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NextStep9

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What part of the hinge is adjustable?

door side (exterior bolts on door skin) and the body side (inside door jamb)?

Are the hinges adjustable in both areas or just inside the door jamb?

Hi! Good question. I'm not sure about adjusting the hinge on the inside of the door jamb(?). The mechanic that inspected the hinge area today was specifically referring to the two bolts that secure the hinge to the outside door panel. To what extent the hinge can be moved after the two bolts are loosened is unclear but it can't possibly be very much. Nonetheless, he said that is what he and other Jeep mechanics have done in the past to relieve tension at this contact point between the hinge and the door panel. Apparently, this is an ongoing problem.
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Jeepsterfreak

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Hi! Good question. I'm not sure about adjusting the hinge on the inside of the door jamb(?). The mechanic that inspected the hinge area today was specifically referring to the two bolts that secure the hinge to the outside door panel. To what extent the hinge can be moved after the two bolts are loosened is unclear but it can't possibly be very much. Nonetheless, he said that is what he and other Jeep mechanics have done in the past to relieve tension at this contact point between the hinge and the door panel. Apparently, this is an ongoing problem.
Out of curiosity, is the wave reduced if you simply open the door slighly so it is no longer latched?
 

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From the looks of it would appear the bolts on the door side may be too tight. I would bet if you removed the door the indentation will still be there. Relieving tension on the bolts will on the inside will probably reduce the stress. You might have to add washers to the inside then retighten to not get such a dramatic indentation. I think we all will have them to some degree and darker paint schemes will show this more dramatically unfortunately. Have a red rubi that has similar but indents but not as pronounced.
 
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NextStep9

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Out of curiosity, is the wave reduced if you simply open the door slighly so it is no longer latched?
No, the indentation does not change when the door is opened. It's disheartening. It's very noticeable on my Wrangler and, as I said earlier, it was very noticeable on an Ocean Blue JLU I saw at the dealership today. I'm not sure how an adjustment can be made on the inside of the lower door hinge but, as I also said earlier, the mechanic I spoke with said the only way to minimize the indentation is to slightly reposition the hinge by loosening then retightening the two bolts that secure the hinge to the door panel. I suspect, quite frankly, even that may not correct the problem.
 

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No, the indentation does not change when the door is opened. It's disheartening. It's very noticeable on my Wrangler and, as I said earlier, it was very noticeable on an Ocean Blue JLU I saw at the dealership today. I'm not sure how an adjustment can be made on the inside of the lower door hinge but, as I also said earlier, the mechanic I spoke with said the only way to minimize the indentation is to slightly reposition the hinge by loosening then retightening the two bolts that secure the hinge to the door panel. I suspect, quite frankly, even that may not correct the problem.
I’m certainly no expert but one way to isolate the problem is to remove the door completely. If the wave is improved then maybe the hinges on the body need to be adjusted (bolts in door jamb) because they are out of plane. The lower hinge might be on a slight angle compared to upper hinge.

You could try to loosen the two external bolts as others have suggested to see if that helps. Others on this forum have tried to remove those bolts unsuccessfully. Apparently Jeep has really torqued them down.

It’s possible the doorskins are now permanently deformed.

JL illustration of door hinges below.

Here’s how they work in JK. I have no idea if JL is the same.



975BFA0F-999B-4E2A-ACEE-9DC368197EDB.jpeg
 
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NextStep9

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Thanks Jeepsterfreak! Very much appreciated! As you suggested, I will remove the door to see if that minimizes the indentation. Thanks again!
 

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If it's any consolation, my 18 JKU has the same thing going on, but on the driver side. It's also granite crystal. That particular door was hard to close from day one and that particular hinge was not parallel with the others. I loosened the bolts and adjusted the door myself. The "dent" was only reduced by a minuscule amount. Primer was exposed but I touched it up. The door closes as it should now.

First thing I look at on other JK or JL's is that spot. Some have it, some don't. Seems like all JL's do. Nothing in life is perfect...... 'cept for pizza.
 

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If it's any consolation, my 18 JKU has the same thing going on, but on the driver side. It's also granite crystal. That particular door was hard to close from day one and that particular hinge was not parallel with the others. I loosened the bolts and adjusted the door myself. The "dent" was only reduced by a minuscule amount. Primer was exposed but I touched it up. The door closes as it should now.

First thing I look at on other JK or JL's is that spot. Some have it, some don't. Seems like all JL's do. Nothing in life is perfect...... 'cept for pizza.
Which bolts did you loosen? The external bolts on the door skin or the bolts in the door jamb?

Seems like having adjustments on both sides of the hinge would make it more difficult to get it aligned properly by the factory.
 

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Here’s how they work in JK. I have no idea if JL is the same.



975BFA0F-999B-4E2A-ACEE-9DC368197EDB.jpeg
Thinking about this some more. If the JL uses the same system for the door hinge as the JK with an adjustable plate behind the door skin, no wonder we are seeing wavy doors. I just don’t see this being very secure having the hinge mounted to a plate with the aluminum door skin sandwiched in between. I’m no engineer but wouldn’t an aluminum door skin flex and distort more than steel door skin depending on the gauge used especially if the top and lower hinges are out of alignment with each other.
 

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I had to adjust the out bolts on the lower and both inner brackets to make it fit like it should. Here's a pic of mine.

20180420_143135.jpg
 

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I had to adjust the out bolts on the lower and both inner brackets to make it fit like it should. Here's a pic of mine.

20180420_143135.jpg
What rail/steps do you have? I haven’t seen those yet. Thanks.
 

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Those are made by Body Armor 4x4. They're called Rocksteps. They are built like a tank, 3/16" steel. I like em. Not sure if they are available for the JL though.
 

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Those are made by Body Armor 4x4. They're called Rocksteps. They are built like a tank, 3/16" steel. I like em. Not sure if they are available for the JL though.
Thank you!
I just reached out to them to see if they plan on making them for the JL. I hope they do. They’re the best ones I’ve seen yet.
 
 



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