Question Panel Misalignment, normal on C7/C8's?
- Thread starter nKuch
- Start date
- Mar 13, 2016
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Over the years Corvettes I've seen have always been very well lined up between panels. Now Tesla's, that's another story...
Really? The Tesla model S was one of the best fitted cars I have ever owned.
- Mar 13, 2016
- 33
- 28
You must've been a lucky one as they can be pretty crazy, although the last year they've gotten better with their fit and finish. I still see them totally off with lots of nibs in the paint here and there though.
I couldn't find a thing wrong with mine to be honest and I am very picky when it comes to dropping six figures on a car. Also found their customer service is second to none.
If I may chime in here...
I cannot speak on the overall quality of the C8 as I haven't seen many in person (in fact, I've only taken a close look at one - and washed it, pics can be seen in another thread I posted), but I have come across hundreds of C7's over the past couple of years:
Few were "perfect". Most were pretty good. A few had small body panel alignment issues.
As has been said previously in this thread: This is a mass-produced car. For something they build thousands of in a year, I'd say the quality has, overall, been pretty darn good and consistent. We have had a few come through our showroom where the hood was very obviously misaligned, but it still opened and closed without any issues, and we've had bumper edges that weren't flush with fender panels.
I used to think that it was "lower price, lower quality" like if you bought a Porsche 911 for $200,000, the quality would be better - until I had a nice chat with a veteran Porsche mechanic. He told me quality is pretty much the same, including panel alignment.
Can the alignment be fixed? Yeah, of course, it can. Is it a pain? I won't say it isn't. Is it covered by a warranty? Well, that'll depend on how good a mood the service manager is in and how nice you are when you bring up the problem (jokes).
The only company I can think off the top of my head where 100% perfect alignment is 100% mandatory before the car leaves the factory is Ferarri. They actually have an automated robotic/laser measuring tool/room as a part of the assembly line that measures panel alignment down to the thousandths of an inch. There's a reason why they fall into the category of "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" and the Corvette starts at the price as an ordinary luxury sedan.
It's unfortunate that you happened to get one where the alignment was particularly bad. Bring it back to your dealership and ask if it can be corrected in their body shop - or discuss the option of having it corrected at a body shop that has experience with exotics/sports cars.
I cannot speak on the overall quality of the C8 as I haven't seen many in person (in fact, I've only taken a close look at one - and washed it, pics can be seen in another thread I posted), but I have come across hundreds of C7's over the past couple of years:
Few were "perfect". Most were pretty good. A few had small body panel alignment issues.
As has been said previously in this thread: This is a mass-produced car. For something they build thousands of in a year, I'd say the quality has, overall, been pretty darn good and consistent. We have had a few come through our showroom where the hood was very obviously misaligned, but it still opened and closed without any issues, and we've had bumper edges that weren't flush with fender panels.
I used to think that it was "lower price, lower quality" like if you bought a Porsche 911 for $200,000, the quality would be better - until I had a nice chat with a veteran Porsche mechanic. He told me quality is pretty much the same, including panel alignment.
Can the alignment be fixed? Yeah, of course, it can. Is it a pain? I won't say it isn't. Is it covered by a warranty? Well, that'll depend on how good a mood the service manager is in and how nice you are when you bring up the problem (jokes).
The only company I can think off the top of my head where 100% perfect alignment is 100% mandatory before the car leaves the factory is Ferarri. They actually have an automated robotic/laser measuring tool/room as a part of the assembly line that measures panel alignment down to the thousandths of an inch. There's a reason why they fall into the category of "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" and the Corvette starts at the price as an ordinary luxury sedan.
It's unfortunate that you happened to get one where the alignment was particularly bad. Bring it back to your dealership and ask if it can be corrected in their body shop - or discuss the option of having it corrected at a body shop that has experience with exotics/sports cars.
I would assume all mass produced and stamped body panels are perfect to start with. Its up to the workers to align them properly. I guess when things are moving down the line at a certain speed there is limited amount of time for the worker ahead of the next worker to get his job done. Reputation depends solely on quality. If companies let quality slide and people still buy their product why would they bother improving. I worked in production for 35 years and know all to well how the quality slowly went downhill and still we couldn't keep up with demand. The old saying you get what you pay for doesn't apply any more. Except maybe Ferrari.LOL.
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Power User
- Jan 23, 2020
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I was told many years ago by my uncle who owned a body shop and was a "car nut", that as years go by and an assembly line vehicle continues to be produced unchanged, the body parts for that vehicle start to fit a little less precise, when the molds or mold inserts used to manufacture those parts wear from continual production. The advantage to buying a new design, is that everything is machined "perfectly" (very low tolerances) and should fit well when assembled properly. So with this being a new model year, the C8 should have a really good "fit" to all its body components and that makes it more likely that human error is responsible for misaligned body panels. All this assumes everything was engineered properly to begin with, which is likely, although small details or design flaws can be missed then show up when more vehicles are made and out getting "real world use", such as the C8 door bolt that was too long and caused paint chips (we're told that's now corrected).
Perhaps this information is really dated and better modern manufacturing techniques have eliminated the "wearing over time" issues of the original molds or mold inserts. We'd need an expert in this area to comment.
Perhaps this information is really dated and better modern manufacturing techniques have eliminated the "wearing over time" issues of the original molds or mold inserts. We'd need an expert in this area to comment.
- Dec 31, 2019
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Interesting perspective
- Mar 4, 2020
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If anyone is curious one of the guys from the mid engine corvette forum posted his museum book on youtube with commentary. It shows a rough process of the build.
- Jun 4, 2017
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See, what I don't quite understand is that there really shouldn't be a difference in process between Ferrari and GM in terms of general panel fitment. With the amount of automation and micrometer measuring technologies, it shouldn't be that difficult to generate products that are accurate down to 1/8". I mean, I've worked with a handheld differential GPS that could measure it's location to within centimeters on the entire earth! Scanning and measuring panel gaps of 1/8" should be cake.
I understand the points about hand-crafted models and price, I get the idea about cheaper mass production, but I guess I find it just a bit of an excuse. The Japanese invented modern auto manufacturing because they couldn't afford to get things wrong. They had to use every ounce of metal and find every efficiency coming out of WW2 to be competitive. If you figure out that the body or fitment molds wear out over time, then figure out when they wear out and replace them before that as part of preventative maintenance. That's basic quality assurance. Maybe they already priced that option out and said it wasn't worth it, but if they get a reputation of being the cheaply built sports car rather than the cost efficient sports car, then they have an issue.
If I were GM, I would see panel misalignments as a lost opportunity to impress a buyer. Maybe the Corvette doesn't have much competition in it's zone as it does now, but you can bet if it remains profitable, it will. We've seen that happen already with sedans and SUV's. Don't get me wrong, I loved my C7 and never had a complaint, but it was a close thing between it and a Cayman S.
I understand the points about hand-crafted models and price, I get the idea about cheaper mass production, but I guess I find it just a bit of an excuse. The Japanese invented modern auto manufacturing because they couldn't afford to get things wrong. They had to use every ounce of metal and find every efficiency coming out of WW2 to be competitive. If you figure out that the body or fitment molds wear out over time, then figure out when they wear out and replace them before that as part of preventative maintenance. That's basic quality assurance. Maybe they already priced that option out and said it wasn't worth it, but if they get a reputation of being the cheaply built sports car rather than the cost efficient sports car, then they have an issue.
If I were GM, I would see panel misalignments as a lost opportunity to impress a buyer. Maybe the Corvette doesn't have much competition in it's zone as it does now, but you can bet if it remains profitable, it will. We've seen that happen already with sedans and SUV's. Don't get me wrong, I loved my C7 and never had a complaint, but it was a close thing between it and a Cayman S.
My C8 only has the misaligned passenger side headlights like the one in the video (seems to be a common issue). The back trunk lid and the passenger side fender is aligned correctly. The Infotainment screen does not have the X mark on the back.
- Aug 10, 2019
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- Thread starter
- #33
Thanks for the reply, definitely some cool insights. Didn't know that about Ferrari but it makes sense seeing as how it costs x4.
- Aug 10, 2019
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- Thread starter
- #34
Oh wow, can you post a picture of the misalignment? I'd love to see if it's as bad as mine.
- Aug 10, 2019
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- Thread starter
- #36
Looks EXACTLY like my right headlight. Same person must have put our vehicle together LOL