Recirculate / fresh air knob problem

[WilhelmYaris]

Hi there. I have a 2012 Yaris (European model) and it looks like I broke the recirculate / fresh air knob last weekend. I wanted to switch to recirculate, felt a little bit more pressure than usual and then I heard a loud popping noise. I can still turn the knob, but it doesn't do anything anymore.

Back home I took out the glove box to have a look, but it's impossible to see the back of the knob from there. I can put in my hand and feel it though. It seems like the mechanical cable that is attached to the knob popped off. Unfortunately I have no way to reattach it since I cannot see what I am doing.

It seems to be exactly the same problem as this user had, with the difference that my model does not have an easy to remove middle panel. The only way to reach it, is to remove the entire dashboard I am afraid. I do not live near a dealer, so I thought of leaving it on fresh air mode until the next inspection. I can still move the vent cover that is attached to the other end of the cable. It's right behind the glove box and it's easy to reach.

The only problem is that I don't know when it's set to recirculate and when it's set to fresh air. I included two photos. I think on photo 1 the vent is closed off by the white cover, meaning it should be set to recirculate. The air that goes into the fan and air-condition system underneath then comes from where I took the photo. On photo 2, the air seems to come from outside through a vent behind the white cover.

I am just not sure. It could be that I am not entirely correct about where the bowels of my Yaris go. Does anyone have any ideas? Even better would be if somebody with the same model could check. With a bit of peeking it is possible to see the position the white cover is in, no need even to take out the glove box.

Thanks for any help!