E46 B3S Identification

[Avtar]

Hi All,

I am running this ongoing query in the Insurance thread, however, wanted to raise it hear with a slightly different angle. I have been trying to get insurance quotes for my 2003 B3S, all insurance companies I have contacted could not find the details of my Alpina, they find the B3 Saloon or B3S Coupe/Convertible, but B3S Saloon. Likewise when selecting the manual car choice option on the comparison websites the same 3 options appear and no B3S Saloon?

I have followed up with 5 insurers from MoneySupermarket quotes, all of whom have referred the request to their underwriters, none have comeback to me!

The only quotes I have managed to get, keeping in mind, I am over 57, in a low risk area, and 5 years NCD (I have a lot more but use that on the B4) kept on driveway:

NFU: £664.79
Howden/APlan £1469.44

Any ideas why why this is the case, are they that rare, how many are there out there? More importantly why does there appear to be no record of a B3S 4 Door Saloon?

This has got to be the hardest and most confusing search for Insurance ever..................

[Charles]

I don't understand why Admiral aren't showing it - they have insured my car for 9 years on the basis of a B3S saloon but noted as a Touring and I renewed in October.

[Avtar]

They flat out said no!

[Charles]

They flat out said no!

Curious!

I'm paying just over £300 pa with a similar profile, but on a multicar policy which generates significant discounts. That being the case, the NFU quote is not a million miles away.

[Avtar]

Just had a no from another insurer!

[Avtar]

Do we know how many B3S Saloons are left?

[davettf2]

Classic Line may be worth a try. I insure my B3S coupe with them, 3000 miles, agreed value all for £226.00.

Cheers and seasons greeting to all
Dave

[JohnW]

I’ve found that sometimes with insurance companies the E92 B3S Biturbo is actually listed amongst the B3 Biturbo variants with no ‘S’ listed at all.
I knew it would be the later ‘S’ because I could see the bhp was a little higher and registrations extended beyond 2010 too (past the last produced B3) so with some companies they have taken the S as something of a facelift model.

Maybe you might try advising them it is the B3 and drop the S, give them the year and Saloon details then, it may work.

[Avtar]

Classic Line may be worth a try. I insure my B3S coupe with them, 3000 miles, agreed value all for £226.00.

Cheers and seasons greeting to all
Dave

It was insured with them by the previous owner, they would cover it for £910.50 but also wanted an approved Thatcham Cat 1 Alarm and Immobiliser fitted.

[Avtar]

I’ve found that sometimes with insurance companies the E92 B3S Biturbo is actually listed amongst the B3 Biturbo variants with no ‘S’ listed at all.
I knew it would be the later ‘S’ because I could see the bhp was a little higher and registrations extended beyond 2010 too (past the last produced B3) so with some companies they have taken the S as something of a facelift model.

Maybe you might try advising them it is the B3 and drop the S, give them the year and Saloon details then, it may work.

It would be so simple and much cheaper to get the insurance if I drop the "S", however, could that not potentially invalidate my insurance in the event of a claim, they will always find reasons not to payout?

[JohnW]

Perhaps not if the insurance company in question views the S as a facelift as the bhp and cc of the engine match as does the year, it would be pedantic at most and the error is technically with them. I wouldn’t bother, in fact my MOT states that it is a black BMW 335.

[Avtar]

An interesting point the CC on B3 S is 3346, I do not know if it is the same on the B3?

[JohnW]

Looks like the B3 is exactly 3300 cc. They increased the bore from 86.4 to 87mm.

[NigelW]

I am fairly new to ALPINA and am certainly not an expert, but I believe there is a central register for the insurance industry on which all cars should be logged and given an insurance rating. Individual companies then go to the central register and identify the car and its insurance rating and then apply their own factors of risk (age, location. History, etc) to come up with a premium. If the car is not recognised by several companies, it suggests to me that it has been deleted/missed off of the central data base and as such no one will insure it. I would suggest you make some enquires in this direction. If its a simple admin error and you can get it put back on the list, you will probably find you will be able to get insurance.

As I said, I am not an expert, but that would seem likely to be the root cause of your problem.

[simon13]

Do we know how many B3S Saloons are left?

20 were sold, i know of at least 1 thats fallen by the wayside

As for insurance, i've never had an issue with my B3S touring over the years when its been on the road