Hello evom,

I recently purchased an oem trunk off of a member on here. My plan was to weld up the holes and paint it graphite grey for a proper wingless look. I got his trunk which was WW and came off a IX same as my car aside from color. I didn't test fit it because one, his trunk was flawless aside from the holes from the wing, and two, I never thought twice that an oem piece would have any alignment/ fitment issues.

Fast forward a couple weeks later, got all the work done, and the trunk fits horribly and won't close because the left side is so close to the rear quarter panel. Also, the back bottom of the trunk left side has an under bite and is hitting the bumper before it can close. I asked the seller if by any chance this trunk was in an accident and he said no which I believe because it was in great visual condition. Installing the trunk is very easy and strait forward so there really is no way to screw that up so my questions are as follows:

Is it possible for oem to not fit from one vehicle to another? Even though they are the same exact vehicle aside from color.

Is it possible for a body shop to fix these slight imperfections for a better fit without having to do a repaint?

Thanks,
Jay

Update: pic with it on

 

body panels like trunk lids do take some effort to get lined up correctly. often times a trained professional is needed. take it to a body shop and ask them if they can get it squared up. estimates are usually free.

 

Ok. good to hear. Do you know if their methods to make it fit will require it to be repainted again?

 

Na, just have someone get in the trunk while the other lines it up, tighten down bolts. That might work. No, they won't have to paint it, just need to be lined up. You may need to adjust the black rubber things that are one the back side of the trunk lid.

 

The arms which the trunk mounts to are attached by two bolts on either side. The mounting points are slotted and allow for a little bit of adjustment side to side and front to back. Loosen those up and shift the trunk until it sits in the center. Then tighten the bolts back down. As others have said an extra set of hands may be helpful. It takes a little bit of trial and error but it should fit fine in the end.

 

There is always play in the oem pieces. Nothing is wrong with the trunk. You need to loosen the 4 bolts holding the trunk to the arms. Not sloppy loose, but just a little loose so you can slide the trunk around when you give it a little muscle.

Once they are loose, take your latch off, so you dont have to mess with the trunk latching, then going to the cabin to release it.

Once the latch is off, now shut the trunk, adjust it where it needs to be. The bolts should still be loose, so you can play with the trunk and its fitment. Give it some muscle and get it where you want.

Once its there, tighten the bolts back up. Then reinstall your latch. Now the only thing you need to adjust should the rubber bumpers. If your trunk isnt sitting flush with the top of the quarter panels, raise or lower the rubber bumpstops till it is.

Now, your finished!

Dont let anyone stand over your wingless trunk when you release it either! Its like a damn slingshot! lol

 

Ok thanks. I did realize there was some play with the 4 bolts to the trunk arms. But didn't mess with it to the extent you and others described. I will give it another shot and see if it works. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

Update: pic with it on

 

I just saw your car in the wingless thread. It looks killer on the stock evo 9 wheels. Its got me thinking......

 

I blew out a tire on my volks so the stockers will have to do for a bit. Thanks for the trunk advice.

 

It seems like some cars have slightly mis-aligned body parts from the factory. I just made some slight adjustments to the hood on my car. It's not perfect but it's better. I also noticed my neighbors new GS350's hood had completely different gaps on both sides of the hood.

 

Gotcha. I guess it just comes down to quality control issues.