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Last year I went to a Mercedes dealer and a Hyundai dealer successively with my son-in-law. I was trained by my older brother to look at the gaps for uniformity and narrowness. I was surprised that the gaps were better on the Hyundai. They have better robots
The evenness of panel gaps seems like kind of a strange way to define the quality of a car, at least to me. If it was really horrible, I suppose that would bother me, but it's not something I obsess about if it's within the realm of "what's typical". Since I'm not "a waxer" type, I'd rather that the effort and money go into performance.
It's a key metric of panel construction quality and assembly. The C7 is worse than any of my C5s and C6s I've seen. The sharp lines and multi-faceted surfaces make it even more critical vs. a car with smooth curves. GM marketed the C7 has having tighter gaps than any prior Corvette and a "gap man" at the plant checking all of them. When I got my C7 the doors didn't line up at all, one of my quarter panels had a ripple in it, one stuck out from the rocker due to an overly-thick mold in one area, Fenders didn't line up with doors. They've fixed all this stuff over the run of the cars and the latest iteration of the panels are much better and the paint is better, but you go walk a lot and even new 2019s have no consistency.
I'm not a waxer either.... I wash my car a couple times a year, but I'm a detailed person, used to be an insurance adjuster, and my car is white, so shut lines (panel gaps) stick out. If the car was black or a darker color it doesn't become apparent, but on a white or yellow car it's big.
Here's the front door gap on my C7... no accidents, no nothing... just crappy assembly. Had to completely adjust the fenders and doors on both sides of the car. Fun part was the rear of the door lined up well to the rocker/quarter and top of the fender lined up with the door so I had to split the difference to get the door line to line up with the fender. Once you see that gaping cavern of a gap between the fender and the door you can't unsee it... you notice it every time you walk up to the car. There are more things on my car like targa panel alignment and bumper wasn't installed properly, but my point is the C7 generation is sloppy from what I've seen. I don't see these things on Porsches.
It's a key metric of panel construction quality and assembly. ...
… the front door gap on my C7... no accidents, no nothing... just crappy assembly.
Reminds me of the Airline that said, "Stains on the food tray reflect on the engine maintenance!"
Recall how much time was spent getting the door gaps perfect on my street rod! Scott who did the finally assembly, was meticulous. Since I was visting about every day as had just retired I saw him spend several days on the doors. In a few spots he used fiberglass to fill gaps before sanding to perfectly even gaps. After 19 years they are still perect.
PS: Note for young folks going into your own business, be sure to charge enough. Gibbon, at the time, had fixed prices for everything, including assembly options, all published in a catalog. Just checked the last catalog from ~2000. "Fit All Body Components" was only $695! Took Scott weeks! Scott fitting parts. Bottom pic just a few years ago.
Is the 2 golf bag space reguirement a deal breaker for you on the C8? For me it's not since I don't give a rats behind about golf.
Give me space for a couple of carry-ons, and I will be happy.
What say you?
Well... I DO "give a rats behind" about golf... BC... (before corvette) my 911s were always a problem with stowing golf clubs... NOT with C5!!!... A big reason golfing world loves Corvette.... and we could "care less" if you don't play golf!... So there!
It's a key metric of panel construction quality and assembly. The C7 is worse than any of my C5s and C6s I've seen. The sharp lines and multi-faceted surfaces make it even more critical vs. a car with smooth curves. GM marketed the C7 has having tighter gaps than any prior Corvette and a "gap man" at the plant checking all of them. When I got my C7 the doors didn't line up at all, one of my quarter panels had a ripple in it, one stuck out from the rocker due to an overly-thick mold in one area, Fenders didn't line up with doors. They've fixed all this stuff over the run of the cars and the latest iteration of the panels are much better and the paint is better, but you go walk a lot and even new 2019s have no consistency.
I'm not a waxer either.... I wash my car a couple times a year, but I'm a detailed person, used to be an insurance adjuster, and my car is white, so shut lines (panel gaps) stick out. If the car was black or a darker color it doesn't become apparent, but on a white or yellow car it's big.
Here's the front door gap on my C7... no accidents, no nothing... just crappy assembly. Had to completely adjust the fenders and doors on both sides of the car. Fun part was the rear of the door lined up well to the rocker/quarter and top of the fender lined up with the door so I had to split the difference to get the door line to line up with the fender. Once you see that gaping cavern of a gap between the fender and the door you can't unsee it... you notice it every time you walk up to the car. There are more things on my car like targa panel alignment and bumper wasn't installed properly, but my point is the C7 generation is sloppy from what I've seen. I don't see these things on Porsches.
The front gap is like that on all C7s so that the door can open otherwise you would have to have a complicated hinge to clear the front fender. The Porsche above doesn't have that huge ridge at the bottom that the Corvette does. I'm busy now solving this problem. I'm going to have a perfect gap because as the door opens, it moves back first, therefore the latch and door frame has to be angled to allow for this. Lambo and gull wing doors addressed this problem. Also, I'm using a Miata windshield and door and frame which is not cooperating. I'm performing some surgery.
It's not on "All C7s", just an unfortunate amount, and it's not by design. Gaps aren't supposed to double in size. I fixed it... I have a perfect gap now proving it's crappy assembly. The huge gap front of the fender is not there by design. Some early C7s had the door rub the fender so GM made the gap bigger and it looks like crap. Also, the C7 door has a hard edge with black open space behind it. The C5/6 had a little stepped lip on the door that sort of filled the gap.
It's not on "All C7s", just an unfortunate amount, and it's not by design. Gaps aren't supposed to double in size. I fixed it... I have a perfect gap now proving it's crappy assembly. The huge gap front of the fender is not there by design. Some early C7s had the door rub the fender so GM made the gap bigger and it looks like crap. Also, the C7 door has a hard edge with black open space behind it. The C5/6 had a little stepped lip on the door that sort of filled the gap.
Before...
After
OK, jack the car up and open the door. This and all these other God damned awful details made me decide to keep my C6Z with it's magic engine. Jack your car on the jacking points Check the paint chips after. All C7s are like this by design I fixed part of the car. I may rebody it one day.
I'm well aware of all the C7 fit/finish details you posted.... I have corrected all of them as well as possible. The doors aren't "all like mine were" though... yes they do have the "kick in" at the very bottom vs. the rocker which is for sound/wind noise, but that's not the gap I'm referenced... I was specifically showing the poor door to fender vertical gap.
Regardless... enough of a highjack... my point is that C7 fit/finish/consistency is truly poor compared to Porsche. I never thought that way about my C5s. C5s had slightly larger gaps than my C7, but the gaps were straight and uniform and never an issue. Now that I've adjusted basically every panel on my C7 I see why some folks really appreciate Porsche.
Last post on this matter... promise. The door and fender line are supposed to line up and be flush. Below that line the door is supposed to tuck in a little. Your picture illustrates perfectly a very common C7 door fit issue. Even if the gap is uniform and straight vertically, many times the doors are still too far in. The problem is that the door being "tucked in" vs. the rocker makes it hard to align it perfectly with the fender off the car. On a C5/6 you got the door bottom edge perfectly flush with the rocker and then fender had to line up. C7 is easier to mess up; clearly.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 02-22-2019 at 11:57 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
No C7 ever made has the panel gaps of the average Porsche. The 992 at our local show was impressive.
Lay off the Kool Aide. My C7 and every other I have looked at closely has "gaps" identical to those. "Gaps" my ***. I don't get you import humpers.
Look at that car, YUK! This revision is worse than the previous, even more smooth and boring.Looks like the automotive profile of a freshly expressed turd. Yeah, its looks are as stupid as the price. Forget about it.
Just checked the panel gaps and allignment on all my GM vehicles. Yep, pretty much like the 'Vette photos above. You would think someone with power at GM would be bothered by this but they're typical American executives who have no pride in their products. It's all about their salries and when they can maximize their pay in the short term by compromising the company's future they do it in a heartbeat.
Last edited by Zaro Tundov; 02-23-2019 at 10:37 AM.
Lay off the Kool Aide. My C7 and every other I have looked at closely has "gaps" identical to those. "Gaps" my ***. I don't get you import humpers.
Look at that car, YUK! This revision is worse than the previous, even more smooth and boring.Looks like the automotive profile of a freshly expressed turd. Yeah, its looks are as stupid as the price. Forget about it.
Perhaps, but it is an expressly well made turd.
There’s just no equal to a German build in fit or finish. I think they do the best silvers which ain’t easy given the metallic in the paint.
Last edited by Dominic Sorresso; 02-23-2019 at 10:36 AM.
Just checked the panel gaps and allignment on all my GM vehicles. Yep, pretty much like the 'Vette photos above. You would think someone with power at GM would be bothered by this but they're typical American executives who have no pride in their products. It's all about their salries and when they can maximize their pay in the short term by compromising the company's future they do it in a heartbeat.
Show me somebody’s comp plan, and I’ll show u their job description. Corporate Murica is run quarter to quarter. The Japanese and Germans run long term.
Our motto is “good enough”.
Perhaps, but it is an expressly well made turd.
There’s just no equal to a German build in fit or finish. I think they do the best silvers which ain’t easy given the metallic in the paint.
Only Porsche is a well built German car and only their sports cars to boot. Audi and BMW and Mercedes SUVs are the very worst you can purchase. Check out Mercedes, it is so far behind the rest of the industry in quality. Fit and finish is disgusting and you can't even buff out the orange peel because the clear coat is so thin. Park your Daimler next to a Lexus or a Hyundai and start crying. They ride like trucks and are at the bottom of customer satisfaction lists and have the lowest resale value of any cars.
They are not dependable and you dare not keep them beyond the guarantee period. Nobody, not even the dealer can fix their electronic problems.
No other car company can built such a quality plastic body parts like GM, not even Lexus. Carbon ACG unidirectional prepreg autoclave cured, high production panels are unheard of in the automotive industry. Corvette has nearly perfected the production of plastic components. You can't compare stamped out steel unibody constructions for fit and finish. The C8 is going to set a standard that the rest for construction and materials never before seen in the auto industry. Why don't you move back to your SH country?
Only Porsche is a well built German car and only their sports cars to boot. Audi and BMW and Mercedes SUVs are the very worst you can purchase. Check out Mercedes, it is so far behind the rest of the industry in quality. Fit and finish is disgusting and you can't even buff out the orange peel because the clear coat is so thin. Park your Daimler next to a Lexus or a Hyundai and start crying. They ride like trucks and are at the bottom of customer satisfaction lists and have the lowest resale value of any cars.
They are not dependable and you dare not keep them beyond the guarantee period. Nobody, not even the dealer can fix their electronic problems.
No other car company can built such a quality plastic body parts like GM, not even Lexus. Carbon ACG unidirectional prepreg autoclave cured, high production panels are unheard of in the automotive industry. Corvette has nearly perfected the production of plastic components. You can't compare stamped out steel unibody constructions for fit and finish. The C8 is going to set a standard that the rest for construction and materials never before seen in the auto industry. Why don't you move back to your SH country?
Do u practice diligently at being a “jag-off” or is it just hereditary?
Do u practice diligently at being a “jag-off” or is it just hereditary?
OMG, how dare anyone question the quality or reliability of German engineered vehicles. Roll with one for a few years out of the initial warranty and you will get a painful financial lesson on the meaning of "German Engineering".
You sound just like FOX and its stupid opinions. Many Corvette owners take extended road trips and appreciate a high performance vehicle. They must have reasonable luggage capacity similar to the C7 coupe..
OMG, how dare anyone question the quality or reliability of German engineered vehicles. Roll with one for a few years out of the initial warranty and you will get a painful financial lesson on the meaning of "German Engineering".
When I bought my house I was told it could fit about 3000 golf bags. Instant purchase. It’s such a good measurement!
Its almost as if how we measure homes has no relevance in how we measure cars. I mean, I don't know the weight of my home either, despite knowing it for all my cars.
Still trying to figure out how many bathrooms my car is, too. I mean there's an empty pop bottle in the passenger seat right now and a sunroof in the rain, is that like a 3/4 bath?
02-22-2019, 06:32 AM
Reminds me of the Airline that said, "Stains on the food tray reflect on the engine maintenance!"
