How to Adjust a Door on an Auto
- 1). Open the car door. Place your jack underneath the door. Place the wood block on top of the jack saddle. The wood block will prevent the jack from chipping the paint on the car door, as noted in "I-Car Professional Automative Collision Repair" by James Duffy.
- 2). Jack up the wood block to support the weight of the car door as you loosen it to make adjustments.
- 3). Loosen the hinge-to-body bolts on your car door with your wrench. Loosen them one-half turn, or as little as possible to make your necessary adjustments.
- 4). Move the door up or down, depending on what alignment is needed. Tighten the bolts after each adjustment, and open and close the door to make sure it does not bind or catch.
- 5). Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the desired fit is attained.
- 6). Check the striker pin for proper opening and closing of the door. The striker is the four-cornered metal piece that allows the door to close to the body of the car. It is on the body of the car where the door closes.
- 7). Loosen the screws on the striker, and move it slightly up or down. Move the striker up if the door is pointing down out of alignment. Move the striker down if the door is pointing up out of alignment.
- 8). Tighten the screws on the striker, and make sure the door opens and closes in alignment.