This is my first post here and I'm hoping for a little advice.We are looking at buying a used Mini.2003 S 23,000 in very nice shape overall.The only thing I noticed was the piece of wheel opening cladding that is on the hood sits about 1/4 lower than the piece it lines up with on the fender.All the other panels line up.Anyone ever seen a problem like this? Thanks in advance for any ideas

 

Those things are held on with tiny, cheap, grey, plastic tabs. It's quite possible a few of the tiny tabs broke and now its misaligned.

 

Thank you

 

None of my fender trim lines up anymore, and will probably never line up again. My entire hood is slightly bent on the passenger side for various reasons, and the bumper cover is slightly off on both sides. This effects all fender trim gaps and alignment for the front.

One way to see the cause:
Look around the the headlight ring to see if the gap between the metal and the chrome is even. If it is not, then the hood is bent. The passenger side of my hood is bent and the headlight/metal gap is uneven, while the driver's side is still normal(even headlight/metal gap)

Check the bumper cover mounting screws for signs of stress, like cracks or shotty repair. My bumper cover exhibits both.

 

Mine move a little, so if there out of align, just push or pull them up or down and they'll line up better.