I not so recently was involved in a crash with another car insured by the same company at a nearby roundabout. The following day, having reported the details on my return home, the insurer contacted me to tell me the "most likely outcome" was a 50/50 claim, this without any other details other than that both parties were insured by the same insurer, the time of the event and the location. I told them it was a clear 100% claim in my favour, and sent off the details: time, weather, map, etc. The insurer then told me to take my car to its repairers, pick up a Ford Ka, wait for the four weeks for my slot and an extra week for the repair and pay the £400 excess, which they said they would return once everything was sorted. As I didn't have the £400, a friend sourced and fitted second-hand parts to get it through an MOT. Now that the insurer has read the Highway Code and agrees that the other party was 100% at fault I was directed back to the repair shop, where before their a bill was to be £1,075.64 to replace bonnet, wing, valance and headlight. On seeing the car with the temporary repairs now quoted £1,400-£1,800, as they would now have to "flash in" the doors to blend in the new bonnet and wing? I assume they would have had to do this before but now it seems to be more expensive? In short the damage was to the bonnet, wing, head light and valance, the repairs are to the same areas, the new parts are to be fitted to the same place as the second-hand parts, and the car has since sailed thro' an MOT, so there isn't a problem, but the repair shop working for the insurer now says that they are unhappy to remove slightly damaged, temporary parts, and replace them with the parts they quoted for, and ordered a number of weeks ago. It seems a case of the tail wagging the dog. Please let your readers know if they have a crash with another car insured by the same insurer they will have a long and fruitless wait.