HOWTO : Fix MkIV Golf Broken Glovebox Latch (with pics)

[slaandjivaa]

Glove box handle jammed on my MkIV VW Golf about 6 months ago. When trying to re-open it i heard a snap and the two
prongs to the left and right of the golvebox which keep it closed fell inside meaning that it would not stay shut. After
getting fed up using wedges of paper to keep the damn thing shut i though i would try and fix it myself (I also didn't
fancy paying VW over £100 to repair it!)

Turns out its pretty simple and can be done in 15 mins.

Step 1 Open the lid
(-) There is no need to remove the lid from the car. The fix can be made with it still in place.
(-) Get your screwdriver (the thinner the head the better) into the small gap as indicated by the red arrow
(-) Once in wiggle it about and you will hear the plastic bonds which are glued together snapping apart (be brave !!)
(-) After it starts to give way slide your screwdriver sideways (as indicated by green arrow) this will help ease the back panel of the glove box away from the front
(-) Once you can comfortably fit your hand in between the gap then stop (no need to completely separate the front and back)

Step 2 The problem
(-) Here you can see the problem.
(-) The small white hinge has fallen off the peg which holds it in place
(-) There are 2 arms (to left and right in picture) which move in and out when you pull the handle on the front of the glovebox
(-) With the white hinge out of place no movement takes place and your glovebox catches do not engage and hold the box closed

Step 3 The solution
(-) The fix is pretty simple
(-) Attach the white hinge over the peg, ensuring that the part with the small hole (pic 2a - ring #2) is facing down the way
(-) The 'teeth' of the hinge should be facing up the way so that they lock into end of the arm shown in pic 2b
(-) Once you have attached the arm and the hinge ensure that the spring between the left and right white hinges is in place (this is fiddly)
(-) The reason the white hinge fell off on my car was that the end of the plastic peg on which the hinge sits had half broken off
(-) To fix this I fitted a small screw into the peg (pic 3) tight enough to secure the hinge but loose enough to let the hinge pivot

Step 4 Putting it back together
(-) Once it is all done its a case of using glue to re-attach the back and front of the glovebox
(-) Recommend that you use clamps and leave it setting for 12-24 hours

Good luck !!

Cheers

[jcaadams]

Great how to!

I just fixed mine this evening in just under 30 minutes.

However I would recommend using a small but wide flat head screwdriver to get under the plastic, then using a larger (thicker) screwdriver to get in and pop off the rest of it. This way it doesn't 'warp' the plastic as easy and when its all back together you can't even tell you've taken it apart.

Thanks

[klg0143]

Amazing DIY!

[williamjohns]

Photos have become unavailable, does anyone know if this article is posted elsewhere? will

[lysolman]

Ask and ye shall receive. BTW, you can still right click and view the photobucket photos, that's how I got these.

Deuces.

Props to the OP for a great write-up and great pictures.

[sobirov]

hi lysolman,

could you please help me with loading the images in this helpful thread? thanks.

tried to copy the pix using the right click. did not work.

[CrouchEnd]

Folks - my glovebox lid went last week due to those stupid plastic pegs snapping. Found this fantastic site and have half-completed the job and wanted to share a few thoughts.

1. When breaking open the lid, use a penknife (I used the small blade on my Swiss army knife) and run it along the gap between the front and back sections (it will fit with no trouble), then you can use it as a lever to allow a screwdriver in to break the glued bond. I managed to break mine open with NO damage to either front of back of the lid. Be firm, but gentle and it will come apart.

2. As others have said - screw the white plastic piece back into its housing with a small self-tapping screw, but also use a washer to make sure it will sit in place. You might as well do the other one while you're there. Irritatingly I could only find one washer, but I am going to make sure I never have to fix this piece of junk again.

3. I will take a picture of the lid as I have it now - haven't glued it back together, so people can see how it should look. Any ideas on where I can have them hosted?

Hope this helps - and thanks for all the great advice on here. Saved me a fortune!!!

[oneder]

Quote, originally posted by CrouchEnd »

Any ideas on where I can have them hosted?

Here a couple of hosting sites, check em’ out

http://photobucket.com/

http://imageshack.us/

http://www.flickr.com/

http://picasaweb.com/

[CrouchEnd]

Cool - I'll get them done this week and post!

[CrouchEnd]

Cool - I'll get them done this week and post!

[NoSurrenderAG]

Pics still work you just have to right click on them press properties, copy the direct location into a new window, volia

[DanWoodbury]

i to have this problem and it is really annoying having the glovebox always open, how can i get the images to the tutorial?

i have tried getting the image path and opening in a new window but to no luck.

any help on this would be great.

[CrouchEnd]

Try this: http://picasaweb.google.com/fr...tlink

[sellick]

This sounded like a good idea... untill I started prying the lid apart. I have no idea how you can "comfortably fit your hand" in between both pieces. I pryed the edges apart completely on all sides and accidentally got my finger caught and drew blood. The outside of the lid was bending backwards when i was prying it and the two still didn't come apart.

Worst idea ever IMO. Save the trouble and replace the whole lid.

[Jblood4576]

ok so mine just broke today while going over a small man hole cover. The door just opened. I have tried prying this apart. I dont want to ruin anything. I feel as if I am doing it wrong and now have given up. How much does a new door cost to replace?

[haxormax]

Hey all,
I just did this to my car. the cylinder that holds up the peg broke on my glove box. I had to figure out a different way to fix it.

I smoothed out the plastic and used these parts:

It went metal washer - plastic thing - metal washer. Hold that together with a screw with a cone shaped head. Very easy and very worth it.

[KCarey9]

Thanks a lot! so sick of wedging mine.. Definitely gonna try this in the next few days

[mk4living]

so what if your glove box doesnt even open? Ive tried everything and it will only open half way...

[haxormax]

are you saying that only one side opens or your arms only let you open the box halfway it is supposed to open?

[haxormax]

are you saying that only one side opens or your arms only let you open the box halfway it is supposed to open?

[Elisabeth]

Great instructions, thank you very much! I'm not very good at this stuff and even I could follow them.

[n0waybak]

any tips for prying it apart? I just tried for about 30 minutes and the two parts dont want to come apart. Ive been working around with a screw driver, and it seems like i have all the edges free. ive been prying it and prying and prying, and it still seems as if the center is stuck together.

[wzcunningham]

yeah it was a real bitch, just did this, kinda painful, but eventually it will snap apart... stay after it.

[dino2387]

Hi,

I bought my mk 4 about a year ago and have put up with the glove box being broken as i was not looking forward to dismantling every thing to fix it as well as paying silly money for a second hand peice of plastic. Found this thread two days ago and have just got around to fixing it. Took les than 20 mins and as i was carefull you can not even see what i have done. Great one Thanks.

[wipy]

Ive had my mk4 for more than 2 years, and the glovebox has been wedged shut with several contraptions for most of that time.
I stumbled across the above instructions/pics which were invaluable. It was easy to fix, and really dis not need to be taken to a garage. So many thanks to the original poster!
The initial prying open is difficult, but as mentioned, use thin screwdriver to loosen all the way round then be brave and bit more forceful with thicker screwdriver, to pop the cover open (dont be dissuaded by the popping sound). Its important to remove the whole cover, to comfortably complete the rest of the steps. Then glue back together.

[Mountain-Man]

I broke my glove box handle yesterday, and googled it last night and found this thread. Out this afternoon and hey presto fixed. Well done boys great advice, I used the best of the tips aswell. Using two paint strippers, one about an inch the other about two and a half. Prised open no issues, two self tapping screws and washers (great tip). Only one side broke but did both just in case (another great tip). After reading other threads on other sites with elaborate solutions this is the one to follow.

Just couldn't imagine it was such a common problem! Just spent the last hour in Tesco's caqrpark looking for other Golf drivers to pass on the advice .

Also in the spirit of Golf problems, if like me you have broken the small silver loop on your key that connects to the key ring, and tried everything read on. You can get the plastic shell on Ebay, take out the electronic bit from old key and put it all back together. This was after two seperate VW dealers and an independant German carparts dealer told me it couldn't be got!!

Just put the following into Ebay search, if you are too general the you get thousands of results, SKODA SEAT VOLKSWAGEN 2 BUTTON KEY FOB CASE BRAND NEW

[wally07]

thanks a million for the tutorial!! saved me some nice change!

[solid357]

Top guy thanks a bundle sorted my glove box now after a lazy year Cheers!

[woofster]

Nice tutorial from 2008!

In a similar albeit slightly off-topic vein, do all of your gloveboxes swing open slowly (as if there is some sort of gas strut inside) or does it swing open freely?

[nutz4vws]

Thanks for the post! Saved my lady some cash money... and she loves that.

[DFWSKATE]

I really need to do this

[davemk4]

Just joined to thankyou for this!
sorted

[gliderman]

Thank you to OP and subsequent posters for advice here works a treat - 30 minute job. Saved me a lot of money.

Phil

[Rikku]

YOU ARE A LIFESAVER ) thanks a lot saved some $$ which could be spent on pimping my golf
thanks!!

[gloomydays]

AWESOME DIY! I will try this out asap!
Thank you!