mirror, mirror, on the door...

terryb · 02-08-2006, 08:22 AM

So on the way into work this morning there's a flash to my left then a thunk and a tinkle. What the hell was that? Hmmmm, something doesn't look right...wait a minute, WTF? My side mirror glass fell out!

Can I just replace the glass or should I replace the whole insides? If it's just the glass, what to use for adhesive?

RoninLB · 02-08-2006, 08:45 AM

My bro went to a glass shop. They cut to size and glued it on. it's been on over 60k mi so far.

wcc · 02-08-2006, 10:37 AM

Henderson Glass cut glass for my side mirror for my Toyota more than once. They do good work. I'm sure they can do the Porsche mirrors too.

terryb · 02-08-2006, 08:11 PM

Thanks for the tip to check out a glass shop RoninLB and wc.

I can't quite tell but it seems like there is a sort of smooth gasket like material that was behind the glass. Is the glass normally glued to a gasket that's glued to the flat part of the mirror assembly? I've never had the mirrors apart so I'm not quite sure what I'm looking at and I don't want to remove something that I shouldn't.

Thanks.

5speed · 02-08-2006, 09:01 PM

terryb - I'll assume you have the stock '88 power flag mirrors. They would have rectangular glass. The glass would have been glued to a plastic backing plate that has a large locking ring. The locking ring holds the glass/backing plate the the adjusting motor. If you did not have, or no longer want heated glass option then all you need is to go to a glass shop for replacement glass to glue on. If you have the heated glass option and want to keep it then you have to find/buy a replacement heated glass/backing plate assembly, of course more $$$.

KCPSG · KCPSG's Garage

You can get the part from Pelican, I had the same thing happen to me last year , while backing out of my driveway the damn thing just fell out. It was something like $45 - $50 to get a new one. It was easy to replace,you just need a small flathead screwdriver to rotate the locking bezel on the underside of the mirror. If you have a Bently manual it explains it quite well, W/pics too.

terryb · 02-09-2006, 07:08 PM

Thank you 5speed and Phil.

I have a neighbor with a bunch of p-car parts who said he'll give me the mirror glass. Will pick up tonight. So how do I know if I have heated mirrors? (No wise cracks--I'm in SoCal!) Also, what kind of glue to use to attach the glass back on the plastic backing plate?

5speed · 08:29 PM

terryb - If you know how to decode the options sticker it will tell you if your mirrors are heated. Or on a cold night you could turn on your rear window defogger and feel the warmth on the glass that is still attached. Or you can tilt the mirror and if you have two brown wires attached to the back of the mirror then you have heated glass. Lastly you could remove the backing plate by turning the locking ring and see if there are wires attched to the back. I am not sure what adhesive to use, a glass shop would know which adhesive is the best.

RoninLB · 02-09-2006, 08:50 PM

epoxy adhisive/caulk is nice imo.