Side Molding-Has this Happened to You?

[baj764]

Today was a hot one in DFW. It was close to 100 again... I had the body side molding on the drivers side rear door catch on the drivers door when I opened the rear door to let my 4 year old out at Target. It not only peeled back the chrome molding on the front edge of the rear door, it also scratched the paint on the rear edge of the front door. I looked at the other side and the clearance is very close on the other side too. I would assume that is may only be a matter of time for that side as well.

Has this happened to you? And it will be covered under warranty, right?

[ICEMAN247]

I had exactly the same scenario on my 'c'. I took it to the dealer, they took images and sent them to the 'district controler' who denied the claim. This despite there being a second 'c' in exactly the same condition in the day before. I was told I had to wait until the regional manager was there to examine it in person. I am still waiting a month later. What's really infuriating is the BS customer service and the extreme inconvenience. I finally stripped off the chrome molding as Others or myself kept forgeting to NOT open that door when the front one was not open [thus avoiding further scratches]

Not that you want to hear my sob story, but I recommend going in a little strong with the dealer to ensure they handle your car quicker than they have mine.

Tom

[300cp]

Came home one night and woke up the next morning and noticed the the chrome strip had caught the drivers door bent out and scraped the drivers door right above the trim edge.....i ordered the rear drivers side trim strip.....about 2 weeks ago and i am waiting for it to ship to my dealer for installation....

cp

[baj764]

Originally Posted by 300cp

Came home one night and woke up the next morning and noticed the the chrome strip had caught the drivers door bent out and scraped the drivers door right above the trim edge.....i ordered the rear drivers side trim strip.....about 2 weeks ago and i am waiting for it to ship to my dealer for installation....

cp

Are you having to pay for it? DCX should cover this under warranty as it is a design flaw and a manufacturers defect.

[Meister]

Originally Posted by baj764

Today was a hot one in DFW. It was close to 100 again... I had the body side molding on the drivers side rear door catch on the drivers door when I opened the rear door to let my 4 year old out at Target. It not only peeled back the chrome molding on the front edge of the rear door, it also scratched the paint on the rear edge of the front door. I looked at the other side and the clearance is very close on the other side too. I would assume that is may only be a matter of time for that side as well.

Has this happened to you? And it will be covered under warranty, right?

Your post piqued my interest on several counts, baj764, but especially your comment possibly implicating heat as a contributor to the door-trim interference problem. Highs in the teens are common here, and I've seen 130 on the patio thermometer several times this summer. So I immediately went to the garage and checked clearance on both sides and, thankfully, see no potential on my car for the described problem.

On my 300C, built 10/04, the leading edge of each rear door trim strip is set back a full quarter inch from the door edge, giving at least an eighth of an inch clearance from the trailing edge of the front door when the rear doors are each swung through their full arc. I can only guess that your, and others', rear trim strips were inadvertently mounted too far forward. How far back from the LE of the rear door is your trim strip, BTW?

Perhaps the simple comparison of where your trim strips are mounted vs. what you see on new cars on the dealer's showroom or lot would provide the basis for your point that mfr's defect is the problem, not user error.

[baj764]

Originally Posted by Meister

Your post piqued my interest.... the leading edge of each rear door trim strip is set back a full quarter inch from the door edge, giving at least an eighth of an inch clearance from the trailing edge of the front door when the rear doors are each swung through their full arc. I can only guess that your, and others', rear trim strips were inadvertently mounted too far forward. How far back from the LE of the rear door is your trim strip, BTW?

Perhaps the simple comparison of where your trim strips are mounted vs. what you see on new cars on the dealer's showroom or lot would provide the basis for your point that mfr's defect is the problem, not user error.

I looked at mine and the trim looks like on solid piece from front to back. the front door trim goes to about 1/16 inch, or less, from the rear edge of the door and the leading edge of the rear trim is 1/16 from the front edge of the rear door. So.... I am off to the dealer to do some checking.

Also, below see the Left Side Damage, Right Side Closed, Right Side Open.

Thanks, Brett

[kevenj]

I wonder if this is a problem on "early build" cars only; my '05 was built in Feb '05, one of the last 2005 models before they switched over to 2006 and It looks like there is no way for that to happen on mine.... the rear molding is about 1/4" back and even when I open the door there is 1/8" clearance as the molding passes by the edge of the front door. The only way it could catch that I can see would be if it were already bent back (like getting caught by an automatic car wash perhaps??) or if possibly the 2 sided tape they use to attach it didn't hold (extreme heat or cold?). I'll definitely keep an eye on this and will be checkin my dad's SRT8 as well.

[Meister]

Originally Posted by baj764

I looked at mine and the trim looks like on solid piece from front to back. the front door trim goes to about 1/16 inch, or less, from the rear edge of the door and the leading edge of the rear trim is 1/16 from the front edge of the rear door. So.... I am off to the dealer to do some checking.

Also, below see the Left Side Damage, Right Side Closed, Right Side Open.

Thanks, Brett

Brett, they definitely installed your rear molding with much less forward spacing than on my 10/04-built car. This "improper" mounting at the factory is clearly the root cause of your problem, hence is clearly an item to be covered under warranty.

If stuck at zero groundspeed with your primary dealer, take it to another dealer and explain to them, upfront, that the problem is the result of improper trim strip placement at the factory. If they question it calmly ask them to measure the door edge to trim strip clearance at the LE of your two rear trim strips vs. the trim strips on their recent delivery Cs.

What does your driver's door sticker show for build date, BTW?

[baj764]

My car is a 2006. Mfg 06-05. I bought it on July 6, 2005. Maybe the problem is with early 06's? I will be talking to my friends at Bankson Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Frisco, TX no later than tomorrow. I will let you know the result. Thanks, Brett

ps. Anyone know why my signature is not showing up on these replies. I can see it in preview and it showed up on the original post.

[HEMEEE]

Originally Posted by baj764

My car is a 2006. Mfg 06-05. I bought it on July 6, 2005. Maybe the problem is with early 06's? I will be talking to my friends at Bankson Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep in Frisco, TX no later than tomorrow. I will let you know the result. Thanks, Brett

ps. Anyone know why my signature is not showing up on these replies. I can see it in preview and it showed up on the original post.

Hey Brett, sigs only appear in your 1st post in any given thread... this is programmed into the software to allow pages to load faster and to save space.

Good luck with solving your problem!!