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Measuring the panel gaps upon delivery
- Thread starter holeydonut
- Start date
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
I agree with that, that looks well in spec for most manufacturers, and the only fix is shimming (which may not be a factory approved fix, although a body shop might do it anyways).
lUtriaNt
Member
we all spend waaaaaaay too much time on this issue. OP how does it look to your eye? if you dont like it don't accept it. everyone here is armchair quarterbacking and none of us have a vested interest in the car since we ain't drivin' it, so people just drive by and give their opinion which may or may not be helpful.
that said, the car looks fine mate
that said, the car looks fine mate
heavyD
Member
That's surprisingly poor for a Toyota although they aren't as meticulous building cars as they used to be.
This is the a-pillar/fender alignment on my 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. I never noticed this until I picked up my 2022 M3P...
At least I was able to buy it for a few thousand off MSRP at the time.
Lol that's part of the charm for Tacos, FJ Cruisers, Jeep Wranglers. That gap you posted are definitely to spec hah.
I think Tesla's fit and finish are getting pretty good. Great to see their improvements over time, and they're addressing most issues as they're discovered.
electricar
Member
This is the a-pillar/fender alignment on my 2021 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road. I never noticed this until I picked up my 2022 M3P...
At least I was able to buy it for a few thousand off MSRP at the time.
That’s hilarious - you obviously forgot your calipers on delivery day and probably also forgot to post the whole thing online.
Yeah, and the trailer hitch on the Tacoma was also bolted on a bit crooked (I only noticed when my platform bike rack was mounted and one side appeared closer to the tailgate than the other). I'll probably try to unbolt/fix that myself at some point.
Even our (old) 2016 Acura RDX also had some trim alignment and panel issues (there were some weird creases on the sides of the roof near the tailgate), so it's probably more the norm with newer cars built these days.
The only issue I have with my 2022 M3P is that the rear doors aren't aligned the same on both sides of the car where they meet the lower rocker panel. It looks more like a poor stamping issue with the driver's side rear door, but I'm probably the only one that will notice it.
It's never too late to post it online...
After reading this thread yesterday I rode in a friend‘s 2022 Ford Explorer (a pretty high spec- not a cheap car). Noticed the entire dash assembly is not centered in the car. On the drivers side the end of the dash has a minimal hairline space separating it from the door panel when the door is closed, on the passenger side there is a 20mm gap between end of dash and door. I pointed it out and she just thought I was crazy to even notice or care about a detail like that
heavyD
Member
After reading this thread yesterday I rode in a friend‘s 2022 Ford Explorer (a pretty high spec- not a cheap car). Noticed the entire dash assembly is not centered in the car. On the drivers side the end of the dash has a minimal hairline space separating it from the door panel when the door is closed, on the passenger side there is a 20mm gap between end of dash and door. I pointed it out and she just thought I was crazy to even notice or care about a detail like that
Ford is the original inventor of the automotive panel gap. It's been going on with Mustangs forever (google mustang rear bumper sag) and the new Bronco is also horrendous.
I hope some of you folks don't use criteria like this for picking a spouse or partner. When you get bogged down in minutia, you often fail to see the overall quality of just about everything. I can go to the Sistine Chapel and pick out errors in Michelangelo's paintings, it doesn't mean I should.
It's your car to buy or not, I am not telling anyone what to do. I just think some of you may be missing out on enjoying a great car just because your fender is a MM to close to the door.
It's your car to buy or not, I am not telling anyone what to do. I just think some of you may be missing out on enjoying a great car just because your fender is a MM to close to the door.
Your analogy actually reinforces why it’s unfortunate many Tesla owners actually end up caring about panel gap.
If you visited the Sistine chapel to find dirty ceilings (edit the Sistine chapel doesn’t have stained glass), broken roof tiles, and it smelling like exploded skunk, you’d notice. The reason you can simply enjoy the Sistine chapel is because someone has curated the experience for you to enjoy.
Tesla is supposed to be caring about the panel gaps so you don’t have to. But they often are not… it’s up to each owner to do final QC to catch things. Good news is there are fewer things to catch lately.
So yeah, go enjoy your particular Tesla since it seems made well. And let the people who aren’t as lucky as you figure out how to get theirs to match yours.
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heavyD
Member
By that criteria if I'm paying $75k CDN for a spouse or partner you can damn well bet I'm going to ensure they are up to the standards I deem of a $75k spouse. If you have lower values that's fine but it's generally not okay to tell people they should just accept substandard quality when they are paying their own hard earned money on a product. There's pretty clear evidence that some shoddy vehicles come out of the Tesla facilities. Lots are great I'm sure but some aren't and that's the reality of buying a Tesla today.
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My car actually had a fitment issue that I didn't notice at first. Two pieces of trim were kissing because they were installed poorly, and the paint was rubbing off. I contacted Tesla and they repaired it.
If I simply didn't care, then I guess this $65,000 car would have pieces of trim scraping until the car was replaced. And no other user on TMC would care, because they didn't spend a penny to help buy this car.
The only person that should care is the owner of the specific vehicle being assessed. If the owner thinks measurements help to get Tesla out to fix something, then the owner should take a measurement and ignore the stupid comments and snarky memes people online make. If the owner doesn't care, then they can move on with their life. Everyone except the person paying the money for a car is arm-chair quarterbacking.
I still do not understand why TMC allows those who do not care to brigade those who do care.
Buy what’s acceptable to you. Keep in mind nothing is perfect. Not a Honda nor a Toyota, let alone a Hyundai or Kia. It is just that you fail to notice the issues. Even in a Lexus or a Mercedes. BMW is expected to have issues otherwise it is not a genuine BMW.
So does anyone actually know what, according to Tesla, their "spec" is for various cars / panels?
The only thing that I find infuriating is when I pointed out a very uneven gap and unflushness, tesla saying "it's within spec", and when I ask "what is your spec", them responding with "we can't tell you that". If they want to hide behind the spec, they must reveal the spec, and even if I disagree with their tolerances, at least I can agree the gaps are or aren't compliant with their own claimed standards for the $90k car.
I don't take calipers to delivery but I will quickly check mine at home, using my inside/outside/depth caliper I have from woodworking:
Then, if there's something egregious (like 5mm difference between left/right or flushness), I'll ask Tesla to correct it because I would be afraid of wind noises.
The only thing that I find infuriating is when I pointed out a very uneven gap and unflushness, tesla saying "it's within spec", and when I ask "what is your spec", them responding with "we can't tell you that". If they want to hide behind the spec, they must reveal the spec, and even if I disagree with their tolerances, at least I can agree the gaps are or aren't compliant with their own claimed standards for the $90k car.
I don't take calipers to delivery but I will quickly check mine at home, using my inside/outside/depth caliper I have from woodworking:
Then, if there's something egregious (like 5mm difference between left/right or flushness), I'll ask Tesla to correct it because I would be afraid of wind noises.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Neither flushness, evenness, nor symmetry (differences between left and right) are "spec" problems. Most specs are not tasked with making sure OCD is addressed, just that all the panels (especially the moving ones) do not rub against each other even with thermal expansion and vibrations.
From the other thread, one SC says the Tesla's panel gap internal spec is 2-4mm, which matches most of the industry (some examples I found was 2.8-4.8mm). Note that it is completely acceptable in terms of "spec" for the gaps to be uneven or non-symmetrical, as long as the panels operate properly. This is true in other brands too (also true that they don't make the internal documents available to the public).
Model 3 Frunk Fit tolerance
That said, some SCs (presumably ones that are not too busy) will try their best to adjust the panels where possible just for customer satisfaction, even though technically they are already "in spec".
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