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My z51 got spoiler installed last week and the rear bumper was removed. But when the shop call me and picked up the car I found that my rear bumper is not "Perfect"aligned anymore. I asked them installed twice and made things right, but the mechanic said there no adjustment can be done. What can I do now? I know the car is meant to be driven but I just want my aligned panels back. There wasn't a big gap before, every time I see it I feel really bad especially under the sun. My currently plan is taking it to another shop and of course pay another hundred bucks.. But before that I wonder if the gap is adjustable?
The first pic is mine before remove the rear bumper. The second is I found on the internet which has similar alignment as mine. The rest of them are current pics.
When I installed my spoiler, I had to pull off the rear bumper cover, and when I reinstalled it, to my great disappointment, there was a very obvious gap.
I had to remove the bumper cover again, adjust the two side retainers (one on each side -- see item #9 in the diagram below) and with a little trial and error was able to get the gap minimized to where it was before.
(That was my first time pulling off a C7 rear bumper cover, so I didn't think to watch that retainer position when I first reinstalled the bumper -- lesson learnt!)
Arrows point to the clips on the side retainer that actually align and engage the rear bumper cover. The whole retainer can be moved a small amount to change the alignment of the cover.
When I installed my spoiler, I had to pull off the rear bumper cover, and when I reinstalled it, there was a gap. I had to remove it again, adjust the two side retainers (one on each side, item #9 in the diagram below) and was able to get the gap minimized to where it was before.
Thank you so much sir. Do you happen to have picture of this gap of yours?
Thank you so much sir. Do you happen to have picture of this gap of yours?
Nothing that shows the bigger gap that I fixed. Best I can do with some before/after spoiler install pics, and they're not quite the same angle/lighting, so it is a little hard to see. However, you can see that the gap is similar before/after.
I had same issue and refused to take the car back until fixed properly. They sent it to their body shop and they got it correct. Most shop mechanics don't do very well with body panel alignment but a good body shop can fix it with no problem. Don't worry about it to much have a body shop align it and the fitment isn't very good at best from factory.
I had same issue and refused to take the car back until fixed properly. They sent it to their body shop and they got it correct. Most shop mechanics don't do very well with body panel alignment but a good body shop can fix it with no problem. Don't worry about it to much have a body shop align it and the fitment isn't very good at best from factory.
Im going to contact the owner of the shop and give him a second try. Just want to make sure, there shouldn't be a gap right?
[QUOTE=Kent1999;1597282189]Nothing that shows the bigger gap that I fixed. Best I can do with some before/after spoiler install pics, and they're not quite the same angle/lighting, so it is a little hard to see. However, you can see that the gap is similar before/after
The cause is probably that once the panel is removed from the clips, they do not hold as tightly as when first installed. You might make it worse by over adjusting the strip with the clips...You might try just reshaping the clips to fit tighter.
Reading this it seems pretty obvious that the original shop just didn't want to mess with it since it wasn't a quick and simple fix. You know where NOT to return to should the need arise. All the best.
Im going to contact the owner of the shop and give him a second try. Just want to make sure, there shouldn't be a gap right?
You can *minimize* the gap, but I don't know that it can be fully eliminated. I've seen a few variations on cars right from the factory. You're dealing with two dissimilar materials that are cast into 'mass production' parts.
However, you should be able to get it close to the original fit, if the shop wants to spend the time fussing with it, and you are willing to pay them for that time.
Take it to a different place that works on Corvettes and see if they can do a better job.
Look, it comes down to money, and time---and your time IS money even if you're retired. You can go back to the same place and hope they listen and do the good stuff.
Or, you can do the above, learn a lesson about the first place (and where not to go again), pay some more again to get the first shop's mistake fixed, and not have angst and worries over gaps, and scraping panels that will eventually (as someone/avanti said) rub the paint off two panel edges. You decide.
05-26-2018, 10:34 PM
Need help. This gap drives me CRAZY
