Home » What’s In Your Glovebox? Autopian Asks

What’s In Your Glovebox? Autopian Asks

Autopian Asks Glovebox
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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.

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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.

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[Ed Note: I thought this was a tiny old-fashioned phone handset for a sec because I’m so very, very old – Pete]
No prizes for guessing what a window crank is doing in the glovebox. Yes, it somehow ended up detached from the passenger-side window winder splines, the wire clip has long since been lost, so this is just the way things are for now. Considering how rarely this car sees a passenger, it’s not a huge deal, but hey, that’s the way it goes.

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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?

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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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Strangek
Strangek
23 days ago

My glovebox? Nothing really, just the necessary documents. My wife’s glovebox? All kinds of whacky shit the needs to be in a car for…reasons.

Vetatur Fumare
Vetatur Fumare
23 days ago

The usual: tire pressure gauge, some ancient gum, paperwork – but sadly no owner’s manual – if anyone has a spare manual for a 1993 Honda Today Associe, I am interested.

I also keep a hairbrush which happens to be the same color as the car (stolen from my daughter).

Adam Shadowchild
Adam Shadowchild
23 days ago

My daily is a Jeep Gladiator and the glove box is pretty small. From memory, it contains:
-A big stack of fast food restaurant napkins
-a small travel pack of Band-Aids
-registration
-insurance paperwork
-Ziploc bag with a couple of tampons/pads (for my wife and daughter)
-dog poo bag holder
I also have a 1972 Ford LTD coupe that I drive to car shows and when I’m bored with my daily. It’s glove box has:
-power trunk release button
-owner’s manual
-registration
-insurance papers
-paper map of Route 66 (the car’s dependable, but this is wishful thinking, LOL)
-the stereo’s detachable face carrying case

Martin Ibert
Martin Ibert
24 days ago

From what I remember (I am not going down to my car to check just now), my glove box contains:

  • spare sunglasses and regular glasses for me
  • some assorted USB cables
  • possible another USB car charger
  • of course all the documentation, like owner’s manual for everything, service records, that kind of stuff
  • some COVID masks of different types
  • possibly some tissues
  • maybe some compact discs that no-body is ever going to listen to again

and probably not much more than that, actually.

Turbotictac
Turbotictac
24 days ago

Pretty much the same across all four of my vehicles:

insurance and registrationcharging cable or twomisc interior screws I didn’t reinstallvariety pack of fuses just in casea microfibera tuning cablepistol

Last edited 24 days ago by Turbotictac
Ben
Ben
24 days ago

Nothing but dried mouse piss in my Corvette’s glove box. I’m probably going to have to tear apart the dash to get rid of all the leftovers from when mice were getting in.

PlatinumZJ
PlatinumZJ
24 days ago

All of them have a little pouch/pocketed thing for holding the manual(s), registration, and insurance; otherwise, it varies by vehicle.

’21 JL: gloves! Nice, fleecy ones. Also, the window sticker.

’09 WK: USB cable from the stereo (with attached Lightning connector), gas receipts from my last road trip, a few napkins, window sticker.

’03 TJ: loads of napkins, at least one pair of sunglasses, ice scraper, tire pressure gauge.

’97 ZJ: window sticker (and other assorted dealership papers), old university parking pass, USB and Lightning cables from the stereo, plastic box for holding the stereo’s faceplate, microphone for optimizing the stereo’s equalizer, bendy straw of unknown origin, packet of plastic utensils from Subway (the logo is yellow and brown), assorted paper napkins.

Sasquatch
Sasquatch
24 days ago
  • Factory manual
  • Tuner manual
  • Proof of insurance
  • Registration
  • Proof of emissions compliance
  • About 4 USB cables
  • Flashlight

Once you get to the under-seat storage, things get more interesting – but that’s about all that fits in the glove box.

Scott Wangler
Scott Wangler
24 days ago

Manual, registration, .38 Special

Captain Muppet
Captain Muppet
24 days ago

GT86: gloves, handbook, charger cable, an old Covid era mask.

Europa: no glove box. Phone charger cable on the shelf where the glove box would be, handbook in a leather holder in the boot/trunk with the tow eye and some gloves.

Suzuki Swift: all the tissues in the world, compacted to the same density as oak. Also a handbook.

Colin Greening
Colin Greening
24 days ago

In the glove box of my T100 SR5:
-Registration
-Insurance
-Owner’s manual
-Spare lugs (don’t ask)
-15 year old Garmin GPS
-Flashlight
-Grand-dad’s rosary

In the Pack-Out crate on the rear bench:
-Tire Iron
-Jack
-Jack stands
-Motor oil
-Coolant
-Brake fluid
-Brake bleeder kit
-Box wrench set
-Raincoat
-Headgasket sealer kit (don’t ask)

JShaawbaru
JShaawbaru
24 days ago

Registration, insurance, a spare pair of safety glasses, and depending on which car, somewhere between 2 and 2 million napkins. The Prius has 2 gloveboxes, and the bottom one is just napkins. How did they all get there? No one may ever know.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
24 days ago

“Friens” on Thomas’s brake bleeding kit package should be spelled “freins”

In my glove box:

* registration
* insurance card
* AR-15
* user manual
* machete
* paper map
* handkerchief
* wheel lock key
* 2 kilos of Colombian powder
* pen
* old temporary disabled parking placard I never remember to take out
* 6 Viet Cong hand grenades

Turbotictac
Turbotictac
24 days ago

Be a real pain if you accidentally pulled a pin on one of those grenades while grabbing your wheel key

Matti Sillanpää
Matti Sillanpää
24 days ago

I don’t know, most likely the factory stuff. I don’t think I’ve opened mine since I got the car about two years a go. Baby seat in the way, so it’s not easy to access.

Timothy Swanson
Timothy Swanson
24 days ago

Owners manual, registration, insurance, tire gauge, USB cable.

Zipn Zipn
Zipn Zipn
24 days ago

The usual + string back gloves for my automolove and the obligatory 10mm wrench.

Last edited 24 days ago by Zipn Zipn
R53forfun
R53forfun
24 days ago

*Not* the owner’s manual cos that bloody thing took up all the space and who needs those anyway? That’s what Reddit forums are for! /s

But other than the license and registration docs, a tire pressure gauge and some napkins, I can confirm that I do *not* have a pen in there either. I thought I did. A pen would have been helpful just yesterday. I need to add a pen. Thanks for the reminder.

Last edited 24 days ago by R53forfun
Dolsh
Dolsh
24 days ago

Honestly don’t know. Have to dig into the infotainment screen to open it (Model 3) so I haven’t been in there in a couple years.

Lizardman in a human suit
Lizardman in a human suit
24 days ago

A bottle of astroglide, for the times the DOT wants to inspect my semi. I know I’m gonna get bent over, and DOT officers don’t use lube, so I figured I better bring my own.

Turbotictac
Turbotictac
24 days ago

Do they panic when they get to the scales?

Lizardman in a human suit
Lizardman in a human suit
23 days ago
Reply to  Turbotictac

9times out of ten, they are lizards too

Sklooner
Sklooner
24 days ago

Zip ties latex gloves tyvek coveralls bear spray, just the usual

Lizardman in a human suit
Lizardman in a human suit
24 days ago
Reply to  Sklooner

Don’t forget black garbage bags for when you need to get rid of the evidence.

Sklooner
Sklooner
24 days ago

I use glad kitchen catchers, they are in the trunk with the tarp

Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
24 days ago

Whatcha got in the trunk glovebox?

Oh… You don’t wanna look in there.

Of course…what’s in the trunk glovebox?

You don’t even know what’s in your own trunk glovebox! And you know what? I think you’re afraid to find out!

It’s all right I don’t blame you for being afraid.

Oh well. I guess you’re right. It’s better not to look.

Beautiful evening. You can almost see the stars.

Last edited 24 days ago by Cheap Bastard
AnscoflexII
AnscoflexII
24 days ago

I’m too lazy to go back outside and look, but I do know that there’s a bunch of paper garbage like receipts and stuff, a couple of pens, a mask, a packet of felt chair leg pads, an old Garmin that needs to be updated, and a pair of leather driving gloves.

the center console has a bunch of loose change, a tire gauge, hand sanitizer, an aux cable, and like three of those little cling film things they stick to the windshield after an oil change. There’s a baseball hat and some sunblock in the car somewhere too.

Lizardman in a human suit
Lizardman in a human suit
24 days ago
Reply to  AnscoflexII

You have gloves in your glove box?!?!

SLM
SLM
24 days ago

There was one of those in the glove box when I bought my car, but the seller took it before handing me the keys…
https://images.app.goo.gl/vneQ4f8sH9uyfxwn8

Parsko
Parsko
24 days ago
  • Required legal paperwork in an envelope
  • 1 salt packet
  • 2 pepper packets
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