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I have just one question: what recourse would I have if "it is not right"? Small claims court? And what else?
I went to the repairer, in your case that would be the dealer. They will make the repair/correction, and they will then go to the insurer for reimbursement. That is the path I took.
You need to make it clear to both the insurance and dealer/repairer that you will have nothing but original equipment. You probably will not need any actions. Good Luck.
The bigger problem is that there are gaps of different sizes between the front door and fender, and between the different doors (gap sizes are different between the front door and fender and between the front and back doors on the driver's side, for instance). Also, the lower part of the driver's side front door sticks out just a little from the side of the car. The shop said "all cars have these gap inconsistencies" and "the door sticks out a little because the backing tape we use is unfortunately a little thicker than what the factory uses". They said they could not get the tape the manufacturer uses, that it's a trade secret (of the manufacturer) and that it's put on by a machine in the factory, so they can use a thinner tape in the factory.
I had the shop try to push in the door more, so that it will be a tighter fit, and so that when the door is pushed in manually, it won't have a hollow feel (the shop said no water will leak because it's the door jamb that actually seals the door, and it has no problems. The outer unsealed part of the door always has water coming in, but you never see it, and it's not a problem, according to the shop.)
Does this all sound legit? I'd appreciate greatly anyone's input on this matter, especially during the next day or two, while they try to push in this door.
I'm not completely sure that the door is a new one, although the part numbers I was given matched when I Googled them. The shop told me that the door came without paint, so I cannot physically see whether the door is new or not. When I had asked for the invoice their parts department received from the Lexus dealer in another city, they couldn't produce one. All they could produce was the invoice from their parts department to the body shop, which had the part numbers I mentioned.
Unfortunately, I don't have a smartphone (or any kind of cellphone) and don't know how to post a picture to the Internet.