First, let me start off by saying that I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE my xA... I stare at it during my 15 minute break and 30 minute lunch. However, I'm having some... well, issues and problems. I divided them into two categories... issues for not serious and problems for serious... please help...!

Issue

Not so much a problem as it is a slight issue... but the steering wheel buttons are a LOT dimmer than the stereo and HVAC... and the "AUTO" button for the driver's side window glows, but you can barely see it... even in complete darkness.

Is anyone else's like this...?

Issue

The dash material blows. I purchased a Turtle Wax dash sponge to grab the dust and the texture of the dash ripped the sponge to shreds...! It gets dusty easily and it's near impossible to clean because of the texture... even lint free cloths leave something behind!

What do you guys use to clean and treat the dash...?

Problem

Right side of bumper is slightly ill-fitting... where the bumper meets the wheel arches on the side of the car... there's a slight gap and is not flush like the other side...

Is this a problem that the dealership will take care of...?

Problem

Ground my gears trying to get into reverse (it's sloppy). Ground my gears a few times trying to downshift from fifth to fourth.

Anyone else experiencing this...?

Problem

Sometimes there's no power or boost in power after I upshift... the gas pedal gets firmer and more resistant... but little power delivery. Happened 3 or 4 times so far.

What do you think could be the problem...? Clutch...?!

Problem

The headlight beams have VERY little reach...! And on the highway, I can see EXACTLY where the light reaches. It let's me see maybe 20 feet in front of me and that's it. It ends abrupty... no vanishing point. Exit signs pop up quickly...! And the lights don't illuminate the highway signs...! Very dangerous! Going 40, I've always had to break abruptly for pedestrians because I don't see them till near the end...

Did the service department not adjust them when I took delivery?

 

My audio controls on the wheel are dimmer as well, it's likely just built that way. Bummer.

I have done that in reverse as well, but it may have been due to my not driving a manual transmission for a few years.

The headlights have the same problem for me as well, I suggest that you raise them up a turn. Open your hood and there should be a spot where you turn a screw to raise them. That may help the problem. I'm trying it tonight.

 

okay ill tell you this even with the Xb you still have the same problems keeping the inside clean , and i go the carbon fiber overlay kit from trd so its acutally even worse. i use the armorall wipes to keep it clean. you should report any problems with the body panels to the dealership immeadiatly , on the xb i had to add fog lights to get good lighting when driving ,

 

Dampened microfiber cleaning cloth for the dash, and reduce the dust by installing the optional cabin air filter to filter the incoming air to your A/C-heater...

Your headlights sound very mis-aligned. Find a flat and level place where you can park 25 feet away from a blank wall. Measure the height from the ground to the middle of the headlights. Turn the headlights on low beam, and the sharp cutoff line on the wall should be one inch lower than the midpoint of your headlights.

Have your dealership look at the mismatch in panels. They should be able to fix that up.

Tomas

 

Ive had similar problems with my lighting, as far as the A/c light, temp light, and stuff like that. Its almost like the left side is darker than the right, on the inside. My speakers also got weaker when they fixed my head unit. My volume down button got stuck and so they put in a new head unit. After that, i had only 1/3rd the bass i had before, and they keep telling me nothings wrong with it. Kinda sucks, im a lil dissappointed with scions when it comes to electrical, i think in that affordable price, they did an affordable wiring job too. My friend has had tons of problems with finding wires in his Xb where theyre supposed to be. I think this is something that needs to be addressed seriously.

 

Check the owner's manual for the head unit, and verify that the SSP is on the optional setting you want it on, etc. Not only are there settings for xA, xB, and tC, there are the normal , hear, and feel settings for overall effects. If those two are not set where the original HU's were set, you will have a huge difference in sound... (Yes, those are *CUSTOMER* settings, and need to be re-set if power is even removed from the unit for a short while - I.E. fuse or disconnect battery.)

As to the wiring, the repair manuals give detailed locations for all the wiring, but some of the wiring harness changes year to year as features change. For example, the wiring harness is OBVIOUSLY different between the 2006 and earlier years because of the steering wheel controls and aux or iPod inputs, etc. Different harness, different colors, different locations.

My first question to anyone digging into the wiring of their car would be if they bothered to looke at the documentation that describes it. If they didn't, they are flying blind. That's the biggest problem I see. Toyota/Scion provides a wealth of information on how their cars are put together, but most people THINK they know it all and don't bother to look.

So often someone has torn apart something and made some changes, and not done it right, then when they are shown the readily available documentation they say "I didn't know that!"

Enjoy!

Tomas

 

I have had the same problems keeping my dash clean. Armor all is horrible though, on any car. It's very greasy. Anything Meguari's is great, it is pricy but it will get all the dust off the dash and keep it that way

 

To clean the dash of my xA, I use an upholstery brush on the Shop Vac, and it works just fine. Just be careful not to let it touch the screen of your stereo or the plastic cover of the 'oven,' because they scratch very easily.

 

Sound quality took a bit of tweaking to get to my liking. I turned off the auto-volume adjust (for engine/road noise) as I found it was making the bass kind of sharp and difficult to hear the frequency (like a thump instead of a note at a specific tone). So basically I've got that auto-levelling thing off, SSP on "Hear" and manual BASS at about +3, and it sounds really nice.

Though not all of my MP3's are consistent in volume or clarity so that's a external problem really..

While I'm talking about though does anyone have a utility that will resave all your MP3's at the same volume? Lots of PC mp3 player software allows you to correct on the fly, but it won't save changes to the file for exporting to an MP3 CD.

 

I'll address the grinding when going into reverse issue. The reverse gear has no synchronizer. As such it will grind from time to time when trying to engage it.

Here's how to stop this:

1. Depress clutch pedal and slide the shifter into first gear.
2. With pedal still depressed, move shifter back to neutral and let out clutch pedal.
3. Depress clutch pedal once again and shift into reverse.

Bingo...slides into reverse like butter and with no grinding.

Basically you are double-clutching which slows down the transaxle input shaft and allows the gears to mesh smoother.

I promise, it works everytime. In fact, if memory serves me right, this was mentioned in the owner's manual of my old '95 Tercel. Not sure if info like this is still given out.

 

MP3Gain is your friend. Enjoy! It's also completely reversable after you do it too!

 

The 2006 manual says to do exactly what you stated.

 

 

I'm starting to wonder if my car has poor build quality... I told you guys about the bumper issue. Well, today I noticed that my right rear passenger door does not close flush... the door part does, but starting where the window begins, it doesn't. It comes out and is quite visible, though I'm not hearing wind coming from it or anything. It's completely flush on the other side.

Also, the long piece of silver trim on the center console is loose, but I think that I can super glue it...

Anyway, I've got the imperfect bumper and the side door. Will they cover this under the warranty?

My first new car purchase is chocking up to be a disappointing one... or am I overreacting and these are just new car niggles?

 

I think you need to get rid of the car. Seriously, it sounds like you already have an emotional dislike for it. Once that happens, it's over...you'll never feel good about the car.

As for whether you're overreacting? Maybe...maybe not. But your subconscious distain for the car probably makes the problems seem bigger than what they really are.

This is not a flame at all, just the truth the way I see it.

Peace.

 

Unicron, I would like to share my thoughts on a couple of issues you are concerned about. The audio buttons on the steering wheel and the driver door window lights are designed to be bright enough to see at night, but not enough to be destracting or cause a glare. Your car is normal in that regard. As far as the dash material goes, I will concede it is truly a dust catcher big time! I'm sure everyone has their own method for dealing with it; for me, I use armor all to keep it moist and avoid future cracking,and then use a moist micro-fiber cloth to keep it dusted as best I can. I will say that the dash material does keep glare to a minimum, so that's a plus. I have not had any problems with body panel fits, leaks or assembly quality. So far all of that is up to Toyota quality standards.The only real issue I've had with mine is the fragile paint mentioned by so many Scion owners as scratching and chipping way to easily. I try to keep it washed and waxed ALOT and park under a carport at home to keep the tree and bird droppings off of it. I hope you can get these new car issues resolved to your satisfaction and enjoy your new xA!

 

I'm sorry if I sound like I have an emotional dislike for it. There's no truth to it in the least. In fact, I'm quite in love with it. In babying it (cleaning my hands before I drive, getting in slowly and carefully, not slamming the doors, etc.), I've discovered these so-called issues and problems. Concerning the dash, I've already gotten over and found a solution. I went to an art store and bought a soft paint brush. It lifts up the dust and it's super soft, so it doesn't scratch it at all.

But... I discovered the bumper because I was doing some quick detailing on the wheel arch where a bug had splattered. And I discovered the door issue while removing some drops of tree sap on the roof. AND... I stare at the car for 15 minutes at a time just admiring the styling and design, so I DEFINATELY do not hate it.

If they fix my bumper and my door, I'll be happier than Star Jones at a buffet.

They CAN fix the bumper and the door, right? And will they? Is it covered under warranty?

 

they might fix it, might not. supposedly, thats why they have you do the "walkaround" while the sales advisor goes over all the stuff.

is it possible someone gently "tapped" the bumper in a parking maneuver? id probably try doing an adjustment myself before involving the dealer. same with the rubber window trim. possibly that one corner isnt seated in the groove correctly?

its worth looking at the service manual posted on here and finding the bumper mouting procedures, as well as window weatherstrip install/removal procedures, and see if theres something you can do.

because honestly, the dealership can screw it up even worse. im not even sure i want them doing the 3 free oil changes. but on the xA, oil changes are a snap. fun, even! i had a1998 civic, and the oil filter was mounted high on the back of the engine, major pain.

 

Doors are easy to adjust. Depending how far off the bumper is, it shouldn't be a big deal to correct either. I would take it to the dealer and point out these issues.

 

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