Porsche 718 Forum banner
Cancel

anyone replace their center mesh?

2735 Views 13 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  Sonny, 
geemman
Has anyone replaced the center mesh with a solid clear insert?

I was thinking of adding this.

Any thoughts?

Attachments

See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
GregW
I replaced mine.

I bought some scratch-resistant polycarbonate from a plastics shop, traced around the original leaving an inch or two extra at the top so I couldn't see it in the mirror, and cut it out with a jig saw. A bit of tidying up and smoothing with a sanding disk on the electric drill and it snapped into place cleanly.

I like it much better--especially at night when the original (along with the window tinting and auto-dimming mirrors) made for poor viewing.

Greg
Reply
Save
Like
  • Like
Reactions: 1
geemman
GregW said:
I replaced mine.

I bought some scratch-resistant polycarbonate from a plastics shop, traced around the original leaving an inch or two extra at the top so I couldn't see it in the mirror, and cut it out with a jig saw. A bit of tidying up and smoothing with a sanding disk on the electric drill and it snapped into place cleanly.

I like it much better--especially at night when the original (along with the window tinting and auto-dimming mirrors) made for poor viewing.

Greg
Click to expand...

Nice job. can you post a pic? would love to see the the look of it.
Reply
Save
Like
Sonny
I replaced the mesh with a clear plastic wind deflector ($99.95) from SunCoastParts.com. Much better visibility, day and night.
Reply
Save
Like
GregW
geemman said:
Nice job. can you post a pic? would love to see the the look of it.
Click to expand...
It looks just like the one in your pic except a bit taller and it follows the curve of the roll bars.

Here you go--it's almost invisible--the polycarbonate is clearer than glass!

Greg

Attachments

See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
4
I don't really get this as I've never had any problem whatsoever with visibility, either with this or my prior 981 Boxster. I have the auto dipping mirrors but don't have window tinting & to replace a visually attractive mesh screen with a piece of polycarbonate is not something which would ever have occurred to me. No offence guys they're your cars & it's your choice but I personally think it's a retrograde step.
Reply
Save
Like
GregW
Maybe you don't have the same problem with oldies and kids in dark clothing walking behind the car when I'm trying to get out of a parking space at the local shopping centre.

Lucky you.:)

Greg
Reply
Save
Like
4
GregW said:
Maybe you don't have the same problem with oldies and kids in dark clothing walking behind the car when I'm trying to get out of a parking space at the local shopping centre.

Lucky you.:)

Greg
Click to expand...
That genuinely made me laugh out loud. :)
Reply
Save
Like
geemman
GregW said:
It looks just like the one in your pic except a bit taller and it follows the curve of the roll bars.

Here you go--it's almost invisible--the polycarbonate is clearer than glass!

Greg
Click to expand...
Looks great especially that you contoured it to your roll bar.
Reply
Save
Like
geemman
Chilli said:
I don't really get this as I've never had any problem whatsoever with visibility, either with this or my prior 981 Boxster. I have the auto dipping mirrors but don't have window tinting & to replace a visually attractive mesh screen with a piece of polycarbonate is not something which would ever have occurred to me. No offence guys they're your cars & it's your choice but I personally think it's a retrograde step.
Click to expand...
I'm still deciding if I want to change it out, as I do like how the mesh looks as well. Maybe I'll just get one so that i have that option to change it out if I want to.
Reply
Save
Like
Sonny
The plastic wind deflector was standard on my 2012 Boxster, but we all have different problems. Visibility is one issue. I only had my 718 about a month when a stone from a vehicle in front of me perforated the mesh screen. That's when I ordered a plastic screen.
Reply
Save
Like
ZuffenHouseRules
I actually took out the clear center panel on my 987, just thought it looked nicer open, set off the safety-bar hoops more and helped visibility that little bit when glancing over the shoulder. I think lights were reflecting at night on the plastic too.

Plus I developed this habit of stretching a bit at traffic lights by reaching both arms behind my head and grabbing the hoop....

Anyway it didn't seem to have that much impact on wind and noise in the cockpit (but then I'm rarely trying to hold a conversation there). I'll probably remove the mesh screen soon to try out the difference. Nice that it clips in and out easily.
Reply
Save
Like
4
Sonny said:
The plastic wind deflector was standard on my 2012 Boxster, but we all have different problems. Visibility is one issue. I only had my 718 about a month when a stone from a vehicle in front of me perforated the mesh screen. That's when I ordered a plastic screen.
Click to expand...
My comment certainly wasn't intended to offend anyone, I just like & prefer the look of the standard screen & have always found it suitable for purpose. Although I love rag tops you are always somewhat at risk of personal injury from flying objects & whilst your deflector getting damaged wasn't great it's much better than you getting injured. A few years back I was driving my wife's A4 cabriolet & a skip lorry drove past in the other direction. They hadn't thrown a tarp over the load & all I saw was half a house brick bounce out, hit the road & hurtle towards me. I instinctively ducked & the brick hit & caved in the top of the metal frame around the windscreen just in front of the drivers wheel. An inch higher & I'd probably now be dead as the closing speed was pretty high & the impact resulted in hundreds of pounds of damage to the vehicle (a couple inches lower probably wouldn't have been that great either). :(
See less See more
Reply
Save
Like
Sonny
I am not offended at all. My point was a mesh screen with a hole in it simply does not look good.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 14 of 14 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Porsche 718 Forum
718 Forum is the largest Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman community. Join now to discuss modifications, exhaust, tires and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
2017+ Porsche 718 General Discussion Forum New Member Introductions Porsche 718 Dealers, Pricing, and Ordering Electronics, Audio, and Lighting 718 Boxster/Cayman Issues And Problems
Top