Getting that nice solid car door "thud"

[Chris B.]

I have a new 2012 Honda Accord and I noticed the drivers side door does not have quiet as nice of feel and sound when it opens and closes. The passenger door has a perfect feel and sound to it. It has a crisp "pop" to it when it opens and a heavy solid "thud" when closing.
The drivers side door still is really nice sounding and feeling but is not as nice as the passenger door.
Is there a way to adjust it to be as nice feeling/sounding as the other door? It is not a huge deal but would be nice if both doors were exactly the same. Thanks!

ETA:
Most people think I'm nuts for noticing things like this. I do tend to be more sensitive to odd stuff and details like this....LOL

 

[joaks]

I always notice this also. I think you need to diagonse the door before you can do anything. Can you tell if the hinge has moved? What is the noise it makes? Maybe just needs lube?

 

[Chris B.]

The door is smooth and does not make any odd sounds. It just is not quite as good feeling as the other door. It is 95% as good as the passenger door. Hard to explain over the net but the passenger door just feels more solid when opening and closing. It pops louder and more firmly when opening and has a deeper sound when shut.
Most folks can't tell and I know it is within spec. Just wonder if doors can be adjusted for this at all? Probably not I'm guesing.

 

[pcoxe]

Try opening/closing the doors with the opposite door open to rule out air pressure effects. Maybe one door is more airtight than the other.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: pcoxe
Try opening/closing the doors with the opposite door open to rule out air pressure effects. Maybe one door is more airtight than the other.


excellent point!

 

[SteveSRT8]

I have battled this when restoring older cars and building hot rods.

Weatherstripping height and pliability, door hinges, striker pins, etc., can ALL affect this issue. Usually with a bit of adjustment and some attention to detail this can be easily resolved to a nice thunk!

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: pcoxe
Try opening/closing the doors with the opposite door open to rule out air pressure effects. Maybe one door is more airtight than the other.


Very good point. In the assembly plant, we fit doors with the windows UP since they close much easier with the windows down. This way we get a better door fit.


Originally Posted By: Chris B.
The door is smooth and does not make any odd sounds. It just is not quite as good feeling as the other door. It is 95% as good as the passenger door. Hard to explain over the net but the passenger door just feels more solid when opening and closing. It pops louder and more firmly when opening and has a deeper sound when shut.Most folks can't tell and I know it is within spec. Just wonder if doors can be adjusted for this at all? Probably not I'm guesing.


The "pop" you are talking about points us to the striker. You need to adjust the striker ever so slightly. Loosen the bolts a tiny bit so the striker does not move..tap it lightly with a hammer to move it INBOARD approx 1-2mm. That will cause the door to have to go in a little more to engage the striker and thus a tighter fit against the weatherseals. Do not go too far, your door fits outside will change and the door will be harder to open. I watch door fits all day long and it is a talent and skill. You don't want to see what really happens with hammers, knees and such to "tweak" doors, lol.

Oh and BTW - the pop sound is not really a "desired" feature in a door fit if it is too loud and firm. So balance that so you keep a quality feel and sound.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

Fill the bottom of the door with concrete.

 

[Vikas]

Replace the Accord door with a Mercedes door

 

[SteveSRT8]

I can assure you it's not the door that gives that satisfying muted thunk that says 'tight'.

My Chrysler has some of the cheapest doors you ever saw and yet has one of the best door closing sounds I have heard in 40 years.

Even when my wife slams it shut!

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I can assure you it's not the door that gives that satisfying muted thunk that says 'tight'.

My Chrysler has some of the cheapest doors you ever saw and yet has one of the best door closing sounds I have heard in 40 years.

Even when my wife slams it shut!


Technically you are correct, it's not the actual door...but the hardware ON the door and body openings. These parts are what you feel when opening/closing a door.

 

[punisher]

Get a really good digital recorder, find a '99-2000 Lexus SC400, record the door closing, add some Sennheisers, playback when you close the door.

Kind of silly, but like the original poster, I really listen when I close the doors on my cars. At the dealership I got my share of UCIs (used car inspections) and without doubt, the mid-late '90s Lexus 400s, and almost all Mercedes S Class from ~'80 to '90 were special. For whatever reason, when you closed the door on those, it just felt absolutely solid.

 

[hattaresguy]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Replace the Accord door with a Mercedes door



My favorite is closing the door on a G wagon, feels and sounds like your closing a bank vault and it has the weight to match it.

 

[morris]

my guess is that the seals come into that.

 

[CBR.worm]

It seems like all the BMW/Mercedes/big Lexus, etc have it worked out.

The old Mercedes literally felt like you were slamming a vault door.

One of my complaints about my Infiniti FX is that they made the (fairly heavy) doors open and close without any thunk, or latching feel. It feels like when you open the handle the door just kind of falls open, and closing it also feels very poor - like it just kind of hits the weatherstripping and sticks. The doors are no lighter than on my dad's Porsche Cayenne, but the cayenne doors feel 100% more solid when opening and closing.

Strangely, the G35 with its lighter doors have a more solid feel during closing/opening.

 

[Chris B.]

Thanks guys!
After thinking about it, I realized it was the way the doors latch and striker are mating up. If I hold the handle out and not allow it to latch, the way both doors hit the weather strip is the same. It is very close in sound and feel to the passenger door so I'm not going to mess with it. In the future who would be the best person to take it to for adjustment if it ever needs it? I'm thinking a quality body shop?

 

[SteveSRT8]

any good body man can help you with this.

I would look for a smaller family owned kind of shop with a busy schedule.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Thanks guys!
After thinking about it, I realized it was the way the doors latch and striker are mating up. If I hold the handle out and not allow it to latch, the way both doors hit the weather strip is the same. It is very close in sound and feel to the passenger door so I'm not going to mess with it. In the future who would be the best person to take it to for adjustment if it ever needs it? I'm thinking a quality body shop?



Re-read my post above about the striker/latch alignment procedure. But, yes any good bodyshop can adjust this however it is so easy you can do it yourself.

 

[bamorris2]

Funny, I thought that I was the only one that paid attention to stuff like this. About a month age I noticed the same thing in my 2011 Chevy Malibu, and did just like GMBoy outlined. Loosened the striker a little, took a mallet and ever so slightly slightly moved it inboard. Fixed it!

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: bamorris2
Funny, I thought that I was the only one that paid attention to stuff like this. About a month age I noticed the same thing in my 2011 Chevy Malibu, and did just like GMBoy outlined. Loosened the striker a little, took a mallet and ever so slightly slightly moved it inboard. Fixed it!



Hmmmm I'm going to do this with my cruze too. I've noticed this with the front doors, they close solidly but don't sound quite as solid as the rear doors, or other cruzes I've seen.