Got a little detailing done before a photoshoot w/ local club had today.
*puts on her straight jacket and continues post*

2006 TCM xB - purchased August 15, 2005

Enjoy and I welcome any/all comments!






Mods:
Tein H-techs
Monroe Sensa Tracs
Everything layered w/ Raamat/ensolite - except roof, thats next
15" Buddy Club wheels w/ Yoko tires (OEM sized tires)

 

your ride must be really quiet with all that sound deadening. nice wheels repp'n the 15 inchers. i dont like big wheels they look retarded and the car sits too high.

 

Looks great. I looked into getthing those wheels, too. Good choice.

 

how much did you spend on the deadening? and nice box, though it does need something...

 

looks good! how's the deadening working for ya?

 

Sharp! Have you thought about chrome handles/weatherstripping? I think they'd make nice compliment to the rims.

 

looks nice

 

Hmm I haven't thought of that as I'm not really into chrome but I appreciate the idea.

The sound deadening http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi was definately worth the investment (less then $350 SHIPPED). I purchased two full rolls, 6 yards of foam and 3 cans of adhesive. With the help of my partner and a buddy of mine, I did all 4 doors and the entire floor in around 6 hours or so, start to finish. When I'm done everything will have at least one layer matting and a layer of foam. I'm not annoyed by what I believe is the alternator and some vibration when I'm in reverse.

I will say - I purchased a few tools to make the entire process easier. I need to remove the driver door and possibly the two rear doors to foam the door skins themselves. You never really notice that the door skins themselves rattle until you quieted up the doors w/ the sound deadening material. BTW, doors close more like an "american" car, my redneck friend likes to say.

I was considering selling the xB for a few reasons; loud interior and harsh ride.

The modifications I did,
Me = my box now

I've been cut off from buying anymore mods until after the new year, thats unless I want to sleep in the xB, which I'd rather not have to do.

The detailing has shown me how rough the front end of the xB is so I believe my next deal will be two-toning her to set her off even more from the other TCMs in the area.

I think the missing item for me is a rear wing. I considered removing the rear wiper and doing a camera but I don't really want to mess w/ the stereo - even though she's definately ready for it.

Sorry for the novel - thanks again everyone!

 

what color are you thinking about with the two toning? since I already have to have a quarter and 2 doors painted(drivers front, passenger rear and quarter) I'm thinking about two toning with the new torched penny, and having a gold leaf pinstripe put in down the sides where the two colors meet

 

I'm leaning towards the Titanium Gray Metallic that BMW uses or even Flint Mica to keep it within the family. There is a guy locally that works at the BMW dealership so I'm going to try to get some information from him.

I like the Torched Penny a lot but there is no way I'd drive an xB with that paint since I know how fragile every color Scion puts out there is. Wouldn't want to match or re-paint entire panels and pray the effect stays through it all smoothly.

 

well the thing is if your doing a two tone your reclearing the entire car, once you put on that nice layer of aftermarket clear the factory problems go away with paint because the mil thickness is, well thicker, more clear more protection

 

congrats on all the work you have done...looks great.
how much did the shocks set you back ? did you do all 4 or just the rears?

 

Flint Mica + TCM two tone? More sharpness!

 

the rattling in reverse maybe you stock air box, if you still have one. I had it really bad, then I put my SRI and its no longer there.

 

I only put rear Monroes on. I figure I will check on the rattling but I will check the air box for sure, thanks!

Thanks for the comments so far, keep em coming.

 

da new shoes does look cool

 

...alternator? Are you experiencing a "whining" sound coming through the stereo that tend to go up and down with the RPM of the motor? If this is what you are referring to, then it sounds like you are describing a whine caused by a ground loop.

You can remove the rear wiper and assembly without having to install a camera in the hole. Go to Loews, hardware section, and find the drawers with washers and stoppers. Inside, you will find a plastic 1" cap that will cover the hole. You will also find a rubber grommet with a 15/16" inner diameter. If you remove the entire wiper and assembly, you can insert the flat cap into the hole, roll the rubber grommet over the inner ring of the cap from inside the door. Once you have the grommet on the back of the cap, you can fill in around the outer edge of the grommet with a small bead of silicone. This will keep the cap securely in place while also keeping water out. Using the rubber grommet on the inside allows you to use far less silicone and also means you can easily remove the cap and grommet at any time should you choose to install a camera at a later date, or even decide to re-install the wiper assembly.

 

I was thinking about doing a two tone on my TCM as well, but it will take a while for me to decide. I am looking at wheel/rim ideas as my next mod.

 

It may be a bad ground especially since I had to put an isolator on the headphone jack in my 06 xB. I'll check on a grounding kit and see if that helps. The sound I hear though is during acceleration so I'm leaning more towards alternator then anything else. The vibration while in reverse is much more annoying them anything else right now, wonders of always pulling into my driveway the same way every day.

I actually like the rear wiper, in all its uneffectiveness, so I won't be removing it until its completely necessary.

 

Your alternator should not be making noises that are audible within the cab of the vehicle. If it is, then you may be having a MUCH bigger issue. Anything that could cause noise within the structure of an alternator would also be presenting some sort of resistance on the alternator's rotor, thereby causing the alternator to struggle to spin moreso than it normally would. This would cause the alternator to prematurely fail. It also would more than likely not charge as well and could cause other issues.
If you do have a ground loop, a grounding kit is probably not going to resolve the problem. Do you have any aftermarket electronics, like a stereo or amplifier? This is the usual source for ground loops. Usually, a ground loop occurs when aftermarket electronics are grounded poorly, or in multiple locations. Check your grounds on any aftermarket electronics you may have. Ensure that they are making good contact with solid, bare metal, preferrably with metal that is in direct contact with the frame of the vehicle. The ground points should not only be secure, but need to be clean and free of any debris, such as carpet fuzz, grease, dirt, or even paint.
The vibration in reverse could be caused by a few different things. Do you have a manual or auto transmission? When the car vibrates, does it tend to make a groaning sound?
If manual, you may just be coming off the clutch too early, which can cause the car to vibrate and shudder pretty nasty. The reverse gear is pretty tall, so you can let the clutch slip a bit more to get it smooth.
If auto, you may actually have a problem with your reverse gear slipping, causing the drivetrain to shake a bit. This is something I would take to the dealer if you are still under warranty.
If the car is creating a groaning sound, this may also be a sign of grinding gears. You may want to find the origin of these problems before they get any worse. Grinding gears in a transmission can only get worse and cause further problems.
Your xB looks, good by the way. The stance makes it quite attractive!