03 Ser front facia question

[Buzzman]

Hello everyone. I have a 2003 SE-R. This query I have is hard to describe, but here goes. The SE-R has a different, more aggressive, front facia/bumper than the 1.8 models. However, I noticed early on when I looked under the sides of the front facia, that the right side is mounted differently than the left. The driver's side, just in front of the wheel, has a black plastic inner fender lining, and the outer facia fits nicely against it, and is bolted/pinned together. This prevents the facia from moving. The right side inner lining is different, and does not come down far enough to meet up with the bottom of the bumper. As a result, the facia on the passenger side is loose. The SE-R front bumper is bigger than the stock bumper, so the inner panel also has to be bigger. It looks to me like Nissan installed the wrong inner liner on the passenger side. I thought it was just my car, so I started looking around at other SE-R's. Lo and behold, they all seem to have the same problem. I've looked at dozens of cars in parking lots in my travels, and I think Nissan screwed up in the manufacturing process. They were all the same. I'm curious to know if other people have noticed this quirk, and is there anything that can be done about it. I pointed out this problem to my dealer, and he basically blew me away.If you have a 2003 SE-R or Spec V, I would appreciate it if you would check out your front bumper and see if it's the same as mine. I'd love to hear from others out there.Thanks.
Modified by Buzzman at 9:53 PM 7/9/2008

[Buzzman]

I was thinking about this the other day so I thought I would bump it up.It still bugs me a little, and I haven't done anything to fix it, but I'd still be interested in what others have to say.Thanks.

[nametakennow]

It's an economy car made in Mexico, so cutting costs is bound to be part of the equation. Since all Sentras had the resonator box down in the driver's fog lamp area, the liner has to be longer, otherwise I bet it wouldn't line up well/be as complete-looking either.

i.e. - I doubt Nissan used different liners for different models. Most people won't ever look close enough and, functionally, it doesn't matter, so having a single fender liner type for all trim levels makes fiscal sense.