Tail light alignment

[Silvermanor]

Does anyone know if it's possible to realign the tail lights? The left side hatch light does not line up with the light on the quarter panel perfectly. It's not way out but it's still noticeable. The right side is fine. I have tried to adjust the twist bumpers on the hatch but that dosent seem to change the height of the hatch at all. I have also noticed that the rubber bumpers are going to rub the paint off where they land on the actual bumper below over time. I love this car but there are so many little design choices that are really poor and alot of misaligned panels compared to the BMW I am coming from.

 

[Silvermanor]

 

[MerlintheMad]

Are you illustrating what you described? Or are you showing that it's fixed? Because I can't see anything out of alignment.

 

[Silvermanor]

Are you illustrating what you described? Or are you showing that it's fixed? Because I can't see anything out of alignment.

How do you not see that?

 

[MerlintheMad]

Nope. If anything the pic is distorting the reality. In the pic, the top light bar looks thicker on the hatch than on the quarter panel. What I did was click rapidly back and forth between your left and right pics. And there isn't any difference that I can positively ID between them.

 

[Silvermanor]

Nope. If anything the pic is distorting the reality. In the pic, the top light bar looks thicker on the hatch than on the quarter panel. What I did was click rapidly back and forth between your left and right pics. And there isn't any difference that I can positively ID between them.

OK stop arguing, it dosent line up, both in the photo and in person. Has anyone adjusted their lights who knows how to fix this?

 

[MerlintheMad]

It's arguing, to point out an obvious flaw in your "evidence"? The photo does not show even LED illumination. If you lower your top black line to be even with the quarter panel light bar, the thickness of the black line will brush the top of the light bar on the hatch lid. The lower black line will look "off" only because of the greater thickness of the hatch lid illumination extending below the lower black line.

This unevenness "artifact" of light reflection is even more pronounced in the lower light bar of the right quarter panel, but you don't seem to think that is a problem. A black line extended from the bottom of the right hatch light bar would miss the lit up part of the right quarter panel light bar, suggesting that it is "uneven" too.

Maybe a better set of right and left pics would help your case.

In any case, I do have a suggestion: some on here, while performing the installation of LED backup lights, have removed the entire hatch taillight assembly. Perhaps you could try loosening it and raising the left end slightly before tightening everything down again.

 

[Silvermanor]

It's arguing, to point out an obvious flaw in your "evidence"? The photo does not show even LED illumination. If you lower your top black line to be even with the quarter panel light bar, the thickness of the black line will brush the top of the light bar on the hatch lid. The lower black line will look "off" only because of the greater thickness of the hatch lid illumination extending below the lower black line.

This unevenness "artifact" of light reflection is even more pronounced in the lower light bar of the right quarter panel, but you don't seem to think that is a problem. A black line extended from the bottom of the right hatch light bar would miss the lit up part of the right quarter panel light bar, suggesting that it is "uneven" too.

Maybe a better set of right and left pics would help your case.

In any case, I do have a suggestion: some on here, while performing the installation of LED backup lights, have removed the entire hatch taillight assembly. Perhaps you could try loosening it and raising the left end slightly before tightening everything down again.

Im going to have to try it. Seems like nobody knows whether they can be adjusted based on where they are tightened or if there is a specific seating for them (like many other cars have). It really would have been nice for them to align the lights properly from the factory.

 

[DrewU272]

I'm guessing the adjustable bump stop on the hatch got turned on the this side of the inner portion of the hatch. Needs to be readjusted to line it back up

 

[Silvermanor]

I'm guessing the adjustable bump stop on the hatch got turned on the this side of the inner portion of the hatch. Needs to be readjusted to line it back up

You mean the circular bump stops at the bottom of the hatch? Those dont seem to change the height of the deck lid at all. I have tried those (and subsequently gave myself the hatch rattle problem). I love this car, but the longer I own it, the more I realise the fit and finish of it is awful.

 

[DrewU272]

I'm guessing the adjustable bump stop on the hatch got turned on the this side of the inner portion of the hatch. Needs to be readjusted to line it back up

 

[Silvermanor]

View attachment 33609

yeah. Thats the first thing I tried. I think the light is improperly aligned on the panel. The top of deck lid lines up with the top of the quarter panel fine (see the photos).

 

[Olexandr]

yeah. Thats the first thing I tried. I think the light is improperly aligned on the panel. The top of deck lid lines up with the top of the quarter panel fine (see the photos).

Have you fixed the alignment issue after all? Thanks

 

[Silvermanor]

Have you fixed the alignment issue after all? Thanks

No, I am just going to forget about it.

 

[westcoastGT]

No, I am just going to forget about it.

If it really bothers you I would suggest asking a good body shop if they think its an assembly problem that could be corrected , I had my rear bumper taken off to repair a very small scratch and to repaint , when they put it all back together one panel was slightly imperfect , they fixed it by adjusting the clips ...................

 

[Silvermanor]

If it really bothers you I would suggest asking a good body shop if they think its an assembly problem that could be corrected , I had my rear bumper taken off to repair a very small scratch and to repaint , when they put it all back together one panel was slightly imperfect , they fixed it by adjusting the clips ...................View attachment 36944

Thanks for this. It dosent bother me as much anymore because I actually notice it on every Stinger. Seems like the left taillight especially that is mounted on the trunk side is sitting too low.

 

[TwiceStung]

Dang. I never even noticed. But it IS hard to see my tail lights lit up when I'm in my car. LOL. I just went out and looked and at least my housings on both sides of the trunk lines are in perfect alignment.

 

[Silvermanor]

Dang. I never even noticed. But it IS hard to see my tail lights lit up when I'm in my car. LOL. I just went out and looked and at least my housings on both sides of the trunk lines are in perfect alignment.

Look in the Stingers in the wild thread. Almost every single left tail light is out of alignment.

 

[Silvermanor]

Look in the Stingers in the wild thread. Almost every single left tail light is out of alignment.

 

[MerlintheMad]

That bottom pic has the right taillight just as out of alignment; so in this case the taillights match.