My xA notes - Buying, Comparing, Driving in Los Angeles
02-05-2005, 08:35 PM
#41
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I could, but only a few pages at a time -- I don't have the bandwidth to host 1+GB worth of BMP scans. I could try and convert to JPEG, but the quality suffers noticably even with low compression settings (the complex Japanese text just goes blocky on the edges).... That would maybe cut it down to about ~100 MB? Anyone have that much bandwidth?
Either that or I could burn and mail CDs/DVDs of all of the scans to anyone interested for a few dollars to pay for the effort, materials and postage.
What do you guys think? $10 for a DVD full of iSt scans?
---
Yea!!!!
Buying a xA rocks!
For whatever reason, 1 month after I bought my xA, Toyota Financial decides to mail me a $50 gift card good for any accessories purchase. I've read that one of the Scion reps. said in a report that Toyota doesn't make a lot of money on the base sell, but rather on the accessories instead. Whatever, it's a good plus! Now I gotta go figure out what to buy!
---
Yawn! And one month after the purchase, DMV finally sends me my plates. You'd think they could mail these babies out faster than that with so many in stock.... Go figure - only the gov. could make things so slow as the DMV (don't even want to get in their lines! no way!).
I wonder if there's any iSt license plate frames in Japan to buy....?
---
Wish the MUTE button on the radio also PAUSED the CD. It's a pain having to rewind a few tracks after a cell call, and it's a longer wait to POWER the unit off and on again. Esp. so with audiobooks.
---
Either that or I could burn and mail CDs/DVDs of all of the scans to anyone interested for a few dollars to pay for the effort, materials and postage.
What do you guys think? $10 for a DVD full of iSt scans?
---
Yea!!!!
Buying a xA rocks!
For whatever reason, 1 month after I bought my xA, Toyota Financial decides to mail me a $50 gift card good for any accessories purchase. I've read that one of the Scion reps. said in a report that Toyota doesn't make a lot of money on the base sell, but rather on the accessories instead. Whatever, it's a good plus! Now I gotta go figure out what to buy!
---
Yawn! And one month after the purchase, DMV finally sends me my plates. You'd think they could mail these babies out faster than that with so many in stock.... Go figure - only the gov. could make things so slow as the DMV (don't even want to get in their lines! no way!).
I wonder if there's any iSt license plate frames in Japan to buy....?
---
Wish the MUTE button on the radio also PAUSED the CD. It's a pain having to rewind a few tracks after a cell call, and it's a longer wait to POWER the unit off and on again. Esp. so with audiobooks.
---
02-14-2005, 03:02 AM
#42
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https://www.scionlife.com/gallery/sh...cat=500&page=1
Today's cheap mod - PSP for movies & music instead of a standard head unit.
Just got my new PSP (Playstation Portable) from Japan, and I was wondering just where I'd put it. Happily, it looks like once I get the mounting hardware done, it'll fit just perfect right up front where the stereo is. You do have to buy a big Memory Stick Duo to fit a couple of movies in, but it's easy to convert them on the PC.
The controls on the PSP are easy enough to use on-the-go as well, so maybe I won't be buying that new head unit after all =P I'll have to wait until it gets sunny here in LA again (mostly cloudy/rainy days this week) to see just how bright the 180cd/m screen (max on batteries) will look under direct sunlight. Maybe it'll be bright enough?
Anyways, hope Sony comes out with an optional GPS unit (like they showed at E3 last year) and maps for the USA - that would make the PSP an awesome & cheap upgrade!
Picture slideshow feature is pretty good as well - you can have a bunch of Toyota iSt ads shuffling by on the screen as you go. (Hey, Toyota! If you really want to suprise us, not only drop in a standard GPS/DVD unit, but one with changing iSt screensaver graphics!)
PSPs are going cheap in Japan nowadays - only 180,000 Yen (~$180 USD), so I wonder what the market will be like when they release it in a few months from now in the USA? Definitely blows the Gameboy away for graphics and screen quality! And the built-in MP3/MP4/JPEG capabilities make it fun right out of the box.
---
Overdrive button on the auto tranny is definitely 100% computer controlled and there's no mechanical linkage to the trans underneath. Unlike older compacts where you can definitely feel the gears shifting as you click the button rapidly, the xA protects the transmission by delaying the gear shifting for up to a second as the engine spools down. Don't expect to see any miracle instant shifting and splash of power on this baby! (On other auto compacts, you can 'downshift' the engine sometimes and manually get it to spin past 4000rpm by clicking the OD button and mashing the accel.)
Definitely a smooth & easy city commuter, this car!
---
Tried a short freeway commute and got around 32-33 mpg! Yeah! So it can get above 30mpg! But I'm back to city, so the mpg average has dropped once again below 30mpg for this tank of gas.
---
Seats are settling in - maybe a break-in period? They're easy on the butt and back now, and an hour freeway drive flies right by quite easily.
---
What are the pluses of this car? Smooth & easy. It shifts smoothly (ie. transmission shifts w/o a hiccup), gets up to speed easily, brakes with a light touch, and generally everything works smoothly and easily. Not Lexus smooth, but you can feel the similarities. Anyways, definitely a good pick vs. the Civic.
That said, 1k miles & 2 months later, good pick? I'd say so. As long as you don't mind the small trunk and can-be-sometimes jittery ride, it's a good car. Short length makes parking a breeze anywhere you go, and the higher ride is definitely a plus vs. the other, shorter compact cars on the market. No real regrets here! =)
---
Hearing from how high the manual trans revs, and having been in one, I'd definitely test and drive the auto if you're looking at a xA. It's pretty good at the city 0-45mph range, and short of trying to race/zip by some flying roadster, it has enough pep to get you up to speed w/o having to mash the accel pedel past 1/3rd. Quieter drive overall as well, and add to that the smart hill climbing/descent feature, it's the right match for this car, IMO, for a daily driver.
---
Speakers are settling in better - not as 'odd' sounding as they were at first, and most music plays fine on them. Front tweaters crossover are interesting - sometimes, you can hear the timbles coming from both the tweeters and the front, lower mounted mids, and that's confusing. The audio sound placement isn't as refined as it could be - or maybe they need to tweak the Pioneer sound processing a bit more for the xA?
It's really odd when the voices sometimes come from below, sometimes from higher up depending on the octaves they're in.
(Of course, an 'awesome' factory upgrade would be something like the Mark Levingson stereo system from their Lexus line =P Friend's ES330 is sweet!!)
---
Pioneer deck is funny - you'd think they'd get the disc stabilization right after all of these years, but nope, the baby doesn't play discs w/o skipping nearly as well as my Philips portable CD/MP3 player.
I was just crossing lanes on the freeway, car went over a row of Botts dots, and suddenly, the CD was skipping. I waited a bit, then drove over another row, and right away, the CD stopped skipping.
Luckily, it doesn't happen most of the time - just now and then when you go over a bunch of dots or some bumps in the road. It shouldn't happen at all - but oh, well - at least the deck mostly works.
---
Lack of interior lighting on the door controls/handles/etc. is a minus. Friends are always trying to find the handle/latch at night, and I wish Toyota had finished lighting the entire interior as they should have done. Lighting only a few of the controls on the panel & front is okay for day driving, but night, they should have had everything lit.
---
Rear hatch is still nice on rainy days - well designed and it covers you and the rear from rain pretty well when open (excepting times when the rain is going sideways). No drips on your head, no rainy gathering insides, just works!
---
Today's cheap mod - PSP for movies & music instead of a standard head unit.
Just got my new PSP (Playstation Portable) from Japan, and I was wondering just where I'd put it. Happily, it looks like once I get the mounting hardware done, it'll fit just perfect right up front where the stereo is. You do have to buy a big Memory Stick Duo to fit a couple of movies in, but it's easy to convert them on the PC.
The controls on the PSP are easy enough to use on-the-go as well, so maybe I won't be buying that new head unit after all =P I'll have to wait until it gets sunny here in LA again (mostly cloudy/rainy days this week) to see just how bright the 180cd/m screen (max on batteries) will look under direct sunlight. Maybe it'll be bright enough?
Anyways, hope Sony comes out with an optional GPS unit (like they showed at E3 last year) and maps for the USA - that would make the PSP an awesome & cheap upgrade!
Picture slideshow feature is pretty good as well - you can have a bunch of Toyota iSt ads shuffling by on the screen as you go. (Hey, Toyota! If you really want to suprise us, not only drop in a standard GPS/DVD unit, but one with changing iSt screensaver graphics!)
PSPs are going cheap in Japan nowadays - only 180,000 Yen (~$180 USD), so I wonder what the market will be like when they release it in a few months from now in the USA? Definitely blows the Gameboy away for graphics and screen quality! And the built-in MP3/MP4/JPEG capabilities make it fun right out of the box.
---
Overdrive button on the auto tranny is definitely 100% computer controlled and there's no mechanical linkage to the trans underneath. Unlike older compacts where you can definitely feel the gears shifting as you click the button rapidly, the xA protects the transmission by delaying the gear shifting for up to a second as the engine spools down. Don't expect to see any miracle instant shifting and splash of power on this baby! (On other auto compacts, you can 'downshift' the engine sometimes and manually get it to spin past 4000rpm by clicking the OD button and mashing the accel.)
Definitely a smooth & easy city commuter, this car!
---
Tried a short freeway commute and got around 32-33 mpg! Yeah! So it can get above 30mpg! But I'm back to city, so the mpg average has dropped once again below 30mpg for this tank of gas.
---
Seats are settling in - maybe a break-in period? They're easy on the butt and back now, and an hour freeway drive flies right by quite easily.
---
What are the pluses of this car? Smooth & easy. It shifts smoothly (ie. transmission shifts w/o a hiccup), gets up to speed easily, brakes with a light touch, and generally everything works smoothly and easily. Not Lexus smooth, but you can feel the similarities. Anyways, definitely a good pick vs. the Civic.
That said, 1k miles & 2 months later, good pick? I'd say so. As long as you don't mind the small trunk and can-be-sometimes jittery ride, it's a good car. Short length makes parking a breeze anywhere you go, and the higher ride is definitely a plus vs. the other, shorter compact cars on the market. No real regrets here! =)
---
Hearing from how high the manual trans revs, and having been in one, I'd definitely test and drive the auto if you're looking at a xA. It's pretty good at the city 0-45mph range, and short of trying to race/zip by some flying roadster, it has enough pep to get you up to speed w/o having to mash the accel pedel past 1/3rd. Quieter drive overall as well, and add to that the smart hill climbing/descent feature, it's the right match for this car, IMO, for a daily driver.
---
Speakers are settling in better - not as 'odd' sounding as they were at first, and most music plays fine on them. Front tweaters crossover are interesting - sometimes, you can hear the timbles coming from both the tweeters and the front, lower mounted mids, and that's confusing. The audio sound placement isn't as refined as it could be - or maybe they need to tweak the Pioneer sound processing a bit more for the xA?
It's really odd when the voices sometimes come from below, sometimes from higher up depending on the octaves they're in.
(Of course, an 'awesome' factory upgrade would be something like the Mark Levingson stereo system from their Lexus line =P Friend's ES330 is sweet!!)
---
Pioneer deck is funny - you'd think they'd get the disc stabilization right after all of these years, but nope, the baby doesn't play discs w/o skipping nearly as well as my Philips portable CD/MP3 player.
I was just crossing lanes on the freeway, car went over a row of Botts dots, and suddenly, the CD was skipping. I waited a bit, then drove over another row, and right away, the CD stopped skipping.
Luckily, it doesn't happen most of the time - just now and then when you go over a bunch of dots or some bumps in the road. It shouldn't happen at all - but oh, well - at least the deck mostly works.
---
Lack of interior lighting on the door controls/handles/etc. is a minus. Friends are always trying to find the handle/latch at night, and I wish Toyota had finished lighting the entire interior as they should have done. Lighting only a few of the controls on the panel & front is okay for day driving, but night, they should have had everything lit.
---
Rear hatch is still nice on rainy days - well designed and it covers you and the rear from rain pretty well when open (excepting times when the rain is going sideways). No drips on your head, no rainy gathering insides, just works!
---
02-16-2005, 06:00 PM
#43
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Posts: 130
Besides noticing that the odo & the radio LCDs are polarized in the opposite direction of each other (ie. when you're wearing polarized sunglasses, you'll tilt your head one way, and only one of the two LCDs will be readable. Usually, it's in between and both are barely readable), noted that the fuel gauge needle does not stay at the current gas tank level when the car is turned off. Bad! This means for travellers and others, you'll have to start the car to check the remaining fuel level each and every time.
Very annoying!!!
Toyota should really have kept it simple and simple dropped in the usual ol' analog fuel meter & odo instead -- they're super reliable, works, and you can read them any time of the day regardless of whether the car is on or off. Sometimes, trying to get everything 'electronic-ized' is just a waste of everyone's time (including the designers who had to come up with an electronic odo & fuel guage to replace perfectly fine analog ones), and they don't add any real benefits at all.
---
Anyways, besides that, noticed today that the sloping dash is also annoying vs. other cars where it's flat/flatter. You can't put anything there temporarily while you're getting gear into the car, so guns, pens, hunting knives, sunglasses, etc. all slide right off if you forget. No real reason Toyota couldn't have put a flat deck there in front of the driver to store maps, small gear, etc. - that would be so convenient. (Or at least made a popup stowaway ala the Nissan Sentra's center dash popup to put things into to make use of space better. On the Sentra, actually, that's where the Navi unit is supposed to be, but they stripped the USA model of that.)
---
Don't know why they bother to red line the guage to 8000rpm at all. You can mash the accel. pedal all you want, but on mine, it's automatically tries to protect the engine and autoshifts once it gets up to about 6k. If the engine is never going past 7k, no point marking the guages so, IMO!
---
Noticed the MP3 unit doesn't read Japanese character filenames, so that's a minus. Was hoping that a car made in Japan would at least think of leaving in Japanese music filename readability, but nope, just a bunch of *s instead.
Very annoying!!!
Toyota should really have kept it simple and simple dropped in the usual ol' analog fuel meter & odo instead -- they're super reliable, works, and you can read them any time of the day regardless of whether the car is on or off. Sometimes, trying to get everything 'electronic-ized' is just a waste of everyone's time (including the designers who had to come up with an electronic odo & fuel guage to replace perfectly fine analog ones), and they don't add any real benefits at all.
---
Anyways, besides that, noticed today that the sloping dash is also annoying vs. other cars where it's flat/flatter. You can't put anything there temporarily while you're getting gear into the car, so guns, pens, hunting knives, sunglasses, etc. all slide right off if you forget. No real reason Toyota couldn't have put a flat deck there in front of the driver to store maps, small gear, etc. - that would be so convenient. (Or at least made a popup stowaway ala the Nissan Sentra's center dash popup to put things into to make use of space better. On the Sentra, actually, that's where the Navi unit is supposed to be, but they stripped the USA model of that.)
---
Don't know why they bother to red line the guage to 8000rpm at all. You can mash the accel. pedal all you want, but on mine, it's automatically tries to protect the engine and autoshifts once it gets up to about 6k. If the engine is never going past 7k, no point marking the guages so, IMO!
---
Noticed the MP3 unit doesn't read Japanese character filenames, so that's a minus. Was hoping that a car made in Japan would at least think of leaving in Japanese music filename readability, but nope, just a bunch of *s instead.
02-16-2005, 09:27 PM
#44
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You can get your engine to go all the way to 8000 RPM, its easy, start going down a long hill in first, when you get to where you would shift just press in the clutch(or shift to neutral) then when you reach about 60mph pop the clutch or drop it into 1st. it will make it to 8K (and blow up your engine).
The reason the MP3 unit doesn't read Japanese filenames is because it's an American radio.
If you need someplace to put stuff while shifting try placing it at the angle between the radio and center console.
Seeing as how I really don't need to worry about how much gas I have when I'm not driving and when I start the car I always check my gas anyways.
The reason the MP3 unit doesn't read Japanese filenames is because it's an American radio.
If you need someplace to put stuff while shifting try placing it at the angle between the radio and center console.
Seeing as how I really don't need to worry about how much gas I have when I'm not driving and when I start the car I always check my gas anyways.
04-13-2005, 01:09 AM
#45
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Lots of driving around and the xA is settling in well. On the Bridgestone RE92 tires, you do notice the difference in tire pressure - 27-28 psi feels soft, bumps less noticed, but below the recommended. 32 psi lets you know almost every moderate bump you go over (not bad, but you do notice), and the car does feel rougher than at 27-28 psi.
RE92's are weak in grip, so right hand turns at 25-30mph cause the tail to squeel.
Got another Japanese Ist magazine and noticed that the Japanese model has an extra storage area under the steering wheel
RE92's are weak in grip, so right hand turns at 25-30mph cause the tail to squeel.
Got another Japanese Ist magazine and noticed that the Japanese model has an extra storage area under the steering wheel
04-13-2005, 04:31 AM
#46
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lots of good information in your thread here adorable....but you fail to mention what speeds you typically drive at...if you are zipping along at 80 mph do not expect to get anywhere near the EPA estimates...if I tried that in my 97 Olds Achieva I am currently driving my mileage would plummet from 30ish mpg to around 20 to 25 mpg...I am in the process of trying to get a 2005 BCP xA...mine will be the 5 speed version...I am not shelling out $800 for the auto...that and it has been awhile since I was able to shift my own...last manual tranny car I owned was a Fiero...fun car but no power at all...some gas mileage tips...
- keep tires properly inflated...this means look at your door sticker not the sidewall of the tire...while you can overinflate your tires to squeeze more miles per gallon out you increase the wear in the center of the tire...
- shift at moderate RPMs...don't run up to the redline...auto tranny drivers...this means don't floor it unless necessary
- follow the speed limit...this is where the EPA figures for mileage estimates...not 80+ mph...
- keep a clean air filter in the airbox...
- run the recommended viscosity oil...
- run the recommended octane...it has not been proven that increasing octane increases mileage...
- on highway trips use cruise control if you have it...the ECM can keep a steadier speed than you can, trust me...and maintaining a steady speed is key in getting optimum mpg...
- avoid taller tires...and even a wider tire will have an adverse effect on mileage but not as much as an increase in diameter...
04-25-2005, 07:59 PM
#47
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190hp Vitz TS180; 300hp! Corolla!
Oh, that's easy - read the title of the thread!
That usually means - city 45mph or so; freeway - 80mph +/- 5mph or so.
Mixed driving only gets me about 26-27 mpg consistently over 10+ refills.
Only time I topped 30mpg was driving almost all freeway miles, but even then, only 31mpg.
I think you'd have to drive like a turtle to get the rated MPG on the sticker.
----
... =(...
very sad today
Just picked up the latest Best Car magazine in Japanese, the 4/26/05 issue, and saw two very disappointing articles.
1) New Vitz TS180 with a 1.8l engine and 190hp! in racy red paint.
My xA wistfully looks at this one and wishes she had the 1.8l....
2) Corolla Super Runx hatch - nose looks like the Vitz, body looks like Vitz elongated. 2l 260hp standard engine, but 300hp 4wd option!
My xA's heart thumps and is very, very sad =( =( wishing it had the 300hp option + 4wd like the Japanese ist models.
Heck, at this point, even a 150hp TRD Japan upgrade to the baseline xA doesn't even interest me vs. the above... Really hope Toyota smartens up and really drops in what we want - 200hp base, 300+ prefered - into the xA with some 4WD option for an RS model!
That usually means - city 45mph or so; freeway - 80mph +/- 5mph or so.
Mixed driving only gets me about 26-27 mpg consistently over 10+ refills.
Only time I topped 30mpg was driving almost all freeway miles, but even then, only 31mpg.
I think you'd have to drive like a turtle to get the rated MPG on the sticker.
----
... =(...very sad today
Just picked up the latest Best Car magazine in Japanese, the 4/26/05 issue, and saw two very disappointing articles.
1) New Vitz TS180 with a 1.8l engine and 190hp! in racy red paint.
My xA wistfully looks at this one and wishes she had the 1.8l....
2) Corolla Super Runx hatch - nose looks like the Vitz, body looks like Vitz elongated. 2l 260hp standard engine, but 300hp 4wd option!
My xA's heart thumps and is very, very sad =( =( wishing it had the 300hp option + 4wd like the Japanese ist models.
Heck, at this point, even a 150hp TRD Japan upgrade to the baseline xA doesn't even interest me vs. the above... Really hope Toyota smartens up and really drops in what we want - 200hp base, 300+ prefered - into the xA with some 4WD option for an RS model!
07-11-2005, 06:58 PM
#48
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Long time since the last update - the car went through the first free oil change without any problems. Took it to the Garden Grove, CA dealer for the service - nice and quick.
---
As for the car itself, note a few things:
1) It's not as quiet as I first thought - yes, it's quiet if you compare to econoboxes, but after being in a few Volva S60s and Lexus ES330s, well, it's simply okay. Not obnoxious, but you really can't get past the road noise (maybe a tire change will help here to quieter tires), and the wind noise (audible once you're up to freeway speeds or faster than about 50mph).
2) Thankfully, the stock stereo system is solid even at higher levels (eg. 30 volume) so you can really crank out a tune w/o hearing anything else even with the windows down at freeway speeds.
3) The paint on the front hood gets nicked easily. Sigh.....
4) Parts that always gets dirty fast - front windshield, rear tail, top - esp. with a white car. Sigh.... Thankfully, the Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash system for $20 at most stores does the trick beautifully - quick and easy way to get the car washed at home w/o much fuss. I really, really like this system and the car is nice and spotlessly clean afterwards.
5) Stoner's Windshield Cleaner spray can - this is THE best windows cleaner I've used! It really, really gets the gunk off better than Windex.
6) Rear hatch expands/contracts during hot days, enough sometimes that the latch & release sticks quite a bit. Sigh.....
7) Black plastic used throughout the car does pickup white from simply brushing against it with your skin. Sunscreen wearers leave a more noticable streak as well. Sigh.... I've been in cars that are easier to maintain and don't stain as easily just brushing/rubbing against the surface.
Three Dials for the temperature/air settings in the console - noticed at full OFF position, they're not aligned the same direction. Wish they could have done that to make the area more symentrical ala the vents, etc.
9) Backlighting on the guages - orange (and to a smaller degree, white) backlighting simply isn't bright enough vs. the latest other cars (eg. Inifinity M35 series). Wonder why they didn't put in something with a little more umpf?
10) PSP (Playstation Portable) drops in nicely w/o any mounting attachment right where the speedo bay is! Very nice! Instant video-on-the-go while driving (best at dusk to night - can't see it in daylight) around =)
11) ABS is very touchy - baby goes active well before you'd expect it to in other cars, and it can catch you off guard when making some quick changes in speed. Same goes for the electronic braking assist - sometimes, it grabs harder than you expected because it 'thinks' you're panic breaking rather than just having some fun stopping quick. All-in-all also toss the stock tires - they simply don't have much grip at all, and you can easily start skidding w/o much work or speed. Okay for slower, day-to-day driving, but I wouldn't even bother with them if you're trying to stop quick to prevent an accident - replace ASAP.
12) Vents - still awkward - I keep them in defrost setting so that the air goes above my head and cools from top down. Regular mode in sunny So. Cal = the vents either have to be angeled away from you, or they'll blast air into your eyes or at you in awkward ways. They really should have put the vents farther apart with better flow management and/or a diffuser.
13) AC - okay for most weather, but in Sunny Summery So. Cal, it's going to be on a 2 or 3 (out of 4) setting most of the time. Sadly, 3 = the AC noise goes up a lot, so you'll have to live with that or suffer at a slower, quieter 2 setting. Wish they had thoguht of this and made the vents silent up to a 4, if not at least a 3.
14) 38+ MPG!?! Get real! Ain't getting sticker EPA no matter what - get real! It's a solid 28-29MPG, 25 with AC on and heavy accelleration, in mixed so. Cal city/freeway driving.
15) Just not enough storage bins big enough...
16) argh! Just when I thought the cup holders were nice because they're big enough to hold larger sized cups, find that tall bottles like Aquafinia 16oz etc, topple right out in a hard turn! Ack! They need to be made with taller lips so that these cups/bottles don't get tossed out! Bad cup holder design, bad!
17) Sun visor requires too much force to pop out of the clip. No idea why they did that - just inconvenient.
1 Rear bumper is so-so. It really picks up the debris kicked up from the tires, and does get marked/spotted/nicked quite easily. Terrible design! The rest of the car is still 'nice', but the rear bumper is really picking up quite a bit of spots and so forth.
19) Why do they require a right angle drill to mount the rear mud flaps?!? Argh.... another silly part to buy! They should have pre-drilled the whole mess at the factory so it'll be an easy screw-on job. Nope. Nor did they think of including the mud flaps in the rear with the car.... Stupid.....
20) Otherwise, besides these nitpicks, it's been a fine subcompact to drive around and park. Easy to get in and out of any spot, and decent as a city cruiser.
---
As for the car itself, note a few things:
1) It's not as quiet as I first thought - yes, it's quiet if you compare to econoboxes, but after being in a few Volva S60s and Lexus ES330s, well, it's simply okay. Not obnoxious, but you really can't get past the road noise (maybe a tire change will help here to quieter tires), and the wind noise (audible once you're up to freeway speeds or faster than about 50mph).
2) Thankfully, the stock stereo system is solid even at higher levels (eg. 30 volume) so you can really crank out a tune w/o hearing anything else even with the windows down at freeway speeds.
3) The paint on the front hood gets nicked easily. Sigh.....
4) Parts that always gets dirty fast - front windshield, rear tail, top - esp. with a white car. Sigh.... Thankfully, the Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash system for $20 at most stores does the trick beautifully - quick and easy way to get the car washed at home w/o much fuss. I really, really like this system and the car is nice and spotlessly clean afterwards.
5) Stoner's Windshield Cleaner spray can - this is THE best windows cleaner I've used! It really, really gets the gunk off better than Windex.
6) Rear hatch expands/contracts during hot days, enough sometimes that the latch & release sticks quite a bit. Sigh.....
7) Black plastic used throughout the car does pickup white from simply brushing against it with your skin. Sunscreen wearers leave a more noticable streak as well. Sigh.... I've been in cars that are easier to maintain and don't stain as easily just brushing/rubbing against the surface.
Three Dials for the temperature/air settings in the console - noticed at full OFF position, they're not aligned the same direction. Wish they could have done that to make the area more symentrical ala the vents, etc.9) Backlighting on the guages - orange (and to a smaller degree, white) backlighting simply isn't bright enough vs. the latest other cars (eg. Inifinity M35 series). Wonder why they didn't put in something with a little more umpf?
10) PSP (Playstation Portable) drops in nicely w/o any mounting attachment right where the speedo bay is! Very nice! Instant video-on-the-go while driving (best at dusk to night - can't see it in daylight) around =)
11) ABS is very touchy - baby goes active well before you'd expect it to in other cars, and it can catch you off guard when making some quick changes in speed. Same goes for the electronic braking assist - sometimes, it grabs harder than you expected because it 'thinks' you're panic breaking rather than just having some fun stopping quick. All-in-all also toss the stock tires - they simply don't have much grip at all, and you can easily start skidding w/o much work or speed. Okay for slower, day-to-day driving, but I wouldn't even bother with them if you're trying to stop quick to prevent an accident - replace ASAP.
12) Vents - still awkward - I keep them in defrost setting so that the air goes above my head and cools from top down. Regular mode in sunny So. Cal = the vents either have to be angeled away from you, or they'll blast air into your eyes or at you in awkward ways. They really should have put the vents farther apart with better flow management and/or a diffuser.
13) AC - okay for most weather, but in Sunny Summery So. Cal, it's going to be on a 2 or 3 (out of 4) setting most of the time. Sadly, 3 = the AC noise goes up a lot, so you'll have to live with that or suffer at a slower, quieter 2 setting. Wish they had thoguht of this and made the vents silent up to a 4, if not at least a 3.
14) 38+ MPG!?! Get real! Ain't getting sticker EPA no matter what - get real! It's a solid 28-29MPG, 25 with AC on and heavy accelleration, in mixed so. Cal city/freeway driving.
15) Just not enough storage bins big enough...
16) argh! Just when I thought the cup holders were nice because they're big enough to hold larger sized cups, find that tall bottles like Aquafinia 16oz etc, topple right out in a hard turn! Ack! They need to be made with taller lips so that these cups/bottles don't get tossed out! Bad cup holder design, bad!
17) Sun visor requires too much force to pop out of the clip. No idea why they did that - just inconvenient.
1
Rear bumper is so-so. It really picks up the debris kicked up from the tires, and does get marked/spotted/nicked quite easily. Terrible design! The rest of the car is still 'nice', but the rear bumper is really picking up quite a bit of spots and so forth.19) Why do they require a right angle drill to mount the rear mud flaps?!? Argh.... another silly part to buy! They should have pre-drilled the whole mess at the factory so it'll be an easy screw-on job. Nope. Nor did they think of including the mud flaps in the rear with the car.... Stupid.....
20) Otherwise, besides these nitpicks, it's been a fine subcompact to drive around and park. Easy to get in and out of any spot, and decent as a city cruiser.
07-11-2005, 09:56 PM
#49
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
http://www.infill.co.kr/main/index.asp
In dash PC from Korea! Just drop it into the standard stereo slot, and run Windows!
In dash PC from Korea! Just drop it into the standard stereo slot, and run Windows!
07-15-2005, 01:04 AM
#50
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
1. Drat! Normal mountain bike doesn't fit in the rear with the seats down and the forward ones all the way front. Only the smaller woman's mountain bike fits, and just barely! Sigh... time for bike racks.... And getting the bike into the rear is a real twist and tuck - practically like a chinese puzzle getting it in w/o scratching anything. Wish they thought of this and made the xA a touch bigger to fit a bike.
2. Engine is usually just powerful enough to let you squirt past traffic, but now and then, you'll be wishing they tossed in a 200hp+ engine. Why they always underpower these subcompacts...
3. The CD player does skip over bumps. Wish they'd fix that! Even my portable CD Player does a better job than that.
4. AM sound volume for Los Angeles channels are always much lower than FM/CD. Wish they'd fix that as well. It's annoying going from a volume of let's say 10 to 25 or the other way around.
5. Front left plastic housing around the tire well is already a little loose. Don't know if it's because the front underbumper hit something, or if it's just loose because of jitters. Have to get that tightened up a touch.
6. Plastic hub & retainer for the gas cap is getting a bit tight. It tries to turn with the cap now when putting it back on - unlike before where the cap would spin w/o the retainer spinning with it. Wish Toyota simply had put in a metal clip on the door to hang a normal cap off of like other cars.
7. Latch for the rear hatch, underside, really, really gets dirty and filled with dust fast! Have to always make sure to clean it out when washing - wish it was designed better w/o so many openings to let dust in under the handle.
8. ooooh, side-mirror with signals on the new 06! Must upgrade!!
9. Other than that, an easy car to drive, no real downsides, a great buy for the price and still happy with it.
2. Engine is usually just powerful enough to let you squirt past traffic, but now and then, you'll be wishing they tossed in a 200hp+ engine. Why they always underpower these subcompacts...
3. The CD player does skip over bumps. Wish they'd fix that! Even my portable CD Player does a better job than that.
4. AM sound volume for Los Angeles channels are always much lower than FM/CD. Wish they'd fix that as well. It's annoying going from a volume of let's say 10 to 25 or the other way around.
5. Front left plastic housing around the tire well is already a little loose. Don't know if it's because the front underbumper hit something, or if it's just loose because of jitters. Have to get that tightened up a touch.
6. Plastic hub & retainer for the gas cap is getting a bit tight. It tries to turn with the cap now when putting it back on - unlike before where the cap would spin w/o the retainer spinning with it. Wish Toyota simply had put in a metal clip on the door to hang a normal cap off of like other cars.
7. Latch for the rear hatch, underside, really, really gets dirty and filled with dust fast! Have to always make sure to clean it out when washing - wish it was designed better w/o so many openings to let dust in under the handle.
8. ooooh, side-mirror with signals on the new 06! Must upgrade!!
9. Other than that, an easy car to drive, no real downsides, a great buy for the price and still happy with it.
09-12-2005, 08:17 PM
#51
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
1) Tires are still stock, and still crazy! Barely do a 25mph right hand turn, or moderate braking on the freeway, etc. and they squeel right away just before the ABS kicks in (if you're braking harder). Still saving up for new tires & rims, so stuck with these very sad and dangerous tires =( =( =( Seriously! if you buy a xA, do yourself and the insurance company a favor and upgrade to something fatter and grippier. These stock tires have no grip at all, and even my old Sentra would have done loops around the xA.
You really do have to test and get used to the stock tires for daily driving - gotta know how far you can push them (not very) before the slide, and before the too-sensitive ABS kicks in (which can be activated going over a bump with the foot on the brake lightly at slow speeds even in a parking lot!)
2) Why is Scion charging $60+ for a set of rear mudflaps that should have come stock?!?
That's the price at the local dealer, and although they look easy enough to install, the biggest problem ?!? The fact that you have to drill four holes into the bumper to install these flaps, and you'll need a right-angle drill (rare) that's short enough to clear the tire to wheelwell space, with the drill bit attached. In other words, most people will go out, find that nobody carries a right-angle drill that short, and you'll have to make do with a right-angle drill attachement on a regular drill (which will be a touch too long for the lower hole).
So what to do? You can either remove both tires, get a proper right-angle drill, or drill through at an angle and hope that the hole in the liner is close enough to the bumper hole so that when you screw it all together, you don't have the liner being pushed by the screw, creating an ugly gap between the liner and the flap/bumper.
Why they don't predrill and/or simply install the mudflaps stock is still beyond me.....?
Anyways, making do with a right-angle drill attachment ($19 Harbor Freight Supply in orange county , ca) to a regular drill, was able to drill the holes decently enough with a bit of trial and error. Duct tape helps to keep everything in place, but you still have to watch out about the drill getting too close to the tire sidewalls when drilling (or pop your tire) at an angle. Everything screws in after that, and it's about 30 minutes total to install both mudflaps, including time to gather the right tools, run the AC cord, setup, clean the area, etc, and put it all away.
Very easy for the most part, and anyone who knows how to run a drill right can do it just fine. (Think Ikea tough, not rocket science.)
If you can't get the holes drilled right, get a mechanic or someone with the proper drill to do it for you first - they make all the difference in the proper mounting.
That said, they look perfect on my xA - like they were supposed to be there, not like some mudflaps that look awkward, and hopefully, this will cut down on the dust and debris kicked up by the tires onto the rear area of the xA (which always gets dirty fast). And, hopefully, rainy days to come, someone behind me will thank the flaps for not kicking up tire spray from hell like some cars w/o mudflaps do.
3) MPG is still <30 mpg, typically 25-28mpg on this automatic xA with mixed city/freeway driving and occasional AC. Not much better than my old Sentra at 25mpg for sure!
4) Front bumper lip is a touch too low going into dips - often get it scraped because of the airflow flaps in front of both front tires, and not wanting to slow down all that much. Wonder how much of a clearance it'll get once lowered?
5) Front of the hood where the logo is just got a new mini-crack along the plastic horizontal dividers from something kicked up from the road =( Definitely not as sturdy as my old Sentra or Civic, and looks like they're putting in cheap parts into the xA up front. They were right when said that the xA gets chips and so forth up front a lot easier than other cars! Maybe they ought to go back to putting up nice wide swaths of shiny strong chrome up front like the old days...?
6) still don't know why the windows are UV & IR blocking green tinted, but not the front windshield where most of the sunlight comes through (which is clear). Be nice if they cut down on the light.
You really do have to test and get used to the stock tires for daily driving - gotta know how far you can push them (not very) before the slide, and before the too-sensitive ABS kicks in (which can be activated going over a bump with the foot on the brake lightly at slow speeds even in a parking lot!)
2) Why is Scion charging $60+ for a set of rear mudflaps that should have come stock?!?
That's the price at the local dealer, and although they look easy enough to install, the biggest problem ?!? The fact that you have to drill four holes into the bumper to install these flaps, and you'll need a right-angle drill (rare) that's short enough to clear the tire to wheelwell space, with the drill bit attached. In other words, most people will go out, find that nobody carries a right-angle drill that short, and you'll have to make do with a right-angle drill attachement on a regular drill (which will be a touch too long for the lower hole).
So what to do? You can either remove both tires, get a proper right-angle drill, or drill through at an angle and hope that the hole in the liner is close enough to the bumper hole so that when you screw it all together, you don't have the liner being pushed by the screw, creating an ugly gap between the liner and the flap/bumper.
Why they don't predrill and/or simply install the mudflaps stock is still beyond me.....?
Anyways, making do with a right-angle drill attachment ($19 Harbor Freight Supply in orange county , ca) to a regular drill, was able to drill the holes decently enough with a bit of trial and error. Duct tape helps to keep everything in place, but you still have to watch out about the drill getting too close to the tire sidewalls when drilling (or pop your tire) at an angle. Everything screws in after that, and it's about 30 minutes total to install both mudflaps, including time to gather the right tools, run the AC cord, setup, clean the area, etc, and put it all away.
Very easy for the most part, and anyone who knows how to run a drill right can do it just fine. (Think Ikea tough, not rocket science.)
If you can't get the holes drilled right, get a mechanic or someone with the proper drill to do it for you first - they make all the difference in the proper mounting.
That said, they look perfect on my xA - like they were supposed to be there, not like some mudflaps that look awkward, and hopefully, this will cut down on the dust and debris kicked up by the tires onto the rear area of the xA (which always gets dirty fast). And, hopefully, rainy days to come, someone behind me will thank the flaps for not kicking up tire spray from hell like some cars w/o mudflaps do.
3) MPG is still <30 mpg, typically 25-28mpg on this automatic xA with mixed city/freeway driving and occasional AC. Not much better than my old Sentra at 25mpg for sure!
4) Front bumper lip is a touch too low going into dips - often get it scraped because of the airflow flaps in front of both front tires, and not wanting to slow down all that much. Wonder how much of a clearance it'll get once lowered?
5) Front of the hood where the logo is just got a new mini-crack along the plastic horizontal dividers from something kicked up from the road =( Definitely not as sturdy as my old Sentra or Civic, and looks like they're putting in cheap parts into the xA up front. They were right when said that the xA gets chips and so forth up front a lot easier than other cars! Maybe they ought to go back to putting up nice wide swaths of shiny strong chrome up front like the old days...?
6) still don't know why the windows are UV & IR blocking green tinted, but not the front windshield where most of the sunlight comes through (which is clear). Be nice if they cut down on the light.
09-15-2005, 04:05 AM
#52
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 15
did you install keyless entry?
Hey,
Thanks for all the great info. I also live in LA and just picked up my XA this week! I definitely want to install keyless entry and am looking for a decent audio or car place in the area that will install it for me. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Thanks for all the great info. I also live in LA and just picked up my XA this week! I definitely want to install keyless entry and am looking for a decent audio or car place in the area that will install it for me. Any ideas?
Thanks!
09-15-2005, 04:23 AM
#53
Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Posts: 40
For the record, my xA experience is different.
In response to the post from Adorable on 9/12, here are notes on my xA ownership experience:
1)I have the stock tires and have never heard any squealing, nor has the ABS ever came on. I drive on a variety of surfaces at a variety of circumstances under a variety of conditions. The tires are fine.
2)The mudflaps are priced seperately for the same reason all accessories are priced seperately: you add what you want and don't pay for something you don't.
3)My MPG is 34 combined city and highway.
4)I have a 2" drop and have only scraped the front end once, and that was my fault for descending too steep an incline.
5)I have no cracks in the front of the car, although I have gotten two small chips in the paint.
6)The factory tint is designed to conform to the regulations of 50 different states. I added aftermarket tint that is darker, but it is still illegal to tint the windshield here.
As you can see, not every xA owner has the same results or opinions.
1)I have the stock tires and have never heard any squealing, nor has the ABS ever came on. I drive on a variety of surfaces at a variety of circumstances under a variety of conditions. The tires are fine.
2)The mudflaps are priced seperately for the same reason all accessories are priced seperately: you add what you want and don't pay for something you don't.
3)My MPG is 34 combined city and highway.
4)I have a 2" drop and have only scraped the front end once, and that was my fault for descending too steep an incline.
5)I have no cracks in the front of the car, although I have gotten two small chips in the paint.
6)The factory tint is designed to conform to the regulations of 50 different states. I added aftermarket tint that is darker, but it is still illegal to tint the windshield here.
As you can see, not every xA owner has the same results or opinions.
09-15-2005, 09:26 PM
#54
Senior Member
SL Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Milwauke, WI
Posts: 1,384
Re: did you install keyless entry?
Originally Posted by theplu
Hey,
Thanks for all the great info. I also live in LA and just picked up my XA this week! I definitely want to install keyless entry and am looking for a decent audio or car place in the area that will install it for me. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Thanks for all the great info. I also live in LA and just picked up my XA this week! I definitely want to install keyless entry and am looking for a decent audio or car place in the area that will install it for me. Any ideas?
Thanks!
09-23-2005, 06:41 PM
#55
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Argh! Now another nick on the front A pillar from rock/debris. The paint on this baby is weak! or something! My other cars have never picked up so many paint chips so quickly!
Wish they had some option like the protective film they offer for the RX400h (http://www.lexus.com/models/accessor...brid_film.html). At least that would hopefully keep the front end chip free longer.
---
Yep, tires lock and squeel here for my xA. Just coming into work and doing a rapid 65 to 45mph braking on the freeway (silly driver ahead - loves to jump on his brakes for no reason) had my rear wheels lock a bit and squeel. Nothing hard enough to kick in the ABS system, but definitely shows that the xA needs better tires (ie. wider & lower profile).
--
Still praying that maybe someday, my xA will stop gobbling gas and actually get above 28mpg! Past four stops have averaged around 25mpg. Maybe they're doing something to CA gas?
---
Mudflaps still do better at keeping the rear clean vs. not having them in back, but due to the recent rain, can't say much more - have to re-wash my car again and see how fast the build-up is on the rear hatch.
---
Stock single disc radio is still horrible at AM broadcasts. Far too much bass, too little vocals, and you have to manually tune the bass all the way down, the treble up a bit, and the volume up twice as loud as normal to simply get a decent, audible broadcast. Pioneer needs to talk to Grundig and see how they got their little YB shortwave radios to sound SO good - crisp and clean vocals - on AM broadcasts.
Makes me want to rip that baby unit out and toss in a 'proper' head unit.... sigh, budget, budget....
---
Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash kit still does wonders on this car - easiest way to self-wash the car at home, and it's great in that you don't ever have to dry the outside at all to get a nice shine the next day. My #1 pick for doing it at home. (I hate swirls, so no car wash store for me)
---
Cup holders are still too short in depth. Have Pepsi 20oz bottles flying across the floormats right after hard turns, and honestly, my prior Sentra did better at this! (Hate it when a car decades old can still do better in some areas than a new model.) More depth would have instantly solved this problem (wider, too! - can't fit anything larger than a typical 20oz bottle, so no Super Big GUlPS!... you'd think the Japanese designers would have thought about this, but there's no such as a Super Big Gulp cup in any of the 7-11s in Japan, thus, no cupholders that big in the xA.....)
---
Other than that, pretty uneventful. Car just goes w/o a complaint, and it's pretty good at heating up quickly in the morning, has enough pep to squirt through most traffic, and keeps up well in Los Angeles traffic.
Wish they had some option like the protective film they offer for the RX400h (http://www.lexus.com/models/accessor...brid_film.html). At least that would hopefully keep the front end chip free longer.
---
Yep, tires lock and squeel here for my xA. Just coming into work and doing a rapid 65 to 45mph braking on the freeway (silly driver ahead - loves to jump on his brakes for no reason) had my rear wheels lock a bit and squeel. Nothing hard enough to kick in the ABS system, but definitely shows that the xA needs better tires (ie. wider & lower profile).
--
Still praying that maybe someday, my xA will stop gobbling gas and actually get above 28mpg! Past four stops have averaged around 25mpg. Maybe they're doing something to CA gas?
---
Mudflaps still do better at keeping the rear clean vs. not having them in back, but due to the recent rain, can't say much more - have to re-wash my car again and see how fast the build-up is on the rear hatch.
---
Stock single disc radio is still horrible at AM broadcasts. Far too much bass, too little vocals, and you have to manually tune the bass all the way down, the treble up a bit, and the volume up twice as loud as normal to simply get a decent, audible broadcast. Pioneer needs to talk to Grundig and see how they got their little YB shortwave radios to sound SO good - crisp and clean vocals - on AM broadcasts.
Makes me want to rip that baby unit out and toss in a 'proper' head unit.... sigh, budget, budget....
---
Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash kit still does wonders on this car - easiest way to self-wash the car at home, and it's great in that you don't ever have to dry the outside at all to get a nice shine the next day. My #1 pick for doing it at home. (I hate swirls, so no car wash store for me)
---
Cup holders are still too short in depth. Have Pepsi 20oz bottles flying across the floormats right after hard turns, and honestly, my prior Sentra did better at this! (Hate it when a car decades old can still do better in some areas than a new model.) More depth would have instantly solved this problem (wider, too! - can't fit anything larger than a typical 20oz bottle, so no Super Big GUlPS!... you'd think the Japanese designers would have thought about this, but there's no such as a Super Big Gulp cup in any of the 7-11s in Japan, thus, no cupholders that big in the xA.....)
---
Other than that, pretty uneventful. Car just goes w/o a complaint, and it's pretty good at heating up quickly in the morning, has enough pep to squirt through most traffic, and keeps up well in Los Angeles traffic.
09-29-2005, 07:47 PM
#56
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Here's news of one accessory they've got in Japan they should release for the Scions!
"Nikkei.Net (subscription) reports that Toyota will introduce a Citizen Wristwatch with a smart key inside to lock and unlock cars automatically.
For new Toyota Crown car owners the fumbling for the car key has an end. The Toyota wristwatch (developed together with Citizen) transmits via a radio signal a code to unlock the wearers car.
There is also a button on the watch to manually lock or unlock the car from a distance. The Toyota wristwatch will be available starting next week in Japan, where else."
"Nikkei.Net (subscription) reports that Toyota will introduce a Citizen Wristwatch with a smart key inside to lock and unlock cars automatically.
For new Toyota Crown car owners the fumbling for the car key has an end. The Toyota wristwatch (developed together with Citizen) transmits via a radio signal a code to unlock the wearers car.
There is also a button on the watch to manually lock or unlock the car from a distance. The Toyota wristwatch will be available starting next week in Japan, where else."
11-05-2005, 12:01 AM
#57
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Had a great time at Scion night at Knott's Scary Farm on Oct 26th, and was very happy getting in for free! It was definitely crowded, with lines at the main rides going 1 1/2 hours long, but after a nice dinner at the BBQ restaurant in Ghost Town, and shorter rides later on (such as the Aztec tomb ride with a 10 minute line), was able to go on five rides before they closed. Naturally, even the lines for the free entrance was longer than the very short line for ticket buyers who didn't have a Scion.
Could not believe how many Scions are in So. Cal - like every other car up and down the busy street and in the parking lot was a Scion. Naturally, boxes were the most popular, followed by the coupes, so my little hatch was one of a handful.
Very happy bonus for a Scion buyer, and a wonderful night indeed!
(Still can't believe they were giving away so many tickets for free!!)
Could not believe how many Scions are in So. Cal - like every other car up and down the busy street and in the parking lot was a Scion. Naturally, boxes were the most popular, followed by the coupes, so my little hatch was one of a handful.
Very happy bonus for a Scion buyer, and a wonderful night indeed!
(Still can't believe they were giving away so many tickets for free!!)
11-05-2005, 02:41 PM
#58
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: L.A.
Posts: 44
I also live in L.A. and I drive 2.5 mi to work on Santa Monica Blvd, meaning lots of lights close together, no real speed build up, but not bumper-to-bumper idling. When I don't drive Highway at all, I get about 21 mpg max. When I take a trip and drive all Highway, I get 32 mpg max, windows closed, usually a/c. Car is 4 months old.
11-09-2005, 09:44 PM
#59
Member
SL Member
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 74
I'm getting pretty bad mileage too, although it's almost all hard city driving. I did a test once (where I was helping a friend move and drafted behind a Uhaul truck for fifty miles at no more than 60 MPH) where I got 36 MPG or something, but normally I'm getting low to mid-twenties.
11-25-2005, 01:45 AM
#60
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 130
Saw an ad in a Japanese car magazine tooting Denso's latest in-cabin filters which help keep the air inside clean, etc. so I decided to do something about my xA.
$19.99 for the standard 88568-62010 cabin filter - a cheesy, thin air filter if one must ask (wanted to see what the Toyota brand was like; next time, it'll be something nicer from Purolator (believe Bosch has a higher end model, too).
Installation was a breeze once the glove box was opened up. The hard part? Trying to get that wrapped screwdriver into both sides to bend the latches holding the box inwards to release the box. It's tough to do w/o scratches, and they made it harder than it should to release the box.
Anyways, it was a few minutes to do it all, and that's done. Only thing strange was that the manual noted 2 air filters, one for the slide in tray filter I put in on top, the other for a front filter to the box below. Must go back and find out what the bottom filter is....
That said, I agree with many here - easier and cheaper just to buy the Purolator filter and/or make your own from any good furnace air filter (from which you can easily make 4+ filters). Scissors is all you'll need, and the filter won't be going any where fast if you simply tape down the edges (that'll keep it in place, and prevent airflow around the filter due to high pressure).
I seriously wouldn't worry about air flow restrictions on something this tiny - you'd have to stuff socks in there to block anything to the point where airflow is really bad inside.
---
Anyways, sad however, is to realize that they've also got the in-cabin Sharp Ion Plasmacluster add-on from Toyota Japan accessories for the xA over in Japan. That would be a good add-on to smoggy (worst! according to the newspaper) Los Angeles where my xA lives. Dusty Santa Ana windy days sure do kick up a firestorm of dust, and sneezes inevetably follow.
$19.99 for the standard 88568-62010 cabin filter - a cheesy, thin air filter if one must ask (wanted to see what the Toyota brand was like; next time, it'll be something nicer from Purolator (believe Bosch has a higher end model, too).
Installation was a breeze once the glove box was opened up. The hard part? Trying to get that wrapped screwdriver into both sides to bend the latches holding the box inwards to release the box. It's tough to do w/o scratches, and they made it harder than it should to release the box.
Anyways, it was a few minutes to do it all, and that's done. Only thing strange was that the manual noted 2 air filters, one for the slide in tray filter I put in on top, the other for a front filter to the box below. Must go back and find out what the bottom filter is....
That said, I agree with many here - easier and cheaper just to buy the Purolator filter and/or make your own from any good furnace air filter (from which you can easily make 4+ filters). Scissors is all you'll need, and the filter won't be going any where fast if you simply tape down the edges (that'll keep it in place, and prevent airflow around the filter due to high pressure).
I seriously wouldn't worry about air flow restrictions on something this tiny - you'd have to stuff socks in there to block anything to the point where airflow is really bad inside.
---
Anyways, sad however, is to realize that they've also got the in-cabin Sharp Ion Plasmacluster add-on from Toyota Japan accessories for the xA over in Japan. That would be a good add-on to smoggy (worst! according to the newspaper) Los Angeles where my xA lives. Dusty Santa Ana windy days sure do kick up a firestorm of dust, and sneezes inevetably follow.