Fit and Finish

Interesting. I've actually been very impressed with the fit and finish of the ID.4. The paint finish is impeccable. The gaps seem very even and consistent. The only squeak I've had was coming from the rear of the car and after I pushed on the rear center red plastic panel (lights) to fit it into place (I've heard that others have received their car with this piece not sitting well), the squeak went away. Now there's no squeaking or rattling at all. I also had a CC and find this car's fit and finish just a little better.

Other than the rear light bar, the only fit issue that jumps out at me is the rear quarter panel to rear fascia joint. One panel sits slightly higher. But I saw it on every ID.4 on the lot, so I think it's just how they're turned out.

I get some rattles from the rear but discovered it's only when one or both rear seatbacks are dropped. With the seatbacks upright no issues.

Panel alignment and general fit & finish looks quite good to me (and I'm coming from Audi). Of course much plastic used to reduce weight and that's always harder to make look right.

The paint is not quite as good, but then I didn't expect premium. And honestly at this point I'm not looking to be so anal about fine scratches, etc. Re-channeling my Jeep mentality.

Huey52 said:

I get some rattles from the rear but discovered it's only when one or both rear seatbacks are dropped. With the seatbacks upright no issues.

Panel alignment and general fit & finish looks quite good to me (and I'm coming from Audi). Of course much plastic used to reduce weight and that's always harder to make look right.

The paint is not quite as good, but then I didn't expect premium. And honestly at this point I'm not looking to be so anal about fine scratches, etc. Re-channeling my Jeep mentality.

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Thanks for the tip about having rear seats down, I sometimes notice a very faint rattle coming from the rear area if I have music turned off, but I also usually drive with a seat folded down, so I'll have to test if the noise goes away with the seat up!

I have a Dusk Blue Metallic FE in the 0143XX VIN range. Very impressed with the absence of any rattles, squeaks, or thuds on bad pavement. The gaps are very good. The hood is very slightly misaligned out on the driver's side.

The paint has a lot of orange peel over most of the car. A VW buddy of mine says it means there's a lot of paint on it. The one paint defect I missed on delivery is a straight line surface paint cut about the length of a single-edged razor blade on the hood, it is surrounded by swirls like somebody thought they could buff it out. It's not awful. I'm annoyed with myself for missing it because I thought I went over every inch of the car when I picked it up!

I'm impressed with the German build quality.

I hand wash my ID.4 at least weekly. From an assembly POV, I'm not seeing any issues. All panel gaps are even. No rattles whatsoever.

From a paint perspective, I'm a little disappointed. Minor brush-ups when passing through the garage are showing as scratches (easily removed when washing). I'm also seeing paint transfer when I open my door against the drywall in my garage - for which I'm getting some 3M PPF edge guard. I bought a car cover which I might have to use for extended stays in the garage during high-traffic times for the occupants of my residence.

I had a 2012 CC and it was stellar in all regards. I just bought a Puebla-built 2019 Jetta SEL Premium CPO which will be a good point of reference.

I am not seeing any issues with fit or finish. Infact thinking to get second one for wife. We moved away from Tesla model 3 due to poor quality and customer service

Victor3576 said:

I am not seeing any issues with fit or finish. Infact thinking to get second one for wife. We moved away from Tesla model 3 due to poor quality and customer service

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Or you order the awd for yourself and give her yours

I noticed the panel under the front VW logo on my car also squeaks when pressed on. Also have a rattle occasionally coming from the rear. Paint quality is better than my 2016 GTI.

Thanks for that insight. It reminds me/us that these various fit & finish items often result from our comparative perspective.

ID.Jolteon said:

... Paint quality is better than my 2016 GTI.

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I have fit and finish issue with mostly the driver's door window gaskets, they look sloppy, one big bulge and a smaller one, very noticeable when looking at the side profile of the car through the rear view mirror. I reported to the dealer and they will take a look on my upcoming visit. Also the hood, rear doors, and hatch they all have little misalignments here and there, although admittedly not that big of a deal (but once you see it, you see it). I don't really want to have them fix door alignments because I am afraid its going to introduce more trouble (loosening and retightening factory bolts...). That silver trims along the roof line all the way back to the c-pillar (or d-pillar?), the rear section was peeling, I could see the double tape on the inside. I did push it back on and its good so far but I could see at some point its going to peel again. I have had far cheaper cars that have better fit and finish.

It is still a beautiful car though

The only fit and finish issues I have experienced are front hood slightly out of alignment, rear trim around third tail light will not stay secured and possibly center tail light issue.

I'm not 100% sure the rear tail light is an issue but it does have a little movement when I push on it. The hood alignment is also plagued by uneven rubber seal along leading edge... sometimes it looks like it's about to poke thru the gap and some parts it recedes into the frunk. The trim piece is the black surrounding the third tail light and the light itself is also kinda loose.

This is the 9th in a series of VWs and I've never had an issue with fit and finish until now.

So I dropped off my car at the dealership and they gave me a loaner, a 17 miles RWD Pro in moonstone gray that has not gotten through complete PDI yet (stickers everywhere and the temperature unit is still celsius). That car's fit and finish is absolutely impeccable!! Build 9/21 (mine is build 3/21). I dunno if its just luck or they have gotten better.

The driver-side rear brake light assembly is loosely fit and rattles even with a slight tap.
The rear light bar is loose and bulges out.
The 3rd brake light assembly at the top moves around and rattles.
I'm trying not to look closely to any other areas, including the paint, 'cuz I'll likely find more issues.

Along with the horrendous software issues, ID.4 def doesn't seem to be a production-ready car - feels like a beta tester.
This is my 7th "German" car in the past 15 years and, by far, has the worst fit/finish.
Had I known all the issues and shortcomings, I'm not sure if I'd still choose ID.4 as what it is now.

ddx said:

On my last visit (60 day) I reported this rear door slight misalignment, the dealer was reluctant to fix it, they said the alignment is "within specs." I was tempted to hammer / pull the door down or something am I too picky? My passenger side also not super perfect but looks better and the rubber trims are well-aligned.
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If this was my car I'd probably leave it (unless it was leaking, etc.) - I certainly wouldn't hammer it!