Removing and installing glove compartment light switch E26 — VW
Removing and installing glove compartment light switch E26 on VW: 8 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
The glove compartment light switch E26 on the platform codes listed below lives inside the damper element of the glove box lid rather than behind the dash, so it is a quick job with no trim removal. With the ignition off and the key out, the glove compartment is opened and its stops on both sides are pushed upwards so the lid can open further. Opening the lid fully pulls the rack out of the damper element, which exposes the switch, and the switch is then pulled out of its mounting. The only things to watch are not forcing the lid beyond its travel before the stops are released and making sure the rack goes back into the damper afterwards so the lid opens smoothly.
🧭 Before you start
Switch off the ignition and consumers, open the glove compartment and push both stops upwards. Open the lid fully so the rack comes out of the damper element, then pull switch E26 out of its mounting. Fit the new switch, re-engage the rack and test the light.
Fits: platform codes AU1, BX5
Don't miss
- Release the glove compartment stops on both sides before opening the lid further.
- Let the rack pull out of the damper element only when the lid is fully open.
- Pull the switch straight out of its mounting in the direction shown.
- Test the light function after refitting.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📋 Procedure
- Switch off ignition and all electrical consumers.
- Remove ignition key, if inserted.
- Open glove compartment.
- Push glove compartment stops (1) upwards on left and right in direction of arrow.
- Open glove compartment cover (2) further.
- Fully open glove compartment cover in direction of arrow (B) such that rack (2) becomes pulled out of damper element (1).
- Pull glove compartment light switch E26 located in damper element (1) out of mounting in direction of arrow (A).
- Test functionality.
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Who makes these pages, and how
TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.
The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.
Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.
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The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.