[Gannu_1]

Here is a simple and an inexpensive addition to the Polo’s glove box - a lamp. Truth be told, the beige shaded glove box pretty much remains well lit during the day and I don’t recall the last time I had to dig into the glove box at night. But a lamp doesn't hurt, it is cheap and it is an OEM part. And best of all, we aren't splicing any stock cables.

The Polo has an XL sized deep glove box with some features well thought out.



Plenty of slots and holders - one for the manuals, three for coins (pretty sure none of us owners have stored any coins in these so far! ), one for a card (fleet cards?) and one for a pair of sunglasses. Plenty of rubber grommets for a tight and secure fit when the lid is closed. The sunglass holder misses out on the felt lining.

Btw for info sakes, this is the image of the glove box found in the Au-spec Polo:



Notice the pen-holder clips, cover for the manuals holder and slots for passenger airbag deactivation switch and the TPMS switch. Missed out on the Indian spec Polo. The Jetta has most of these features plus an AC duct. Moving on with the mod.

Parts Required:

1. Glove box light with harness:







Part number - 1J0 947 301

Notice that a spring activated lever acts as a switch which connects and disconnects the terminals. This is similar to the lamps we have inside refrigerators - push-to-off or normally closed. The unit uses a 12V 3W festoon bulb.





The same lamp does its duty in the glove compartments of the previous generation Jetta and Golf. The lamp has a specific connector that can only be inserted in one direction for fool-proofing. It is imperative that the dealer also gives us this connector with the bare cable-ends.

2. Luster terminals:



Quantity - 3

We need these for joining 2 cables. The other alternative is to solder the cables and use a heat shrink cable to insulate the joint. The cheapest alternative being simply twisting the bare wire ends and using an insulating tape to cover them. It wouldn’t look professional though.

3. 20 SWG cable:



Quantity - 2 m

We need this cable for joining the power cable from the fuse-tap cable and for connecting the ground terminal.

4. Ground terminal:

Quantity - 1

We need this to screw the other cable to the body of the vehicle which acts as GND (-ve terminal).

5. A fuse-tap cable:





We need this cable to tap a +12V line from a blank slot in the fuse box. This is the part which would avoid splicing the cables.

Tools Required:

1. Screwdriver with flat-tip and T20 torx bit

2. Insulation Tape

3. Steel ruler

4. Utility knife





I bought this Stanley utility knife (from eBay) to cut the plastic on the glove box for inserting the lamp. It comes with a heavy duty blade which has a 3-point retract mechanism. The blades are not the snap-off type and can only be replaced. Replacement blades are also available.

Link - Stanley 10-175 - 6-1/8" Homeowner's Retractable Utility Knife

[Gannu_1]

Total snaps add up to more than 30, so here goes the second post.

Procedure:

1. First up, empty the glove box!

2. Remove the dash panel end trim adjacent to the glove box. No tool is required here - the trim would easily pry open with bare fingers.



3. Dismantle the glove box from the dash. Unscrew 7 nos. torx screws.

3 from the top:


2 from the inside:


And 2 from the bottom:




Finally, remove these 2 clips:


The glove box would now detach itself from the dash (give it a slight push):


Notice the acoustic insulation material behind the glove box.

4. Next up, we need to do the cutout on the glove box for inserting the lamp. And we need the dimensions for marking a template for the required cutout size.

A member from UK Polos forum (link) has already done the homework in this regard and measured the required dimensions of the cutout to be 43.5 mm x 24.5 mm. Kudos to him for that!

You can simply draw a rectangle of this dimensions on a piece of paper with the ruler OR use AutoCAD instead. Draw a rectangle and take a 1:1 print-out by selecting a window as the plot area:







Cut this piece out.

5. Make the cutout for inserting the lamp.

Mark the location on the glovebox side where this cutout shall be made:


Note that when the glovebox lid is closed, the hinge comes back and this has to make a proper contact with the switch on the lamp. To judge the location, your intuition and judgment will come in handy here.

Paste the piece of paper using some fevi stik:


Now, use the ruler and the knife to mark the cutout:


Cut this portion off the glovebox using the utility knife:


Cutting might take a bit longer than you would think - the knife did its job just fine but the plastic material was around 3 mm thick! Use a file to smoothen out the edges and any sharp corners.

6. Insert the lamp into the glovebox.

The lamp has to be inserted from the inside:




Ensure that the hinge makes sufficient contact with the plastic tab on the lamp.

7. Time to head back to the car and do the wiring part.

This is the fuse box of the Polo:


Use the fuse tap cable and insert it into slot no. 24 which is for heated external mirrors as per the fuse layout scheme (link) but non-existent for the Indian spec'd Polo.



The cable can be routed through a small hole inside the fuse box so it isn't exposed outside. The cable has to be taken to the co-driver side so if need be, use a luster terminal and extend it.

8. A petty issue!

Notice this mild steel frame on the snap below:


As evident from the snap, it is welded to the main frame on one side and screwed on the other side. While inserting the glove box back into the dash, this frame blocked the light! So this frame had to be pushed a bit to the outside by loosening the screw.

The screw also serves as the GND for the other terminal. So the other cable originating from the lamp has to be terminated based on the required length.

Unscrew the torx screw a little bit:


Connect the GND terminal and screw it. While tightening it, push the frame (indicated on the snap above) as much as possible to the outside. This will prevent it from interfering with the light while inserting the glovebox.

The completed wiring:


The cable from the right comes from the fuse box tapping. Notice the insulation tape on the luster terminal - to prevent any chance of the wires snapping out.

9. Replace the glovebox back into the dash and screw it. Replace the trim on the side of the dash.

The result:





My heartfelt thanks to my roomie who's always helpful while I am attempting these mods.

Thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any doubts.

[mobike008]

Note from Mod : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Modifications & Accessories section. Thanks for sharing

[dr.kushagra]

Great mod Gannu. I have a Skoda Superb (which has a glove box light) and I overloaded glove box and closed it forcefully which broke the plastic assembly. My connector is intact and functioning.
I don't have a Skoda dealership in my city but do have VW. So I was thinking that I should get it from VW. I think this same assembly might fit my car. Here is the pic of the one in Superb.




If this is the same as yours, kindly quote the price for the part.

Thank you very much, I was quite worried about it as I did not want to send the car 250kms. away to Skdoa dealership just for a broken glovebox light

[Gannu_1]

Doc, the light assembly from your Superb is the same as this one barring the copper terminals and the black tab instead of the transparent one on mine. I sourced the unit from Aliexpress.com and it was shipped from China. You should be able to find one there for cheap. Please do a search and you will find plenty of dealers retailing the part with varying pricing. The cheapest mode of shipping would be China Post delivered here by India Post. They do have a proper tracking facility but shipping time varies from 20-30 days depending on your location.

[isiv]

Way to go! I love mods that provide max improvement with min time/effort investment. Care to share the part nos and where you procured them from? I'm particularly interested in the fuse tap cable - which I assume is not a VW specific part.

On a side note, I'd have found an out of direct sight location for the lamp so that the glove box appears to light up magically whenever it is opened. But I guess that would mean separating the lamp from the switch which are currently a single compact unit...

But hey, nice job

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by isiv

Care to share the part nos and where you procured them from? I'm particularly interested in the fuse tap cable - which I assume is not a VW specific part.

The part number of the lamp assembly is 1J0 947 301. It has been mentioned in the first post in case you missed it.

The fuse tap cable (actually a patented and trademarked cable known as Add-a-Fuse but replicated by many others now; link) was sourced from Aliexpress as well. It isn't a VW specific part.

Originally Posted by isiv

On a side note, I'd have found an out of direct sight location for the lamp so that the glove box appears to light up magically whenever it is opened. But I guess that would mean separating the lamp from the switch which are currently a single compact unit...

There is an alternate method to go about with this modification with separate light and switch units but since this seemed to be implemented in the Jetta, Golf, Superb and many other VAG cars, I went ahead with this one.

[Napo]

Good stuff! Though i haven't felt the need to have one in my glove box , but boot light would be something that i would really want to add to my Polo. Often find it difficult to take search / clean my boot when my car is parked in basement parking. Have you thought about it ? Is it something which is possible ?

[lone_driver]

A highly useful mod indeed . I have always wanted a lamp in my glove box and looked at various Chinese products but never bought any due to the lack of OEM look and lack of reliability . Thanks for posting a very detailed step by step DIY !!


Sent from my iPhone using Team-BHP

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Napo

Good stuff! Though i haven't felt the need to have one in my glove box , but boot light would be something that i would really want to add to my Polo. Often find it difficult to take search / clean my boot when my car is parked in basement parking. Have you thought about it ? Is it something which is possible ?

I am yet to figure out how the Polo sold abroad has the boot light activation mechanism. This is the boot:



IINM, this has something to do with a lever on the tail gate touching a switch which shuts off the light. Check out that boot mat which is a standard fitment for the Polo sold abroad with a proper handle and lock!

I have done a simpler workaround for the light by using an Energizer cabinet LED lamp screwed beneath the parcel tray - link

[paragsachania]

Brilliant job indeed Gannu! Loved every aspect you have covered in the whole process. Needless to say, this is another clean DIY from you and I am impressed at the quality of work.

I am soon planning 2 things for the Ertiga - Footwell LEDs and Light for the Glovebox and always wanted to come up with a clean DIY.

Have been contemplating of using the sasta option of settling for the Alto's Fender Indicator housing to place LED matrix inside it and then fit the housing in the foot well - I just hate LED strips lying hanging or even pasted in the footwell area and would prefer an enclosed fitting so that the LEDs are not exposed and spread is uniform.

Let me see how the DIY takes shape over the next few days .

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Brilliant job indeed Gannu

Thanks a lot paragbhai.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I am soon planning 2 things for the Ertiga - Footwell LEDs and Light for the Glovebox and always wanted to come up with a clean DIY.

Get hold of these fuse tap cables. They are life savers when we need to tap a +12V supply and splicing the cables is not an option since we may lose warranty.

A friend had installed footwell lights in his Ertiga and it had those white LEDs - looked very pleasant with its bluish-white lighting. I shall ask him to send me some snaps of the setup so you may get an idea.

Do let me know if you need any more help in this regard.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Get hold of these fuse tap cables. They are life savers when we need to tap a +12V supply and splicing the cables is not an option since we may lose warranty.

Exactly my thoughts. I would hate cutting or skinning of OEM wires. I will certainly get these FuseTap cables which would make the Job easy to source 12V Power.

A friend had installed footwell lights in his Ertiga and it had those white LEDs - looked very pleasant with its bluish-white lighting. I shall ask him to send me some snaps of the setup so you may get an idea.

Do let me know if you need any more help in this regard.

ORANGE - Thats the color my daughter simply loves. So a warm white LED inside the orange housing of the Alto's fender indicator should result in some Orangish ambience whenever she steps into the Ertiga.

Would be great if you can PM me few pics of the working of these lights. Installation details would be welcome too.

[smarth.katyal]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Exactly my thoughts. I would hate cutting or skinning of OEM wires. I will certainly get these FuseTap cables which would make the Job easy to source 12V Power.

It would be really helpful if you could share the source for buying the FuseTap cables. I plan on doing foot-well lighting in our Jazz and want top quality work just like all of us without splicing any wires. Also if you get any idea about enclosures for the LED lights please do share . Thanks.

[amk_2009]

Could it be better by installing it on the right side of the glove box so that whenever it is open, light does not trouble the driver... just a thought.