I want to know too since I have the same problem

 

anyone??? Bueler?? anyone?

 

It may have just been pulled out of alignment, or it may have flexed the metal around the hinge mounting points.

This happened to me on my old '88 Z24 back in the day. Granted, that car had a lot less strength to it, but I found the door to be hanging too low, and hitting the latch pin instead of sliding over it. I ended up just lifting up on the door by cupping my hands (with gloves on) under the trailing edge of the door and lifting up. The door was not all the way open, it was close to the "closed" position to get a good angle on the hinge mounting points. This hilljack engineering method worked on that vehicle, although I had to repeat it a few times after that over the remaining years it spent with me (up to 12 years and 184,000 miles with no major mechanical failures).

Since the Touareg is so much stronger this probably will not work, but it's certainly a cheap out-of-warranty fix (as long as you don't give yourself a hernia trying to do it!)

Good luck,
Matt

 

Going to give it a try tonight, thanks Matt!

 

I had the same thing happen to my Egg... I am going to try to adjust the bolts on the door hinge and see if perhaps I can reset them? it might be that the hinge itself was a little bent; if that is the case will try to bend back and see how it works. I don't think this is two major of a fix... will report back

 

PS - I tried to pull on the door to see if that would help realign... it didn't budge. then I was worried if I put too much 'jack' into I would throw something else out of alignment. The door is a heavy beast.

 

Mine still is alittle misaligned, I pull it up every couple weaks so I dont hear the 'thud' when I close it.

 

My door passenger door is the same way. I tried the pulling up method, but it didn't work. I think my problem is that the metal around the hinges is stretched outward, so I'm guessing there is no way I will be able to fix it. I was moving my car to wax the other side in a driveway. The door open chime was ringing, but I didn't know that it was completely open. When I reversed, I saw the door swing open, too late for me to catch it so when I slammed on the brakes, it swung open hard. God only knows how much a body shop is gonna charge for my stupid mistake

 

Hey all,

just reading this post. Can't seem to find any other posts with sagging door issues.
Both my front doors are sagging, does anyone know how to adjust them ?

The garage I bought it off seemed to adjust the latch to remedy the problem, but it's getting worse now. So looks like I'll have to re-align them myself...!

cheers, any input appreciated...Eric.

 

Hello Eric I had the same problem I just moved the u shaped bracket and lined up the exterior trim , before you move it mark it on the bottom you are only talking about maybe 2 or 3 mm, see how that works, I did it because I was getting road noise comming from the corner of the drivers door. This sorted my problem . yours Stew. Eric is it sagging on the hinge also or is it sagging at the lock side if its only at the lock side the above will solve it if it's the hinge side you may have to raise the door and slip in a spacer I would think.

 

Some ideas...

Doors typically sag over time so these remedies apply and similar is done for this type of accidental over stressing such as wind or garage walls, doors, etc...

The Wind blown door:
You have stressed metal in the body where the hinge attaches and this is a difficult fix. Possibly the hinges are bent = easier fix to replace.

While standing at door check alignment to body. The gap between the door and body should be similar and comparable to the other doors.
Now, open the door and watch what happens...does it drop, does it spring up, etc...

From what you describe happened in your hinge area, I suspect your door will be slightly out when closed. Hopefully it is so small it sill not be obvious.

This may be remedied by placing a small / thin board in the hinge area between the door and the body. Carefully close the door onto the board and then push the door towards closed. This is an operatoin for most best left to body shop.
The right guy on this won't take any time.

Your door may be sagging in addition to sprung hinges...see below.

Sagging doors....

Check alignment with the edges of the door and then watch it to see where it moves when it is initially opened.
If it drops then this may be of help:

A 2x4 on the bottom of the barely opened door with a jack underneath is often used to move alignment. Do this slow so you don't overdue it and check...jack again....check...jack again...check til all is well.

Typicallyy you don't want to ever move the striker, the metal clamp latch on the body at vack of door that the door latches into. You actually want to adjust the door til it meets smoothly with the striker (that's if your door closed/opened properly previously)

I won't go into common striker adjustment but basically you get the door right FIRST and then set the striker. The striker is simlly what the lock mechanism latches into. It is not intende for adjusting door fit even thouth that can be achieved.

Get it? The door fit first and then the striker to latch the door.

 

JUST another idea if it is on the hinge side, if you say it needs to move up 2mm approx, I hope you can follow me, open the door get your jack out a small block of timber and jack up the timber under the hinge and move it a little and see if this will help if the hinge is sprained this may put it back, or go to a body shop but with labour costs I would try the latter. yours Stew

 

Sorry bones I was writing while you sent well explained yours Stew

 

Thanks Guys.

I went out and checked the alignment there....it's a problem of tilted doors on the locking side alright. It's not the whole door dropping, just sagging at the latch/lock side.
And from looking at the gap between door and body, it starts off fine at the top, and then gets thinner and thinner as I go down to the bottom.

So is the best and only way around this tilting/alignment is to try jack up the door as suggested ?

Do either of ye' know is there is any (alignment) adjustment in the hinges ?

cheers again/Eric.

 

From your description of your door to body gap narrowing from top to bottom (If this is the front of your door--Towards front bumper say) your odd is sagging.

Typically hinges aren't adjustable except by bending, I don't know about Touareg.

Check the alignment of the top of the door? I eill be an indicator also if the door is sagging.

If sagging, do what I said earlier. As well someone else mentioned to just jerk the back of the door up instead of my jacking, That works also but you better be really strong to get anywhere.

 

cheers for the replies guys. So jacking it up seems to be the best option.
Not sure about trying to lift by my own strength...they're a heavy door !

I'll give it a go some time this weekend and I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks/Eric.

(oh, my beast....'05 2.5lt R5, manual. Black. Chrome mirrors,side and front bars. Leather,satnav)

 

Same thing happened to me. I took it to the dealer and they kept it for two nights suggesting that their body shop work was backed up.

They fixed everything under warranty and now everything is normal.

I sometimes doubt if our T-regs are really tough offroaders. This has never happened to any of the 12 cars that I have owned in the past 23 years.

 

my drive side door is a little misaligned and I wanted to know what size is the big 12-point bolt? I don't have them, but I was going to buy some from Sears or some online places. Please let me know.

thanks

 

10mm triple-square (multi-spline)

To refit a dooryou need to do the opposit of what bent it out in the first place,
so, if it was blown 'too open' by wind you need to push it 'too closed'
Obviously you can't as the rest of the car gets in the way, so, as said above, open the door, put a bit of wood in the hinges (pencils held in place with blu-tac works) then start closing the door.
You should feel restistance before the door is near to shutting, give a good hard shove, about as hard as the wind that opened it, take out the wood/whatever and try for fit.

If you start jacking up a door thats been overopened you will never get it right.

 

Hi All,

just giving an update on my sagging doors...
I tried to jack them up, I honestly wouldn't recommend that option, you never really know whats going on with the door, especially while your jacking, the suspension is moving up too. I reckon it could make more of a mess in the end.
Anyway, I bit the bullet today and just left it in to the local mechanic/body shop guy.
He adjusted the hinges on the bottom of each door. reckons the only way of getting in at them is my removing the inner trim, and adjusting from the inside.
So €60 lighter, and 2 hours later...no more wind noise, which is great !

Not totally satisfied with the alignment, especially the latches (or strikers as he called them), they had to be moved a bit to compensate the door alignment, but it's the best we could get it.

Can't believe how noisy the wind was with the saggy doors, you only notice it when it's gone.

/Eric.

 

Had the same problem. Wind blew up the door and it was sagging about 1 cm when open requiring it to be lifted when closing due to a striker hit.
called my body shop friend who suggested using a crow bar between inner part of hinge and the pin in the hinge. I tried but didn’t work for me.
In the end I ended up putting a large nut inside the lower hinge with the head of the bolt attaching the hinge to the door being inside the nut. Then I pushed the door towards closing with a lot of force repeatedly. Resistance started when the door was still about 20 cm open.
This fixed the problem and the door is no longer sagging and closes smoothly.