Should I use "like" or "as if" before a statement containing a preposition?
Solution 1:
Both the variants described can be seen as deleted forms:
John and Jane went together like peas in a pod.
John and Jane went together like peas in a pod go together.
...........
John and Jane went together as if peas in a pod.
John and Jane went together as if they were peas in a pod.
There's little to choose between these (original) paraphrases, other than that the one using 'like' is more common and hence sounds more natural.