Expert: William Forster - 8/24/2008

Question
I have a fairly decent SUV that was previously stolen and had the doors removed and such. Its in great mechanic condition, and it was cheap, but things like the passenger door are a bit of a mystery.

It closes just fine, it looks okay although there is a tiny misalignment with the fender. The problem is that the "top" part of the door meaning the part where it makes contact with the roof and pillar, does not seal. Water gets in when I wash it, and a very annoying ammount of air rushes in through there.

Of course I know I should take it to the body shop, but I would like to know what i'm talking about before I go there. I'm hoping it just needs to be adjusted by I don't know...Its "off" by like half an inch I think compared to the driver side which does seal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer
The door has been caught by the wind and sprung a bit, or it needs pins and bushings. Pins and bushings are relatively cheap, but need professionally installed. If the door has been hyper extended- bentpushed farther open than what it was designed to be- that can be a fairly involved fix, requiring the removal of the door and beating the body and door hinge attaching areas back into position. The problem with this truck is it has welded hinges, and the only way to align them is to bend the door,body, and/or hinges. The only easy fix is to put a rubber mallet between the door and striker, leaving the door propped open, basically, and physically bending the upper door frame. Be sure the window is down, it takes a decent sized guy to accomplish this task. Check to see if the window still goes up and seats properly after each bend attempt- you can bend it too far, and the window won't close at the top. If this doesn't solve the problem, then it needs a more serious repair- The sort that only a pro can accomplish. Bill