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Door rubbing on front fender

Old 08-11-2006, 06:40 PM
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Door rubbing on front fender

Just noticed it today that the passenger door is rubbing against the front fender when you open it. I can push on the door near the hinge and the outside of the door moves in about 1/2 inch and then open the door and it clears the fender. I know something is loose or broken just not sure what it is and was curious if anyone had aby ideas.
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Old 08-12-2006, 11:18 AM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

I had that once. But the car was taken into a curb, so it was bent out of place. Took it to a body shop and $80 fixed it for me. I probably got ripped off and you may be able to do it yourself though. Sorry I'm no help.
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Old 08-12-2006, 01:00 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

My car had a similiar issue after taking a bump.

Open the hood and loosen all the screws on the fender, then get a friend to pull the fender forward with pliers, of course you'll want to have a towel around the fender or something. Then tighten the screws while he does that. Should give you the few millimeters of clearance you need to stop the rubbing.
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Old 08-12-2006, 01:25 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

Originally Posted by Good Ph.D
My car had a similiar issue after taking a bump.

Open the hood and loosen all the screws on the fender, then get a friend to pull the fender forward with pliers, of course you'll want to have a towel around the fender or something. Then tighten the screws while he does that. Should give you the few millimeters of clearance you need to stop the rubbing.
That works, or you could just replace the fender. Did this w/ my old V-6 and it worked like a charm. It kept getting bent out of shape in the intense summer heat.

Good luck. I know it can be frustrating.

-John
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Old 08-12-2006, 01:30 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

Yep, mine does the same thing (it was backed into) but only when it's really hot/muggy.
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Old 08-12-2006, 02:56 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

There are several adjustments that can be made to compensate for your door rubbing. First, though, you want to see what the problem is. If your door/fender gap is smaller at the bottom than it is at the top, it means your door is sagging. Obviously, if the door drops when you open it, it's sagging. I've heard that replacing the pins and bushings will take care of this. (I might be wrong with the terminology, someone more experienced may correct it)
If your gaps are the same up and down the door edge, but seem small, then pulling the fender forward may help. There are also two bolts that hold the fender underneath the car. If you loosen those, you could be able to pull the fender in or out as well as a little adjustment forward. If you're going to pull the fender forward, you'll need to loosen those anyway.
I've got the same problem on my 93, I'm going to do the pins and bushings at some point...but probably not any time soon. Hope this helps.
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Old 08-12-2006, 11:45 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

Originally Posted by IdahoLT1
Just noticed it today that the passenger door is rubbing against the front fender when you open it. I can push on the door near the hinge and the outside of the door moves in about 1/2 inch and then open the door and it clears the fender. I know something is loose or broken just not sure what it is and was curious if anyone had aby ideas.
If the door itself moves 1/2" then the outer skin is broken loose. This can happen if the door is sprung open by the wind catching it ect. The outer skin is bonded to the shell with an adhesive. The door will have to be removed, cleaned between the two panels and re bonded with the correct adhesive.
3M makes a great panel bonding adhesive for the SMC material that the door is made from. It will have to set over night before re installing the door.
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Old 08-14-2006, 12:14 AM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

If you find that it IS the fender that is too close, make sure you loosen the bolts underneath the car AND under the hood, but don't remove them. Just don't go adjusting the fender to compensate for not wanting to repair the door if the door is at fault though.
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Old 08-14-2006, 01:29 AM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

Originally Posted by SVTNTMR
If the door itself moves 1/2" then the outer skin is broken loose. This can happen if the door is sprung open by the wind catching it ect. The outer skin is bonded to the shell with an adhesive. The door will have to be removed, cleaned between the two panels and re bonded with the correct adhesive.
3M makes a great panel bonding adhesive for the SMC material that the door is made from. It will have to set over night before re installing the door.
When i look down the side of the car, from the front, the door sticks out. All the lines down the door are square so its not sagging. The fender is straight so i doubt its that. I can lightly pull on the door near the jam and it moves outward. i can see what looks like fiberglass but not sure if that a molding or a section between the outer door and the inside that they bonded it too. Sounds like a laborous task to fix. Is there any way to fix it without pulling everything apart?
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Old 08-14-2006, 09:10 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

Originally Posted by IdahoLT1
When i look down the side of the car, from the front, the door sticks out. All the lines down the door are square so its not sagging. The fender is straight so i doubt its that. I can lightly pull on the door near the jam and it moves outward. i can see what looks like fiberglass but not sure if that a molding or a section between the outer door and the inside that they bonded it too. Sounds like a laborous task to fix. Is there any way to fix it without pulling everything apart?
Its really not bad at all but I do this for a living, I would take it to a local body shop and see what they say about it. If you dont feel comfortable taking the door off then I would let someone else do it. You could do it on the car especially if the panel is not sepperated in the upright hinge erea where its hard to get to with the glue. Just be sure to clean between the panels good with some 120 or 80 grit sand paper before bonding them back together. Also, dont apply to mutch pressure with clamps ect. while the adhesive sets up or you will have a wavy door edge after its cured.
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Old 08-15-2006, 01:54 PM
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Re: Door rubbing on front fender

This probably will not help much but it worked for me: I had the same problem only in the winter time though so I took the car down to the local bodyshop and he fixed it.
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