Greetings folks,

I am new to the Scion game. I have a 2011 Scion xB that I bought in Feb 2012. I have lurked on this site for a few weeks. I am also am a member of Club xB and while that is a great forum also, I wanted to also belong to a forum that has all Scion vehicles on it.

I bought my xB on 2/23/12 from a Chevy Dealer with low miles on it. I love the car. Both my brothers have 2009 xB's so we are a 3 xB family. I was looking for a roomy car with a lot of cargo space and one that was not a gas guzzler. It is an automatic and is Stingray Metallic.

The only issue I have with the car is the lack of temp gauge(seriously Toyota no temp gauge in a 2011 vehicle?? Traveling back to 1971 are we?) I could have cared less about the clock and don't see why they removed the temp gauge for it

The dealer had a 1st gen xB (2005) and while i like the looks, the thing would be too small to use to drive everyday without worry on 495 so I bought the 2011

I like driving manual transmissions but I commute on 495 in Maryland for work each day and it is a pain driving stick in traffic on that road so I opted for a auto. This is not my first dance with Toyota as I also have a 2009 Pontiac Vibe (aka Toyota Matrix disguised as a Pontiac)

I don't plan on making many mods to the car. Perhaps only the TRD rear sway bar and the front strut bar. But we will see what happens to it in the future

I have done the following:

1. Got new xB floor mats and rear cargo carpet(the dealership stiffed me on it). I got it on eBay from a place called Elmore Toyota in CA for $75 shipped (it was a cast off from a 2011 xB (I guess the buyer of that xB did not want to pay for mats?) ) They were totally new so that was a good deal.

2. I got a set of all weather Scion floor mats (Part#PU320-52112-00) and a all weather rubber cargo mat (part#PT218-52110) from ScionPartsPeople(a dealership from the North West) for a good price. The all weather rubber cargo mat is great however you need to use this part number or else the parts person will never find it. Once the number is plugged in they see it. It has SCION in block letters in the middle

3. Closed ash tray cup. I don't smoke but i needed a cup for my change.

4. Dashmat. I have always had a dash mat in all my cars since I had a GMC Jimmy with a nasty peeling dash. Now the Vibe and the xB have hard plastic dashboards so i don't think they will crack or discolor but the price I paid for the mat is cheap insurance to protect it and looks good

Things I plan on getting

1. Autodimming mirror(perhaps with a compass also)
2. The already mentioned sway and strut bars
3. XM module that hooks to the radio or just using the existing XM radio(I listen to it in the house) and a new car kit
4. Scan GaugeII or Scan gaugeE (depending upon which is cheaper and which shows coolant temp(I have a advanced scan tool so I don't need all the things the II offers just the temp

Hopefully the pics come out



















Heres a pic of my Vibe which keeps the XB company



I am hoping to learn from you folks on all things Scion

Thanks

 

Welcome aboard! Looks pretty good so far!

You talk in-depth about your dash mat but you have no picture???!!! What a tease!

 

I would like to see that dash mat as well I was interested in buying one but I don't know how it will look

 

Yup you guys got me on the Dashmat

I just got it about a week ago(they make them to order and it took about a month to make and get shipped to me) and unpacked it out of the box on Saturday. I will take a pic on Monday at some point. Don't judge it by the pic though since the instructions told me to let it sit flat without the velcro strips for about a week so it adjusts to the dash(do to being rolled up)

 

Temp gauge...........yeah what the hell was Toyota thinking . I'll get a OBD II , scan or ultra gauge . I know it reads temp , but i don't think they read oil. Well worth the price .

 

Here are the long awaited pics of the dashmat. I never did get time on Monday to do it.







I have not soothed it down and attached the velcro hooks yet so it is not complete. That tab on the left side of that little drivers side holder folds into the compartment with a velcro hook.

I got the original dashmat but they make a velour mat called velourmat and a suede type mat called suedemat. I had an original dashmat in another car and it lasted a long time (till I sold the car) and had no fading

The Dashmat has a cutout on the passenger side to allow the airbag to deploy in an accident.


If you are looking into a dash cover then buy the Dashmat. There is a competing dash cover made by Dash Designs that runs a little cheaper. My friend who has a 2008 XB got a cover made by Dash Designs. It did not seem to fit as well as the dash mat and had no cut out for an airbag !!!!! when he called Dash Designs they told him the air bag was in the panel just above the glove box. Their specs were not right.

However what I did like on the dash designs mat was that it covered more. On the Dashmat the space between the drivers side vent to the left edge of the cluster was left open. On the dash design mat that same spot is covered and it also has a unique vent and compartment cut out.

So if you don't care about the pass. airbag being covered then the dash designs might be for you

 

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Welcome! Your new ride is looking good! I'll be awaiting the pics of the "Completed Look" when its ready!!

I think maybe just some personal choice rims would be all you need for your daily commuter.

 

hey journey!

nice pics of your ride. i too wish the xb had a temp gauge and the scangauge is a nice option but i personally want my xb interior looking as stock as possible... i wish i could add this gauage without having to tack on the scanguage unit to the dash...

 

I really like your dash mat...I too want to see this when it is completed velcroed down. Great job and welcome