Ever since my wife and I have owned our new JK, the driver's door has never closed properly. The door had to be slammed to get it to shut. It eventually caused the top front door gasket to spew some glue which stuck the gasket to the frame and tore the gasket off. I took it to the dealer who sent it to a nearby body shop (dealer does not do it's own body work). They worked on it but could not get it right and told me to wait till it warmed up and they would rework it after the gasket reseats in the warmer weather. I took it back to the dealer 2 months later with another problem, the top bow crossbar above the drivers head does not seat in the side frame and sticks up a couple inches. They worked on the top to no avail then sent the JK to the body shop again. They tried to fix it but could not. The door now sticks out at the bottom a quarter inch and it makes a hard metal sound when it shuts. They (as I) believe that the body itself is out of whack. It may be the reason the top bow does not reach the other side and pops up.

So what do I do? I've requested that the dealership contact the Jeep rep to take a look at it. I fear it may be more serious then first thought. I've put a 2.5" lift on it and 33" tires and wheels. I don't think they will play the "Your mods have caused the problems" card. At least I hope not as the problem existed before the kit was installed and they knew about it.

What do you all think? Tips?

 

I can't see how they'd link a lift and 33's to a door not fitting properly.

I do find it unlikely that the body itself is outta wack. It's more likely the door is fubar, or even more likely the hinges are not lined up properly or the holes for the hinges are off. That would cause the angle of the "closed" door to be wrong and could cause it to strike the body, or hit the latch at a wonky angle, making it hard to close and would account for the "thump" you're getting. Look around for ANY chipped paint or any deep groove/scratches on the latch assembly (on door, or on frame). Also, open the door and see if it hangs at an odd angle. Look at it closed too, it should have a nice even space around the seam with no particularly tight spots.

I used to build aluminum cabinets and had to adjust doors and hinges all the time. Although, they're a little simpler than a vehicle door. But those are all the things I normally looked for.

Hope maybe something in there can help you.

 

Can you try another dealer? This was a common problem on early JKs and sounded like most had success getting it fixed at the dealer. And don't let them tell you your suspension modifcations had anything to do with the door issues, especially since you already have a paper trail of them trying to fix it. You could always threaten a lemon law claim

 

Not to highjack at all, and not that I've had any issues at all so far, but know if this "lemon law" applies in Canada? And it's only for new vehicles right?

 

The body shop has adjusted many of the Jeeps the dealer has sent over, but has never seen one this far out of whack. They did not remove the hinges on the door itself as they did not want to get involved in repainting the door. They did say this maybe the way to fix this. As for the top, the dealer was not able to fix. The bow across the top just doesn't reach far enough on the other side to hook in. They have a "jeep" expert on staff and I know the guy. He is very knowledgeable and an enthusiast himself. He said all they could try was a new cross member. I have to believe these two things are related.

I could go to another dealer, but I want to get Jeep involved in this thing first and I think the dealer that sold it to me should have first crack at it.

Oh, by the way, the dealer has NOT said my mods could have caused it. I just made the comment that I hope they don't go down that path with me.