Top Tip the infuriating for C5 X7 glovebox damper

[Jay-Bruce]

As y'all know refitting the damper to the glovebox lid is a royal pain of a job, or at least it is on RHD cars. However, I've came up with a way that makes it a lot easier, that I'd like to share, sadly I didn't have the presence of mind to take pictures of it as I did it, although, it's so simple that I hope that a few words will describe it. The "rod" from the damper "ram" is not cylindrical, but like an extruded + symbol, and it has a longitudinal slot in it, if you slot a thin allen key or small screw driver into the slot, it will catch on the bottom edge of the dashboard, preventing the ram from going back into the dashboard as you attempt to push the glovebox's tab into the clevis on the ram. This in itself doesn't help slot the glovebox lid into the damper, but now the ram is secured, you can insert a flat screwdriver into the clevis end of the rod and twist it to open the clevis, you won't have room to keep the screwdriver in and slot the glovebox lid all the way in. You will however be able to get the tab of the glovebox lid onto the nipple of the clevis from the ram, then remove the screwdriver from the clevis end, push the glovebox inwards to seat the nipple, remove the screwdriver from the slot in the clevis at the end of the damper ram's rod, and move onto fitting the hinge pins etc. You can even make the hinge pins a bit easier to fit byclosing the glovebox door once it's connected to the damper.

[aerodynamica]

Ha, that's great. I find the damper kind of annoying where I want to quickly open the glove box to get something e.g a charger and the damper slows the operation. Mine is really slow to open on its own.

[Jay-Bruce]

Well it'd be pretty easy to bypass it or remove it entirely. Under the dashboard there's the trim panel with the footwell light in it, it's sectured by two quarter turn retainers near the front of the dashboard. Undo them, drop that panel, unclip the plug from the footwell light, toss that trim panel into the drivers side / garage floor / somewhere else out of your road. There's a small removeable trim peice on the righthandside of the footwell that extends the centre console, the panel with the footwell light rests on this trim piece, and it's held by one easily accessable torx screw, remove the screw and wiggle out the panel. Pop out the passender side dash board side trim panel, flat screw driver and about 30 seconds will get it out. Go in through that opening push out the left hand hinge pin. Go under the dash, the footwell vent duct is removable, quarter turn and a wiggle and it's out, again, wing that out of the way, now remove the right hand hinge pin. Open the glovebox and the lid will virtually fall out, pull it to the damper's maximum extension is reached and the damper rod will just proud of the dash, screwdriver the clevis open and remove glovebox lid, wing glovebox to drivers seat. push the damper rod in through it's slot in the glovebox to retract the ram, put your hand up through the space vacated by the footwell vent duct, move the (retracted) ram to the vertical (I think) and remove it from the slot. [At this point you could replace it with a new, less restrictive damper then use the trick from the pening post to hook the new damper onto the glovebox, but for this post I'll assume we are winging the damper entirely.] Present glovbox lidto dash and "close it", even without the hinge pins the lid will sit in it's closed position, with the latches retaining it, this saves you having to hold it and frees up your hand for other jobs. Go back underneath the dashboard and slide in the hinge pins, refit the footwell air vent ducting you removed earlier, refit the three trim panels removed earlier, remembering to plug in the footwell light, put the tools away and crack a beer to toast your new rapid fire glove box