MichaelBrown72

Hi all. My name is Mike, I'm 26 living in Aberdeen, SD. I bought the 2011 Scion xB Release Series 8.0, #1258 of 2000 in early February. I love the Kenstyle body kit and nothing beats the sunroof! Other than a set of custom 5-spoke Scion rims, I haven't done any mods to my car. I'm looking for affordable ideas for simple mods (ie. exhaust, speakers, etc) to put on my car once the weather warms up.

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

Welcome to the family, let the modding begin!

Mods under 100.00 bucks?
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=145709

strtrcril87

Welcome! I really like the RS8...if the one my local dealership had was a manual I definitely would of traded mine in.
First things I would do would be to either debadge it, or plasti dip the badges black. Other inexpensive things are LED interior lights, bake your headlights and black out the chrome inside (don't do the bright beam unless you don't use the brights that often), definitely some tint, and maybe a front bumper overlay.

If you don't want to buy an aftermarket intake you can remove the snorkel on the air box to give it a deeper sound when you get into the throttle.

As far as exhaust goes, if you don't have emissions laws get that big scuba tank at the center of the car replaced with a normal resonator. If it still doesn't sound how you want it to, you can also probably find a cheap axle-back on ebay. I have the TRD axle-back(not worth $350 from the dealership but at the time I didn't care) and normal resonator and it sounds alright, but after 2 years I wish it was quieter...

XBinRochester

Welcome to the forum Mike! We want pictures......

burstaneurysm

Welcome, post pics!

Kingshawty12

Yes pikturz! And sweet another 11!

KaneoheKoa

No one has mentioned a car alarm (a little piece of mind and lower insurance rates). Upgrade the sound system (think of a whole new system and build it as budget allows). Tint helps keep the interior cool and reduces fading.

Other essentials: gloves (in case you gotta change a tire), hand wipes (in case you forgot the gloves. Also, a towel (the most useful thing in the Galaxy, as referred to in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). AND FINALLY, a roll of TP, because you never know when you're going to need it.

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

Nice call, sometimes it the most basic things that are forgotten about.

I have leather gloves, flares, a full size Mag-Light, 6-gauge jumper cables, a multi-tip screwdriver set, a shop towel, and my original halogen headlight bulbs (in case the HIDs ever fail) all in the storage area below the rear cargo cover. I also carry a blanket folded up in the cargo area that can be used if I ever get stuck in a cold area for some reason, or to throw on the ground if I have to change a tire when I'm wearing a suit for work. The blanket can also be thrown over anything in the rear to hide it from plain view.

All I need to add is the TP.

KaneoheKoa

One thing I have in the rear cubby is a Costco purchased swivel LED light. It runs on 3 AA batteries and is great for lighting up the cargo area (the dome and cargo light don't do the job very well). It's just held up by a little screw and can be aimed where I need the light. The lights come in a pack of 3 with remote and batteries. Thinking of gluing a strong magnet onto the other one to use as a temporary emergency engine light. Like I'm going to be able to fix my motor at night!

rjjone2

Sharkfin antenna is pretty cheap and a nice mod.

http://www.visualgarage.com/html_gallery/index.php

KaneoheKoa

Wish the Sharkfin antenna was a little smaller. I think it makes the xB look like a pufferfish on steroids! There was a thread and DIY instructions on installing a Sharkfin. Any idea on how good it is compared to stock (better or worse radio reception)?

CIONIDE

iTrader: (1)

Reception is fine in big city areas, but it doesn't pull in far away stations quite as well as the stock pencil dic_ OEM if you live out in the country.

rjjone2

I agree with Cionide. I live in Delaware and use to pick up a few stations from NJ but they were pretty weak. With the sharkfin I can't but I can pick up local stations just fine. The installation is ridiculously simple. The Sharkfin comes with pretty good instructions on how to install it.

How about under dash lights? I just wired in a relay to my radio harness to the lead that controls the illumination when I flip on my headlights. Then i installed some neon tubes I got from ebay under my dash. Whole project cost me about $30.

jnaval

I thought I was the only one who did that.

xbaholic

iTrader: (1)

Something cheap (and one of the first things I shoulda done) that I know everyone loves that they did, are HID's. Never heard anybody say they regret getting those

lcd550

+2 on the stock halogens in the cargo area. I installed my HIDs over the weekend, put the stock bulbs in a ziploc bag, and place it on the left side cargo hold.

KaneoheKoa

One of the projects my Working Toaster desperately needs is light t to illuminate the center console cup holder area. That has to be the darkest spot in the whole car. Putting a new LED array in the dome is okay for finding stuff, but I don't want it on when I'm driving. Thought of drilling holes in the lower shifter console and having a few LEDs shine onto the cup holder area. Nothing fancy, just enough to see where the cup is supposed to go. Figure a simple resistor in-line with the LED, getting power from the "accessory plug" (cigarette lighter).

MichaelBrown72

Going to post pictures this weekend once the weather warms up and I can get the chance to properly wash my car. Sorry for the delay. I appreciate all the quick feedback. I'm definitely going to look at replacing my interior lights, but probably skip the sharkfin antenna. Thanks again! Pics up this weekend!

MichaelBrown72

ENJOY! More coming soon.
PS .. if you're wondering what the white dog stickers are, they are Scottys from the Scotty Cameron Studio Store. As a golf professional, I like to represent which equipment I use, and for the last 4 years, I've been using a Scotty Cameron Newport #2 putter. I think the white Scottys look great on the VooDoo Blue and dark tint on the xB.