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Body Panel Alignment: What to watch out for + Tips (with a happy ending)

valentinoamoro

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<Added a few more based on feedback>
I shared my initial impressions of my Mustang shortly after picking it up from the dealer (here: http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15388) and one thing I mentioned was the body panel alignment was poor.

Things to check for (in order to difficulty to address):
The rear window/glass and rear brake light. This is usually tilted (raised on the right looking at it from the rear). I fortunately did not have this issue and its difficult to correct - as the problem is not necessarily with the window but the frame. Also, removing the window can create long term issues of the seal.

Passenger side front fender: Mine was terribly mis-aligned, it stuck out a quarter inch from the door. Fixed by my Ford dealers body shop. Alignment looks great now (A). Others have reported door rubbing on fender and paint peeling. I did not have that issue.

Rear trunk lid: Mine was uneven, meaning, the place where it meets the rear quarter panel was raised on one side (drivers) Vs the passenger. Fixed by my Ford dealer body shop. Looks good now (B+), not perfect, but much better (about 1mm off) and not noticeable - my wife doesnt understand what I'm pointing at! Nothing else can be done as the panel itself is not an exact fit to the frame. Additionally, other folks have the rear trunk lid/black panel uneven on where it meets the rear bumper. I did not have this issue.

Front hood: Mine was lifted about 1/4th in the drivers side front/where it meets the front nose/headlight. Additionally, the center was pulled in about 2mm's below the bumper. I adjusted the rubber stoppers and alignment is much better. Additionally, the dealer body shop raised the center latch and its no longer 'pinched in' the center. Overall happy with the look now, its an A- (where A would be perfect).

Gas cap: My gas cap was raised at the bottom, so it stuck out above the rear quarter panel. Body shop used a heat gun to bend the plastic gas cap (taking great care to make sure it doesnt warp or ruin the paint). Took them 10 mins, looks perfect (A).

Tight rear and front bumpers where they meet the fenders quarter panel (no gap): Body shop said not an issue and visually it looks great (as there is no gap) but I was worried it was too tight and there would be rubbing (no signs of rubbing issues so far - make sure yours is not peeling/demaged). Body shop said short of new bumpers- which may or may not fix issue nothing can be done (and its not worth doing) as the mounting clips are tight.

Doors: Some people have complained about misaligned doors (too low, offset). I didnt have any.

Rocker panels: Some people have complained about misaligned rocker panels - that stick out by a few mm's to the wheel wells. No issue with that on my car.

For convertible owners: Make sure you inspect the car with the top up (focusing on the rear window!). Some are horribly misaligned.

Dents from the factory/Big scratches in the paint - I didnt have any but some people do. Look carefully for those.

Interior Trim: One complaint I saw here was that some customers got mismatched/wrong trim parts (no leather when they ordered it, paddle shifters on manual cars, mixed PP and brushed aluminium dash) and others got scuffed up interiors.



According to both my Ford dealer almost all the Ford Mustangs (they said except one) had issues with alignment (and I saw this on every car on the show room over the few times I was there). Additionally, the body shop said they see this in Ford's in general - but most people dont notice. He did say the Mustang was the worst as they dont use a lot of high precision robots in final assembly. This is exacerbated in the 2015's as the shape is very complex. According to them, unless Ford overhauls the machinery in Dearborn it will be difficult to address (look at what Ford considered acceptable tolerances for body panels on the Mustang, its not great).

Regardless, the dealer took care of me (Ford was not involved) and the car looks great - they even gave me a free nice loaner. I feel Ford should get it right in the first place though. A key tip - if you care about these things, have the dealer fix them before you pick it up (I didn't). Additionally, be willing to walk away. I was too emotionally attached to a purchase I had ordered 8 months ago. Lastly, inspect it in bright light and look out for the things I mentioned, I didnt see most of this till I went home, partly because its difficult to see in the evening/dark lot and secondly because I didnt know what to look for. Lastly, DO NOT have the dealer wash the car (have them put a 'No Wash' sign on it). I insisted they don't when I placed my order and I'm really glad - the paint is flawless. A lot of people who did picked up brand new cars that were quite scratched/swirled/scuffed - the dealers 'detailers' are generally C grade or they use machines Some of the defects cannot be fixed period without structural work and you will be stuck with it (if this kind of stuff bothers you). Lastly, if your car already has issues, ask the dealer to work with their bodyshop (and take care of the comps) and then interface with the body shop directly. A good one (like the one I had) can do all of this in a few hours! All depends on who your dealer is of course.

Best of luck and hope this helps! Loving the car though - what an insane grin inducing machine.
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dude

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I hope their production issues are fixed when they shut down this summer for several weeks. I'm thinking about ordering a 2016 at the end of the year.

Good to hear you got your problem resolved, but scary for prospective buyers.
 

OzS550

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Thanks for the comprehensive write up.

I'd like to see this as a sticky so I can find it in December when our Aussie cars are being delivered.
 

Slade

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Good tips and I used them all when I received mine. I got lucky and everything looked great! Built on 2/19/15. I'm hoping they got it right for most everybody from then on too.
 

Ecoboosted

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Good write up. My car came in today and i've been thinking about checking the panels but didn't know there were this many issues. Hopefully it will be fine but if not i won't take it until they fix them.
 

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OctopusWrangler

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Probably a stupid question, but how exactly did you adjust the rubber stoppers for the hood?
My hood is seriously raised on the drivers side, I suspect the same issue as you encountered, but I am not mechanically inclined and could not for the life of me get those things to move.
 

JimmyTwoTimes

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Originally I thought this thread was about t-tops and got all excited...
 
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valentinoamoro

valentinoamoro

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Probably a stupid question, but how exactly did you adjust the rubber stoppers for the hood?
My hood is seriously raised on the drivers side, I suspect the same issue as you encountered, but I am not mechanically inclined and could not for the life of me get those things to move.
Not a stupid question at all - I initially wasnt sure what to do as it didnt have the compliance of a screw (meaning, it didnt want to turn). I turned it I believe clockwise. Yes, grab it with a hand and twist it (feels like the rubber will shear and the actual screw will not rotate - but use strength and it will). Try turning it a few times clockwise and see if the hood rises or goes down. Depending on the result twist it vice versa. It makes a huge difference. I had to rotate mine 10 times till the min setting.
 

OctopusWrangler

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Awesome thank you. I tried brute strength once and when it didnt move decided maybe forcing it to do something it didnt want to do was not the best approach. I'll try again.
 

krahooligan

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Wow. Had mine fixed by ford. However I was promised a loaner. Minutes later enterprise shows up with a Nissan versa and some paperwork. Ford called enterprise to come give me a rental and then put the 150 dollar bill on me when my car was done. WTF FORD? I see...take the car in for manufactur defect, and I'm still forced to pay money for a piece of shit loaner car. Beyond frustrated with FORD.
 

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MELLOWYELLOW06

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Wow. Had mine fixed by ford. However I was promised a loaner. Minutes later enterprise shows up with a Nissan versa and some paperwork. Ford called enterprise to come give me a rental and then put the 150 dollar bill on me when my car was done. WTF FORD? I see...take the car in for manufactur defect, and I'm still forced to pay money for a piece of shit loaner car. Beyond frustrated with FORD.

Which dealership was this?

Montebello took care of mine quickly and one of their loaners was available so I got lucky.

Real friendly And helpful group there.
 

Kahboom

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Mine gets dropped today too the Ford body shop. Right door is so close it is rubbing the paint. Right fendor appears to be too close. Left vendor appears to be too far out. Driver door pushed in 1/4" on the bottom. Hood misaligned too close too the left. Trunk misaligned too close too the right. Shop said they will need it for at least 2 days. There giving me a rental. So far they have been very nice too deal with through warranty. Will see how it turns out.
 

Papaya

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Nice write up but it covers only a couple things. Leather seats are missing and the tilt trunk lid what alone is a major issue. Buyers of convertibles should not take the car keys without a closed roof to check the rear window and the roof if both aren't crooked.
 

xfyre101

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is there any way to take pictures of the problem areas? I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to this kind of stuff and i'm afraid i wont know what i'm looking at even if there is a problem. =(
 

Sal33n

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