JNeth522

Hey guys,

So because the Audi Music Interface cable is so damn short, I have to open my glovebox every single time I get in the car to plug my iPhone in for music. I also have to open it every time I get out of the car to retrieve it. I know some of you have suggested leaving an iPod in there, but it dies if you don't use it all the time, and it takes quite a while to let it charge enough to turn on.

Anyways, after all of this opening and closing and opening and closing, today, as I pulled the latch, the door just fell open. After trying this a few times, I concluded that the hinge damper--which is responsible for the gentle, soft-open nature of the glovebox--has broken or become inoperable. My car is still very much under warranty, but I'm living in the Rhinebeck, NY area, which is a good 60+ miles from the closest Audi dealers in Mohegan Lake, NY or Danbury, CT. I don't have time during finals to get my car serviced for at least a whole day until after Christmas break.

I'm wondering if there is something I can do to fix this on my own short of ripping open the whole panel, which, I might add, is insulated with lovely felt. If it helps, I must park my car outside every day and night, so maybe the constant, rapid temperature change from below freezing to 74˚F from the climate control has something to do with this issue.

As well, if any of you are familiar with either of the dealerships, let me know. I haven't yet been in for service since I got to school, so I don't want to drive for over an hour to be treated with bad service. Again, the choices are Mohegan Lake Audi and Danbury Audi.

Thanks a million.

uberwgn

Let the dealer fix it. I've had the same issue on another VAG product and it was a big deal to access those broken parts.

Did it break on a cold day?

That's strange what you say about the iPod and charging and all. I've never had that issue with any of the iPods I leave in my car, new or old. They're always ready to go when called upon. (Can't you buy a brand new iPod for $100 or soemthing? Connect/re-connecting the phone becomes a hassle.)

dk1

I agree with this. Can it be something wrong with iPod or a problem with MMI? I have an absolutely ancient iPod bought off eBay with busted clickwheel and it never takes more than 5-10 seconds for it to respond after I turn on the ignition. In very cold temperatures it sometimes loses track of the playlist and starts playing from the first song - but that's the only issue.

JNeth522

Well I update my music often which would mean I'd have to bring an additional device back and forth to my car every day. The iPod dies after three days or so because I use my phone mostly for music. Though, it would be nice to have the phone by my side without having to unplug it every single time I, for example, would like to take a picture of a beautiful vista. When I plug it back in, it starts with the first artist again, which is so so so so so so so so so so incredibly annoying.

Fox30

Hey,
I had the same problem on my previous 2004 model, and hoped that Audi upgraded the damperquality on my new 2013 model, which was delivered a month ago.

on mu 2004, I had to replace the complete door, since the damper alone was not available.
So take care to exchange it during warranty.
Fox30

jfo

The glove box needs to come out to access the damper mechanism.

Moviela

iPod...how quaint. Put a Bluetooth puck in the glove box and stream from your Android. You do have a real smartphone, don't you?

Big turbo TT

THIS IS HILARIOUS (not really,I think it is quite shameful),since the FIRST A4,Audi engineers,for some reason have not been ab le to design a reliable glovebox mechanism!!!! It has eluded them all of these years!
And this is no trivial problem,this repair out of warranty is $5-600.00!!!! My B6 A4 had a broken glovebox at 25K miles,my wifes B7 had one break at 38K miles! I have numerous customers come intio my reopair shop and they mostly have BROKEN GLOVEBOXES!!! Both VW & Audi!!
"Truth in engineering"...lol How about "Better glovebox thrue engineering,and reduce oil consumption and better electronics reliability while you are at it!"