inswva Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 For those '13 owners who had misaligned hatch doors, did you experience any water intrusion prior to have the hatch re-aligned properly? Our hatch door is ever-so-slightly misaligned and I discovered some water in the hatch after a significant rain. However, one of my kids was the last one to access the cargo area and may not have closed the hatch securely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 The lift-gate on mine is also slightly misaligned; I think I'll ask the dealer to align it properly. I didn't see any water inside after a car wash, though. Have you already fixed yours? Was it easy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inswva Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 No, I haven't fixed mine yet. I'll probably hit up the dealer next week. I still haven't tested for water intrusion either. It's rained several times recently and I haven't noticed any water so I'm guessing the hatch wasn't closed all the way when water did collect in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Haven't noticed any water in mine either before or after the "fix". I'm not really satisfied with my re-alignment job the dealer did. Only because I have looked at other Escapes and the hatch is perfect. I'm thinking of taking it to this really, really good autobody shop near me to do the work on my own time and dime. I just don't trust the dealer to send it to "their" autobody shop. But I do agree with the dealer, an autobody shop is probably much more adept at fixing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 I'm not really satisfied with my re-alignment job the dealer did. Only because I have looked at other Escapes and the hatch is perfect. What's wrong with it? Are the left and right seams the same width now? On mine the left seam is 4 mm and the right one is 6 mm (~0.23"). No one really notices it but I think it's worth fixing just to increase resale value in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 No they are not. its a little better than when it came from the factory. Stopped by this really good body shop and he said to take it back to the dealer cause he was concerned that it looked like they adjusted it as much as they could and the only fix would be to get a whole new door. I'm really bummed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Got my Escape back tonight. The rear hatch looks just as bad as when I dropped it off. This was the second time to the dealer. I will post pics tomorrow or Sat for you folks to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 Are you kidding me? It might be time to try and get a Ford district rep involved. Believe me, the manufacturer does not want poor examples of their product in public for all to see...especially a new design that just launched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 (edited) Here are a series of pics. Hard to capture with a pic, but in a nut shell you will notice the right tail light. On top of the right side of the hatch being low, what makes is look bad(and hard to capture) is that the right side is a little bit sunken in and the left bottom is sticking out. Right side is a heavy 1/8" too low. The difference from side to side is hard to say, maybe like 3/16". Please give me your honest answer, am I being too picky? Edited October 26, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Honestly? I'm seeing similar, minor issues with ours. Granted, picture don't tell the whole story. See what you think. I know ours isn't perfect, but I am happy with how it is. And my wife calls me the Fussy %$#@er. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PajamaGuy Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 Escapism - If I was driving behind you, I don't think I'd notice. If I knew a great body shop and they could "adjust" it for less than $100, I'd reach for my wallet. If it produced serious wind noise, or leaked - I'd run it up Ford's chain... then BBB. If I were on a jury - deciding whether to award damages - I think I'd have a really hard time getting anyone who thinks it's ok to drive a dirty car, or who thinks it's ok to lean on a my car, or who allows drink boxes in the car, or who even knows how to drive-thru a Wendy's, or who... Anyhow, those folks are going to think you're in the 1% - and render a verdict of "Seriously!?" But if the jury was made up of PillBoys and PajamaGuys - you'd get a new car and $50,000 for pain & suffering! (If wasn't looking for it, I wouldn't notice...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 I'm kinda in PJ's camp too...and I hate camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 I agree too, it looks the same as mine and I would consider that my tailgate fits just fine. Most importantly, on mine, the gaps between the tailgate and body panels are all even. The tailgate rests at the most a 1/16th of an inch beyond the rear panels and in my opinion, this is most likely due to the placement of the fixed latching mechanism, which then causes the body lines to not match perfectly a fraction of a fraction of an inch. At least on mine, no one would ever notice if it wasn't pointed out to them. I'm as obsessive as anyone when it comes to fit and finish, but this is no big deal to me, but that doesn't mean you can't obsess over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 (edited) Thanks for all the input. And thanks for posting more pics pillboy. Yours looks pretty friggin good to me. I'm sure I will get over it. And besides, what are my choices at this point. PJ is right, most folks don't even notice or care. Its funny, one of the auto body shops I talked to said they get in the ferrari's and lamborghini's for tweaking all the time because they are hand made. And i also think transitman is right, the hatch might come down perfect but if the latch mechanism is off, its going to shove the door where it wants. Edited October 27, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 I've been through your pics multiple times. I would be happy with it as it sits now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boppergee Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Here are a series of pics. Hard to capture with a pic, but in a nut shell you will notice the right tail light. On top of the right side of the hatch being low, what makes is look bad(and hard to capture) is that the right side is a little bit sunken in and the left bottom is sticking out. Right side is a heavy 1/8" too low. The difference from side to side is hard to say, maybe like 3/16". Please give me your honest answer, am I being too picky? I think it's good as is.Mine looks the same as well.Measuring at the bottom of the taillight,the gab between the hatch and body-I have 2/16th on the left and 3/16th on the right.On the bottom left the hatch sucks in a bit and on the bottom right it sticks out abit.No one will notice these things but the people making the car payments.I'm happy with the adjustment the dealer did for me and happy with the car overall.It's up to you, but I vote let it go, it's fine the way it is. Agreed,its not perfect,but apparently none of ours are.Ofcourse, one could argue,that spending over 30k,the car should be perfect, but I dont think its worth the aggrevasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 spending over 30k,the car should be perfect, That kind of money nowadays just buys the "average" car. As hard as that is to accept for an old duffer like myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianx Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 This is what mine looks like, not sure how I did catch that at delivery. Going back to dealer this weekend. Any idea on what else I should do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
transitman Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 The two pics with your fingers (I hope they're yours) really shows the difference. You missed it at delivery, because like everyone, you were psyched to get your car and you were blind to any flaws. Take it back and let the service department look at it, with a gap that wide, what can they say... Now, get that Titanium washed before you go to the dealer, you wouldn't go to the doctor in dirty underwear would you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) That is what was wrong with mine at delivery.. Please look at my pics above, these are after the "fix". You can expect the same results. Please posts pics after you get it adjusted. Take the picture in daylight if you can with good lighting. Unless, of course, you are a vampire then get one of your human friends to take it. Ha, just kidding. Edited November 8, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianx Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Back from the dealer, dropped off the car at 11 and picked it up at 5pm. The hatch looks better now, while there is the feeling of something is still not right, but I can't quite put a finger on it. Now I need to find a human friend to take a picture of it in the sun. Escapism, since you are walking around and taking pictures, can you stop by the convension center and take a picture? :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Well, I do work right down the street at 6trh and Pennsylvania Ave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravozero Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 Came across this thread, now you guys got me worried. I just picked mine up on Black Friday and hadn't noticed the liftgate alignment issue until now... I do have to have them do a steering realignment, it's pulling to the right. Might see what they can do about the liftgate while it's there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 (edited) Yep, that's what mine looks like right now. Welcome to the club. If they fix it, please let us know so I can take mine to your dealer. Mine can't seem to fix it. I'm in Fairfax so hopefully you don't have the same dealer I have. Oh, just noticed your plate. Nope, not the same dealer. Edited November 27, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravozero Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 I looked at it a bit more today, the sun is glaring on the left side gap so it's deceiving. The gap space is close but still a bit noticeable. My main concern is that the liftgate isn't flush with the side panels. The left is almost flush, but the right side sits a little further in. Not a huge deal, but I'll ask about it tomorrow when I take it in for the steering alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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