S4inSilver

OK, my glove box door hinge broke on the right side, and I see from googling all the audi forums that this is not an uncommon failure.

I have devised a fix that doesn't require removing the whole glove box. Some of you may not like the inelegance of the solution, so those of you shouldn't do it.

As always, no guarantees, you're on your own if your car explodes or you die.

First, snap off the side panel as instructed here:
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160782&
I also removed the strut and disassembled it as explained in that post. I put some light grease inside to make it less stiff.

The first photo shows my broken glove box.

The second photo shows the screw I bought at the hardware store, a self-tapping screw made for concrete use. A pack of 3 was about $2.

The third photo shows where to drill a hole. You drill a 3/16 diameter hole through the glove box door and all the way through the hinge. The hole is about 5/8 to 3/4 from the bottom edge of the door. The hole wants to line up side-to-side with the left slot in the hinge (shown with the yellow arrow).

The fourth photo shows the drilling process. You need to reach in the side and hold the hinge in position so it doesn't flip back while you are drilling. Extend the drill bit as far as you can in your drill, you need to drill about 3" deep.

The fifth photo shows a trial installation. The screw cuts thread in the plastic.

S4inSilver

Here's the rest of the story.

Photo 6 shows the screw with an oversized washer. You want the largest washer possible, so the screw head will almost (but not quite) slip through the center hole.

Photo 7 shows the screw and washer partially installed. I painted both flat black.

Photo 8 shows the final assembly.

Yes, this fix is visible, so if you are planning on entering your 5 year old Audi in the Pebble Beach concours, you probably won't want to use this fix.

S4inSilver

Oh, FYI, on photo 5 you can see where the screw protrudes through the hinge.

(can't figure out how to edit my original post)

JustinKell

why such a big screw?

S4inSilver

It has to be that long to get to the substantive part of the hinge bracket. The washer wants to be big to spread the load over the face of the glove box, since it's soft. But once it's all painted flat black and installed, you really don't notice it unless you're looking for it.

S4inSilver

Here are photos to put the screw size into perspective. Also a shot of the open door, showing how it's clamped the door tight to the hinge.

S4inSilver

In case anyone's wondering, the use of the concrete screw was not random. I looked throughout the hardware store for a screw with coarse threads that would be suitable for holding securely in plastic, and those were the best I found.

JustinKell

alright thanks! Its funny the day you posted this my hinge broke hahaha

skideeppow

unreal, i did not know this was common, nice job will try it this weekend.
Does the light still work? Or do you take that sensor out and not reinstall it?

S4inSilver

The light works fine. Follow the link in my first post to see how to remove the strut that cushions the door from falling too fast when you open it. Take it apart as that link shows, then either modify like they tell you, or just lubricate the piston as I did. Then after you are done with the fix, reinstall the strut and the light works as it always did.