The Infamous Misaligned Tailgate Issue

My Evoque is due in for a service next week, it's still under "Approved Used" warranty, so if there's anything that needs doing, I guess I better get them addressed.

I've seen lots of comments about the misaligned tailgate problem, but never managed to track down how to know if it affects me.

What are the obvious symptoms of this? I don't really have any problems with the tailgate opening or closing, but it does seem to stick out a bit too far to the rear. I've tried looking at others to compare, but you know how it is - when you want to find another car of the same age/trim level in a car park, you never find them.

There was a misaligned tailgate on my one before I bought it so I made sure it was corrected as a condition of sale. It's now perfect and hasn't dropped in the year I've had it. Here's my thread - if you zoom in on the near side of the tailgate, you'll see what to look for.

http://babyrr.com/forum/Thread-Hmmm-Poss...got-it-yet

Thanks Steve. I don't know whether it's my computer or not, but when I click on the photo, I don't see the zoomed in image (just an error asking if I have the URL correct).

The trim around the bottom of the window, should that be level all the way across? So, if the trim on the tailgate is lower than the trim on the rear wing, that's the indication of the problem?

Yes the window sill trim doesn't align tailgate to wing. You can also see over the top of the rear light the tailgate covers more than the rear wing. In the worst case the plastic cover over the locking latch starts to collide with the latch bar and even gets broken.

Mine was also corrected, it's not absolutely perfect but better. Oddly it's always the left side in every one i've seen!

Ok thanks guys, so it looks as though I'm suffering from a droopy tailgate.

   

Which is also making the boot latch rub against the floor.

   

So I should be able to get this sorted out during the service under warranty then?

Yep I did. New lock as well

Great, I'll ask for that to be addressed then. Out of interest, how long did that repair take (could it be done on the same day as the service, for example)?

And yours in on the right! Yes that rubbing of the lock is definitely worth asking to get sorted, Should be a 1 day job, most dealers should be pretty adept at realigning them by now!

Is this possible to complete yourself via Topix instructions? The dealer is claiming it is only covered under warranty for the first 12 months after delivery and wants to charge $296 to do it.

When it is that worse that the latch needs to be replaced, check also the top hinges. Mine needed a paint job on top as well. This happened ywice in less than 6 months (new car) before they decided to replace the hinges. Now it is perfect.
I have been told it only occures with cars with the automatic openen on the backdoor.