Fixable gaps?

[EDTANAS]

I got in an accident back in April that was recently fixed. It got hit in the lower right quarter panel. I have attached pics of the damage.

I got my MME back and I noticed there are some gap issues.

I am a somewhat neurotic person and tend to notice them more the average person would.

I have requested an appointment to have them fixed.

Are they easily fixable?

Thanks

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[azerik]

Sadly repairs are not going to be able to keep the same factory quality specs. Some of that you'll sadly have to live with (follow up with the body shop but the door to quarter panel is quite hard to align) I've spent almost 2 hours aligning my rear hatch to get most of the gaps as close to the same as possible. I doubt the body shop has as much drive and OCD as I do.
I do have a 19 inch wheel here but noticed you're in CA so it's cost prohibitive to send you. (edit: just realized after/before pics)

 

[kamorela]

I got in an accident back in April that was recently fixed. It got hit in the lower right quarter panel. I have attached pics of the damage.

I got my MME back and I noticed there are some gap issues.

I am a somewhat neurotic person and tend to notice them more the average person would.

I have requested an appointment to have them fixed.

Are they easily fixable?

Thanks

I've not been impressed with my 24 MME body panel fitment/alignment, but then again - as I observe on ALL other makes/models of cars of recent manufacture - it seems to be the norm. Most other newer cars have varying gaps here and there. Fitment quality seems to have gotten looser over the last decade or so, maybe even longer.

I'm an aerospace Quality Engineer (sorry, was, I'm retired now) and accustomed to typical aerospace design standard tolerances of +/- .030 (less than a millimeter), and many are much tighter (+.005/-.000). That's unrealistic out in the rest of the world but I cringe when I see workmanship quality like what you're experiencing and wonder, 'don't these workers SEE that? don't they CARE?' And then, somebody has to sign off on repairs, don't THEY see that, don't THEY care? <sigh> Don't get me started....oops, too late.

And lest you feel alone, let me share that I have my own similar mismatch on my MME (24 Premium AWD). And this is FROM THE FACTORY! I had a scratch repaired back in February by a local Ford dealership with an excellent body/paint shop - a rarity nowadays - and they said they could TRY to readjust the liftgate for a better alignment, but I didn't see how it could be adjusted out without throwing it off somewhere else, so I begged off. I'll live with it. And I see the same mismatch on other MMEs in my travels about, so mine isn't just a one-off.

Best of luck getting the results you deserve.

 

[EDTANAS]

I've not been impressed with my 24 MME body panel fitment/alignment, but then again - as I observe on ALL other makes/models of cars of recent manufacture - it seems to be the norm. Most other newer cars have varying gaps here and there. Fitment quality seems to have gotten looser over the last decade or so, maybe even longer.

I'm an aerospace Quality Engineer (sorry, was, I'm retired now) and accustomed to typical aerospace design standard tolerances of +/- .030 (less than a millimeter), and many are much tighter (+.005/-.000). That's unrealistic out in the rest of the world but I cringe when I see workmanship quality like what you're experiencing and wonder, 'don't these workers SEE that? don't they CARE?' And then, somebody has to sign off on repairs, don't THEY see that, don't THEY care? <sigh> Don't get me started....oops, too late.

And lest you feel alone, let me share that I have my own similar mismatch on my MME (24 Premium AWD). And this is FROM THE FACTORY! I had a scratch repaired back in February by a local Ford dealership with an excellent body/paint shop - a rarity nowadays - and they said they could TRY to readjust the liftgate for a better alignment, but I didn't see how it could be adjusted out without throwing it off somewhere else, so I begged off. I'll live with it. And I see the same mismatch on other MMEs in my travels about, so mine isn't just a one-off.

Best of luck getting the results you deserve.

Sadly repairs are not going to be able to keep the same factory quality specs. Some of that you'll sadly have to live with (follow up with the body shop but the door to quarter panel is quite hard to align) I've spent almost 2 hours aligning my rear hatch to get most of the gaps as close to the same as possible. I doubt the body shop has as much drive and OCD as I do.
I do have a 19 inch wheel here but noticed you're in CA so it's cost prohibitive to send you. (edit: just realized after/before pics)

The auto body said they can repair the scuffs on the wheel.
Thanks for your help.


Thanks for your reply.

I had a 2016 Tesla Model S and the panel gaps were even worse aka larger on various spots.

When I showed them, the Tesla tech said the gaps were within their tolerance of being acceptable...not what I wanted to hear as an excuse for poor workmanship on a $100,000 car.

We also had a Smart EV...the workmanship on it was much better than our Tesla....gaps the same all over.

I do have to admit that overall the workmanship quality on my MACH E is way better than the Tesla that had rattles in the interior that I could never pinpoint and fix.

 

[markboris]

I got in an accident back in April that was recently fixed. It got hit in the lower right quarter panel. I have attached pics of the damage.

I got my Mach-E back and I noticed there are some gap issues.

I am a somewhat neurotic person and tend to notice them more the average person would.

I have requested an appointment to have them fixed.

Are they easily fixable?

Thanks

Hey Ed, the gap on your liftgate is easily fixable. There are two bumpers on either side (photos below) of the body. Since you have less of a gap on the right side. Slightly raise that bumper up. You may have to slightly lower the left bumper. Those bumper adjusters will equal out your liftgate gap. There is a bolt inside the bumper. Loosen it, adjust bumper then tighten.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I've not been impressed with my 24 MME body panel fitment/alignment, but then again - as I observe on ALL other makes/models of cars of recent manufacture - it seems to be the norm. Most other newer cars have varying gaps here and there. Fitment quality seems to have gotten looser over the last decade or so, maybe even longer.

I'm an aerospace Quality Engineer (sorry, was, I'm retired now) and accustomed to typical aerospace design standard tolerances of +/- .030 (less than a millimeter), and many are much tighter (+.005/-.000). That's unrealistic out in the rest of the world but I cringe when I see workmanship quality like what you're experiencing and wonder, 'don't these workers SEE that? don't they CARE?' And then, somebody has to sign off on repairs, don't THEY see that, don't THEY care? <sigh> Don't get me started....oops, too late.

And lest you feel alone, let me share that I have my own similar mismatch on my MME (24 Premium AWD). And this is FROM THE FACTORY! I had a scratch repaired back in February by a local Ford dealership with an excellent body/paint shop - a rarity nowadays - and they said they could TRY to readjust the liftgate for a better alignment, but I didn't see how it could be adjusted out without throwing it off somewhere else, so I begged off. I'll live with it. And I see the same mismatch on other MMEs in my travels about, so mine isn't just a one-off.

Best of luck getting the results you deserve.

Former automotive closures body shop engineer here. I suffer the same curse: can see these gaps on other people’s cars driving 80 mph. I go to a dealership with feeler gauge and thoroughly caress every body panel before buying. I have walked away from buying certain cars because of fit issues.

Except for Audi, the process the industry uses is incapable of producing consistent gaps. Typically 4.5 mm, on Audi 3 mm and it shows.

You can correct most of it with a hammer, but you will likely break the paint on the A and B pillars. The best way to do this is to remove the doors first, loosen the bolts connecting hinge to body, then reinstall and fit the rear door to quarter, front to rear, fender to front, then hood to fender.

It is a pain in the ass process, but totally doable.

I don’t recall how to adjust the liftgate as it’s been 18+ years since I’ve done so.

Now imagine launching a new car and calibrating brand new tools (my old job). I still have nightmares.

 

[EDTANAS]

Hey Ed, the gap on your liftgate is easily fixable. There are two bumpers on either side (photos below) of the body. Since you have less of a gap on the right side. Slightly raise that bumper up. You may have to slightly lower the left bumper. Those bumper adjusters will equal out your liftgate gap. There is a bolt inside the bumper. Loosen it, adjust bumper then tighten.

Thank you so very much for your tip. I am going to the body shop tomorrow and I will show them what you told me.

Have a great day.

 

[EDTANAS]

Former automotive closures body shop engineer here. I suffer the same curse: can see these gaps on other people’s cars driving 80 mph. I go to a dealership with feeler gauge and thoroughly caress every body panel before buying. I have walked away from buying certain cars because of fit issues.

Except for Audi, the process the industry uses is incapable of producing consistent gaps. Typically 4.5 mm, on Audi 3 mm and it shows.

You can correct most of it with a hammer, but you will likely break the paint on the A and B pillars. The best way to do this is to remove the doors first, loosen the bolts connecting hinge to body, then reinstall and fit the rear door to quarter, front to rear, fender to front, then hood to fender.

It is a pain in the ass process, but totally doable.

I don’t recall how to adjust the liftgate as it’s been 18+ years since I’ve done so.

Now imagine launching a new car and calibrating brand new tools (my old job). I still have nightmares.

Thank you for your help. I am going to the body shop tomorrow. I will post an update on here as to what they tell me or due to fix the issues.

 

[EDTANAS]

Hey Ed, the gap on your liftgate is easily fixable. There are two bumpers on either side (photos below) of the body. Since you have less of a gap on the right side. Slightly raise that bumper up. You may have to slightly lower the left bumper. Those bumper adjusters will equal out your liftgate gap. There is a bolt inside the bumper. Loosen it, adjust bumper then tighten.

The auto body shoo fixed al the gaps as best as they could and I am okay with the results.

The liftgate gaps were fixed adjusting the bumpers inside the tailgate....see attached pics.

 

[markboris]

The auto body shoo fixed al the gaps as best as they could and I am okay with the results.

The liftgate gaps were fixed adjusting the bumpers inside the tailgate....see attached pics.

Those bumpers on the liftgate adjust the height of each side. The bumpers I sent photos of yesterday adjust the liftgate side to side.

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