997 Glove Box Removal and Latch Replacement
01-09-2023, 12:52 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
997 Glove Box Removal and Latch Replacement
I put this in my journal, but I figured it would might helpful to make a dedicated post. I couldn't find any of this information when I was doing this. If I would have known how big of a project this was, I would have given up how much I cared about the scratched up latch on the glovebox. There really isn't much info on how to do this, so I figured it makes sense to make one for the future me that may want to do it. Having done it now, it would probably take an hour to do. I think it took us about 3 including accidentally locking the box on the bench and having to pick the lock.
This is the part you need to do it. https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/9X7GLATCH.html
At first glance, it's hard to tell where to start. My guess is that you could leave the box intact in the car and you could simply take the felt screws out, but I think that would be much harder. We decided to take the box out.
I don't think I have the top red circle correct, but there are two screws you need to remove. You will need to pop the plastic cover off to expose them as seen in the photo. While you are here, you might as well pop the little alcantara piece off too.
You need to take the leather piece off that flanks the PCCM unit. There is a fabric piece in the passenger footwell you need to remove. I think it was a T27 screw that has long threads. Then you need to remove a few more screws and snap the leather piece out and up to expose the three screws you need to remove. There are 4 of them here. You only need to remove 3, but it won't hurt to remove them all if you aren't sure which ones.
There is another screw behind the alcantara piece that you popped off.
You need to remove the cup holders to get to the top two screws that are behind it. I think they were 5mm. You need an allen to get them out. The cupholder system comes out in one piece.
Down underneath the box I think there were 3 plastic screws and one more torx that you'll need to get. It will make sense once you get under there.
There are several molex connectors that you need to pull out now that the box is free. One wire is behind the felt that you'll need to cut. Be careful with the light sensor that has a detent. You don't want to lose the little metal piece.
Now that the box is on the bench, we can assess it. I can see something scraped all the way across the box and hit the latch. In order to get to the screws on the back side of the latch, you need to remove a bunch of felt T9 screws.
Once the felt screws are all out, there will be more than you think, the lid easily separates. If it doesn't, you missed a screw or two. You can now access the screws on the back side of the latch.
We now need to transfer the lock from old to new. I'm sure you could do it without messing up the old one, but I ended up just breaking the tabs on the old latch to get the lock out. The best thing to do is put the key into the lock to remove it. I didn't, and the little springs and retainers popped out. It's a miracle I didn't lose them. When the key is in, it stays together.
While I had the box on the bench, I decided to fix the alcantara. You can use a sanding pad to agitate the fibers and essentially take away the scratches. I didn't find it to be dirty, so I didn't need to clean it.
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/produ...46774811&_ss=r
This next part is really important. I messed this up. You need to make sure the latch tongue fits behind the spring loaded mechanism. If you don't, you'll lock the box and it won't open. The default is for it not to go into the correct position, so test it before you close the box. I had an hour detour trying to pick it back open.
Repeat the same procedure to reinstall. It took less than 20 minutes to put it all back together now that I knew how to do it. Apparently, I didn't take a photo of the finished job, but you get the idea. I hope this helps others in the future.
This is the part you need to do it. https://www.suncoastparts.com/product/9X7GLATCH.html
At first glance, it's hard to tell where to start. My guess is that you could leave the box intact in the car and you could simply take the felt screws out, but I think that would be much harder. We decided to take the box out.
I don't think I have the top red circle correct, but there are two screws you need to remove. You will need to pop the plastic cover off to expose them as seen in the photo. While you are here, you might as well pop the little alcantara piece off too.
You need to take the leather piece off that flanks the PCCM unit. There is a fabric piece in the passenger footwell you need to remove. I think it was a T27 screw that has long threads. Then you need to remove a few more screws and snap the leather piece out and up to expose the three screws you need to remove. There are 4 of them here. You only need to remove 3, but it won't hurt to remove them all if you aren't sure which ones.
There is another screw behind the alcantara piece that you popped off.
You need to remove the cup holders to get to the top two screws that are behind it. I think they were 5mm. You need an allen to get them out. The cupholder system comes out in one piece.
Down underneath the box I think there were 3 plastic screws and one more torx that you'll need to get. It will make sense once you get under there.
There are several molex connectors that you need to pull out now that the box is free. One wire is behind the felt that you'll need to cut. Be careful with the light sensor that has a detent. You don't want to lose the little metal piece.
Now that the box is on the bench, we can assess it. I can see something scraped all the way across the box and hit the latch. In order to get to the screws on the back side of the latch, you need to remove a bunch of felt T9 screws.
Once the felt screws are all out, there will be more than you think, the lid easily separates. If it doesn't, you missed a screw or two. You can now access the screws on the back side of the latch.
We now need to transfer the lock from old to new. I'm sure you could do it without messing up the old one, but I ended up just breaking the tabs on the old latch to get the lock out. The best thing to do is put the key into the lock to remove it. I didn't, and the little springs and retainers popped out. It's a miracle I didn't lose them. When the key is in, it stays together.
While I had the box on the bench, I decided to fix the alcantara. You can use a sanding pad to agitate the fibers and essentially take away the scratches. I didn't find it to be dirty, so I didn't need to clean it.
https://www.obsessedgarage.com/produ...46774811&_ss=r
This next part is really important. I messed this up. You need to make sure the latch tongue fits behind the spring loaded mechanism. If you don't, you'll lock the box and it won't open. The default is for it not to go into the correct position, so test it before you close the box. I had an hour detour trying to pick it back open.
Repeat the same procedure to reinstall. It took less than 20 minutes to put it all back together now that I knew how to do it. Apparently, I didn't take a photo of the finished job, but you get the idea. I hope this helps others in the future.
Last edited by Money2536; 01-09-2023 at 12:58 PM.
The following 3 users liked this post by Money2536:
01-09-2023, 05:24 PM
#2
Thank you for posting this @Money2536 . I have a rattle in the latch mechanism and I had been putting off addressing it because I was afraid of the amount of R&R involved. Although you confirmed my fear 
if I tackle the job I'll use your writeup as a guide.
if I tackle the job I'll use your writeup as a guide.
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Money2536 (01-10-2023)
01-09-2023, 10:09 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Very nice work making this guide for the rest of us. Although neither of my own currently need this, it's a blessing to know that another enthusiast has taken the time and care to put this together for all of us in the future!
The following users liked this post:
Money2536 (01-10-2023)