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After pushing the power release button, my hatch does not open all the way (just unlocks) but it will stay open on its own after I lift it. Until they no longer hold, I'll keep the old struts as is for sure.
However, I am still not convinced the struts cause an issue, unless you keep your hatch open all the time. When closed, it seems like a rigid setup to me
After I either get another hatch or fix mine so the glass is where it should be, I'm just going to leave an end free/not connected to the hatch & just attach them when I want the hatch open. Yeah I know its a heavy thing to lift but I just dont like the idea of having the hatch closed all the time & the frame under what I think is a lot of tension.
cheers & thanks again for your help
Has anyone reached out to Porsche to see if they'd share what the original adhesive and/or method was? I know for the 911 guys they've gone as far as remanufacturing new parts that were NLA. I doubt there is a single 944 40yrs later that has a 100% sealed hatch, the market is ripe for a solution.
Has anyone reached out to Porsche to see if they'd share what the original adhesive and/or method was?
Aren't you looking for something better than the original though? Or do you want to avoid the factory method?
The top edge of my hatch glass bulges out at least 1/8" away from the frame. In the video it does not look like your wife needs to push down on the glass very much at all. I wonder if the redo failure rate depends on how far away the glass has separated from the frame -- too far like mine and you might as well forget about repairing it.
What a non-delaminated hatch looks like. This car is low-miles and garaged since new. Dimples from right side to left.
I suspect Porsche or their supplier had a jig for making the dimples a fixed distance from the glass edge, so I have to conclude that the glass edge does not exactly follow the contours of the inside edge of the trim. It is obvious the trim is not bent from the hinge section pulling away from the glass, it has a perfectly even, one might be tempted to say beautiful, curve from one side to the other without any deviations.
So dimples showing is normal. Variation is normal. How much is too much? Who knows, this is but a one car sample.
I know it will probably delaminate some time in the future, I'm just throwing some data out on what a good one looks like for those trying to fix theirs.
I have 2 hatches, my really good one is similar to your pics there.
My bad one which has the glass edge exposed from under the trim measures 8mm from center of the dimple to the edge of the glass - i rekon this distance would be standard on all dimples - i use this dimension to assess how much overlap i have on my good glass.
I’ve come across a 944 hatch that is pretty much absolutely perfect..
Their is much evidence of broken hatch glass all over in the car, and pry marks by the hatch pins..
This hatch has been replaced recently enough that a lot of the glass has not even been cleaned up yet, even some in the rear seat..
IF this was replaced with a NEW hatch, I can only imagine an insurance company paying for it, and therefore it may turn up on a carfax or something to confirm my suspicion..
I am deciding if I will sell this hatch or not.. I don’t really have a car perfect enough to warrant putting this on, and I prefer 931 spoilers to 944 spoilers, and my 931 hatches are in fine enough condition for me..
Also, given the that 3M 08069 material used by Mr. India is not UV resistant, would applying a small strip of vinyl body wrap on the glass over the repaired area provide appropriate UV protection? I know it won't have the stock appearance but I'd be willing to do it in conjunction with the 3M 08069 to fix the delaminating problem and make it a long term, if not, permanent fix.
Last edited by bobinnova; 09-11-2022 at 09:30 PM.
Reason: added more info
Just had a brainstorm. How about rear-view mirror adhesive? Perfect for bonding metal to glass. Extremely strong (can pull chunks of glass out of windshield when trying to remove mirror.) Intended to tolerate UV light. Seems the obvious answer (in hindsight) for repairing these.
Based on the information in this thread and the conclusion on epoxy, the rear view mirror adhesive will be too strong and won't allow for any flexing. Plus, it wont provide the OEM black appearance.
03-20-2022, 11:57 AM
