Hi all,

New to my FFRR and new to the forum - hoping for some advice. I bought a 2011MY 61 plate 4.4 TDV8 Vogue from an indy dealer around a month ago. Am loving it, but a few days ago I happened to notice a sort of gap/square hole a few mm wide wide between the rear bumper and the tailgate on the left hand side, but not on the right. I can't tell if it's a) normal, b) some issue with when it was built at the factory or c) there has been some kind of prang in its short life which might have caused this.

Before I go back to the dealer to ask, I wanted to ask if any one has anything similar on theirs. Can't tell if it's perfectly normal, some kind of minor build problem, or the result of an accident/dodgy repair job... Would really appreciate any thoughts or comments!

LHS: See square hole/gap in centre of image

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

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Open your lower tailgate halfway and put your finger in the gap where the square is and force the rear upwards, then the other end... Once the clips have released you can slide the whole thing away from you gently towards the front of the car then lift it out... You will see underneith the fixings (8mm bolts) for the top of the bumper,

You can then check if all is well there and refit the cover (in the middle) which should then loose the square hole...

Be careful (gentle) removing the cover as the clips closest to the rear of the panel are a little delicate... Let us know how you get on with it...


Craig

Thanks, Craig. I'll try this if I think I can manage it.

Do you think this is just how it left the factory, or more likely to have happened since (or impossible to say)? Do you reckon I can expect a dealer to put it right under warranty if I don't feel like doing it myself?

Most likely had a small bump in one corner

Just checked mine and there is a small gap each side... Try sliding it across before removing it...


Craig

So on mine, the side with the square gap/hole (left) is correct, and the right hand side (no gap) was likely bumped and pushed forwards? That sound correct?

Are all the other gaps correct and paint undamaged and original? If it is all looking straight and original then I would suggest taking the panel out (2min job) and refitting and then see what the gaps are like... Also gives you a chance to inspect what's underneath that panel for alignment etc etc...


Craig

Apparently the only two things on earth you can see from outer space are The Great Wall of China and panel gaps in a Range Rover

Seeing the great wall of China from space is a Myth ….

Small gap both sides on mine. I would say its likely just a fitting issue. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
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JOKER wrote:

Seeing the great wall of China from space is a Myth ….

But sadly no myth on the RR

Rolo wrote:

JOKER wrote:

Seeing the great wall of China from space is a Myth ….

But sadly no myth on the RR

You're not kidding. I remember reading something like this a while back.....truth indeed.

A Land Rover engineer visits the BMW factory in Germany on a fact-finding mission. In the assembly plant he sees a budgies in a cage. He asks his German opposite number what the birds are for.

"Aha - ve use zees to check ze accuracy ov all ze panel gaps. Ve put ze bird in ze kar before ve go home at night. If ze bird is dead in ze mornink, ve know ve haff ze panels gaps correkt."

The Land Rover engineer is really impressed with this approach to quality control, and when he gets back to Lode Lane he fetches the family cat since he couldn't find a budgie. He then picks a Defender from the production line and he shuts the cat inside and goes home. In the morning the cat was gone.

Same could be said of Disco 1 & 2, RR Classic, P38 and "some" L322's. Not so much panel gaps as drainage channels, the likes of the Clyde come to mind