Polishing · valuable cars · care, custody and control
Garage insurance for detailing businesses
Detailing is handwork with a machine on the thinnest layer of a car, carried out on vehicles whose owners know exactly how that layer looked before the treatment.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your activities
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
What sets a detailing business apart from any other motor business is the nature of the error. You are not repairing something that is broken. You are improving something that was already good. Any deviation is therefore by definition caused by you and immediately visible: lacquer burnt through on a sharp edge, holograms in dark paint, polishing compound drawn into a rubber seal, a coating curing patchily.
On top of that, the vehicles are above-average in value. A classic with original paint, a sports car in a factory colour no longer available, a car with wrap film or PPF. Putting it right then means not spraying a panel but a paint specialist and colour matching, and sometimes a demonstrable loss in value because the originality has gone. Your care, custody and control cover must be set accordingly: not for an average car, but for the most expensive car that will come in this year.
The limit of every policy lies at your own work. Re-polishing, removing and reapplying the coating, refunding the invoice amount: those are warranty and repair obligations under your contract and they are never insured.
What does motor trade insurance cover for detailing businesses?
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
The basics
Liability
AVB for property damage and injury, BAV for professional errors.
Damage to third parties
Employers' liability
Care, custody and control as an extension
Your business
Assets and continuity
Business contents, goods and lost turnover during downtime.
Business contents at replacement value as new
Goods at cost price
Business interruption or additional costs
If you employ people
Staff
Sickness absence, accidents and the traffic risk.
Continued pay for 104 weeks
Group personal accident
WEGAS for traffic risks
What is covered
Situation
AVB
BAV
Cyber
Injury to a visitor or customer
Yes
No
No
Damage to a client's property
Sometimes
No
No
Financial loss caused by an advisory or calculation error
No
Yes
No
Downtime after a ransomware attack
No
No
Yes
Data breach involving personal data
No
Sometimes
Yes
Damage to property in your care
No
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Measure and document the paint thickness beforehand
On repaired or aged paintwork the lacquer is thin in places, and a rotary machine burns through before you see it. Measure each panel with a coating thickness gauge, note the readings and photograph existing damage on arrival. In a claim about burnt-through paint, that measurement is the difference between careless work and a demonstrably thin starting point that you warned the customer about in advance.
Coatings and warranties are contractual, not insured
If you sell a ceramic coating with a warranty period, that promise is an obligation under your contract. If the coating does not adhere or discolours, then re-preparing and reapplying it is excluded: that is redoing your own work. A refund of the invoice amount or a credit note is not an insured loss either. Limit your warranty in writing to carrying the work out again, so that no further claim can arise.
Gradual action of chemicals falls outside the cover
Wheel cleaner acting on brake callipers or chrome, a tar remover attacking rubber seals, an acidic cleaner on anodised aluminium: where the deterioration arises gradual, most policies exclude it. Work to the product instructions, observe contact times and record for each treatment which product was used on which part. Without those records it cannot be established whether the damage was sudden or the result of prolonged action.
Valuable cars left standing are a separate risk
A treatment lasting several days means that vehicles which are not yours stand in your premises overnight. That is care, custody and control outside working hours, and separate security clausesapply to it: alarm class, keys kept in a certified safe, and sometimes a maximum total value that may be present at any one time. If you exceed that maximum during a busy period, the excess amount is uninsured in the event of fire or theft not covered.
What does your premium depend on?
Average value of the vehicles treated. This directly determines the care, custody and control limit you need per vehicle.
Maximum value present at any one time. With treatments lasting several days, the total value in the building counts, not that of one car.
Type of activities. Washing and cleaning is weighed differently from machine polishing, coating or applying film.
Security of the workshop. Alarm class, response, camera surveillance and key management are recorded as clauses.
Skills and training. Demonstrable training in polishing and coating technique and documented work instructions count.
Claims history and excess. Previous paint claims and the excess per event you choose also determine the rate.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
I have burnt through the paint. Will the insurer pay for the respray?
The damage to the vehicle falls under the care, custody and control cover, provided you have taken it out and the limit is adequate. What is not covered is carrying out your own treatment again and crediting your invoice. On a car with original factory paint the customer may also claim diminution in value; discuss with your adviser in advance whether your policy includes that concept.
How high should my care, custody and control limit be?
Not at the average, but at the maximum. If you occasionally treat a prestige car, the limit must be able to cope with that car, because that is exactly where the large claim arises. Look at the limit per event as well, where several vehicles are in your premises at once. See also insuring a prestige car for how those values are established.
Am I covered if I work at the customer's location?
Only if mobile working has been declared. Working on a customer's drive or in their garage brings extra risks: damage to the floor or to the building, and the use of third parties' water and electricity. That is a different risk description from a fixed workshop. State the proportion of mobile work in your application.
What if a customer complains about holograms or a disappointing shine?
That is not damage but a dispute about the quality of your work, and it falls outside every liability cover. Insurers pay for damage, not for a disappointing result. Set out in writing beforehand what result can be expected given the condition of the paint as you found it, with photographs. That prevents most disputes before they become a claim.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
