Firstfives.org

the glove box latch on this 1980 528i is broken
I have a spare, which cosmetically not in good condition which fits and works.

anyone know if the plastic can be "glued" back together and if so what sort of glue

the broken bit


the good one

I've seen literature which suggested some late E12s got the later, more complicated one instead of the big plastic hook one, which do you have? Both are still available new I believe, which would probably be the best route.

I did repair the early one once, I think I used superglue, then drilled a hole and glued in a piece of welding rod to act as reinforcement. It worked, but as I soon had a replacement out of a parts car it didn't really see much use before I replaced it just because I had an intact one so I don't know how long it would or wouldn't have lasted.

Mike W. wrote: Fri May 04, 2018 12:33 pm I've seen literature which suggested some late E12s got the later, more complicated one instead of the big plastic hook one, which do you have?
<snip>

The broken one is of a Feb 1980 car , the spare I had on a spare glovebox which I think came with my 76 525. They appear to be identical to me except the gold plating v's black paint.
as these are left hand drive - I wonder if right hand drive gloves lock mechanisms are the same - I reckon they ought to be.

I used to have "Maverick bond" which was a sensational german glue - but its all gone now, and I don't know where to get more from - I got it originally at a home show expo- about 16 years ago.

What type of plastic do you think the latch is?

I wondering if I can get a duplicate 3D printed?

You probably could get one 3D printed, but why when they're still available new? I would guess they're made out of ABS but that's just an educated guess.

I ordered a new one a few months ago, they're cheap as I recall because I think that part is used in some other models too.

It's very hard plastic, I thought it was metal at first. There may be metal reinforcing within the plastic.

Mike W. wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 11:44 am You probably could get one 3D printed, but why when they're still available new? I would guess they're made out of ABS but that's just an educated guess.

good idea
found it at wallothnesche
18 Euro
+ 75 Euro shipping !
https://www.wallothnesch.com/en/lock-fo ... 45-13.html

Try schmiedmann.com In my one order from them they were quite reasonable on shipping and it is a small part.

My first order from schmeidmann was today, a dozen small OEM parts. With shipping, I come out ahead about $40 over the lowest prices I could find in the US. The prices are great, and they have a lot of parts. Great find, thanks Mike.

There's an FAQ on the main page on how to glue the latch

http://www.firstfives.org/faq/glovebox_ ... h_faq.html

528i-1981 wrote: Tue May 08, 2018 7:50 pm My first order from schmeidmann was today, a dozen small OEM parts. With shipping, I come out ahead about $40 over the lowest prices I could find in the US. The prices are great, and they have a lot of parts. Great find, thanks Mike.

I ordered ebrake cables from them. They were slightly more expensive than the cheapest US supplier I could find, but cheaper than all but one, but had a much faster delivery date.