It seems like the area below the 'climate control' on the xA could be utilized differently.

It looks like there are basically 1-big and 2-small openings possible. The "oven" being the large one and then the ashtray/cig lighter and the little storage area under that.

I'm not a smoker, and nobody's going to be smoking in my car, so I started thinking about trying to just replace the lighter with an AC plug. You know, pull the lighter, fit a small power inverter back in there and dremel out a section to put the AC plug in.

Then I thought about the ashtray. I'm not using that either, so maybe I could find something the used all that space. I then started thinking about all the other spce in there. I do use the 'oven' and the bottom storage slot for some tiny items, but they could easily go somewhere else. So I'm just wondering if anybody's fully replaced any or all of these sections?

Is the Oven the same size as the stock stereo opening? If so, I could put any double-DIN item i there. I'm now thinking 'carputer' or screen or something.
Anyone?

 

i kept the cig lighter becaus i need it to use it for my radar and my xm player

i think im gonna keep the over and turn it into like a deep frige by changeing the led in it

 

True. Maybe just tapping into the cig wiring for the inverter and mounting it where the ashtray is would be a smarter idea for me.

I've got mine blued-up, and I like the way it looks, but I think I might like it even better if it was an LCD screen

 

I have been thinking about it. I thought about turning it into a small oven of sorts, but it seemed like too much trouble. It would be difficult to insulate the oven chamber from the rest of the dash to keep from heating things up. I am always thinking of something to do with that space.

 

LOL Since you're in Austin this time of year, I think you wouldn't have any problem cooking up a whole brisket in your car; no mod needed :D

 

haha, its pretty hot here sometimes. I think it would be ballerific to hop in your car in the morning, stick in a toaster pastrie or something, and by the time you got where you were going, to have a nice hot breakfast waiting for you.

BTW, this thread has really started me thinking about things to do with the "ez bake" space...

 

i've been thinking of something to replace the oven since i got my xA.. I use the ash tray for change and the lighter for my cell phone charger. I do use the oven but like was said in the original post, i could find somewhere else to store that stuff... just seems like that space could be better used. If I think of something, I'll post back..

 

the oven is for cased cd's, they fit perfect..

 

i have my gauges installed in my lower cubbie they fit fine kind of out of the line of sight but thats the only clean look i can find

and as you can tell i did the install in the dead of winter too!!!

 

I can't tell from the pic, did you remove the entire cubby insert and put those in or are they modded into the cubby itself?

 

Good question...

 

Just for the record, the answer is "yes".

The oven space is a perfect fit for the Scion double DIN stereo. Well, not 'perfect' I guess, cuz the oven screws-in differently than the Scion HU, but I slapped it in there and it looks great. A couple pieces of 90-degree angled metal and I'd be good to go.

Also, the ashtray and lighter section is about single-DIN size and can be moved UP 'one DIN' in what I call the "Scion Rack System". So you could do a little rearranging of things if you so desired.

Me? I'm now thinking about moving the HU down to where the oven was, and putting an LCD screen up where the HU normally resides.

We'll see.....

 

i did not remove the cubbie it self i just mearly drill a few holes for the screws and wires and the vacuum tube to go threw http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?gid=3363

but since it didn't come with a vacuum gauge http://www.autometer.com/cat_gaugedetail.aspx?gid=2479

i had to grind out it out for it too fit the 3 gauge pod and i had to make a longer bracket so it would fit the way i like it

 

In case anybody cares, I've moved my HU down to where the Oven used to reside.

Interesting 'rack unit' that Scion set us up with. A couple double DIN spaces and at least one single Din, depending on how you use the very bottom 'cubby' You could do all kinds of stuff. At one point I had the ashtray and lighter moved up to where the oven used to be.

 

all i did with the oven is change the nasty orange to a blue. it was a rubber tip that made the light orange, so i didnt even need to change the bulb.
the only thing i use the oven for is CD cases.

 

I wish I could figure out something incredibly cool to put in their...

 

I just have a CD case in the oven now, but I was thinking of putting a GPS nav system there. Now that I know that there is hope of putting the head unit there, I might drop the head unit to the oven slot and make up some bracketing to put a Garmin 330 GPSr into the stock head unit slot. I think this will make for better line of sight use. Right now I am using my Garmin Legend by just droping it onto the dash on top of the steering collum, not the best set up.

 

Look at the Japan website and/or japanese ist catalog. It has a truck load of 'oven' options, replacing the cig/lighter area with various types of storage bins, etc. - all Toyota accessories. Makes me sad they didn't give us the under-seat storage tray option here in the USA =(

 

well im gonna put a single din dvd player HU were the stock one is now, and put my lcd screen where the "oven". i think that would look clean as hell, and i do most of my mods so that i benafit from them, i am the one paying for the car, everyone else is just a passenger.

as far as the cig lighter, im trying to find the wiring, so that i can take the cig lighter out, and put in a push start button in its spot, i just need to sit down and figure out the wiring for the starter and key and what not. ill prob take the cig lighter and put a transformer on it, and tap all of my interior lights off of it on the switches somwere, but i have to wait, i jus bought rims, tires, led underbody kit, so the funds is very low, and all this will have to wait atleast a month or two

 

The HU in the oven is a tight fit. The plugs coming off the back will press against your AC ducts, but it works

Also, you'll need to get an extension for your antenna plug. I thought that was going to be the easy part but it took me 2 days and trips to EIGHT different auto stores in town before I found a basic extension cable. I was about to splice into it and extend it myself with some wires and electrical tape.

I spent $1.50 at Lowes for a roll of perferated metal banding that I used to mount the HU (since the brackets won't line up with anything down in the oven area). You'll find you've got a TON of room up top. Plenty of room for those people wanting to install an LCD.

And no matter what you read elsewhere, you won't necessarily have to de-case the LCD. Because of the way the xA is laid out, there's not only lots of room heading back INTO the dashboard, but there's also room BELOW that top double-din space. You could probably even fit an 8" in there if you wanted to (although you'd lose site of some of the screen I'd guess)