2006 GTX Mirror Replacement

[PJ Moran]

I have purchased a replacement mirror for one of mine that has broken. I took a stab at replacing it, thinking it would be just a matter of removing some bolts, etc. Well, like most everything else, apparently, there's a trick to it.

Under the front storage "lid" (which contains the instrument cluster and mirrors) is a black inner shell which apparently needs to be removed for access to the mirror mounting bolts. I have removed all of the screws and bolts I can find, and it still doesn't want to come off. It seems that the painted lid is somehow snapped onto the under shell, and there's a trick to getting it off.

I downloaded the shop manual. It appears to show how to do this, but unfortunately the pictures aren't good at all. There's something about hitting it with a rubber mallet, and possibly also a block of wood, but the picture is so bad that I can't tell where to hit it or in which direction.

So, I'm looking for someone who has performed this operation before, and that they can walk me through the "trick" to getting this off.

 

[Scriz]

I did this a long time ago and I think I remember there were some tabs under there as well. being they are 16 years old, I would go gentle as they are probably super fragile and will want to break on you.

 

[POPPS]

Can you post a picture?,,,I have done the older 2 strokes,,,but not the newer 4teks.

 

[PJ Moran]

I have purchased a replacement mirror for one of mine that has broken. I took a stab at replacing it, thinking it would be just a matter of removing some bolts, etc. Well, like most everything else, apparently, there's a trick to it.

Under the front storage "lid" (which contains the instrument cluster and mirrors) is a black inner shell which apparently needs to be removed for access to the mirror mounting bolts. I have removed all of the screws and bolts I can find, and it still doesn't want to come off. It seems that the painted lid is somehow snapped onto the under shell, and there's a trick to getting it off.

I downloaded the shop manual. It appears to show how to do this, but unfortunately the pictures aren't good at all. There's something about hitting it with a rubber mallet, and possibly also a block of wood, but the picture is so bad that I can't tell where to hit it or in which direction.

So, I'm looking for someone who has performed this operation before, and that they can walk me through the "trick" to getting this off.

OK, I figured it out. For future reference...

I smacked the inner shell a coupla times and the outer shell just popped loose. After lifting it off, it took only a few seconds to see that it's held down by a bunch of little fingers that slide into slots in the inner shell. So, all you really need to do is tap the outer shell downward (with the lid fully open). It should disengage. It only needs to move about 1/4" to come off.

With the lid open, the outer shell slides downward to come off, then upward to reinstall. It snaps back into place.

I cleaned up both parts and found that two of the "towers" for the retaining screws were broken. I glued them back on with JB Weld. Then, before reinstalling, I applied a little grease on the underside of the "fingers" and the corresponding slots so that it would slide back on easier with less risk of breaking anything. It worked like a charm. The outer shell slid right into place. The seven screws went right back in as did the two mounting bolts.

This outer shell has to come off if you want to remove any of the decorative trim, the mirrors, or the sun visor. You can get to all the tabs, etc. from the underside once the shell is off. It's not necessary to remove the shell to replace the instrument cluster, but it might be worth it given how difficult it is otherwise.