Panel Gap Issues

[Maggneto]

Thanks for confirming what I thought. Lots of other car companies can do it, (except Tesla) I don’t think it’s unreasonable to except it from Ford.

Regarding where it’s made, I can’t speak to that but if I was working on Mustangs I would take great pride to make it perfect as possible since this community truly values The Mustang, it’s heritage and prides themselves on showing off what a beautiful piece of craftsmanship they really are.

I was at the dealership getting the oil changed and I walked the lot looking at panel gaps and the rear bumper gaps were pretty bad, even on GT350. The rear bumper on my 2015 EB is much better than the 18s I saw at the dealership. The rest of the gaps were not that bad.

The dealership is Tindol in Gastonia NC which happens to be the largest Roush dealership so there are like 50 Mustangs in the lot. They also have a body shop so maybe they fix the gaps when they come from Ford.

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[ihc95]

These are pretty normal OP. Every 2018 I’ve seen has the same issue with the rear quarter panel and rear bumper alignment, specifically on the passenger side. The hood gaps are a little more inconsistent but yours honestly doesn’t look that bad from the pics. I’ve seen a lot worse. Personally I don’t think it’s worth your time to try to get them to fix it. They could end up making it worse or giving you a new scratch.

I love these cars more than anything but the quality control is shit.

 

[Triton54]

Maggneto is right! The big time Union Labor at the end of Flat Rocks assembly line SUCKS! there is NO attention to detail at all! My car was ordered Jan 11th, and came in April 12th, right away I could see, a number of things wrong, > rear trunk way off< (3-4 mm's to the pass side) Driver door, relationship to front fender off by 2-3mm's! BTW the car is oxford white, so at that crease line that runs along the car, > a blind man could just about see it,, and def. touch it< also driver door had TWO count em 2 dents in sheet metal, right below belt line, and above door handle! It took many weeks to get this crap straightened out! dealer was pretty good about it, even though they did not have a body shop......

 

[ChaoticFury09]

These are pretty normal OP. Every 2018 I’ve seen has the same issue with the rear quarter panel and rear bumper alignment, specifically on the passenger side. The hood gaps are a little more inconsistent but yours honestly doesn’t look that bad from the pics. I’ve seen a lot worse. Personally I don’t think it’s worth your time to try to get them to fix it. They could end up making it worse or giving you a new scratch.

I love these cars more than anything but the quality control is shit.

That's unfortunate but it seems to be the trend. I have always wanted a Mustang and finally made it a reality. As a crazy person I of course want my car to be a close to perfect as I can. Hence why I wrapped it in Xpel the day it arrived. I will talk to Ford anyway and see what they are willing to do. If I have to live with it I have to live with it, but if I don't make a point of it to them, then I can't advocate for those people with the same problem who won't say anything.

I already take enough heat for the fact that it is an Ecoboost so just trying to minimize the amount of things I have to justify at the shows.

 

[Jetnoise]

To me that panel fit is awesome
There are so many planes of the interface in each panel I'm impressed

 

[Zathras]

I have some of the same issues, although maybe not as severe on the hood. The one that bugs me the most is this issue with the rear bumper fit, where it joins the metal fender. I can pop it back into line, but after a day or two it loosens up again.

P.S. Mine wasn't delivered with this bumper gap, it took a few weeks to develop. Hot sunny weather seems to make it worse.

 

[ChaoticFury09]

I have some of the same issues, although maybe not as severe on the hood. The one that bugs me the most is this issue with the rear bumper fit, where it joins the metal fender. I can pop it back into line, but after a day or two it loosens up again.

P.S. Mine wasn't delivered with this bumper gap, it took a few weeks to develop. Hot sunny weather seems to make it worse.

That is very similar to what I have. I had the dealership take a look. They ordered new clips and they said this was the best they could do since it was just plastic. Still hoping for a fix. I’ll update when I get to another dealership or hear back from corporate.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Try adjusting the hood bumpers and if you really want to go “advanced level adjustment”, you would need 2 people to try and adjust the hood at the hood hinges. There is a sticky at the very top of this forum regarding the panel gap issues and how to fix a few of them without the need for a shop, or trip to the Dealer.

 

[PDXSounder]

I had the same bumper issue. My dealer sent pictures to the Ford tech team and they said it's from too much pressure being used when putting the bumper on. Those clips are ratcheting and only go one way so the only fix is to replace them. I got my car back last Wednesday and it looks just fine with the new clips. I'll keep an eye on it though to see if it starts bulging out again.

 

[Osofast]

That is very similar to what I have. I had the dealership take a look. They ordered new clips and they said this was the best they could do since it was just plastic. Still hoping for a fix. I’ll update when I get to another dealership or hear back from corporate.

I have the exact same issue on the same side, rear passenger bumper, just like the photo

 

[ChaoticFury09]

Called a dealership with a body shop. They were more than aware of the issues. They said to bring it by so they can assess it. Appointment for 8am tomorrow morning. Will keep everyone updated.

 

[Ace21]

I have some of the same issues, although maybe not as severe on the hood. The one that bugs me the most is this issue with the rear bumper fit, where it joins the metal fender. I can pop it back into line, but after a day or two it loosens up again.

P.S. Mine wasn't delivered with this bumper gap, it took a few weeks to develop. Hot sunny weather seems to make it worse.

My '16 didn't have any panel issues, but my '18 had the same bumper issue on both sides. I loosened the wheelwell bolt and then pressed the bumper back into place where it was buldging, like in the photo, and then re-tightened the wheelwell bolt. Long summer with a lot of sunny 85-95f days and the buldge has not returned.

 

[Clump]

My rear bumper is good. Other places not so much, but overall it's OK. About on par with the '16 that I had.

 

[Joe B.]

My '17 was an impulse buy, in the rain. When I finally inspected the hood to bumper fit, you could throw your hat through it.
Went to look at some others on the lot, they were all over the place. Salesman seemed surprised.
I fixed it a little by adjusting the hood bumpers up. Love the car, so I call it an "expansion joint".

 

[Deleted member 35644]

If your hood also sinks below the header panel in front, raise up your hood stops to remedy some of the gap you're seeing from the driver's seat. If it's already flush, you're kinda stuck. But don't feel alone. Both my '18s have that beautiful gap on the sides between the rear quarter and bumper. I don't know how Ford managed to screw up that joint between 2017 and 2018, but they should be congratulated.

This issue you're having with your hood existed on all 4 of the Focuses I owned. I tried adjusting the first one at the hood mount, but nothing I did helped. Their parts stampers aren't quite in line with the blueprints.

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