Thread: P38 Glove Locker Fail

The screws on the bottom are reachable iirc. The lock itself will have to be forced, I never got it out otherwise. Fortunately it did not damage the rest of the car.

Cheers,

-P

I have managed to open the glove box without damaging anything, it's pretty fiddly, but it can be done.
There is a black plastic mechanism where a cable attaches to the release button on the left side.
Sometimes this can pop out of its proper place, causing the lid to become stuck closed.
There are 2 points (top left and right) where the lid latches.
On mine I gently pulled the top left side of the door open as far as I could, you can see the retaining screws, (see pics).
Then a small rachet handle with a philips head screwdriver bit is required to undo the 3 screws along the inside panel.
A good head torch will be a help with this.
If you do the left most screw first, that may be enough to gain acces to the left side locking mechanism.
It's a bit like keyhole surgery, it's pretty tight, but every bit of room you can create helps.
Then you need to get a slim screwdriver or slim needle nose pliers into where the latch mechanism is, manually push the internal latch mechanism with the screwdriver so it disengages.
If you can get one side undone,the other side will be easier, you should be able to access the other screws from the top to undo them.
It's definatley worth a shot, to avoid any damage and then needing to replace parts.
If you succeed, make dead sure the mechanism is clipped in properly and working before you reassemble.
If it is not right, the door will be stuck closed again and you will have to repeat the process.
That's exactly what happened to me!
Hope this helps, let us know how you go.

Update:
I tried to access the catch by removing the left hand lower screw but was unsucessful!
Decided that the 3 screws behind the lid would have to be removed.
This is doable with care and patience:

I obtained the thinnest ratchet available and cut down a Philips screw bit using a metal cutting blade in angle-grinder.
The standard bit is far too long to fit into the gap.
Removed the 4 studs from the hinges which seemed to free the gap of the lid a little.
Used a 400mm long piece of dressed wood 10x30mm as a lever to force open the lid. This was soft enough to prevent any scratching. Have to hold the wood and ratchet at the same time.
The lid is thicker along the top edge at both ends - exactly where the outer screws are. The middle screw is more accessible. The screws need to be turned in sequence a couple of turns at a time otherwise the driver becomes jammed.
Once the top 3 screws are removed it is easy to get to the lower screw closest to the door. The box then drops sufficiently to use a flat blade screwdriver to pull back the cam and open the lid.
As I do not wish to ever repeat this task I fitted a length of 1.4mm blind cord to the unused crank and secured it to the top with a drop of superglue to prevent it from slipping down the crank. This now works perfectly as a backup.
With the box out it is possible to observe the operation of the screws for the adjustment of the gap. The design is a joke - the person responsible must still be laughing.
Adjusting it when the box is back in place is practically impossible.
Much time spent with a mirror and light I finally managed the 3mm gap!
Thankfully the job was completed without sustaining any visable damage. I was mainly concerned that by forcing the lid the catches may have been broken.