Irregular fit/gaps between door and fender

Farmer_2 · May 1, 2019

New member here after lurking for a while. Love the GM-Trucks forum!

My issue/question? Irregular fits/gaps between driver's side doors and fender; should I leave well enough alone?

I purchased a new 2018 Silverado after Christmas to get in on the year-end closeout deals. Haven't purchased a new vehicle in 15 years. Always been a GM fan. That said, while looking the truck over at the dealer, I kind of noticed this but it didn't really jump out at me right away. There were lots of things I liked about the truck (Silverado Crew Cab Short-bed) and lots to check out upon initial inspection.

That said, and after going over the truck with fine-tooth comb at home, there is a wider gap between the driver's side front door and fender than on the passenger side. The passenger side fits between doors and fender are good and look great/consistent. On the driver's side, however, the gap between the front door and fender is about a 1.5 millimeters or so wider than the passenger side. 1.5 millimeters is about 1/16th of an inch.

Also, the gap between the front and rear cab door on the driver's side is slightly narrower than the same gap on the passenger side. Going with the distance of 1.5 mm equivalent to 1/16th of an inch, the gap between the driver's side doors is maybe .75 mm narrower than the passenger side.

Based on my evaluation and assessment, it looks like the left front fender could come rearward about .75 mm and front door could come forward .75mm or so to make the fit look more like the passenger side. I know 1/16th of an inch or 1.5 mm is splitting hairs, but the wider gap between the driver's side door is especially noticeable to me now. There are some other inconsistencies but the door/fender gap on the driver's side irritates me more than anything else. Other than that, I love the truck!

I have thought about talking to the service manager at the dealer I purchased from about possibly adjusting the fits, but my adult son says he doesn't think the risk of doing more harm than good to try and adjust the gaps would be worth it...

What do you all think?

Thanks!

Farmer_2

BriDroid · May 1, 2019

I had them adjust my front bumper. It was really close on the drivers side. I dropped it off overnight and they had the body shop adjust it for me. It's perfect now (even gave me a 2019 Custom to drive for a day). I also picked mine up right after Christmas.

It really comes down to what you are willing to risk. They always could make it worse To me, the crooked front bumper drove me nuts every time I saw it, so it was worth it to me.

dieselfan1 · May 1, 2019

I had the dealer adjust a rear door on my 2018 double cab . It was too high by 3/16" compared to the front door. I didn't notice it until I got the truck home the day after I bought it. Looked really bad and there was no way I was going to just leave it. Looks good now. I have to wonder why it got past quality control.

If it was mine I would get it adjusted . It would stick out like a sore thumb every time you look at it.

aseibel · May 1, 2019

I first thought you were nuts talking about 1.5 mm difference, until I saw the photos. Yeah, I'd go ask the dealer if that can be fixed.

You could complain that the door gaskets could be out of alignment and might cause bad seals, water leakage, wind noise, etc.

Donstar · May 2, 2019

17 hours ago, aseibel said:

I first thought you were nuts talking about 1.5 mm difference, until I saw the photos. Yeah, I'd go ask the dealer if that can be fixed.

You could complain that the door gaskets could be out of alignment and might cause bad seals, water leakage, wind noise, etc.

Me too! I'm still wondering about the 0.75 mm figure. Are we talking cm's?

Farmer_2 · May 2, 2019

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

Me too! I'm still wondering about the 0.75 mm figure. Are we talking cm's?

No centimeters (cm). I know that the assembly plants uses metric measurements (millimeters and centimeters) instead of feet and inches. When I was measuring the gaps I was using a regular tape measure in feet and inches. The gap between the driver's side front door and fender is just over 3/16ths of an inch at the top and about a 1/4th of an inch at the bottom (wider at the bottom). The gap between the driver's side front and rear door is just under 1/8th of an inch near the top and narrower at the bottom.

So, it looks like the front door could be moved forward about 1/16th of an inch or so and that would likely look much better and be more in sync with the passenger side door gap measurements. By-the-way, the door-fender gap on the passenger side is also a hair wider than the gap between the front and rear doors, but not as much or as noticeable as the driver's side. The gaps on passenger side are acceptable and look good.

If you do the inch/millimeter conversion 1/16th of an inch (.06") is about 1.59 millimeters. An 8th of an inch (.13") is 3.18 millimeters. 1/4 of an inch (.25") is 6.35 millimeters. Hence, the gap between the driver's side door is almost twice that between the front and rear doors.

But, again, based on my evaluation of the irregular gap between the driver's side front door and fender, it looks like the fender needs to be moved rearward a tiny bit (.75/.80mm) and the front door needs to come forward the same amount. I know it would be a major ordeal to move the fender rearward any, but the front door could be moved forward maybe a /1/16th of an inch or so fairly easily, I suppose.

As much as the truck cost, I shouldn't have to be concerned about this... but it is what it is. I can learn to live with it or take a chance on letting them try to make adjustments under the warranty. I've received more advice to leave it alone than to have it adjusted. But I'm still undecided at the moment. I have noticed a similar wider gap on other newer model Silverado crew cabs so it is not a totally uncommon thing I guess. I can kick myself for not paying more attention to this when I bought the truck... but you know what they say about hindsight.

I'm thinking about talking to the service manager about it, and maybe getting his body shop manager in on the conversation and see what they say.

Thanks for all the comments and advice!

dieselfan1 · May 2, 2019

This is an easy fix. Any competent body shop could do this easy. Get it done. You have to look at it every day and it will most likely piss you off when you look at it if you don't get it straightened out. No brainier.

Farmer_2 · May 3, 2019

9 hours ago, dieselfan1 said:

This is an easy fix. Any competent body shop could do this easy. Get it done. You have to look at it every day and it will most likely piss you off when you look at it if you don't get it straightened out. No brainier.

I talked to the dealer service manager today and he said they did not have a certified GM body shop there at the dealer and suggested I take it to a dealer who does. He suggested two GM dealerships within 25 miles that had the GM certified collision centers at the dealerships. So much for buying local. I do plan on contacting one of the other dealerships about the possibility of making some adjustments on the body panel fits/alignment under warranty. Thing is, it's been my experience in the past that you don't get quite the same treatment/courtesy at a dealership service center where you didn't purchase the vehicle.

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions.

davester · May 3, 2019

I don't know if you want to move the door...I'm assuming GM is still doing what they did in the past, and that is weld the hinges both to the door and the cab, so there is no easy ability to move the door at all. If you do really want to move the, it would require removing the door (and front fender on my truck), drilling out the welds, and installing new bolt-in replacement hinges. That would give you a small amount of movement, and more if you wallow out the holes in the cab a bit...

Farmer_2 · May 3, 2019

8 hours ago, davester said:

I don't know if you want to move the door...I'm assuming GM is still doing what they did in the past, and that is weld the hinges both to the door and the cab, so there is no easy ability to move the door at all. If you do really want to move the, it would require removing the door (and front fender on my truck), drilling out the welds, and installing new bolt-in replacement hinges. That would give you a small amount of movement, and more if you wallow out the holes in the cab a bit...

Actually, the doors on the 2018 Silverado have hinges with bolts; no welded hinges. I do know the earlier model GM trucks had welded door hinges; my 2004 Silverado extended cab has welded hinges on the doors, and perfect fit/gaps/alignment.

To be honest, I could probably make the adjustments myself, but would prefer to have it adjusted by a GM dealer under the warranty. Thing is, we are talking very small adjustments, a couple of millimeters or a 16th of an inch or so at the most. That is why I was considering just trying to live with it. The doors open and close fine, and no wind noise or water leaks.

Farmer_2 · May 8, 2019

Update:

I talked to the manager of the GM certified body shop at another dealer (one the largest in the area) about the door fit/gaps/alignment on my 2018 Silverado yesterday. I showed him what I was talking about and we compared the passenger side fits (excellent) to the driver's side, particularly the gap between the front door and fender. His assistant manager was there also. I asked about the pros and cons/rewards and risks of making the adjustments and asked for his honest, professional opinion on adjusting the door. He said they could try to adjust the door for me but it could possibly cause problems elsewhere while chasing a 1/16th of an inch. He said most people would not notice it and that most every new truck on their lot most likely had minor flaws in it somewhere. You don't usually hear that when talking to a salesperson at the dealer when looking to buy. They also said they rarely ever make these kinds of adjustments on new trucks at their shop, unless it had been wrecked/damaged; he said most of what they do on brand new vehicles is repair minor dings in body panels or minor paint issues.

Needless to say I could tell they didn't want to mess with it unless I absolutely insisted and there may have been some truth in what he was saying about the risks of creating problems elsewhere. He suggested I take it to another GM dealer certified body shop and get another opinion. At the moment I'm inclined to try and live with it a bit longer. To be honest, it is something I could try to adjust myself, but I'll wait a bit longer, or get another opinion as suggested. It does diminish my level of satisfaction with the truck, (which I noted on the new vehicle survey) but there is still a lot about the truck I like.

Glen