Manitoba Insurance

[grassfarmer]

Been busy getting vehicles safetied so we can get them licensed and insured in MB. Interesting process with the Government involved. Costing twice as much as AB for coverage.

The kicker was being told my diesel truck was on the top 10 "most likely vehicle to get stolen in MB" list so needs to get an immobilizer fitted to bring the premium down. It's an '02 F350 complete with rust on the doors and wheel rims. I sure like the old 7.3 but really people steal old farm trucks like these in MB??

"You might be a redneck if…." springs to mind!

[kato]

Just curious. Being new to the province, did they give you any merit points on your insurance? Over time, without any at fault accidents or traffic tickets these will accumulate and give you a discount. The discounts can really add up.

Also, when I renewed my insurance in Brandon a few weeks ago, I was offered a plan from SMI that goes along with the Autopac, and basically covers deductibles. It replaces some of the government insurance, is based on your driving record, and only ended up costing me an extra $6.00. Now my deductible is zero on a lot of hazards, including windshields, which pretty much everyone here replaces sooner or later. This was the first time I had ever heard of this. It was from the insurance agent in Brandon by the Home Depot. I'm not neming names, because this isn't a commercial, but I don't think all the agents seem to even know about it. It's worth checking out.

[kato]

Does your truck not have one of those electronic keys? It must be almost new enough. Our 03 Chev has one. It counts as an immobilizer.

[grassfarmer]

Thanks for the info kato, its all very confusing when the systems are so different. We got issued insurance initially with a DSR of 0 but once they caught up with the paperwork of our AB driver abstracts and checked with the previous insurer then they change your merit points. I'm at 10 now. Still don't get much credit for 30 years driving, no claims, no at fault accident. When I came to Canada first I had to start from scratch so at least moving inter provincially is better than that.

The '02 doesn't have the immobilizer but my '03 truck has so maybe that was the year they changed over? Reading up on the program some of the older immobilizers don't qualify for Autopac as they only stop 2 of the 3 things needed to qualify.

[kato]

My brother in law took his truck in and had an immobilizer installed. Took it home, and about three the next morning all he heard was the tires squealing as it was backing it out of the driveway. Something fishy going on at that mechanic's business, we think, but never could prove it. He never saw that truck again. This was near Winnipeg, so you won't have to worry about that. Stick with someone you know to get it installed.

Another thing to know, if you ever buy a new vehicle, you can get replacement cost coverage for the first two years.