Body Panel Gap and Alignment Issues

[PureAmps]

I don't care much about the side ones that flare out a bit, but the hood ones are super obvious on my white. I'm told that I have the some of the best gaps they have seen though and that only future cars might have smaller ones at some point, but it is not something they will fix on current cars as it has to do with the hood and body production process which will see improvements eventually.

I'll live. I am getting uses to them. At least they are even.

I will ask them about the gaps around the hood when I go in for service in a couple of weeks. I agree, I don't think there is much that can be done. For me at least, if I cover the top of the headlamps with black tape, at least the shadow line created by the gap will extend the entire length of the panel, and it doesn't jump out at me when I walk past. I just looked at my other cars and noticed that there is either some panel overlap or black masking (plastic/rubber/etc.) over the headlamp assembly so that the visual line of the gap is preserved. I think the headlamp peaking through is really what is bothering me about the gap.

Tesla does seem to have done a good job on the seals for the frunk, so even with the gaps I don't think there is much risk of water intrusion in the frunk.

 

[eelton]

The most obvious gap on my car is between the hood and the front fenders. The gap is about 1/4" wide on both sides. It is substantially larger than any car I currently own including a 10-year old Acura MDX and my wife's 2010 Lexus IS 250.

The fact that it's on both sides means the hood is just too small for the opening, right? It can't just be an issue of alignment. So every car has this problem, and there's no way to fix it without Tesla changing the design of the hood.

 

[MikeK]

I have a grey and the gap bu the mirror seems perfect.

If mine fit like yours does, I'd be delighted.

 

[rcc]

I took a look around in parking lots and my wife's BMW X1. The hoods in general seem to have a wider gap than the rest of the panels. Not sure why but maybe it's because they need a little more gap to make sure that the hood doesn't hit the other panels when it closes forcefully? Who knows. And maybe the smaller hoods can get away with smaller gaps?

What I did notice though was that on my wife's X1, BMW got around this issue by putting another small panel between the "BMW kidneys intakes" and the hood so the gaps around the intakes were the same width. In my old e46 330i, they got around the issue by extending the hood to include the kidney intakes. But if you look at pictures of e46 330i's you can tell that the hood gaps are wider than the rest of the body gaps. You just don't notice it as much unless you look for it. And I don't think either of those tricks would look good on the Model S.

Bottom line, the gaps aren't perfect or absolutely uniform. But they don't seem to be perfect or uniform on the other cars I've owned which haven't been cheap either.

P.S. -- The one change I'd like is to get a uniform width gap around the Tesla oval. But I don't see how that can be done without wrecking the overall look or making the hood gap smaller than it should be with so I'm ok with it as it is. In general, I'm very happy with the fit and finish of the car. It more than measures up to the previous BMW's and Volvo's we've owned.

 

[tdiggity]

Do sigs have this issue too?

 

[olanmills]

So how picky are people about this? I noticed on mine that the alignment looks and feels perfect on one side of the hood, but not the other, and the same goes for the trunk. However, I don't really think it's noticeable without inspection.

 

[rogbmw]

The black tape idea is one that has/is being used by other high end companies. I have a BMW with a small black piece of tape on it on both ends of the hood to do just what is illustrated in the bottom picture above. When our white S arrives, I may put the tape on this area as you did if I notice the gap.

 

[rick325]

So how picky are people about this? I noticed on mine that the alignment looks and feels perfect on one side of the hood, but not the other, and the same goes for the trunk. However, I don't really think it's noticeable without inspection.

It's going to drive me nuts (OCD). I'd be curious to know what Tesla says after someone talks to them about their MS.

 

[bonnie]

I'd be curious to know what Tesla says after someone talks to them about their MS.

A few months ago, I noticed that the passenger door on my Roadster was slightly off in alignment. I probably am the only one who would have noticed. When I was in Seattle at the Westlake service location, I asked them if they could fix that (clearly not a brand new car anymore). "No problem."

Not the S, but no reason to believe other Tesla owners won't have the same experience.

 

[White]

The gap between the headlight and the bumper is super tight (light touching painted bumper) on the passenger side and on the drivers side it has a decent sized gap. Not the end of the world... but doesn't make me happy. Will address with service and see if it is fixable.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

I took a look around in parking lots and my wife's BMW X1. The hoods in general seem to have a wider gap than the rest of the panels. Not sure why but maybe it's because they need a little more gap to make sure that the hood doesn't hit the other panels when it closes forcefully? Who knows.

Metal expands as it heats up. The ICE under the hood of your wife's X1 and all those cars in parking lots put out a lot of heat. Check the gaps on a hot day with a hot engine and you'll see they will have gotten considerably smaller.

 

[mknox]

Metal expands as it heats up. The ICE under the hood of your wife's X1 and all those cars in parking lots put out a lot of heat. Check the gaps on a hot day with a hot engine and you'll see they will have gotten considerably smaller.

The biggest factor in my ICE's hood heating up is exposure to the sun. My car is black, and on a sunny day you could fry an egg on the hood (or roof, or trunk). The hood never gets close to this hot from engine heat (for example at night or a cloudy day).

 

[Hank42]

So, has anyone had Tesla remediate the issue? Is there a TSB for fixing this? It seems that at least some of the fender gaps appear common to one side of the vehicle - same goes for the passenger rear door being too "snug".

 

[eelton]

I also posted this picture in another thread in the production and delivery section, but this thread is more pertinent. Here's my most notable body panel fit issue (the front right edge of the hood, adjacent to the passenger side headlight):

 

[lolachampcar]

Mine was perfect when I picked it up and now has done the exact same thing. The left leading edge has sunk just a bit. If you go further out past the head lights, both right and left are flush with the front fenders. This is where the landing rubber bits are which would make sense. Service knows about it, says it is simple to adjust out and not an immediate concern. I'll get it fixed on its first service visit.

 

[markb1]

My chrome window sills do not line up, especially on the passenger side. Any else have this problem? Pic:

Also, not a body panel issue, but how is the edge of the headliner fabric where it meets the front windshield on other people's cars? Mine is just a cut, exposed edge. It looks like it will get frayed over time. It's cut too short to be tucked in. Here's a picture, but it's hard to see (sorry):

 

[AnOutsider]

I have similar mark, but on the drivers side. Not sure if its the cold, but its gotten worse. Twice I've thought my door was open

 

[ken830]

I have similar misalignment of the chrome window sill piece on my driver's side. The door panels look aligned so maybe it's just the chrome piece...

 

[Todd Burch]

My chrome is misaligned on both sides. My car is at the service center and I asked Tesla to see if they can improve it. My guess is no, but it's worth a try.

 

[markb1]

I looked closer at my car, and it's not just the chrome. The bottoms of the doors are also out of alignment by about the same amount as the chrome. Todd, let us know know if they manage to correct it.