# Glovebox slow opening mechanism broke



## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

The slow opening mechanism on my glove box is.......incredibly slow. Just before Christmas I gently put pressure on it to open it faster and something went 'ping'. Now its a fast opening glove box.

Is this something that can be fixed or is is even worth bothering about?


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

On the Mk2 there was a cylinder and piston in the LH hinge that made it go slow. When people forced it because it was too slow, one of the hinge parts broke.

Helpfully Audi only supply a complete glove box so the best thing would be to drop the glove box - screws underneath, right at the back and along the top edge when its' open. Don't forget NOT to turn on the ignition while the air bag switch is disconnected. If you do then you'll get a warning light that needs VCDS to turn off.

Once the glove box is out you can see what's broken and assess if you can fix it. Search the Mk2 forum for info.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Ah, too late I see.


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

brittan said:


> On the Mk2 there was a cylinder and piston in the LH hinge that made it go slow. When people forced it because it was too slow, one of the hinge parts broke.
> 
> Helpfully Audi only supply a complete glove box so the best thing would be to drop the glove box - screws underneath, right at the back and along the top edge when its' open. Don't forget NOT to turn on the ignition while the air bag switch is disconnected. If you do then you'll get a warning light that needs VCDS to turn off.
> 
> Once the glove box is out you can see what's broken and assess if you can fix it. Search the Mk2 forum for info.


Ah that's really helpful, I have had the glove box out recently to sort out the fan unit so I'm familiar with removing it. Also I triggered my airbag light in the process so thats a job for another day


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

can you lubricate the dampening piston without taking the glovebox off?


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

You can see it by gently levering off the dashboard end panel.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=321483&p=2568015&hilit=glove+box+broken#p2568015


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

brittan said:


> http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=321483&p=2568015&hilit=glove+box+broken#p2568015


Useful link, this should be something I can tackle myself without too much issue. Thanks


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## ADB (May 7, 2002)

Its a weak point in the design and a very common fault. When it does go I think a lot of people just leave it.
I repaired mine 3 times and when it broke for the 4th time I decided to just apply a fix for the light and forget about the elegant opening... viewtopic.php?f=19&t=993249

Andy


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## Snake TT (Jul 13, 2007)

ADB said:


> Its a weak point in the design and a very common fault. When it does go I think a lot of people just leave it.
> I repaired mine 3 times and when it broke for the 4th time I decided to just apply a fix for the light and forget about the elegant opening... viewtopic.php?f=19&t=993249
> 
> Andy


To be honest the slow opening IS kind of annoying when you are in a hurry. Thats how I broke mine, I didnt have time to wait 

I quite like the fact it now flies open and kneecaps the passenger


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## ADB (May 7, 2002)

Snake TT said:


> To be honest the slow opening IS kind of annoying when you are in a hurry. Thats how I broke mine, I didnt have time to wait
> 
> I quite like the fact it now flies open and kneecaps the passenger


Mine was broke when I bought the car so it remained like that for a few months until I investigated why the light didn't work. When I realised it had snapped I did what a lot of people have done and made a metal bracket and used a lot of epoxy resin. It worked perfectly for a few months and then failed again as the gas strut started to get stiffer. 2nd repair involved drilling a hole in the gas strut so that it wasn't so stiff. A heavy handed passenger broke it the next time so I then went for the lesser repair so there is no elegant opening but the light still comes on.
I also fitted a dual USB adapter into the glovebox whilst I had it out and was soldering stuff. I Piggy-backed the wiring from the light before the switch I fitted as its a switched feed. This powers my dashcam and charges my phone when its in the glovebox.

Andy


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

brittan said:


> You can see it by gently levering off the dashboard end panel.


so... I can just take the side panel and put some kind of lube on it while it being extended?


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Some useful info on repairing automotive plastics -

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1725721

The glove box is made of PC/ABS (Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene). Unfortunately, epoxy-adhesives are not very effective for ABS repairs, however this can be plastic-welded with a common soldering iron between 285-300°C. Plastic welding sticks can be purchased from various suppliers, but be sure you get the right combination of plastics for the repair you want to do.

A company called Orbi-Tech offers a 25-pack of ABS/PC repair-stickes for around 10-Euros. You can also find plastic welding rods on Amazon too. You can search YouTube videos on how to do this repair as well since plastic-welding is pretty common, especially for motorcycle fairings and similar parts made of ABS.

FYI - all plastic parts in the TT identify the plastic they're made of, just look for the letters betwen the > < symbols.

https://orbi-tech.de/shop/Repair-Sticks ... :1_11.html


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

It looks like you can buy the Glove Box Brake Element. Since it's a cross-platform item, (Audi A3 8P A4 B6 B7 A8 D3) it may not be specifically advertised as a Audi TT Mk2 part. However, according to the 7zap parts list, it's called out for the Mk2 TT in the Glove Box Compartment parts list.

Also found this link on how to disassemble and lubricate of the Glove Box Brake Element. Since there's a TPE plastic seal in there, WD-40, or any petroleum based lubricant will eventually ruin it. Stick with silicon or mineral based grease or oil.

*Preventing the Common Audi Glovebox Hinge Break*
http://www.matteasom.com/auto/2013/audi ... box-hinge/

7zap Parts reference:

https://audi.7zap.com/en/rdw/audi+tt+tt ... -857020/#4

#4 - 8E1 880 324; Brake element with switch (lhd)
#4 - 8E2 880 324; Brake element with switch (rhd)


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## efunc (Oct 12, 2008)

I've done a few of these. You can't lube it effectively through the side panel because the piston is a sealed unit and it needs to be dismantled to be able to free up the internal components. In terms of lube, I've used silicon lube, but even better is PTFE dry lube which is what I'm about to use this weekend. Because it's a teflon-based dry lube it won't attract dust and progressively clog up and become sticky again. To get the right level of resistance I built up the lubrication by applying very little to the piston o-ring and testing, then applying more, and so on until it was just right. You don't really want to go overboard right away because you might end up with a damper that doesn't do its job.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

First thing to understand is that the problem isn't the hinge. The hinge is breaking because the Glove Box "Brake Element with Switch"* (aka "Damper") is being forced, which then puts the pressure on the hinge, thus breaking the hinge.

The glove compartment Damper is basically a piston within a cylinder which controls the speed at which the door opens. This is accomplished by the friction generated by the piston seal against the cylinder wall.

Over time the piston seal can harden, which increases the friction against the cylinder wall and makes it more difficult to move inside the cylinder. If the friction is severe, people end up forcing the glove compartment door, thus breaking the hinge as a result.

To solve the problem, you need to remove the Damper from the glove box, disassemble the Damper and apply a small amount of mineral oil to the seal and inside the cylinder wall.

Note - the piston seal is made of TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) so you should not use petroleum based lubricants as they will degrade the elastomer over time. Also, avoid heavy silicon sprays which may increase the friction of the seal against the cylinder wall. Light weight 'white' mineral oil should give you good results.

Damper Access - 
1. Remove the dash side panel.
2. If present, remove Phone Antenna Amplifier (P/N 8E0 035 456 C) two screws - Torx T20

Damper Removal - 
1. Disconnect the glove compartment light switch plug (E26).
2. Remove the Hinge Pin (8E0 880 802) using a pair of needle nose pliers.
3. Rotate the Damper about 45° counter-clock-wise to remove it from the side of the Glove Box.

*Brake Element with Switch - 
a. 8E1 880 324 for LHD
b. 8E2 880 324 for RHD

Damper Disassembly - 
1. Carefully rotate the plug-end 90° counter-clock-wise and remove it from the Cylinder Body.
2. Remove the Damper Piston out of the Cylinder Body.
3. Apply a light-weight 'white' mineral oil to Piston Seal.
4. Apply a light-weight 'white' mineral oil to the inside of the Cylinder Body walls.
5. Insert the piston into the cylinder and slide it back and forth a few times to ensure smooth operation.

Reassembly is the reverse of disassembly.

*DIY: How to Prevent Your Glove Box Hinge from Breaking*
Source credit: http://forums.bigskyeuro.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=2118


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## toddy64 (May 8, 2016)

Had to repair my glovebox last week. Read a few great posts on here and followed the instructions to make a permanent repair to the damper fixing area. An easy enough job to do and it's back to working great. One minor error though, I drilled a hole in the end of the damper to try to make it less effective. This didn't do anything so I gave it a good spray with silicone lubricant. This worked a bit too well and the damping now is a bit weak, but it is much better than before as at least the glovebox opens all the way now


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## efunc (Oct 12, 2008)

Yes, that's why I advised about building up the lube progressively by trial and error. If it's too much you can always start again by striping off the lube you've applied.


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## Mack The Knife (Jun 14, 2007)

Thank guys for these excellent threads. As always, top information.

My glovebox has been difficult to shut for as long as I can remember and yes, some degree of human force has since been used to shut it.

[smiley=oops.gif]  Anyway, it's become extremely difficult to close with the gentlest of care and it doesn't seem to have much damping (if any) when it is opened.

I can now see the left edge of the bottom hinge is split and I thought I would remove the whole glovebox to review (and hopefully repair).

From within the glovebox, I have removed three 8mm bolts from the upper front edge and one 8mm bolt against the bulkhead at the very back right-hand side. It's still rock-solid in there.

[smiley=help.gif] Could anyone kindly advise an idiot's step-by-step method of removing the glovebox (for inspection), please?

[smiley=book2.gif] Sorry in advance if I have missed something obvious (which is probably exactly what I've done).


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Here you go...


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## Mack The Knife (Jun 14, 2007)

Thank you SwissJetPilot.

I had a total of six screws! The glovebox is now on the footwell but the cabling is still attached.

Oh, and now the left-hand hinge is completely severed. Oops!

Will attach a pic here but I'm not sure that break would be mendable there?


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## Mack The Knife (Jun 14, 2007)

Here it is removed from the car and showing the foot of the left hinge severed and the bottom of the glovebox lid free:


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## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

Yes looks like the diagram is missing the inside bolt. Don't turn the ignition on with the airbag switch disconnected unless you have VCDS as the airbag light will come on


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

A sixth screw? Okay...where exactly is it located?

I haven't looked at mine (it still works - touch wood) I wonder if the hinge is replaceable and could be fabricated with a 3D printer? I know there's some metal repair kits for other Audi's, unfortunately I don't believe they have one yet for the TT.

I'm pretty sure the hinge is ABS so it could be welded.

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1725721&p=8667849&hilit=plastic+repair#p8667849
.


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## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

It's at the back near the light SJP

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

a quick one - can you lubricate the mechanism without disassemling the glovebox?


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

@ *Vanu* - Yes you can. By removing the dash side panel and then you can access and remove the damper. Then once you have it out, you can disassemble it as shown above, lubricate it and then reinstall it. For some vehicles, like my Roadster, the antenna amp may be in the way (as shown) so you'll have to deal with that first.


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## Mack The Knife (Jun 14, 2007)

Thank you MT-V6, I will _try_ and remember to reconnect the loom before turning the ignition. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Thank you SwissJetPilot for your further guidance. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

I removed the damper and found the piston's lateral movement unbelievably stiff. Well, quite believable really, given that my left hinge is broken!

I measured the linear force needed to fully retract an extended piston (I didn't have an easy way to measure opening the piston - which would possibly have been a more useful reference):
1. At a snail's pace, 800-1200gf (grams force).
2. To close it in 3s, 2100gf
Wow! That's a lot of force.

View attachment 3

View attachment 2

Then I drilled a 2mm hole in the end of the piston and repeated the test:
1. At a snail's pace, 800-1200gf.
2. To close it in 3s, 2000-2200gf
So no difference at all, plus or minus measuring errors.

Then I sprayed a copious amount of silicone oil around the piston head and repeated the test:
1. At a snail's pace, 130-290gf.
2. To close it in 3s, 224-330gf.
So that might have removed virtually all the damping! I'd rather that than be forcing a 'mended', yet possibly still fragile, hinge.

Talking of which, I'm really not sure whether the break in this place is going to be robustly mendable anyway.

















When I try to reposition the two broken sides of the hinge together as-is they don't seem to fit snuggly and I guess that's going to be essential for the glovebox lid to fit closed. I certainly can't see how to brace or pin a glued or welded join there (in the absence of an appropriate, metal repair kit).

What do you think, please?


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## Mack The Knife (Jun 14, 2007)

Well, I had reservations but have persevered.

I think I *can* now reposition the two broken sides of the hinge together snuggly enough for a good functional fit and a superglue join (not that there's much surface area there to join).

I figured any strip I used would have to be steel for strength and yet I needed to avoid any thickness which would actually stop the glovebox closing.

I have got this far (no glue yet)...

















But:
1. The outward face of my bracket's curved part (around the hinge) is a very tight fit against the glovebox lid. And a screw head on a bend (the one wholly visible in the above pic) was always going to stick out slightly (plus I haven't curved the strip perfectly, I just bent it cold). It does just catch but should be bearable.
2. The main problem seems to be that as the glovebox lid isn't removable (the hinge pins look irremovable) I can't see how to squarely insert the final two screws through my bracket into the glovebox lid since the lid doesn't open anything like 90° (in the pic above it is fully open). I reckon I could get the drill (pilot hole) and screws in at a clumsy angle but then, of course, the screw heads would be proud and probably catch as the glovebox is closed.

Drats! Audi's glovebox 'design' department.

Does anyone have any ideas, please?


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## Vanu (Oct 2, 2016)

yes - buy a secondhand glovebox... 

@SwissJetPilot - you're gold. [smiley=cheers.gif]


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## peteholloway (Aug 15, 2018)

Greetings from Cape Town! So much useful info here... thanks all.

I managed to repair my glove box damper mechanism successfully last night 

I used an aluminum strip, pop rivets and epoxy. I lubricared the seal with Dow Corning high vacuum grease.


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## snips86x (Apr 13, 2017)

Mine also broke due to my inpatience waiting for it to open...a silly design but it works just fine broken lol


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

The problem with the damper jamming up seems to be due to the little silicone plunger getting hard over time. I'm wondering if it's possible to just remove the silicone plunger completely. Of course the glove box won't open slowly any more, but at least you can keep the functionality of the light switch and avoid having to worry about the damper jamming up again and breaking the hinge in the future. Anyone?









Unfortunately, this does nothing for a broken hinge, but could help prevent one. Until then, there are some options for repair as described in this forum.

This company has a hinge repair kit for other model Audi's. Hopefully they'll come up with one for the Mk2 TT sooner than later.

*Glove Box Hinge Repair Kit for Audi A4/S4/RS4 & Seat EXEO/ ST*
https://x8r.co.uk/products/audi/audi-gl ... repair-kit

.


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## efunc (Oct 12, 2008)

SwissJetPilot said:


> This company has a hinge repair kit for other model Audi's. Hopefully they'll come up with one for the Mk2 TT sooner than later.


No need, the A3 one fits the TT fine and can be picked up on eBay for a couple of quid.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

I wrote directly to these guys today in hopes our Forum can motivate them to come up with a TT-specific repair kit for the glove box hinge. It wouldn't hurt for anyone else to write them to let them know there's a need and a customer base. Maybe someone near them can volunteer their car as a model for their prototype in exchange for a kit? 

_Dear Sir,

Thank you for the heads up. It has actually been on our list of possible future kits to produce for quite some time so I will forward your email onto the relevant person just to show that there is definitely a need for a kit.

Daniel Pettit
Customer Service Advisor
X8R LTD
https://x8r.co.uk/
eMail: [email protected]
Aug 28 at 10:28 AM

_


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## efunc (Oct 12, 2008)

As stated, the brackets already exist, from numerous suppliers in various incarnations. They're just labelled Audi A3, not TT. There is no other requirement for a 'kit'. The hinge pins cannot be removed on the TT like the A4, so the lid can't actually be dismantled unless it fully breaks off.


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## SwissJetPilot (Apr 27, 2014)

Ah, okay. So the A3 kit fits perfectly on the TT? Good to know!


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## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

My glovebox was very slow to open since owning the car, so a while ago I disconnected the damper to avoid it breaking the hinge. I came across a cheap new genuine one on eBay and fitted it and I'm surprised just how quickly it should open. I'll post a video so others can compare how worn their one is

Btw, the damper is about £30 from Audi so definitely worth replacing before expensive damage occurs


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## Graham'sTT (Dec 6, 2014)

I put up with an increasingly slower opening lid, until the impatience to get in there was bound to result in breakage.
So put a new damper in.
My advice, if the lid takes more than a couple of seconds, invest in and fit (or have fitted) a new damper.


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## MT-V6 (Jan 11, 2015)

Definitely not the most interesting video I've uploaded! But here is the speed it opens with the new damper for reference for others


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## Graham'sTT (Dec 6, 2014)

Same as mine. Just a little slower than if it was not damped.
Will be interesting to see how long it takes to become noticeably slower.


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## efunc (Oct 12, 2008)

SwissJetPilot said:


> Ah, okay. So the A3 kit fits perfectly on the TT? Good to know!


Yes, they seem to fit perfectly, I refurbed about 3 gloveboxes now for other owners. They vary superficially; I always tend to go for black ones rather than silver so they blend in better. Also the screws supplied have large heads so I tend to replace with ones with a shallower head because you need them to sit completely flush. Finally, if not already done, I counter-sink the screw holes as much as possible to enable the flush-fit. Some come pre-countersunk, cheaper one's don't.


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## Steviejones133 (Aug 18, 2021)

Excellent thread, this one!

I don’t often use the glovebox, but went to open it the other day and it was PAINFULLY slow to open. It also required some degree of force to close it. I’d read about hinges breaking due to excess force put on the hinge through opening and more so, closing - too much force putting stress on the weak plastic hinge.

Fortunately, my hinges were still in tact and led me to this thread with some Googling. Here’s a short clip of “before” doing this damper “fix”






Now, things not quite as straightforward as the guide pointed out if you have the phone antenna adapter fitted like I have. It’s held with three screws (torx t20) but two are hidden from easy access by the bottom A pillar as can be seen from the pics below. I needed to prise up some of the sill trim that sits over the bottom A pillar trim for removal as they overlap.

If you do have the phone antenna adapter, there’s no need to disconnect it completely - I simply unscrewed it, pulled out of the cavity and I put some string through one of the thread holes and tied it up out of the way so I had good access and didn’t disturb the adapter.


















Once that was out of the way, it’s not too bad to do. There’s not much room in there!. Instead of needle nose pliers, I found that a small pair of vice grips was better suited to pulling the hinge pin - mainly as I didn’t want to drop it into the abyss.

Its worth noting that I have a RHD car, so the glovebox is on the left side. To remove the damping mechanism, you need to turn it clockwise instead of anti-clockwise.

I disassembled the damper and liberally applied som silicone spray, being careful not to overdo it. Manually operated the damper several times once reassembly and ready for putting it back together. One thing to note is the position of the piston when you put it back together - it needs to be in the correct position to separate the copper connections for the light in the glovebox. If you assemble it I the incorrect position, the light won’t operate. Before clipping the cap back on, I suggest putting the damper in the closed position to make sure that the copper contacts are separated as this is what turns the light off in the closed position!.

Obviously, assembly is just then the opposite of disassembly.

Below is a short (yet VERY exciting) clip of operation with the fix applied. As I was sparing with the silicone spray, I’ve managed to retain some of the soft open/close that the damper was intended to provide although I don’t know how this would have been from the factory.

Suffice to say I’m pleased versus how it was working before, or not working as the case may be, and at least now I can rest easy about breaking hinges and buying complete gloveboxes!






All in all, this was a preventative job, but well worth doing if you’ve got a glovebox door that isn’t working as it should as it can avoid a lot of expense and/or hinge repair attention.


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## darrylmg (Oct 16, 2021)

Steviejones133 said:


> Excellent thread, this one!
> 
> I don’t often use the glovebox, but went to open it the other day and it was PAINFULLY slow to open. It also required some degree of force to close it. I’d read about hinges breaking due to excess force put on the hinge through opening and more so, closing - too much force putting stress on the weak plastic hinge.
> 
> ...


Nice job 👏


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