Door not sealing/sitting correctly?

[zakjames]

AU series 1 sedan

Hey all, for a while this has bugged me but going down the highway lately i've been getting increased wind noise coming from around my driver's door. Also when I give a little pull on the door (around the top) while driving the wind noise dies instantly. Today when it was raining I also noticed 1 or 2 droplets of water came down past the seal into the cabin from the top of the door. When the door is shut it looks like it sits out slightly from the rest of the body.

I've checked but can't tell the the door's striker or latch can be adjusted to hold it in closer.

Anyone seen or heard of this before? Can the door's striker/latch be adjusted or have the door seals,rubbers and moldings gone hard and causing it not to sit in the whole way.

Cheers.

[raised by monkeys]

sounds like one of the hinges is sagging. Take the door off and drop a couple of washers at the bottom of the lower hinge. Should lift the door a little.

[GasoLane]

Compare the gap around the door with the passenger side one first.

Then if the gap is only at the top....
From outside the car, and with the door closed of course, try pushing on (in) the top of the door. If there is too much movement the top of the door could be bent, I had this problem with an old Jag.

The way I fixed it was to place a block of soft wood between the door and the pillar about where the lock is. Then push gently at the top until all feels good.

(After I did this I was told that most panel beaters use this method as well )

Place a sheet of paper between the door frame and the body, if you can easily pull the paper out it needs more 'adjusting'.

I wouldn't play with the striker plate or the catch, once you move them they are a real bastard to get everything lined up so the door shuts properly.

[FreddyDUZ747]

Where the rubber seals sit take them off and tap the metal edging away from the car(use copper block,rag and hammer).This will allow the doors more crush on the seal once reinstalled if you get what I mean.Worked for me and on my VX.

[4ford]

In my experience with these sorts of problems, and I've had a few, do as "Gasolane" suggests, it's the way the professional shops do it!

Firstly, wind the window fully down!

Get a piece of 4 by 2 wood, wrap it in a rag, and position it vertically (so as not to be touching any external bodywork!), at the door lock area, and simply push from the outside, gently but firmly, repeatedly removing the wood and checking, until you get the required result.

If you go too far, the door will simply get harder to close properly, so simply stand on the outside of the open door, and with your hip against the outside, ease it out a little!

You don't want too much load on the door lock, so I suggest you open and close the LHS front door a couple of times to get a feel for the correct setting.

Good luck...

[mik]

if the door is slightly sitting out at the striker, i would be giving that a bit of an adjust, i put a texta outline around either strikers or hinges that need adjusting for a reference point, in this case loosening the fastener/s on the striker and moving it inwards in small increments, tightening the securing screws firmly after each movement, and checking the door alignment, you can run the hose over the seal area to see if it still leaks afterwards.

[XRGhia]

Easy fix, buy an X-series, then when you go back to your AU you won't think anything of the minor door sagging, haha...


Seriously though, what GassedupLane says will usually always work... Should only take a few minutes to do, and will fix most or all of the issue

[Jimmyd]

GasOLane is spot on - same way we did minor adjustments at pre-delivery and under warranty back when the AU was new

[zakjames]

Thanks everyone for the advice, will be doing tomorrow and reporting back how it went.

[david lee]

i am a panelbeater and mik and gasolane are both right .before bending the top of the door check the striker and make sure the front door sits flush with the back door the top of the door is obviously not sitting on the seal

[zakjames]

used the block of wood and gentle force method, worked an absolute charm, cheers guys.