Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

So the spring on the female part of the bonnet latch snapped and now the bonnet won't close properly. Got some springs from shop but none of them are as strong as the original. Put one on and it worked once.

Question is, what's the easiest way to fix? Bonnet latch is riveted to body so bit of a ball ache to replace. Anyone got some pics of the underside of the latch as I can't see under for where spring should go.

Frustrating as was expecting to be easy to fix.

Hi, replacing the bonnet latch is relatively easy and doesn't take too much time at all. The existing rivets can simply be drilled out, a new catch plate can then be pop-riveted back in. It took about 30 mins all told. If you don't have a pop riveter you can buy one at most motor factors, they are pretty cheap.

However, here's a picture, as requested:



Hope that helps...

Cheers, I just seen on eBay rivets and rivet tool for about £5 so not expensive.

When drilling out do I just go thin from the Middle and let it collapse. Never riveted before.

Hi, you only need to have a drill that is slightly larger than the hole in the middle of the rivet, and then just drill lightly until the head comes off. When all the heads are off the plate will easily come off, then you can just tap the remaining bits out with a small hammer, or pull them with pliers.

When getting a pop riveter just make sure it comes with a good selection of rivets as the ones you will need are a large size - about 4mm or so with a large head. Probably best if you measure as I don't have exact figures...