Glovebox hinge...

**randall977** · 21-04-2009,04:50 PM

My glovebox has suddenly and without warning started to open with no damping at all - just drops down when opened. What do I need to replace?

**randall977** · 23-04-2009,08:34 AM

Well, thanks for the advice. I've purchased a whole glove box unit of eBay for £20 - I guess that will sort it out!

**Mr V** · 23-04-2009,08:31 PM

LOL! Either the hinge has broken or the damper on the side has. Just pull the dash side trim off and you'll be able to see the damper and work out what's wrong.

**randall977** · 23-04-2009,11:43 PM

Ta Mr V, the new glove box was a bit flood damaged but the important bits were okay! The bit that attaches the damper to the lid had snapped on the old one - pretty crappy - too much damping I guess. So put the new one one (swapping over the good bits off my old one) and all is well again. I now see why they break so much - you kind of want to yank it open as it's pretty slow!

**slimbaldy** · 07-06-2009,07:33 PM

The damper broke on my previuos A3 and you didn't have to wait forever for it to open. However i now have another A3 and patiently waiting for this one to break so i'm not sat waiting forever for it! any tips on breaking it?

**jonathanfenton** · 19-08-2011,10:17 AM

This also opperates the light in the glove box!.. Who builds a light switch into a damper!?!

**TFSIer** · 23-08-2011,06:53 PM

Spraying the damper with silicone lubricant helps it open a bit quicker and may stop it getting broken. Mine broke before I realised how it worked but managed to fix it with a metal splint.

**jonathanfenton** · 23-08-2011,07:01 PM

I riveted a metal splint onto mine... i had to shorten it though as it was not moving the dampener enough to break the contact for the light cct. Just something for people to watch out for in case of flat batteries etc.

**alankru** · 24-08-2011,11:23 AM

Originally Posted by TFSIer

Spraying the damper with silicone lubricant helps it open a bit quicker and may stop it getting broken. Mine broke before I realised how it worked but managed to fix it with a metal splint.

My hinge was already broken when I bought the car (I didn't realise until I read about it here and wondered why I had no glovebox light). I also glued and riveted a metal splint onto mine.
Having not dealt with this problem before, I also thought that the damper was too stiff so I tried the suggestion (in another thread) of lubricating the damper with silicone spray. However it lubricated it so much that it no longer dampened and the glovebox continued to flop down like it did with the broken hinge. Upon buying a new one for ~£25 from Audi I realise now that that was how the damper was meant to be, so in hindsight I wish I had left it alone. After replacing the glovebox bulb as well, I am pleased to have discovered the information on this forum to fix it.

**zagato** · 03-03-2012,07:01 AM

I think the damper works by sucking in and blowing out air through a tiny hole in the piston as it opens & closes. If it becomes too stiff it will overstress the left hinge as you try to shut the glovebox lid. Spraying the shaft with lubricant may help or may block things further. You need the damper mechanism to switch the glovebox light on & off, but you can ease the damper for good by drilling a 1mm hole into the closed end of the damper barrel to allow air in & out more easily. You will get less damping effect but how important is that to you in ££££s? At least on my glovebox it appears the right hinge is the one that restricts the opening limit of the lid whilst the left hinge not only acts as a hinge but also transfers the forces between the damper and lid. If you push the lid shut too fast the forces on the hinge due to leverage will get large.