Hello,

I recently bought a Ford Fiesta ST-Line 19 plate and have noticed that there is a bigger gap on one side between the headlight and the bonnet to the other. Was wondering what this might be? Before picking the car up from the dealership the front bumper was removed to repaint due to a poorly painted scratch and thought this might be to do with it unless it’s just a normal thing.

Sounds like it might have been involved in a collision.

Hi Jessie,

I've had some pretty big scrapes repaired in situ without the need to remove a bumper, so just a scratch seems unlikely.

As Bob suggests, could be evidence of more serious damage.

However, there have been a number of reports on here of misalignment on Mk 8 Fiestas, also broken headlamp brackets which allow the headlamps to move slightly and rub the paint on the bumper. That probably would require bumper removal to repair the paintwork. 

One example of a "headlamp thread" here:

https://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/99017-headlight-mount-broken/

As you've only recently bought the car, I'd be inclined to raise your concerns with the dealership in the first instance and take it further under consumer legislation if unhappy with the response.

... or one of the rubber bump stops is wildly maladjusted and preventing the bonnet from going down far enough on one side.

When the Mrs first got an ST line X around late 2018 the bonnet was poorly aligned.

The dealership repositioned and spaced correctly under warranty. Don't know what they did but they did say it was a nightmare to do...