Austarion

Hey guys, yet another problem :(

Today my car failed it W.o.f on several small things, one of them was the door hinges, they allow the door to move up and down with a fair bit of play while the door is open, how would I go about fixing this?

Jeremy

I've not seen the problem on the starion, but in old school cars the pins in the hinges flog out. I suspect that it's a similar problem.
Pull the hinges off and inspect. It may be easier to replace with good ones rather than try to refurbish the old ones.

My old one used to do that but they never failed it.. probably something to do with the fact that each door weighs like 400kg. Maybe the hinge itself is sagging? Hopefully you don't have to weld the door up and refit the hinge :(

If it turns out that this can't be fixed for whatever reason then I suggest you go to a new wof testing station. I recommend going to a VTNZ on a really busy day. You wouldn't beleive the stuff I have gotten away with there because they want to get your car through as fast as possible and contrary to what everyone seems to think, they seem to be the easiest to get through without hassles.

Bald tyres, huge gapping holes of rust, massive clouds of smoke? No problem, just don't hold up the queue.

Yea I went to VTNZ, but I was one of 3 cars there. Should I take this to my panel beater?

Yeah theres the problem, you need to go during a busy time, when there are 20 or so cars backed up, Saturday afternoon is when I usually take mine in.
Have you tried having a look at your doors to see what is causing the play in the hinges? The panel beater will probably be able to fix it up for you if you don't want to do it.

I just had a look at the hinges in my Cordia which should be pretty similiar, if not the same, and the only way I can see there being play in them is if the bolts were loose or the wrong size pin is in them. The pin should be the same size as the holes making it nice and tight.

I fixed most of the play in mine by doing the bolts up tighter, but in your case I think its most likely the hinge piece where the pin goes in has worn away. WOF guy let me away with it, but said 'Ill get you to fix up those doors though'. Also I never take Starions to reputable WOF places like VTNZ etc, I find small garages with 'she'll be right' mechanics that wont pull you up on anal stuff that doesn't really matter, but still make sure the car is safe. I had a ball joint (or something) that needed tightening, and a new door (which I had).

When I open my doors they drop slightly, then kind of go up half way out because previous owners seemed to of only opened the door half way most of the time (e.g. carparks etc).

Id say you'd need to remove that piece, and either replace or try and revive it where its worn maybe using a gas welder to fill in where its worn?

The way to check - have someone lift the door up and down - if the pin moves then the hinge is worn (or maybe the pin itself, on mine it was the hinge piece), if the bracket is moving you may just need to tighten the bolts.

Id recommend a panel beater myself, because I found working with doors an absolute ass.