Hello! I noticed tonight when driving home that the light in the glove box was on with the glove box closed. It latches securely, and I wouldn't have noticed it for leaning over at a stoplight to pick something up off the passenger floor. Is the light supposed to stay on constantly? I have a Stage 3 LED in there if that makes any difference. It doesn't bother me and you can't see that it's on unless you look at the slight gap between the top of the glove box and dash. Long winded for something so trivial.
Glove Box Light Question
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The light is on all the time when the lights are on. Pretty stupid, but that's how they built it.
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I've whined about this before because I think it is asinine. Honda, apparently, decided to save themselves a nickel or so per car by not installing a cheap, practically indestructible simple switch that has been and continues to be used on virtually every car from Kia's to Rolls Royce's. It is stupid and makes zero sense, but it is.
I noticed it a few months after getting my Accord and thought something was wrong. When I took my car in for its first service, I asked the tech about it and he said it was normal.
Why did they do it? Penny pinching. Is there anything we can do about it? Not really. It's on my very short list of annoying things about my car (which includes the window rubbing noise that eventually plagues every Accord stemming from saving a few pennies installing cheaper door and window seals, minimal sound deadening material use and the fact, no matter how silly, that car manufacturers seem to believe that the cruddy stereos that come stock will make customers happy so they make them impossible to swap out with out messing up the look of the car).
Phew! I feel a little better now.
I noticed it a few months after getting my Accord and thought something was wrong. When I took my car in for its first service, I asked the tech about it and he said it was normal.
Why did they do it? Penny pinching. Is there anything we can do about it? Not really. It's on my very short list of annoying things about my car (which includes the window rubbing noise that eventually plagues every Accord stemming from saving a few pennies installing cheaper door and window seals, minimal sound deadening material use and the fact, no matter how silly, that car manufacturers seem to believe that the cruddy stereos that come stock will make customers happy so they make them impossible to swap out with out messing up the look of the car).
Phew! I feel a little better now.
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I don't know what the big deal is, because I never see the light on when I am driving at night. If you don't like it, then remove the bulb and your car will be like most every other car on the road without a light in the glove box.
Why not buy a simple magnetic reed switch or mercury switch and mount it on the back side of the glovebox, then use it to control the lamp ground?
Find an old furnace thermostat at a garage sale, the old ones used mercury switches that are perfectly capable of handling 12V at the few watts the lamp draws. Orient the switch so the light is off when the glovebox is closed, remember to leave enough length in the switch wires to accommodate the movement of the glovebox.
Sounds like a good simple Saturday morning job, with all the guys here who are doing retro headlight conversions, this task should be a cinch.
Cheers,
Paul
Find an old furnace thermostat at a garage sale, the old ones used mercury switches that are perfectly capable of handling 12V at the few watts the lamp draws. Orient the switch so the light is off when the glovebox is closed, remember to leave enough length in the switch wires to accommodate the movement of the glovebox.
Sounds like a good simple Saturday morning job, with all the guys here who are doing retro headlight conversions, this task should be a cinch.
Cheers,
Paul
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702 Posts
Two issues with what you said Hill-
1) Though I don't notice it anymore, people who I give rides to almost always do. Then they ask about it. It makes the Accord seem like a piece of junk to them.
2) At night, I may need the light in there to find insurance, registration, or other stuff in there.
Why should Accord owners have to deal with this? Why should Accord owners have to unscrew a bulb? Why not call it like it is: Honda was too cheap to pop in a 5 cent part that is on virtually every other vehicle manufactured and/or sold in North America?
Peacefully submitted....
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Seems like a PIA to me! Plus, what an exciting mod to tell my friends about! I installed a switch that turns off my glove box light when I close it! Yay! That has to rank right up there with a CAI, exhaust, ipod integration, etc......
Honda should have put the switch in, not Honda's customers.
My buddy bought a Ford Focus brand new for about $5000 less than my Accord. Guess what? His light goes off when he closes the glovebox.
It all depends on your perception, for me, I like doing small electrical mods and fiddling with my car on the weekends. Sure, I may wonder why Honda cheaped out on the glovebox light circuit, but more distressing to me is how the Gen 7 has those big aggressive chiseled headlights and they work like CRAHP! It offends me I had to spend a hundred to get better bulbs for them that I could live with.
And you of all people should enjoy things like this - I see you owned an MG-B Special Edition! That means you are intimately familiar with the great gods Lucas and MoWoG! I have owned about 10 MGs, so electrical fiddling is part of my soul!
Cheers,
Paul
I noticed it once, passengers have never noticed it.
You have to realize that nobody can make a perfect car to a price point. IMO the Accord is good where it matters. It's reasonably quick, cheap, reliable, easy to maintain, looks good, and is comfortable. It's got plenty of features not in other cars that have been around since 2003.
I'll take a glove box light being on where I can't see it if it means I can have heated leather and a sunroof for cheap.
You have to realize that nobody can make a perfect car to a price point. IMO the Accord is good where it matters. It's reasonably quick, cheap, reliable, easy to maintain, looks good, and is comfortable. It's got plenty of features not in other cars that have been around since 2003.
I'll take a glove box light being on where I can't see it if it means I can have heated leather and a sunroof for cheap.
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The prince of darkness made driving an MG an experience, that's for sure. I remember many nights at the beach with my sweetie (of the day) where the only way to start the car was climb under and jostle some wires....
Those were good times too long ago....
<sigh>
btw, I agree with the headlights complaint too. I replaced the bulbs with Xtravisions by Sylvania and they are way better.
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Hey, I'm with you. Overall, the Accord is an awesome car. I love it and anticipate keeping it for years to come. I'm getting close to owning mine for 6 years and I expect to keep it for at least 4 more.
That said, I'm only making the point that this was a cheap part that shouldn't have been omitted. The little switch that's been on pretty much every car I've ever owned or driven can't cost more than a nickel to a big company like Honda. Even if you want to over estimate the part to a dollar per, it is still a pretty silly thing to omit.
I agree that you get a lot of car for the money and the stupid switch is a tiny little inconvenience. I just fail to understand the justification for not making it standard. The last time my wife's car needed service at our Chevy dealer, she got a loaner. It was a brand new Chevy Cobalt. That car can be had for less than $16 grand. It comes with a switch on the lighted glove box. I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a car that doesn't have one (assuming they have lighted glove boxes of course). All I'm saying is that on my list of minor annoyances, this is in my top 5.
Our MGs never came with lighted glove boxes...for good reason. If Lucas made a glove box light, it would incinerate anything you put in there:lmao:
LUCAS = Lousy Unsoldered Connections and Splices
SU = Slightly Useless
MGB = My Gearbox is Busted
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PKile - Once, I was taking lunch at the local Taco Bell in my MGB during high school. After eating, I started her up and began to pull away. I turned onto a major street with a 45 mph limit and when I hit the gas, nothing happened. The accelerator cable snapped. I had to idle home.
Another time, I was driving to pick up a high school girlfriend and got 10 minutes away from my house and the whole car went dark. I pulled off into a local grammar school parking lot and called my mom, who arrived 15 minutes later in her Jeep and pushed me home. Actually, she bumped me home. What a ride!
Still, I never minded because of how cool that car was. Just before we sold my black MGB, I located a specialist who was an expert on them. I called my dad to tell him about it (the car wasn't running and had been sitting in his driveway for over a year) only to find out that he had already found a buyer.
Maybe one day I'll find a decent copy and make her a summer car...
Another time, I was driving to pick up a high school girlfriend and got 10 minutes away from my house and the whole car went dark. I pulled off into a local grammar school parking lot and called my mom, who arrived 15 minutes later in her Jeep and pushed me home. Actually, she bumped me home. What a ride!
Still, I never minded because of how cool that car was. Just before we sold my black MGB, I located a specialist who was an expert on them. I called my dad to tell him about it (the car wasn't running and had been sitting in his driveway for over a year) only to find out that he had already found a buyer.
Maybe one day I'll find a decent copy and make her a summer car...
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Your point is well taken: you might enjoy a bumper sticker from my San Jose State days.
Big type: Why do the English like warm beer?
Slightly smaller type below: They have Lucas refrigerators.................
all the best, ez....
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7,511 Posts
Honda does not do things, just because other car companies do, and I like that. The fact that the glove box light is operated by the running light switch, instead of a switch on the door, doesn't bother me at all. I know I will never have to fix the glove box light switch (which I have had to do on other cars), and I will never have to buy one.
If the fact that my passengers could see the light bothered me, I think I could hide the light without much trouble. It is amazing how something so trivial can be so aggravating to people. I just don't have a problem with the light, and frankly I couldn't care less what my passengers think of my glove box light?????
If the fact that my passengers could see the light bothered me, I think I could hide the light without much trouble. It is amazing how something so trivial can be so aggravating to people. I just don't have a problem with the light, and frankly I couldn't care less what my passengers think of my glove box light?????
I agree it's still something that could be rectified easily, but when you're selling 200-300,000 of these cars every year, it adds up pretty quickly, and you save where you can.
People on this forum like you and I are avid car enthusiasts, and go out to learn everything we can about our cars. But the vast, vast majority of Accord owners need basic reliable transportation that's comfortable. So when you look for places to cut costs, you look in places that the driver won't notice.
The average Accord driver probably doesn't notice the glove box light stays on with the parking lights, or that it's got front mudflaps and not rear (mine doesn't anyways), or that the sedan's rear plate illuminator has one bulb and not two.
:dunno: I expect every car to show signs of cost-cutting if I look hard enough. It's a matter of how hard you have to look to find it.
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702 Posts
Fair enough. It doesn't bother you and you aren't interested in what others think about your glove box light. When I glow about my Accord, how it has great balance, the I4 is peppy enough, the handling is great, and it is so well made, it weakens my position when they glance over to tell me that my glove box light is on and I have to explain that Honda just makes them like that.
As for Honda not doing things just because other companies do, I don't think that is entirely accurate. Honda made more features standard with the Gen 7's (and later with the Gen 8's) because Hyundai was making enormous gains into their territory by offering lots of features while managing to remain competitive on price. I like that Honda has been competitive, even leading the industry at times. I just disagree that they don't do things simply because other companies do them. It just hits me the wrong way (specifically, it seems to be an excuse for odd behavior).
Moving on, you mentioned that you think there might be a way to hide it from passengers. I'd be interested to hear any ideas you (or others) might have. My glove box, when latched, seems to leave a small opening between the rest of the dash. Got any ideas about how to block the light out?
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7,511 Posts
I've heard that you can apply felt to the door, or the dash (can't remember exactly), to block the light. You would probably not even have to go all the way around the opening. The way I remember it, the felt was only applied to the top of the glove box. You might be able to find something with a search, but I've not had much luck searching on this forum.
I still think a well-placed mercury switch wired into the circuit would be the most elegant solution. Then if you drive other Honda owners around at night (who haven't read this thread), ask them to get something out of the glovebox and impress them with a light that turns on and off, as follows...
Passenger:
"Hey, your glovebox light turns on and off when you open and close the door - mine doesn't do that!"
You (speaking with a slightly conspiratorial voice):
"Yeah, I did some research and found out my VIN was an experimental prototype that somebody sneaked out of the factory - it has a fancy logic circuit for the glovebox light that uses liquid heavy metal technology - pretty cool, huh?"
Passenger:
"Wow - wish mine did that!"
Cheers,
Paul
Passenger:
"Hey, your glovebox light turns on and off when you open and close the door - mine doesn't do that!"
You (speaking with a slightly conspiratorial voice):
"Yeah, I did some research and found out my VIN was an experimental prototype that somebody sneaked out of the factory - it has a fancy logic circuit for the glovebox light that uses liquid heavy metal technology - pretty cool, huh?"
Passenger:
"Wow - wish mine did that!"
Cheers,
Paul
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