Door sag - 2005 LGT

[Akasa]

Hey guys, I can't seem to find any post relating to door sag on the 4th gen legacy, so I figured i'd post here about it.

 

When I bought my car second hand, while going over the car with a fine tooth comb I noticed that the drivers side door had less fading on the paint than the rest of the car, which you could see ever so slightly in direct sunlight if you really looked. I figure that the car had been struck on the drivers side, and the door replaced.

 

Getting to the point, my door has a bit of sag when you open it, it'll drop down ever so slightly; which is typical of a lot of older cars, but I find odd that it's happening already on my MY05. Has anyone had an issue with their door drooping, or could it be an improper install from whomever replaced the door previously?

 

Second question; could I just replace my old door pins in the hinge, or do I have to buy a new hinge assembly? I'm not sure how serviceable these parts are on a Subaru.

 

This is one of the only things wrong with the car now, (besides the quarter rot ) and I'd like to fix this eventually.

[RacerX69]

With the door open a few inches, lift up at the back of it.

 

Does it move up and down at all?

 

If it does, one or more of the pins and bushings are worn.

 

I don't know if Subaru offers pins and bushings as a service item, but my local Chevy dealer used to have them on hand for hinges on GM cars, vans, etc. Anyone who owns the right tools (a drill press, vise) and is handy with tools could get some and rebuild a worn hinge.

 

These days in the flat rate auto repair business, people think it is less time and labor to replace the hinge as a assembly. I'm sure your local Subaru dealer can order some up for you. They will most likely be covered with a shiny black or dark grey primer and require painting to match your car.

 

Paint is expensive. The smallest amount the auto paint supply house will sell is usually a pint. You will also need the clear coat material. A pint is about ten times more than needed to paint a door hinge.

 

 

 

 

If there is no excess free play, it is possible the door needs to be properly aligned. Are the gaps at the fender, rocker and back door even and equal? Does the door fit flush with the fender and other door? Poor alignment will be apparent if the gaps and panel to panel flushness are off.

 

The hinges bolt on, and you should be able to loosen them slightly and then make adjustments. Also, sometimes shims may have been placed between the hinge and the door or car to make adjustments. Be sure to take note of them and their location if present, before loosening the bolts to make an adjustment, and take care they don't fall out. If shims are present they may have been placed in the wrong location by an inexperienced person and could possibly be causing a misaligned condition.

 

Only make adjustments in one plane at a time, don't just loosen all of the bolts at once.

 

 

 

 

As for the cancer, well, you do live in the rust belt. The car is more than ten years old. I bet the rust you see is a preview of things much worse.