Was wondering if anyone besides me has noticed this on their xB. I picked mine up on Friday, drove it home and was showing it off to the wife when I noticed light coming through the grill on the passenger side. After further examiniation I noticed that something was missing. I went to the dealer and asked them about it and they said all xB's were like this. Well, I still think something is missing, but need your opinion. Please see pics included and let me know if yours look like this as well. Thanks
Macthias

Drivers side with plastic shield
http://img117.exs.cx/img117/3927/driverscloseup8bl.jpg

Passenger side with missing plastic shield
http://img117.exs.cx/img117/1892/passenger8br.jpg

Close-up---light shines through when headlights are on!
http://img117.exs.cx/img117/4636/passengercloseup1su.jpg
[/img]

thats crazy. my xb only has those shields on the bottom grill. ive never seen that before. very interesting

Yep... Looks like something isn't right...
:nope:
-THE DON

cmon guys, read your owners manual!

thats so you can remove that to attacth your TOW HOOK :doh:

but thats on the top honeycomb grill. i guess it must be on the 05's cause my 04 doesnt have that.

Please see pics included and let me know if yours look like this as well. Thanks
Macthias
]

[b]On mine, I have openings on both sides for the center grill. On the bottom grill, both ends are closed like in your first pic...............Don

Mine is open all the way across...

-THE DON

When the dealer added your foglights, they forgot or lost that piece and didnt tell you. Talk to your dealer immediately. 1-866-70-SCION

05 here and open all the way...something is wrong with yours I bet...

mines an 05 and isnt like that
http://www.ieatbrains.com/eyelid.jpg

Mine is an 05 and this is on the middle grill. The bottom grill is closed on both sides. I called Scion today to let them know, but they were confused about what I was trying to describe. I sent pictures and will hear back soon.
cmon guys, read your owners manual!
like I said this is on the middle grill.

When the dealer added your foglights, they forgot or lost that piece and didnt tell you. Talk to your dealer immediately. 1-866-70-SCION
It was like this before they installed my fog lights. Every 05 xB on the lot was like mine with one side closed and one side open.

You already know this, but for more backing, my '05 is clear all the way across, definitely not like yours. I do have fogs. PM me and I can send you pics and VIN if you need to prove year.

Have you taken the panel off to see whats behind, also, do you have a similar look on your lower grille? If not, I'd say they moved the towing hitch location.

towing hitch location is still on the lower grill. Just seems wierd that some xB's are open all the way across and some (or mine) is only open on one side.

I wonder if it is supposed to be port removed and they forgot it on that batch??

i think that all xb's come with that and when the dealer puts in the foglamps there suppost to remove it....

Hmmm, Very strange


My 05' is clear all the way across....

i know mine is not like that for sure because i just put a three peice billet on and it has to attach throught the honeycomb part of the bottom two grills and if it were like that it would not work.... i am positive they are not like that.. mine is a 04 by the way.

mine is 05 and i DO NOT have foglights and both are open . so ????

Yeah, Mine is just like TOAST3R , and mine is a late built`04 and I dont have fogs. It looks as though something should be on BOTH sides, not just one . They are closed on Both Ends on the lowest grill though .

yeah the lower is always closed on both sides , i chopped my drivers side one so i could run around with a retarded looking tow hook sticking out , lol .

I just remembered...they change things throughout the year. I bought mine when the 05's came out. I looked at a brand new 05 and now it has a saying on the A/C to use inside circulation for the A/C function. Maybe this is a small change as that one?

a/c inside? hmm thats kinda obvious to keep extra cool , lol but um i unno i bought mine when the 05's just came out and mine is fully open . hmm odd .

if it is a mistake, sell the thing as a one of a kind factory defect on ebay. people will pay crazy amounts for stuff like that

mines an 05 an i got that shield where the towin hook is an the other side is open but mine is on the lower grill on the drivers sider not next to the fogs like that one is an my middle one is open all the way across

:nails: OMG that is not the only thing that is diffrent although mine is open all the way my bud has on 05 i have an 05 and two other have an 04 and 05 but this is the wird thing we were checking out eachathers cars and one of the guys had a second cabo runing along side the cable for the gas.... i was like what the hell is that he did not know he was the only one that had it his was an 05 manual and an other guy had the same thing but did not have that cable in the engin we were like wow that is wird... we still cant figer out waht the hell its for but i think there is more to scion that we do not know... wierd dont u think.... how the same car can have difrent stock stuff like the grill with the filled in hols and my friends car with the extra cable.... this is starting to bug me waht is up with that are they not all supost to be the same???

Don't listen to Macthias - he's a flake! :P

I'm gonna check the other xB's on the lot and see what else we've got here. Maybe we can get you the replacement piece from the other side, and it can be adapted. That's a thought.

LATER, Phatty.

Jon

mines an 04 without factory fogs n mine is open all the way across.. like someone said maybe it got tossed around in the batch n never got stamped out

mines an 04 without factory fogs n mine is open all the way across.
Same here :eyebrow:

When the dealer added your foglights, they forgot or lost that piece and didnt tell you. Talk to your dealer immediately. 1-866-70-SCION
It was like this before they installed my fog lights. Every 05 xB on the lot was like mine with one side closed and one side open.
meaning maybe the newest 05s may be like this...Scion adds and changes crap throughout the year.

I just checked my 05 and it is the same exact way.

yeah my 05's the same way... i noticed and increased amount of light coming thru after i installed my foglights...

Every 05 xB on the lot was like mine with one side closed and one side open.

There was a change at some point. EVILDAVE's replacement grills were different than the originals when he got his repairs done. I don't recall which one came first or second, tho...

It has NOTHING to do with foglight installation, and is merely cosmetic in nature. I'd guess there was a design issue that they corrected...

nor did i ever state that it was due to the fog lights... it was only at that point in time that i noticed it...

nor did i ever state that it was due to the fog lights... it was only at that point in time that i noticed it...

Didn't even see your post when I typed mine...

When the dealer added your foglights, they forgot or lost that piece and didnt tell you. Talk to your dealer immediately. 1-866-70-SCION

i think that all xb's come with that and when the dealer puts in the foglamps there suppost to remove it....

mine is 05 and i DO NOT have foglights and both are open . so ????

Yeah, Mine is just like TOAST3R , and mine is a late built`04 and I dont have fogs. It looks as though something should be on BOTH sides, not just one . They are closed on Both Ends on the lowest grill though .

mines an 04 without factory fogs n mine is open all the way across.. like someone said maybe it got tossed around in the batch n never got stamped out

Every 05 xB on the lot was like mine with one side closed and one side open.

There was a change at some point. EVILDAVE's replacement grills were different than the originals when he got his repairs done. I don't recall which one came first or second, tho...

It has NOTHING to do with foglight installation, and is merely cosmetic in nature. I'd guess there was a design issue that they corrected...
Im glad someone is on the same page as me...

Now you will make me look...Dang. But I think my '05 is clear, and I have stock fogs.

i'll check my 2 week old xb tonight fella's. I dont even remember looking. I did buy some factory foglights off ebay and install them last night. Took me about 30min but I never looked at that grill, mostly because I think that honeycomb sucks. It would look better color matched to the car.

hey i just bought my xB and mines like that too i don't have fogs and mine is a 05 so...if anyone knows what ups with that IM at dudegetasony123

hey i just bought my xB and mines like that too i don't have fogs and mine is a 05 so...if anyone knows what ups with that IM at dudegetasony123
It seems that the newest 05 have this grill change is all. Must be a correction to the old grill like my open grill.

I recieved 2 phone calls from Scion today and they are looking into the grill issue. It is going to the higher ups for a more precise answer. Should here back by Friday. Will post their comments. Don't listen to Macthias - he's a flake!

JUMBO-Not so loud others might hear you. Keep that flake stuff on the DL.

I have an 05 xB with port-installed fogs. Hadn't noticed the upper-grill difference until reading the posts--just checked and mine has passenger-side open and driver's side blanked off.

Just a thought, but MAYBE the reason is that the dealer-installed AEM cold-air package requires blocking off that open area? I poked at mine and it seems like it's only a thin flat blank fitted in behind the honeycomb. Anyone else have the CAI with same changes to upper grill?

I do not have the CAI installed. It came like this off the truck. Even if they added it, don't you think it should be on both sides since light shines through? According to Parts this piece does not exist (the thin flat blank)

because the grill is one piece...so it would be listed under middle grill correct?

Now you will make me look...Dang. But I think my '05 is clear, and I have stock fogs.I looked. It's clear. And there is plastic bits on the bottom grill. On the sides. Like it's suppose to have, I think.

time to get introduced to the mods.... 1st mod= billet grill swap outs

at the lot now, 1 camo with the grille like yours, and the other 5 of different colors all have the see thru grille. service does not have 05 updates and only shows 1 grille

ok, last night I checked it out, there is a plastic thing on the right side of the grill, but not the left. Its totaly see though.

I'm sure after all the rplies you have figured out whats wrong, but I'm gonna add my 2 cents anyway.

They put two lower grills on your car. Those guards should only be on the bottom grille for towing purposes. That is where the tow hooks onto your car, via connectors which are behind the pop-offs. The upper grill should be cleared out all the way across. I have an 05' with factory fogs. The dealership probably did it, because the cars come to them with the lower front and rear bumpers removed. Somone is probably driving around with 2 upper grills...

I'm sure after all the rplies you have figured out whats wrong, but I'm gonna add my 2 cents anyway.

They put two lower grills on your car. Those guards should only be on the bottom grille for towing purposes. That is where the tow hooks onto your car, via connectors which are behind the pop-offs. The upper grill should be cleared out all the way across. I have an 05' with factory fogs. The dealership probably did it, because the cars come to them with the lower front and rear bumpers removed. Somone is probably driving around with 2 upper grills...

That would be anamazing feat, since one of those grills is half the width of the other.

I can't believe the uproar over this, you'd think something broke or didn't work right...Maybe it's a lemon...

Everyone here has had a different response to my question. As I stated before, the dealer does not know why it is on one side and not the other. Scion does not know why either. I have been in contact with them and have recieved several phone calls about my question. Today they asked for more pictures and it has been sent to the techs at Scion. They are just as confused about the piece as I am. TheScionMan is correct, it would be an amazing feat to have 2 lower grills installed. I will post Scions response as soon as I get one. Thanks for everyones input.

^^^ SPOON! - The Tick.

hmmm.... let me go see mine .....

maybe its a camo thing

hmm mine is like that too..........guess that's how all the 2005 look...

^^^ SPOON! - The Tick.

i LOVED the show!!!!!

Well, I had my bumper off last night so I was looking at this. The only thing I can figure is that they are trying to re-route or change the airflow to the intake for some reason. Without that piece there, air has a straighter shot from that edge of the grill to the intake mouth. With that corner blocked, it appears like they are trying to re-route the airflow to the other side of the radiator support. There's a foam piece there that may be supposed to act like an interim filter. Anyway, this is just ponderings from seeing it without the bumper in place. I took pics but I don't have a card reader to dl them. I'll post them and you can see what I'm talking about. I'd say I'm 99% positive it is a design change after looking, not a fluke or flaw... But that's JMO...

I'm sure after all the rplies you have figured out whats wrong, but I'm gonna add my 2 cents anyway.

They put two lower grills on your car. Those guards should only be on the bottom grille for towing purposes. That is where the tow hooks onto your car, via connectors which are behind the pop-offs. The upper grill should be cleared out all the way across. I have an 05' with factory fogs. The dealership probably did it, because the cars come to them with the lower front and rear bumpers removed. Somone is probably driving around with 2 upper grills...

That would be anamazing feat, since one of those grills is half the width of the other.

I can't believe the uproar over this, you'd think something broke or didn't work right...Maybe it's a lemon...

Thats where the conspiracey comes into play...They took a hack saw to the grill bacause its half the size. Then they did a little chop on the grill, and glued it all back together. Then colonel musterd killed the maid with the candle stick, but the butler was actually the owner of the house, so hes guilty too......make sense now?

Hey Phatty

I just got off the phone with Scion as well. They really are digging for you, and I want you to know that I'll do whatever I can to make you a happy camper. It's great to see that Scion is taking this seriously. Makes me even prouder to work for them.

What did you think of my install-the-driver's-side-piece-upside-down-thing? Might get the job done.

Either that, or we could just spray some Great Stuf in there. Or Duct it!

LATER

I'm sure after all the rplies you have figured out whats wrong, but I'm gonna add my 2 cents anyway.

They put two lower grills on your car. Those guards should only be on the bottom grille for towing purposes. That is where the tow hooks onto your car, via connectors which are behind the pop-offs. The upper grill should be cleared out all the way across. I have an 05' with factory fogs. The dealership probably did it, because the cars come to them with the lower front and rear bumpers removed. Somone is probably driving around with 2 upper grills...

That would be anamazing feat, since one of those grills is half the width of the other.

I can't believe the uproar over this, you'd think something broke or didn't work right...Maybe it's a lemon...

Thats where the conspiracey comes into play...They took a hack saw to the grill bacause its half the size. Then they did a little chop on the grill, and glued it all back together. Then colonel musterd killed the maid with the candle stick, but the butler was actually the owner of the house, so hes guilty too......make sense now?

I think that it was He actually did it with the shovel in the garden, but that's besides the point.

This conspiracy thing is an absolute riot. And I imagine that they did that to ALL of the xB's on my lot right now, too. What a funny, and not at all implausible, joke.

Get real.

LATER

Jumbo
If the opening is there for a reason I will pass on your idea, but if they just got lazy over there at Scion I will take you up on it. The light shinig through the grill drives me nuts. I guess I might have OCD.

Mine is an 05 and this is on the middle grill. The bottom grill is closed on both sides. I called Scion today to let them know, but they were confused about what I was trying to describe. I sent pictures and will hear back soon.
cmon guys, read your owners manual!
like I said this is on the middle grill.

When the dealer added your foglights, they forgot or lost that piece and didnt tell you. Talk to your dealer immediately. 1-866-70-SCION
It was like this before they installed my fog lights. Every 05 xB on the lot was like mine with one side closed and one side open.

I know exactly what you are talking about. I noticed the same thing a few weeks ago on mine when I was checking out new headlight bulbs. Went to the dealer the next day and checked out a couple of other new xB's. They were all that way. It's something I guess we will have to live with. That stray light coming out look bad though, IMO.

Yeah the light coming through it looks bad in front PICS , But I was driving down the 210/134 FWY today and I had passed this `05 Camo on the right , I had to go over to my Exit so I got in front of him for a bit . And when I looked back , I definetely could tell it was an xB behind me with those 2 Rectangle Eyes close together looking back at me . And from a little distance to as it came by and passed , I could NOT see any light coming out any where .
So maybe its only a close camara thing Angle that looks bad .

Perhaps we can all accept that this is the way the new honeycombs are being adapted with a shield. Fair enough. If the opening to the right and left of the radiator cowl are not functional then I would prefer they were blocked. As far as I can tell they only serve the purpose of allowing salt and sand to spray into the engine compartment. Is there any functional need for these openings? The compartment is hardly airtight; so is the airflow required by any component?

I feel no compulsion to show the world how full my windshield wash tank is. Does the honeycomb shield have a part number on the piece?

hmmm I got mine on 10/31/05 and mine has no shield....

i dont think it's an issue of when you bought, its when it was built...

It's a late summer build date also

Jumbo
If the opening is there for a reason I will pass on your idea, but if they just got lazy over there at Scion I will take you up on it. The light shinig through the grill drives me nuts. I guess I might have OCD.

We ought to knock out the other side, and then you could have 2 'phantom' headlights up there! :eyebrow:

According to James at Scion (he called me everyday for the last week to keep me posted) the plastic shield protects the horn. He said it was a "running change in production" during the 2005 run. I asked about the left side becoming available to help with its aesthetic value, but he said it probably would not happen. So I guess we will have to deal with the light shining through our grills. Thanks for all the feedback.

Macthias-

Can the right side shield be flipped to the left or does the rounded corner prevent this?

After driving around the Boston area there is a scary amount of salt and sand in my engine compartment. I’m thinking these shields are worth having.

uh huh or so they will have you believe just like there really was no 2107A RS1 tag....

~wC

Scooter123
Jumbo (http://www.scionlife.com/?JUMBO) and I have talked about flipping that piece. We will have to take a better look.

well, If you want to immatate the look of the new grills, it would not be very difficult to buy some black plastic and place it on the left and right side...

if this is to fix something in the car can we take are new cars to the dealer ship to get that plastick instald??? :rofl: seeing as how we are still underworenty and all..... :rofl:

They'll probably just replace your horn if it goes bad, if that's the reason for it...

It makes sense since one of the horns is right in the middle of the bumper and the other is off to the side right at that spot...

I checked the xB's on my lot and about half of them is blocked in and the other half is not. I also noticed that every single one that is, the port is in Long Beach, CA and all the ones that is open the port is in Los Angeles. I don't know if that has something to do with it also.

I checked my 05 purchased last month and it has the driver side blocked off too.

My 06 is the same way. I hit two deer in mine and I noticed it today so I started seaching and found this. Mine is Drivers side blocked passenger is open. I was about to raise HADES with the body shop but I guess maybe there is a reason for it.

Hit TWO deer with it?! And it's an 2006?! You got some bad luck >,<

P.S. I think the grill backing is the door to check your halogen fluid level in your foglights.

Oh yeah and even worse luck with the body shop who caused more damage to the paint on the whole car than the original claim. about $4,000 to repaint the car and they will do nothing.

I checked my 06 Xb and mine is open all the way across...

I had an RS1 and behind the Billet Grill was a piece of plexiglas, that helped keep the dirt from blowing in on the engine, does the regular XB's have the same thing ? I have a on and behind the grill is nothing ..... Engine compartment is filthy

My new '06 xB has the driver's side blocked. Why are some different? The Yokohama plant had a stockpile of the old grilles. The Nagoya plant got the new modified grill. One plant ships to Long Beach, the other to L.A. (?)

That foam piece behind the driver side piece seems to block airflow from going past the radiator. Maybe it's to direct airflow through the radiator...

mines an o6 got it 2 days ago its the same as yours light on the pass side

I had an RS1 and behind the Billet Grill was a piece of plexiglas, that helped keep the dirt from blowing in on the engine, does the regular XB's have the same thing ? I have a on and behind the grill is nothing ..... Engine compartment is filthy

The stock grille is solid. No need for plexiglass.

You should notice that your horn should be directly behind this plate. Just gently push it out with your fingers and you will notice that your horn will be quite a bit louder :smile:

RS 3 owner here, mines the same way, open on one side, closed on to other. Doesn't truely bother me, but I wonder if there is a fix now that it's brought to attention.