Nice and light too those Borbets! About a grand for a set...
What do insurers say about changing wheels? If you had VW ones they might not notice...
Insurers approach to changing wheels may vary from one insurer to another. You’ll almost certainly find something in the small print of your insurance policy that states it’s a requirement of your insurer that they are told of
any modification, so that would include changing the wheels fitted to your car when it was built to an alternative set (VW wheels or otherwise).
The general subject of modifications and insurance IMO is a bit of a can of worms. From what I’ve read on some forums, some insurers even consider factory fitted options to be modifications and need to know what each of the options are. Others don’t need to be told of factory fitted options (My insurer doesn’t) and only need to know of anything that changes the spec that the car left the factory with. It must be quite difficult if someone doesn’t know whether their car is standard or not (e.g. if they bought it used and didn’t spec it themselves); what do they declare to their insurer?
I’ve changed the wheels on my last two cars - both times for VW wheels and I informed my insurer each time. They wanted to know the value of the wheels and confirmation I had locking wheel bolts fitted. It’s noted on my policy record that I have non factory fit wheels as a modification.
I would say it’s best to always notify your insurer of any changes. Worse case scenario; not telling them could invalidate your insurance, which could technically mean you are uninsured (a criminal offence!).
