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Man Totals 2020 Subaru BRZ, and Insurance Won’t Pay Because of Modified Exhaust

One young man learned a very expensive life lesson, which also meant losing his dream car: you always, without exception, have to read the fine print on contracts. Especially on your insurance papers, which may or may not specify the kind of modifications you can make to your car.
Insurance company refuses claim on totaled Subaru BRZ because of modified exhaust, story goes viral 48 photos
Photo: GlobalNews.ca
Modasir Ayobi from Toronto, Canada, is not a name that rings a bell, but he is the young man in the story. He recently leased a 2020 Subaru BRZ, his dream car. In addition to working two jobs in order to pay the lease, he also had to cover 7,200 CAD ($5,900) a year in insurance. He paid another 2,000 CAD ($1,627) on an aftermarket exhaust, a louder one.

In March this year, he was involved in an accident that saw the BRZ written off, he tells Global News. Ayobi doesn’t go into the details of the accident, but he does say something vague like “the guy in front was really close to me.” Police did not find him responsible for the crash, but his insurance company did: the accident claim was denied because of the modified exhaust, and he was left 35,000 CAD ($28,500) in the hole.

His contract clearly stated that if he planned to make modifications to the car, he should contact the insurance company to make sure his policy allowed for it. But since the mention didn’t register with him, he went to the media, saying, “If I knew modifications would affect insurance I wouldn’t have done that.”

Granted, the modification he did make on his BRZ did not play any part in the accident. This was probably the only reason why the insurance company backed down after calls from the media outlet, finally accepting to pay in full after a second revision of the claim.

Now, Ayobi’s (short-lived) tale of woe is being used as friendly reminder to always read the fine print on contracts, especially on insurance policies on cars, if you have aftermarket mods in mind. It is also causing quite a heated debate online, with some car owners arguing that this is a vaguely-worded gimmick most insurers use to deny claims. Others insist Ayobi was in the wrong because he should have read the contract.

Debates aside, that’s probably the biggest takeaway from this: never sign your name on anything you haven’t read thoroughly at least twice.
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Editor's note: The 2021 Subaru BRZ is shown in the gallery.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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