Gentlemen, what would you do with this cosmetic issue? My right rear door has a larger than normal gap that has become an annoying distraction to me every time I look at that side of my XJ. The car has come from the factory this way. Everything seals and functions just fine. My Jag service manager doesn't want to touch the issue and says it should be handled by the original dealership that sold the car. In addition, he didn't know whether it would be handled by their body shop or a mechanic. I am reluctant to have it messed with for fear of creating collateral damage especially with this dealer. On the other hand, the gap bothers me.
I know that the Service Manual spec calls for a gap of 4mm plus/minus 1mm. I've measured the gap between 6mm and 7mm depending whether perpendicular to the gap or horizontal as the manual shows.
My original thought was that it's an easy adjustment at the door hinges assuming they're bolted to the frame through a slot like cars used to be.
I'm still on factory warranty for three months and debating whether to press the issue.

Is it that noticeable to the average person and should I just leave alone?

 

Wow some bad code here

 

Well, I edited.and I guess I do not know how to put a word picture into the text .

 

Bad attempt at posting picture. See below.

 

Here is the picture. Sorry, I had to learn how to post pictures.

 

I wasn't happy with one of the door gaps on my XF, same thing, yes, just slotted, and I adjusted it myself. But tinkering with old cars is my hobby. There was no evidence the door had ever been off the XF before, tho I suppose its possible since I didn't buy it new. Adjusting body gaps can be tedious, trial and error, ever so tiny adjustments at the hinge make huge changes at the other end of the door, but body shops do it all the time. Your service advisor shouldn't make it out to be some sort of special wizardry. I'm sure for them its far more special wizardry to get the paperwork processed and the warranty covered than to actually do it. Take it to an independent body shop and they'll probably do it for an hour or two at the most labor charge.

 

Is it the back door gap to the rear fender area?
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Yes. Click on the picture to blow it up. The gap will be obvious in comparison to the other two.

 

Contact Jaguar customer service immediately and send them the photo.

 

Further to my previous post. My XJ is the same colour and I’m sure that there must have been a slip-up during manufacturing unless the door has been removed at some time.

No XJ should ever be allowed out in the wild looking like that.

 

Freddy,

Correct me if I'm mistaken but, after reading your initial post, it appears that you are not the original owner and bought it used while it still had some of the original factory warranty remaining. Your recourse, if any, will depend on your answers to the following questions.

1. When and from whom did you buy it? A private party, authorized Jaguar dealer, or other used car dealer?
2. Are you and the Seller in the same state?
3. I presume that it was not sold to you as a Jaguar Select Certified Pre Owned vehicle. Am I right?
4. Did you ask the seller if it was ever in a collision or had any body or paint repairs?

Stuart

 

Stuart, The car was purchased in Alabama from an authorized Jaguar Dealership and is Certified Pre Owned with an additional one year warranty beyond factory as part of the CPO package. The car currently has another 3 months left on the original factory warranty. It resides in Maryland now.
The car has never been in an accident. Dealer and Carfax attest to that. Everything is in original condition. I bought it with 21,700 miles on it and it was a leased car to a known party who repeats his new car lease with this dealer on a regular basis.

I had an educational discussion with the independent collision shop that does the work for my local Jag dealership today and they are willing to attempt adjusting the gap and are familiar with the issue. First, the gap is measured with a nylon feeler guage pushed into gap and it is within the 4mm plus or minus 1 mm spec. -Not measured with a divider at the body surface like I did. The gap is at the extreme, though. Here is the explanation I got for the reason the gap appears so large. Because the body is aluminum, the rear panel edge has a gentle radius where it meets the door rather than a sharp edge as you would have with steel. (Al will crack with sharper edges) That wide radius makes the gap at the body surface appear wider. Indeed, when I look at the gap on other lighter colored XJs it is equally noticeable. Not so much on dark colored XJs. The risk to having it fooled with is the waist line trim may not align and of course the paint on the hinge will have to be retouched. They have to raise the door to get the clearance at the lower left. Worst case, the door gets put back like it is and the hinge gets repainted. Mmmm, to mess with it or not?

 

I would let them have a go at seeing what they can do. I sold Nissans for a couple of years and got to talk to one of the stylists who worked at the Nissan styling studio in California and he told me that lighter colored cars always highlight styling irregularities more than darker cars. The Nissan GTR to me is horrible in white but actually looks pretty good in black. Good luck with your issue.

 

Gentlemen, following up on my thread: I finally got the door gap quite satisfactorily corrected for $92 at the local collision shop that the Jaguar dealership uses.
Jaguar consistently turns down warranty work for body fit work on older models. Their argument is always why didn't you get the fit corrected within the first year. And of course, if you are a second owner and not at the original dealership who knows what happened to the car. So, I paid for two hours labor and the tech used my touch up paint on the hinges.

 

If your car was still under factory warranty I would be taking that to small claims court. Did the body shop say if the door had ever been removed?

 

JagGate, For $92, I'll save my battles with Jaguar for bigger issues.
The door was fitted the way it was delivered from the factory. It was never taken off. The dealership sent my photo to Jaguar (where they decide on warranty claims). It was denied as anticipated. My service manager explained that significantly worse gaps on body seams and bumpers are turned down. Apparently, the claims are numerous with Jags poor body fit on these aluminum bodies. Also, most of the gaps can be pretty large and still be within the 4mm spec.