Glove compartment door
#1
Glove compartment door
This isn't really a green topic but I ran into an issue the other day when I went to change the cabin air filter on my Highlander. You need to fully remove the glove box in order to access and change the filter behind it, no problem there. The issue I had was when I put the door back on it's hinges, I forgot to attach the damper on the side of the door. So because it was very cold out, when I closed the door the end of the unattached damper broke off the plastic attachment arm on the door (see pic below). It broke off right where the ribs attach to the door.
The door is made of polypropylene so most glues will not stick to it. So I decided to visit an auto body friend of mine and ask for some help. We discussed a few specialty glues, but he finally suggested I use commercial strength super glue and an accelerator (which dries the glue within seconds so just use a tiny bit between glue applications). Apply glue to the broken surfaces and press firmly to ensure a tight joint, then have someone else apply the accelerator for you (since you probably won't have a free hand). You'll want to glue the broken part to the door first, then come back and proceed to back fill the area behind the ribs with glue as well (this will give the repair more strength than the OEM design). Then after I used a black sharpie to color over the white areas where the glue was adhered (large amounts of super glue often turn white when cured). Works like a million bucks and the glue and accelerator is available from most model RC / hobby shops (glue is a bit more viscous but will still flow as opposed to super glue you normally get from big box stores). Make sure to do the repair at room temperature and let the door cure fully overnight before re-installing it again on the vehicle.
Hope this helps someone else as this fix will save you alot of money over buying a new door from Toyota (list was over $500!!!)
The door is made of polypropylene so most glues will not stick to it. So I decided to visit an auto body friend of mine and ask for some help. We discussed a few specialty glues, but he finally suggested I use commercial strength super glue and an accelerator (which dries the glue within seconds so just use a tiny bit between glue applications). Apply glue to the broken surfaces and press firmly to ensure a tight joint, then have someone else apply the accelerator for you (since you probably won't have a free hand). You'll want to glue the broken part to the door first, then come back and proceed to back fill the area behind the ribs with glue as well (this will give the repair more strength than the OEM design). Then after I used a black sharpie to color over the white areas where the glue was adhered (large amounts of super glue often turn white when cured). Works like a million bucks and the glue and accelerator is available from most model RC / hobby shops (glue is a bit more viscous but will still flow as opposed to super glue you normally get from big box stores). Make sure to do the repair at room temperature and let the door cure fully overnight before re-installing it again on the vehicle.
Hope this helps someone else as this fix will save you alot of money over buying a new door from Toyota (list was over $500!!!)
Last edited by MTL_HiHy; 03-18-2014 at 04:18 AM.
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