It should be no surprise that people have stuff, and when people travel in cars, that stuff has to go somewhere. Obviously, the trunk is the best place for stuff you’ll be removing at your destination, but what about a place for stuff that’s meant to travel with the car? I’m talking about the glovebox, which is used for storing just about anything except for gloves.
Not only has the glovebox become the de facto place to stash an owner’s manual, it’s also great for keeping little, less frequently used things out of sight and out of mind. It’s even lockable on many cars for a little extra security, should you wish to keep something valuable like a code reader or a spare set of headphones in there.
Now, my Boxster doesn’t have a glovebox, and the only things in the glovebox of my 325i are copies of the registration and proof of insurance, but the lifted Miata? Its glovebox is a cornucopia of treasures and tales, so let’s unpack the contents of this in-cabin drawer, aside from the usual paperwork.
Next up, a bag of chalk. In the first lifted Miata piece, I detailed how this was a group buy of sorts, and some of my friends like to draw on the bedliner-clad exterior, Top Gear-style. Admittedly, I’m more partial to mud than chalk, but the chalk exists in the glovebox for a reason. Whatever makes people smile, right?
Lastly, we have a spare brake bleeder. When we picked this thing up, a hardline to the right rear wheel had rotted out, and with a rusted bleeder in the caliper, we figured we could just flare and bend a new line, extract the old bleeder, pop in a new one, and everything would be dandy. Well, we ended up with leftover hardware, so into the glovebox it went. Will we ever need it? I’m doubtful, but you never know.
So, what’s in your glovebox? Are you one of the few people who actually uses it for gloves, is it essentially barren, or do you have a few essentials in there? Perhaps mints, or a slip containing the code to your radio. As ever, let us know in the comments below, because we’re curious.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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A paper towel tube with folder ends to hold a long metal spoon and large diameter straw. Neither are available at the place where I get my shake or ice cream, so I brign my own. Plastic utensils just don’t do it for me.
After we kept getting mice in there in various cars, I have stopped keeping anything in glove boxes. A few pens and hand sanitizer. That’s it.
Not much anymore.
I replaced my cars’ vent filters, and they are behind the glove box. So, when taking the glove box off, I took everything out.
Need to put my gloves back in there, as it is starting to get cold and I don’t have a heater.
Owner’s manual, tire gauge, flashlight, cloth, too many paper items shoved in hastily and a pen.
Insurance and registration stored elsewhere
Nothing too exciting…owner’s manual, registration, insurance card, napkins, lighter, and an extra pair of sunglasses.
The owner’s manual, the registration and insurance card, and possibly a tire pressure gauge. I have two BMWs, you have to stay on top of those tire pressures…
I know there’s a bunch of napkins that my wife collected, probably a bottle of Tylenol, some plastic forks and spoons, maybe a pen or two. I’m not completely sure though because the button for the glovebox stopped working and I haven’t brought it in to get fixed yet.
A Leatherman, a pen and Field Notes notebook, a deck of cards, owner’s manual, box of kleenex. tire-pressure gauge (one of those where the stick pops out to read the pressure).
The little cubby between the seats has a lighter, a flashlight, charging cables, lip balm, hand cream, hand sanitizer and some loose change
First aid kit and that’s it. Nothing else fits. Even though it is a big wagon (Vauxhall Insignia B – UK version of Buick Regal). Owners manual and service book have to live in the door pocket and code reader lives in the centre console (along with my wife’s lip balm).
Vomit bags. All it takes is one bad experience to never travel without them again.
It depends upon which car, the previously joint car, or my ‘wife’s car’. (I’ll completely concede the new car to her if I get my Integra TypeS next year.)
I always keep a Victorinox (Swiss) pocket knife, tire gauge, owner’s manual, napkins, occasionally a paper map (I know! Weird!), a pen or two, a parking permit for a specialized situation, a couple sets of plastic eating utensils, some spare 3M facemasks, and some other junk that gets in the way. Probably some odd fasteners that I found and didn’t place right away.
I also keep gloves, rope, toilet paper, paper towels, a cheap raincoat, and a good blanket in the back of my cars. Not glove box fare, but worth mentioning.
I also keep a small jar of peanuts in the door pocket in case I get caught between meals with low energy. They last a surprisingly long time if they stay closed and go uneaten. One of my brother’s cars threw a rod on a rural road during the winter (going home for Christmas?) in the late 80’s. His jar of peanuts went a looong way toward keeping things comfortable-enough while we got a ride to a telephone, and then waited for my father to come get us. It’s always a major traffic backup when I most desperately need the peanuts.
My car has no glovebox either, but a compartment between the seats hosts a high vis jacket… and maybe something else. Don’t really know as I haven’t really opened since… I bought the car I think.
The owners manual sits behind the passenger seat…
So I took a look.
2014 Ford Fiesta, in the glove compartment: Owners Manual, a couple of Bounty paper towel sheets (folded), a few black nitrile gloves, Gumout Wire Dryer, a can of smoked oysters, a BIC lighter and a small plastic sword from a kids toy.
Uh….
Not a single jug of Jatco CVT fluid. That would be completely silly and not at all like me.
I suppose it’s hard to list what’s in there when you constantly vary the contents.
Let’s see: Owner’s Manual (Do they even provide these any more or is it a PDF?), registration, insurance card, tire pressure guage, and napkins from a variety of fast food places.
One of those little organizing folders that holds my mileage logbook, AutoZone card, Registration and Insurance Card. I also have a tire gauge in there (plus the plug-in tire inflater in the trunk) a pen that works and a pen that does not, a small first-aid kit and a few extra paper napkins because you never know, and the cigarette lighter thingy. On the shelf inside there next to the CD changer I have never used is the cord to the stereo where I have my bluetooth converter plugged in for streaming music & nav audio from the phone. In the console are a tin of Altoids breath mints, my business card case with cards, and a couple things of lip balm. In the driver’s door pocket is a tube of sunscreen, more extra napkins, and an envelope with extra keys from a client’s house. In the ashtray is the cigarette lighter which has a twin-USB converter plugged in, plus assorted coins, random housekeys that I have no idea whose house they belong to, a couple microfibers to wipe off my glasses and interior mirror, and the thing that is intended to stick to the windshield to let me drive into my parking garage, but I just pull it out and wave around until the roll-up door starts opening instead.
Gloves,in the glove compartment. And in the glove box ( which is next to the tool kit of course) thick gloves for doing tool kit stuff. btw, the glove compartment is adjacent to the drinks compartment. Not the cocktail cabinet, that is in the back, it would be dangerous to mix cocktails whilst driving so the drivers drink compartment just has a whisky flask and a couple of tumblers.
Power Ranger: gloves!(they came in the emergency kit I have for it but I’m like, gloves go in the glove box!) Also the owner’s manual, license/insurance, spare pair of sunglasses.
Bolt: owner’s manual/registration/insurance, spare sunglasses, wet wipes, and a various spare napkins from various franchies.
Forester: no idea, the wife’s car, probably like hair brushes or something, also spare sunglasses.
Electra-Glide: well, side bags, all kinds of things, half helmets, tool kit, mini inflator, patch kit, rags, registration/insurance, kickstand pad, gloves….spare sunglasses.
2006 GMC Sierra Crew Cab: Owner’s manual, buncha napkins, Stanley Powerlock 16′ tape measure, cheap OBDII scanner (which is mostly used to confirm that the check engine light is the evap leak again, and delete the code before an emissions check)
’99 Toyota Corolla: Owner’s manual, insurance card, registration, Led Zeppelin II and Black Crowes “Shake Your Money Maker” cassettes
1974 Buick Apollo: Glove box not yet re-installed
Gloves.
Several pairs: a wad of Nitrile, a pair of padded “mechanics” gloves, a thick winter pair, a high-visibility pair with reflectors on them, and an all-leather pair.
Owners manual and other things go in the center console where I can reach them.
Dexter Morgan, is that you?
I like to be prepared.
My ND Miata has 3 glove compartment equivalents (none of them in the usual place) so:
Behind the Driver’s Seat: Underbody tiedown plugs that the dealership didn’t put in and I never got around to putting in. Toe hook, Li-ion jumppack.
Behind the passenger’s seat: Owner’s manual, half dozen insurance cards, sometimes one of them is even valid, probably an old registration receipt or two
Back of the center console: 2 pairs of actual gloves because I drive with the top down in the 40s and eventually my hands get chilly
Beanie for the same reason or driving cap when I’m wearing the beanie
Ear muffs if I want to wear the cap, but my ears are cold
Spare sunglasses and baseball cap for my wife
I think a random pack of salted nuts for some reason?
Raptor: Owners manual, Cobb Accessport, box of randomly specific fuses that aren’t easily found outside of your friendly neighborhood Ford dealer.
FiST: Accessport, Antacids
CTS-V: HP Tuners device, Napkins probably.
Besides owner’s manual and legal stuff, napkins, flashlight, hand wipes, and a baggie of oyster crackers. If you have a spouse prone to nausea, you better keep a salty snack handy.
When I was young everybody called them glove compartments. Only the trendy car mags said glove box, so I followed suit. I like to think we wore the rest of the world down.
Both cars have basically the same things: owners manual, the Jeep ratcheting screwdriver kit augmented with a few more bits–I bought a second kit for the Subaru because it’s simply a handy kit), a jar of Grey Poupon, registration, insurance, and a flashlight.
No silver knife for spreading the Grey Poupon? How quaint!
Truck: Vise grips, 4-in-1 screwdriver, electrical tape, spare ignition module, fuses, zip-ties, pens, McDonalds napkins, and the original owner’s manual.
Chrysler: Leatherman, reading glasses, more napkins, owner’s manual, cheap OBD-II reader, and a couple of things my dad left in there that I leave there to honor him: a CD of The Eagles – Desperado, and a little wallet of Player’s Club cars from various casinos in Vegas.
MG: What glovebox?