Doors don't close flush...can it be fixed?

[fotomatt1]

I picked my 2019 Laramie up in December. It was sold to me as a demo with 1600 miles on it. It had a couple of oddball options which is what I think kept it on their lot for a while, but it was built at the end of May. It has to go in for it's open safety recalls and a few other things like the steering wheel being turned about 10º to the right which is annoying. Another thing I noticed after I took delivery was the fact that the passenger side doors don't close 100% flush, especially the rear door towards the bottom. I remember this being an issue on my wife's Mercedes GLE. The dealer adjusted the door strike and brought it back to flush. The dealer I bought it from (which I don't service it at) told me this is by design for aerodynamic purposes (no i didn't believe this) and cannot be adjusted, however could not answer why it was only on one side and not on any other truck on their lot. I haven't really had time to deal with it, but am hoping that this is something that can be adjusted and is not symptomatic of another larger issue. Just wanted to get everybody's opinion before I take it in or start calling FCA. Thoughts?

 

[RAMRhode]

My rear driver door had same issue. 20 minute fix.

 

[fotomatt1]

My rear driver door had same issue. 20 minute fix.

Do you know what they did to fix? My selling dealer told me it would have to go to the body shop and might need paint, etc if I really wanted it fixed, but my gut tells me it's just like most other vehicles where hinges and door strikes have some adjustability.

 

[RAMRhode]

Do you know what they did to fix? My selling dealer told me it would have to go to the body shop and might need paint, etc if I really wanted it fixed, but my gut tells me it's just like most other vehicles where hinges and door strikes have some adjustability.

I am sorry. I do not know. I seem to recall reading something on techauthority.com. They probably opened up the holes used to attach the striker plate and shifted it forward a bit. Definitely not a body shop repair though.

 

[brewdad]

Our dealership would sublet the body panel and glass adjustments to the local body shop; those folks are the pros and always did good work; FCA will pay the dealership for cost of the sublet repair plus 0.3 of an hour labor for the dealer's time; it is always best to buy your vehicle from the dealer where you will have it serviced even if you have to pay more there because you will be treated better.

 

[fotomatt1]

Our dealership would sublet the body panel and glass adjustments to the local body shop; those folks are the pros and always did good work; FCA will pay the dealership for cost of the sublet repair plus 0.3 of an hour labor for the dealer's time; it is always best to buy your vehicle from the dealer where you will have it serviced even if you have to pay more there because you will be treated better.

I actually get better treatment where I have it serviced than where I bought it. My truck had issues an hour after I picked it up and got no better treatment when I brought it back to them than someone with a 1998 Neon that needed wiper blades. It’s the 2nd FCA vehicle I bought...the first was a Grand Cherokee in 2012 when I lived 100 miles from where I am now. Similar bad experience with issues with a new vehicle and no sense of urgency to rectify.


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[RamCares]

I picked my 2019 Laramie up in December. It was sold to me as a demo with 1600 miles on it. It had a couple of oddball options which is what I think kept it on their lot for a while, but it was built at the end of May. It has to go in for it's open safety recalls and a few other things like the steering wheel being turned about 10º to the right which is annoying. Another thing I noticed after I took delivery was the fact that the passenger side doors don't close 100% flush, especially the rear door towards the bottom. I remember this being an issue on my wife's Mercedes GLE. The dealer adjusted the door strike and brought it back to flush. The dealer I bought it from (which I don't service it at) told me this is by design for aerodynamic purposes (no i didn't believe this) and cannot be adjusted, however could not answer why it was only on one side and not on any other truck on their lot. I haven't really had time to deal with it, but am hoping that this is something that can be adjusted and is not symptomatic of another larger issue. Just wanted to get everybody's opinion before I take it in or start calling FCA. Thoughts?

Hi fotomatt1,
We are sorry to hear that you have experienced this. Please send us a private message and we will gladly look into this for you!
Alex
Ram Social Care Specialist

 

[riccnick]

it is always best to buy your vehicle from the dealer where you will have it serviced even if you have to pay more there because you will be treated better.

Absolutely not true. In fact, something we used to do when I worked at a motorcycle dealership years ago, was to bring potential clients who were going to purchase something through the service department and introduce them to a few people and let them see how we operated. Customer's who put two and two together, usually bought from us for a few $$ more than the other dealer up the road, who was notoriously terrible in service, but always could beat our sales prices by a few hundred bucks.

It's always a good idea to ask for a tour / just take a walk through the service department of the dealership closest to you before you pull the trigger based on price.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Absolutely not true. In fact, something we used to do when I worked at a motorcycle dealership years ago, was to bring potential clients who were going to purchase something through the service department and introduce them to a few people and let them see how we operated. Customer's who put two and two together, usually bought from us for a few $$ more than the other dealer up the road, who was notoriously terrible in service, but always could beat our sales prices by a few hundred bucks.

It's always a good idea to ask for a tour / just take a walk through the service department of the dealership closest to you before you pull the trigger based on price.

What you say is true. But regardless of how good a service dept is if you didn't buy there you stand a chance of getting bumped in terms of priority for a customer that actually bought there when service is busy/backed up. I think that's what brewdad was getting at.

 

[riccnick]

What you say is true. But regardless of how good a service dept is if you didn't buy there you stand a chance of getting bumped in terms of priority for a customer that actually bought there when service is busy/backed up. I think that's what brewdad was getting at.

The service dept absolutely has no way of knowing where you bought your vehicle unless they specifically look up your VIN to see if it shows anything related to a sale in their records. Generally when booking an apt there's no need to dig into the history unless specifically asked to or it relates to your service request. 9.9/10 there'd be no reason at all. There's no "bought here / not bought here" toggle, switch, icon, flashing neon light, etc, etc. I don't think they actively prioritize and if they did, I'm very confident it could be illegal.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

The service dept absolutely has no way of knowing where you bought your vehicle unless they specifically look up your VIN to see if it shows anything related to a sale in their records. Generally when booking an apt there's no need to dig into the history unless specifically asked to or it relates to your service request. 9.9/10 there'd be no reason at all. There's no "bought here / not bought here" toggle, switch, icon, flashing neon light, etc, etc. I don't think they actively prioritize and if they did, I'm very confident it could be illegal.

The internal dealership computer system easily indicates if the truck was bought there or not. It'll list the sales date and probably the salesman. And yes dealers will let their customers take priority. Nothing illegal about it.

I was the GSM of a Lincoln/Mercury dealer, worked in sales and service working my way up the ladder.

 

[brewdad]

The internal dealership computer system easily indicates if the truck was bought there or not. It'll list the sales date and probably the salesman. And yes dealers will let their customers take priority. Nothing illegal about it.

I was the GSM of a Lincoln/Mercury dealer, worked in sales and service working my way up the ladder.

You are correct sir---after my Army retirement in 1992, I worked at a CDJR dealership as service advisor then warranty administrator for 18 years; I don't know if the law has changed since I retired a second time in 2011, but my service manager had told us that warranty repairs could be performed by any dealerships but unless you had sold that vehicle, you were not required by law to perform warranty repairs; we did warranty work for everyone, but some dealers would not if their work was backed up.

 

[Hunts99]

I had mine in for the rear drivers door (had oil change, recall performed, and passenger door wire harness replaced) for the same alignment issue. They took it to a body shop and aligned it the best they could (its about 98% better) and I am happy with it.
It should be covered under warranty so nothing to worry about.

 

[EddieB]

I had the same issue. Both sides were not flush. They turned some painted nuts/bolts at the hinge assembly which cracked the paint. No touch ups were done. Ultimately, its fixable but will not be perfect. I cannot understand why these auto maker cannot get this right. Same thing on Dodge Chargers, Challengers, Cherokee, etc.....

 

[Barney556180]

The dealer I bought it from (which I don't service it at) told me this is by design for aerodynamic purposes (no i didn't believe this) and cannot be adjusted, however could not answer why it was only on one side and not on any other truck on their lot. Thoughts?

Yea, my thought is .
Is this a legitimate RAM dealer?

 

[Dusty1948]

I picked my 2019 Laramie up in December. It was sold to me as a demo with 1600 miles on it. It had a couple of oddball options which is what I think kept it on their lot for a while, but it was built at the end of May. It has to go in for it's open safety recalls and a few other things like the steering wheel being turned about 10º to the right which is annoying. Another thing I noticed after I took delivery was the fact that the passenger side doors don't close 100% flush, especially the rear door towards the bottom. I remember this being an issue on my wife's Mercedes GLE. The dealer adjusted the door strike and brought it back to flush. The dealer I bought it from (which I don't service it at) told me this is by design for aerodynamic purposes (no i didn't believe this) and cannot be adjusted, however could not answer why it was only on one side and not on any other truck on their lot. I haven't really had time to deal with it, but am hoping that this is something that can be adjusted and is not symptomatic of another larger issue. Just wanted to get everybody's opinion before I take it in or start calling FCA. Thoughts?

First, yes, the door panel alignment can be adjusted.

Second. The doors should NOT be flush to each other. There is a specification that sets the leading edge of the rear door about 1.0mm inwards towards the center of the vehicle from the trailing edge of the front door. (There are other specifications to match the doors to the rest of the body, but it varies from model-to-model.)

This is to prevent sand and grit from abrading the paint off the leading edge of the rear door. This is an extremely old industry standard. In fact, flush door-to-door usually increases interior noise level from increased air turbulence.

Best regards,
Dusty

2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Now at: 010977 miles.

 

[fotomatt1]

First, yes, the door panel alignment can be adjusted.

Second. The doors should NOT be flush to each other. There is a specification that sets the leading edge of the rear door about 1.0mm inwards towards the center of the vehicle from the trailing edge of the front door. (There are other specifications to match the doors to the rest of the body, but it varies from model-to-model.)

This is to prevent sand and grit from abrading the paint off the leading edge of the rear door. This is an extremely old industry standard. In fact, flush door-to-door usually increases interior noise level from increased air turbulence.

Best regards,
Dusty

2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Now at: 010977 miles.

It’s the bottom corner of the right rear door that’s 3-4mm out from the back of the cab.


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[moosem]

I consider this to be excessive...and it’s only the passenger rear door that is like this.

 

[fotomatt1]

I consider this to be excessive...
View attachment 19580 View attachment 19581

Mine is kind of like that.


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[AndreiV]

I consider this to be excessive...and it’s only the passenger rear door that is like this.
View attachment 19580 View attachment 19581

I have same exact rear passenger door