WING DING

The following story should be a major worry for all of us. My 18-month-old Ford Focus was sideswiped while parked, damaging the front wing. No note was left by the culprit. With a £400 excess on my insurance and my nine years of no claim discount in jeopardy, I would be well out of pocket by the time it was fixed.

As far as I could see, only the front wing had damage. So imagine my horror when the bodyshop, authorised by the insurance company, told me they would not only be replacing the wing, but also the headlamp, front clam and do a full geometry check – “just in case” they said. The total bill for this was just under £3000!

Not wanting to lose my NCB, I made the decision to replace the front wing myself with a thirdparty part as it was a straightforward bolt-on job. It fitted perfectly and getting it sprayed to the correct colour cost me £103. There was no damage to the front panel or the headlamp and a geometry check at the local tyre company cost a few quid. OK, so there will be some who would be cautious about fitting a non-ford wing, but it seems to me the ‘insurance approved repair shops’ are simply being handed an open cheque book and we’re all paying for it through our premiums. Peter Gardner