Boxster Project : Boxster Rearview Mirror Remounting DIY

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We have owned the Boxster for over 18 years and have done all kinds of updates, maintenances, and repairs on it.

In spite of the above, it took us a few moments to process why there was a mirror in the passenger seat the other day. When we picked it up, we still didn’t fully comprehend what had happened: the rearview mirror had fallen off the front window.

Once light dawned, we thought we would be able to just use what we had around the shop to fix the problem and get on with our day. Well, not so fast, for two reasons:

• The mounting bracket had fallen off with the mirror and was on the stem
• Reattaching the mirror as-is would never work because of the weight

Our normal go-to repair manuals—Bentley Boxster Service Manual, 101 Boxster Projects—were no help. Fortunately, the DIY repair was actually fairly simple, but needed the proper adhesive. DO NOT use Crazy Glue. Just spend the $5 for the right glue and save yourself a lot of headaches.

Step 1. Separating the mount from the mirror

The mirror mount is an oriented nub and is attached to the clamp on the stem. We were a little hesitant to use force at first, but there was no other way to pry it off. The removal may be made easier if you could tell how the nub was oriented, but we could not. Still, with care, prying it out did not damage either part.

The orientation of the nub is obvious once it’s separated from the mirror. Note that the nub on the mount should be horizontal when on the glass so that the clamp on the mirror can properly grip it when rotated into place.

Step 2. Glueing the mount to the windshield

With the mount separated from the clamp, it was now possible to glue it back onto the windshield. However, there are four things to know before glueing:

• Make sure there is NO old glue residue on the windshield or the mount
• USE adhesive specifically designed for remounting the mirror to the windshield
• There IS an orientation to the mount
• The glue is VERY sticky and repositioning the mount is NOT possible

So, with those tips in mind, glueing the mount to the windshield could now be tackled. Note that the “rear-view adhesive” glue (Loctite in our case) came in two parts. One part is designed to go on the metal mount, the other part on the glass. In the Boxster’s case, a metal disc was still on the glass, but it worked fine. The key was to let everything dry on the mount’s surface before putting the liquid on the windshield.

The vial with the glue for the mount has a sponge applicator tip. This made it easy to spread the liquid completely on the surface of the disc. We used all of the material in the vial and waited for it to dry as per the directions.

Once the liquid on the mount had dried, it was time to put the second liquid on the glass. This liquid was thicker and a little runny, but was not hard to spread. We covered as much of the target area on the windshield with it as possible. This time we didn’t have to wait for the liquid to dry before proceeding.

When we placed the mount on the windshield, we thought we would be able to rotate it until it was perfectly horizontal, but it “gripped and held” immediately and would not move! Good thing that it was  “horizontal enough.”

Step 3. Reattaching the mirror to the mount

The directions said it should take about five minutes for the glue to do its thing. After five minutes, the mount felt very secure when we tested it, and we were confident it would hold the mirror without a problem.

To reattach the mirror, we held it vertically, aligned the clamp to the nub, and rotated it until horizontal. The mirror clicked into place easily and stayed. Done and Done.

It has been a month since the mirror was reattached. Hopefully, we can forget about it for another 18 years 🙂

Links to items mentioned:

• Loctite Rearview Mirror adhesive
• Bentley Boxster Service Manual
• 101 Projects for Your Porsche Boxster