2012 Buick Lacrosse Door Fit Issue

marpiwill

Just purchased a 2012 Buick Lacrosse and noticed the driver's side door is not mounted correctly. The top is flush but the bottom protrudes out.

I though the 1970s where hoods, trunk lids, and doors not fitting correctly or out of alignment were over!!!

Dealer is very very customer service orientated! But they cant fix it!!! Signed the deal a week ago. I didn't notice the issue until I got the car home. I took is back to the dealer but they cant realign the door. Does anyone have any advise on what to do? Does this fall under the lemon law?

gmcustsvcsarah

marpiwill,

I'm sorry to read about this issue with your new LaCrosse. If we can follow up with your dealership on this, please send us an email at socialmedia@gm.com with more information (include your name/Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership). My coworker Christina, who answers inbound emails from the forum will advise you further.

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

tjc78

Does this fall under the lemon law?

I wouldn't say it does, but the GM rep who just answered your post is a good place to start to get it settled.

I don't understand how it can't be aligned. Have you checked out other LaCrosses at the dealer's lot? Is your car different than those, if so it can be made right.

marpiwill

Hello tjc78

Thanks for your reply. No other car on their lot has this issue. The best I can explain it is the door is flush near the windows. At the bottom is is not flush with the rear door or the molding. It protrudes out.

I will contact the GM Rep. Thanks!

postalone1

Where do I begin? I took my car to a GM Buick dealer because the check suspension notice came on. I have a 2011 Lacrosse CXS. After an hour i'm told they can't really narrow down the problem so they will need the car all day. They think it's an electrical problem. 10 minutes later while I'm waiting for my wife to pick me up the service manager signals me to come see him. He takes me to my car, which is up on a lift, and shows me where the tech damaged my car door. I was in shock so I still can't tell you exactly how he did it. All I remember was while the car was on the lift he was working on the passenger side of the car and forgot the driver side door was open and he started to lower the lift and the door was crushed in from the bottom about 4 inches high including the chrome molding and spanning about 18 inches in length, although the door is out of alignment on the bottom, top, and sides. With that much force I don't know what else got bent or is out of alignment. It's now been 2 weeks and I still haven't gotten my car back. They tracked the warning message to a bad shock/strut. The first one they ordered was damaged. They said it wrapped like it was new but after taking the plastic off they said it looked pretty bad. They said they couldn't believe it. They ordered a second one. They just called me and said the car won't "read" the new shock so they're ordering another one. All the while when there's downtime waiting for the next shock my car is with the auto body people. Also during the last phone call he they told me that they weren't entirely satisfied with the molding so they had to order that again. While I've been patient, I stressed to them I want my car in the same exact condition I gave it to them in. Yet, I was just asked did I want the same pinstriping om my car door as before? The original pinstripe on the door had the Buick emblem in the middle of of it. It was very unique and I had not seen that on other Lacrosse's. And it came with the car when I bought it new. My car is only 4 months old. I told him I wanted the same pinstriping. How is it supposed to match up with the other side of the car if it's not the same? I'm way past frustration. I'm a fanatic on attention to detail and I know they're not going to have my car door fixed correctly be it the paint on the door noticeably different or extra wind noise from the door. I really don't know what options I have if they can't fix my car in the same condition it was in when I brought it to them.

gmcustsvcsarah

postalone1,

I'm sorry that your new LaCrosse was damaged while at your dealership, and that its return to you has been delayed. If we can be of any assistance by setting up a Service Request and keeping up on the progress with your vehicle, please send an email to socialmedia@gm.com with the following information:
your name and Edmunds username
phone and address
last 8 of your VIN and current mileage
the name of your involved dealership

My coworker Christina, who answers inbound emails from Edmunds, will assist you further.

Kind regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

e_net_rider

That is disappointing. Mine came from the factory with a crease in the left rear quarterpanel which was obviously there before the paint went on. Also the door seals at the front edge of front doors had big gaps. I have seen a few where the seal is good, but very few.
This certainly brings into question the ability of their robots and the people that calibrate them.
You will have to look at lemon for your state as to coverage.

e_net_rider

It was an accident I'm sure. Still that is terrible. I feel confident one of the crash tests is not to see resulting damage when a door is open.
That door in an open position would provide a lot of leverage against the pillar it is hinged to.
If it was my vehicle, I would not accept any straightening of the body whatsoever, and pray that the new door they get matches the old.
Any sign of attempted straightening would be a deal breaker. You could look for signs of it. One place that it often shows up is when they clamp the vehicle from the underside. It will often look like Bond's Jaws got ahold of it. A series of small indentations where the teeth of the holding device clamped it.
I would push for an identical swap of vehicles. They did it, they need to own it.

postalone1

Sarah, thanks for the quick reply. I called GM customer service this morning. I emailed Christina with my case number and pictures of the damage just in case there's anything extra that she can do. Thanks for your help.

postalone1

You are precisely right about what else got bent. I'm not entirely sure if the door was open or pushed in because I was in such shock when I saw it I barely heard a word they were saying about how it happened. But I thought the exact same thing as you said, if that door was open and the force used to crunch that door possibly the pillar would have to bend too. I'm starting to consider that maybe another car is the way to go.

postalone1

It's taken almost 2 months and 3 attempts but the dealer finally repaired my car door perfectly. First attempt car paint didn't match, second time the interior door trim at the bottom didn't match. 3rd time was the charm...perfection. At the suggestion of a friend I filed complaints with the BBB and my State's Attorney Office. To discontinue the complaints the dealer installed a spoiler and gave me the cargo tray for the trunk. Also the dealership warrantied the repair for as long as I own the car. My 2011 Buick Lacrosse CXS looks even better today than it did before the accident. Many thanks to GM customer service, particularly Christina and Sarah, which stepped in to help bring this unfortunate experience to a very happy ending.

gmcustsvc

postalone1,
Thank you for taking the time to post your experience. I am glad to hear this! You are very welcome! I am happy we were able to be of assistance! You know where to find us if you have any other questions comments or concerns! Have a great weekend! :shades:
Christina
GM Customer Service