fdesalvo

Have you guys noticed how huge the hood/fender gaps are on these cars? Has anyone been able to adjust this out?

Ltngdrvr

Huge? Not on my car.

SoFlaBoss

All the fender/panel gaps on our 2011 and 2013 are fine, if not perfect.

Bucko

How about some pictures of your Mustang's gaps?

fdesalvo

Bah, maybe it's not that bad..just a bit much compared to other cars I've owned, where the space was tighter. The only spot that I really notice is at the very front edge, where you can see the headlamp assembly lenses through the gap.

kylerohde

Regardless, it's not something that can be fixed. If it bugs you, you shouldn't have bought the car.

PonyMuscletang13

If you noticed on the drivers side above the front tire where bumper meets panel, those lines are little off too. Its only on the left side I don't know why lol

fdesalvo

Eh? Well, thanks for pointing out my lack of pre-purchase perception. I'm fairly certain that no one would pass on this car after putting a micrometer to the body panels...people with 2010s and earlier have been able to adjust their fenders to dial out some of this perceived gap, but if what I'm seeing is normal, then this is something I can live with. I'd rather have the piece of mind that the hood won't contact the fenders when I'm opening and closing it.

Next time I buy a car, I'll make sure to summon you to assist me with the walk-around and you can tickle my ears with your insight. This way I'll have the benefit of your keen awareness before I sign away the lives and welfare of my unborn progeny - sure could've used you 6 months ago! Hell, I'm about to move into a new lease on a condo, so if you don't mind flying out to CA, I could use those razor sharp senses of yours for the walk through.

Later, maybe you can dazzle me with some of the other useful advice you've dispensed to others in times of yore, as we eat burgers and you criticize my In-n-Out purchase after suffering through my complaints about the undercooked onions.

Thanks!

Man, I shouldn't have read that!

wanted33

I see what you mean on my '13. It seems to be the nature of the beast as my hood is lined up nicely.

HoosierDaddy

You should see the fender to door gaps on my '97 F-body. I could stick my little finger thru it the day I bought it and it was one of the better ones.

Reminds me of the story making the rounds in the 70's (I think). GM heard that the gaps in Mercedes cars were so tight, a cat locked inside with the windows up would suffocate overnight. So GM did that test on one of their finest and found the next morning that the cat had got out thru the gaps and was nowhere to be found.

texasgtguy

I have not noticed anything on my 13. can you post a pic of what you are talking about on your ride?

Ltngdrvr

Don't know about it not being able to be fixed, most anything can be fixed given the right amount of effort.

97GT03SVT

This is interesting and reminds me of the build quality differences between my two SN95s. I wonder if this is common for a refresh. Though my cars are ancient compared to your 2014 I have noticed inside and out that my 1997 GT has superior build quality compared to my 2003 Cobra. This is inside and out, for some reason panel gaps seem worse on 1999-04 models compared to the 1994-98 models i have seen. Perhaps when cars have a minor refresh they don't put the attention to detail like they do when it is an all new car?

kylerohde

Points for the well-worded retort and fantastic sarcasm, though again, panel gaps are fixable with a lot of money but that's a pretty basic thing you'd typically notice when looking at a car at the dealer, versus one of those little things that you can't realize until you've owned a car. Or, to use your condo analogy since I just bought a house myself, I know what the siding on my house looks like and am not going to suddenly wonder why it looks like it does now that I've moved in. But maybe that's just me.

Manbo

Yeah, it's gonna happen, not everything is perfect.
My car's rear end has shifted 2mm so now there's a noticeable gap where the bumper meets the side, aside from wax getting in there and needing to use a cue-tip, it's NBD. Most likely cause by vibrations from my exhaust.
I'll look to tighten it if it gets any bigger.

Long story short, it's gonna happen. Fix what you can and make it go faster. No one's gonna notice fender gaps when you're passing them.

FromZto5

Amen to that.

Fwiw, my wife's Prius has right gaps lol