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Automobiles: Door Alignment

Doors should have even spacing all around. Over time, even the sturdiest car doors sag on their hinges, and you will see the door gap become uneven. The 2-door models are expecially vulnerable because they have longer, heavier doors.

Before attempting to adjust a door, closely inspect the hinges for wear by lifting the end of the door up and down. If there is excessive play, one or both hinges will have to be replaced. If there is any rust damage in the car, the play might be where the door pillar has rusted out, requiring more work than just hinge replacement.

To adjust the door up or down, first loosen the hinge-to-body bolts. Then have an assistant hold the door in the correct (adjusted) position and re-tighten the bolts. After the up-and-down adjustment is completed, you can do an in-and-out adjustments to ensure the door lies flush with the car's body, by loosening the hinge- to- door bolts and sliding the door in or out appropriately.

Lastly, you can adjust the door latch striker by loosening it just enough so that closing the door will cause it to move to the proper position, then unlatch the door and retighten the striker.