Would like to pull the rear of the driver's door up a bit on the '04 XK8 but it looks to me like the fender has to come off to do it. Anyone ever done either or both of those? Forget persuading it a bit with a jack; I think it needs some adjustment. As in, loosen hinge bolts, pull rear of door up a bit, tighten hinge bolts.

 

Had the same scenario with my 98 vert. Took it to the body shop in San Jose, Ca that does all the work for the dealership. They came out with a tool that leverages the door and gave it a slight tug and put the door in position it needed to be in. Door/fender gap perfect. Took them less than 5 minutes and didn't even charge me.

 

John, there is another live thread on this topic by FrankC. Boiled down: Don't follow the web's advice of using a hydrolic jack to "lift" (aka bend) the door back into orientation. There are numerous discussions on other websites about that. As I recall Frankc reports that this trick with the jack did permanent damage to the welds and only lasted a while. At least 2 members have reported you can get access to hinge nuts (to tighten) by removing wheel and inner fender lining. Next time I get a free hour I'm going to try that out.

There are no extensive comprehensive write ups that might tell us about systemic problems. With that you could dive into the job with some degree of certainty what you will have to do to fix it. Last post I've seen was great information (live on this site yesterday) - he had to pay for re welding a crack by the hinge, and he was able to report on that "nut" access I just mentioned.

Platnium maker, you and I posted simultaneously. Didn't mean to minimize the solution you posted, just reporting on other feedback. Sure do wish we could get more specific info on exactly what they did. It sounds like a smooth and simple solution. Do you recall any terms or anything one of us could us if/when we stopped at a body shop and inquired?

It'll sure be nice when we get this solution nailed down.

John

 

I swear, it sounds to me like the body shop just did an advanced version of the "jack job". I mean, how much can you do to a rigid metal door shell and heavy duty hinges? The "jack job" (applying jack pressure to the bottom of the back end of the door) fixes things great for a short while, but it seems the duration of the fix gets shorter and shorter each time. And it's not a wise thing to do - it's very stressful on the hinges and all the door welds. The access tip sounds very promising, I'll definitely check it out. Won't get to it for a while though, still got to replace the radiator, and I'm working these jobs into the normal ebb and flow of life.

 

It is probably the metal splitting where the hinge attaches to the door itself. I have been dealing with mine and if you use a mirror to check the hinge mounting on the door while open you should be able to see the torn metal. It is a job for a pro or one who has more skills than I do.

 

 

Thanks for the mention John. I had the door drop problem for years and yes I did follow the advise to jack up the door, with a bit of wood under it to protect it, but it did more harm than good. You can read the final bit of my 'story' here :- https://www.jaguarforum.com/showthread.php?t=75123&p=1110437&viewfull=1#post11 10437 There are many more parts to it before this but this last bit sort of sums it up.

But this photo should demonstrate the effect the 'jack up to adjust' method did. After the door and hinge was removed this is what lay underneath.