GLOVEBOX REPAIR

1 The outer skin of the glovebox on our Civic had broken away from the main lid. We used Araldite as a temporary repair, but we needed a good secondhand glovebox to do the job properly. Our car has factory sat-nav so the glovebox is different from other models, although the lid is the same.

2 The glovebox lid is all that needs replacing as the actual glovebox body is fine. We detached the old lid by pressing down on these curved plastic arms. Note that the one on the left-hand side nearest the door has a tension strap.

3 We unclipped the lid from the glovebox – it has just snap-fit hinges, as shown. With those undone, the glovebox lid pulls away.

4 This is the tension strap that hooks onto the left-hand hinge. When you unhook this from the glovebox hinge, slide a screwdriver or pencil through the hoop so that it doesn’t retract through the hole, which would mean taking out the whole glovebox assembly.

5 Our hoop had already come unhooked so we detached the glovebox undertray – it just clips in place and is easily refitted. With that out of the way, it’s fiddly but not impossible to find the hoop and feed it back through the hole ready to be hooked onto the hinge.

6 This is the tension strap retractor, a device that gathers up the strap when the glovebox is closed and acts as a damper.

6 A replacement glovebox cost us £12 from a breakers – the same price as a glovebox lid on its own – and we had a choice from about 10 scrapped Civics. It’s a remarkably simple yet effective design, but it’s a shame it isn’t lockable.