ignore that ScanGauge....)
Yup I drive around with a ELM327 dongle plugged in. No adverse events yet :)
 
AAA would not insure my new Sprinter in So Cal as evidently all Sprinters are always considered commercial vehicles here. However Allstate insured me for about the same premium as my Volvo wagon along with a statement on my policy that I've "promised" to use it as a personal vehicle and not for commercial use. Hope this info helps.
 

Akatdog

2006 3500 170
Before I purchased my sprinter I called Costco Ameriprise and got a reasonable quote for insurance considering it is our 5th vehicle on the policy and would be converted and used as an RV.

However once I purchased the vehicle and went to actually insure it they pulled a bait and switch and said since CA registration shows it is a commercial type vehicle that I had to go with their underwriter Progressive for 10X the quote and over 1/4 of the price I paid for the vehicle per year.

So now I have a nice large lawn ornament and they have one pissed off customer. They said I can convert to an RV registration and try again but would not tell me for certain if they would insure it after I spent the money to convert.

Need to file a complaint with the California insurance commission
 

hayduke

2005/2006 leisure travel
You might try the absolute minimum required to call it an RV:coleman stove,portapotti,futon,whatever. California wont care because they can charge you more for the " improvements".I believe it is also possible to post a bond in lieu of insurance and still be legal.
 

jmoller99

Own a DAD ODB2 Unit.
I also have Allstate and they cover my Freightliner Sprinter as a personal vehicle (it is not used commercially, its my daily driver).
 
state farm is giving me a hassle right now. i was just lied to the last 3 weeks where they told me i could switch and have both vehicles on a personal policy to keep me from switching to allstate. then no call and they just send me my same commercial policy ive had the last 3 years they refuse to give me a multi car discount because the sprinter is commercial and the vw is a passenger car. I need to have 2 separate policies. In their system 2002-2004 can only be insured as commercial. 2005-2015 can be insured as personal or commercial which is extremely annoying. The rate isnt bad @ $422 for 6 months for full coverage, but the discount would make it more attractive. Erie will also only recognize the 2002 as commercial.
 

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