Ok, we all know about the glove box popping open when going over a bump. But my problem is that the actual spring inside the handle/latch seems to have broken or become detached.
Has anybody had to replace/repair this? Is there a way to take apart the glove box door? Thanks.

 

The only place I've been able to find is at MiniMania here:

https://new.minimania.com/web/Item/N.../InvDetail.cfm

I haven't ordered one from there yet, but I'm thinking about it. My glove box handle is broken and won't stay closed at all.

Anybody else have some thoughts on the subject?

 

A couple things to try:

1. if the latch is intact inside the door, you can wedge a piece of soft rubber or dense foam under the latch to keep it in its up position, and another thin piece of rubber on the side of the latch to keep it snug. The door should stay closed unless you hit a really big bump.

2. if the latch is gone, look at how the door is closed against the glove box and get creative with velcro. :-)

 

Looks like a little velcro DIY is going to happen. Don't have $200 in my budget for a new box. Just had to buy 4 new tires.

 

I dont know about fixing a COMPLETELY broken latch but my glove box started opening ALL the time and I finally fixed it with just some black duct tape...just take a little bit and put it over the top of the little catch on the bar on the top of the box and another peice on the hook. It worked like a charm. Just like new.

 

Thank you for the quick-fix-tip guys. A little piece of foam tape on the top catch did the trick. Ever since I went from 15" to 17" low profile tires, the darn glove box kept popping open. This site is a lifesaver!

 

I need a new glove box myself. The entire plastic thing broke and velco is holding it up now but that still doesnt do a great job. We need to have a group buy since I've seen a few of us with the same problem.

Any vendors want to step up?

 

Same here, trying to get this solved.

 

I started having the same problem last week. After checking the prices online for new glove boxes, I decided to fix this :D

I have 2003MCS, I don't know if the spring mechanism same for all the Minis.

Fix:
While you have your glove box in open position, pull the handle all the way back and then push the hook from the other side. This removes the whole handle assembly. Now you should have 2 pieces of metal spring, handle and if you are lucky hook still attached to the handle. In my case, hook was broken. First I put plastic pieces together by using epoxy. If all the plastic parts are one piece, now it is time to install the springs. Springs have to ends; one of them looks like a hook, and the other has more flat looking structure. You should glue the flat end only.

Second part is kind of challenging, but since i didn't want to spend 200 bucks I had the motivation. You need to put your finger into the empty area where you removed the latch from glove box. You should be feeling two little plastic extension designed to hold the spring in place. One on each end. Once you find them, push your glued handle into hole again and try to place loose end of the springs into these little extensions.

This should fix the problem, at least temporarily.

Make sure you have a good quality epoxy, i used one of my scale modeling 5min epoxies. It worked great.

Please do not use gorilla glue, super glue etc. I can assure you that you'll fail

I hope it helps, good luck,

-s

 

I too was motivated by the exorbitant cost of a complete glovebox replacement and decided to go a different route. The whole mechanism is poorly designed and requires some American ingenuity. I went to the hardware store and purchased a magnetic cabinet latch and, armed with a dremel moto tool and some of that super strong epoxy, fashioned a magnet into the box. I permanently mounted the handle into the door and screwed in a small metal plate giving the magnet to something to grab. I was very careful to keep everything cosmetically original so, you wouldn't even know that I made the mod.

 

I'm having this problem now. Bad enough the whole glovebox design sucks, now the latch is crapping out.

 

I know, the latch design is the worst...but also take this important tip. DO NOT use armor-all or other harsh chemicals to clean painted surfaces on your Mini's interior, that includes the glovebox. I have a '02 MCS and I have begun to wipe away the paint on the dash because I like how armor-all makes the plastic look all shiny and new. Mild soap and water is the way to go.

 

I was able to fix the glovebox. I split it open. Repaired the latch, reinforce it, glued it back and installed it. Not very difficult and saved $170 for the box + $50 for the lock...Prices plus tax. I think I spent less than $10.

 

@camucho -- Can you describe how you did this? I think it would make great HowTo. I have a latch problem on my '03 MCS and I was thinking the same thing, but I can't figure out how to separate the door parts without damaging them. If you describe it, I will try it on my car and take some photos. That sound like a deal?

 

Thought I would report that my dorky cheapskate fix was to cram a paper napkin between the latch and door, can't see it when closed, and it hasn't popped open! $ZERO

 

I got my glove box door stuck, managed to pop it open. In the process the latch popped pop, but did not break. Is there an easy button to get the latch re-installed?

 

Maybe, My car is one of the first on the West Coast, bought 3/30/2002, I think the latch design changed 1-2 years later. In my car, I could push the latch in place, both ends are in an angle and slide into the holes that hold it. I will try to find a picture and post it later.

 

You should be able to reinsert the latch and pull from the inside of the glovebox door. There are two beveled tabs (hinge pins) that make up the hinge of the latch. You will probably have turn the entire latch sideways and insert it into the hole in the glovebox door. Then, turn it back so that the latch handle is flush. Lastly, snap the beveled hinge pins into their receivers. You may have to feel for that last step. It is pretty difficult to look inside of the hole in the glovebox door.

 

As a follow-on. My glovebox door kept popping open and I tried the "stuff the folded paper behind latch on the inside of the door" trick. But, it didn't really stay put when I opened the door. So, I found a sliding screen door spring at the local big-box hardware store. It was a sort of 'W' shape and had a pulley on one end. I cut off one the bottom of one of the V's so that there was about one-half inch (1.25 cm) of vertical above the bend. This made a sort of U-shaped spring. I bent the top of the U's outward so that they would jam against the latch and the inside of the door. This held for quite awhile. I could just the door normally and the spring would hold the latch against the catch plate. It worked pretty much like normal. But, alas, while I was gone on a trip, someone used my car to run an errand and decided to mess with my iPod. When I got back I noticed the door wouldn't stay closed and the spring had fallen out. I totally broke the latch trying to reinsert the spring . Now I have to fabricate something else or pay the $100US to buy a used glovebox. I guess it's back to hardware store. Magnets and a drawer pull, maybe?

 

I just now found another part, also intact. It is a round screw lever that attached to the lock itself. Now I get what the hinged plastic piece goes with.

I will try to take pictures for the next victim