The same thing happened to mine recently, but eventually I figured it out. It's quite basic.

This thread has lots of pictures that helped me with the spring, scrolling down needed to see them all:

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/6.../68-b5-garage/240345-glove-box-lamp-fell-apart-pieces-help-me-remount-pics.html

 

Good thread find, thanks! I'm still having trouble winding the spring around...

Edit, scratch that, wound the spring, but now I'm having trouble figuring out what's not where it's supposed to be. I've got the thing assembled as close as I can see to the pics in that thread, but I'm failing to see how an electrical connection can be made...

 

Look at the 2 pictures in post #22, they show the 2 terminals each end of the spring touches. When you shut the glove box, it pushes the lever which moves one end of the spring away from one of those terminals and breaks electrical contact. It took me a while to figure out, until I realized the spring is part of the electrical circuit.

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/6...e/240345-glove-box-lamp-fell-apart-pieces-help-me-remount-pics.html#post2568365

 

O wow... :bowdown: I had the thing put together right, I just didn't realize the spring was the contact. Sweet, thanks so much!!

I was thinking earlier today when I broke it, Hm, I'm not gonna miss this light too much, how often do I go in the glovebox?
Went in there no fewer than 5 times tonight... :banghead:

 

I spent hours and hours trying to figure that damn thing out before getting fed up and buying another one from a junk yard.
It's like VW said: what's the most complicated way we can make to turn on a light bulb? :crazy:

 

HAHAHA. I hate those damn things! I have had to rebuild several of them in the shop.

 

I broke mine when putting in the led bulb counldnt fix so went to the scrapie and grabed another one cost me 2 quid