Scion Care and Maintenance

joesbar

When I had my sub put in at Toy I also had them check the alignment. It seems the car, even though brand new, feels like it wants to drift LEFT most of the time (drivers side). I checked the tire pressure and they were all maxxed at 44psi. I reduced it all around to 32 but it did little good. Toy said the xB is perfectly "in specs" and the alignment wasn't even necessary. But it is tiring on my hands while driving to constantly be correcting the direction by holding or nudging the wheel to the right. Any ideas on what could be the problem? On the straightest of straight roads, admittedly the xB feels fairly spot on, but on real world roads I feel as though I have to practically hold the sterring wheel to the right, which like I said is very tiring after 8 hours. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

It would seem that if it were the "roads" at any rate sometimes it would drift right or left but I have about an 85% (of the time) left drift, while only rarely will the xB drift right. Am I imagining all this? Any one else have anything similar to this? Something just doesn't feel right.

joesbar

I don't but you have to admit they are just cheap plastic. I leaned on it once to get something on the floor and you could just feel the thing wincing.

iluvmysephia1

I would take it to your Scion dealer and ask them to check all of the front end parts. If they say they've already done that then ask them what they think it could be. A new Scion xB shouldn't pull to the side like that.

I think it may be a bad tire or something off-kilter with one of your tires. Just having one tire with less or more air in it can cause the problem you're describing. Go to your dealer for this-they're responsible for making it right for you.

We're paying a lot of money for our new cars and even though Kia's and Scion's and Mitsubishi's are low cost automobiles(generally)we are paying enough for them to expect a decent riding rig. Go get it fixed and please report back what the problem was so we can all learn what needed to be done to correct it, OK?

joesbar

A crazy thing is to; I was felt put on the spot by them, being told "well, you are entitled to one free alignment at up to 20k miles, do you want to use it now?" The car HAD 500 miles on it when we were discussing the problem! Should that really count towards my one free alignment? It's not like it was something I had done to the car by putting miles on it etc, it seems it came this way.

iluvmysephia1

concerned about the problem and try to take care of it. It shouldn't pull to one side like that.

tinkuy

scie: please let me know if rain leak has been diagnosed and/or fixed. My 2006 xA has started leaking again. The seals were replaced again in Nov. & it's been a dry winter until now. All it takes is steady rain & a slight tilt to the right for water to come in through the base of the driver's side door.

Scion is FULL of crap about not having "heard of this problem before." They've been giving me the runaround for a year now. Good luck.

belle5

I LOVE my Xa. Except, it recently started (or I finally noticed) that the incoming fresh air through the vents is quite a bit warmer than the outside air, even when the temp is set to the coldest setting. At first I thought it was my imagination, but this evening it was pretty clear that the air blowing in was MUCH warmer than the outside air. Even when the fan is turned off, the "drift" air is uncomfortably warm at times, and I don't necessarily want to turn on the a/c (and the fan) when it's cool outside. Anyone else seen this?

belle5

Have you ever seen www.tundrasolutions.com? I went to www.ask.com and typed in "Scion Xa repair problems" and found references on www.tundrasolutions.com to TSB's for the leaking problem (evaporative drain hose?) and the "pulling to the side" problem. In fact, my dealer gives alignment checks and free alignments -- so someone realizes some of these things are real problems. My 2006 Xa has weird ventilation problems -- it doesn't seem able to pull in outside fresh air. No luck on my first attempt with the dealer. Stay tuned. Hope you can get some help and some answers. I love this little car, but the weird problems can suck the fun out of it. Take care.

tinkuy

Toyota finally acknowleged my leaking 2006 xA is a :lemon:
Too many attempts to repair it & no resolution.
Toyota is repurchasing the vehicle (full price) since the xA has gone out of production.
I'm glad to be getting rid of the car. It's been a giant headache.

infael

How can I change wiper blades on my Scion xB?

TIA

infael

aatherton

You can either buy new rubbers and slide them into the blades, which is cheaper but more time-consuming, or buy complete new blades and clip them into the wiper arms.

svoloch

Hi, I am currently experiencing loud banging noises when i drive across my rear. It appears that my front wheels have a coating on the body metal above the wheels but my rear ones don't. Would anyone happen to have any clue of what this substance is called? Or maybe another way of preventing this noise and/or sealing the exposed metal?

lenzai

Is there a way you can take a pic of ur front and rear wheels? I want to see what it is.

aatherton

What does driving across your rear mean?
Are you saying your rear tires have rubbed the factory mastic undercoating off the rear wheel wells?
What size wheels and tires do you have, and has anyone modified your suspension?

belle5

WoW. I'm glad you got some kind of resolution. What did you get for a replacement car? Take care.

tinkuy

Toyota is buying back the :lemon: for the full price. I ordered a Toyota Matrix XR back on Feb. 23. No new car yet. The dealer says they can't get a red stickshift. And so far they haven't found me a black stickshift either. So I'm still driving the :lemon: and completely sick of the situation.

lenzai

I was wondering if there are any xA owners out there (other than myself) who get shock all the times when they exit their vehicle? Every time when I fully got out of the car and touch the door (to close it), I got a big shock from it. I was wondering if this is the way I drive, the area I live in, or just my xA? Does anyone know how to prevent a shock like that? Thanks!

albs

i get the same thing and i live in altoona pa. when it is damp out it does not happen, only when it is dry. :shades: :shades:

albs

look up 2008 model scions. i like the looks of the 2007 and older xa. :mad:

scie

I'm glad to hear Toyota finally decided to buy back your xA since they jerked you around long enough. After 6 trips to my dealership to resolve the leak problem they finally fixed it. A field engineer installed and reconfigured a new vapor barrier and the leaking has stopped. Should there be any more problems the case manager at Scion said they'll have to replace the car. I wish you better luck with your new Matrix!

tinkuy

Glad to hear your water entry problems were solved. Do keep a close eye on it. My xA continues to leak intermittently after several attempts to fix it. It sounds as if Toyota FINALLY acknowledges that some Scions are leaking :lemon: s. Obviously we're not the only cases.

What new Matrix????? I'm still being jerked around by Toyota. I ordered a Matrix on Feb. 23rd. Nothing yet. Now the dealer tells me they'll order a new car from the factory in May, and it won't arrive until sometime in June.

This has really turned into a farce!

aatherton

Where is this vapor barrier?
Is it the plastic sheet inside the door that keeps the cardboard door panel dry?
So if this plastic sheet is not installed just right, water also gets out of the door and into the car?

lingnan

Hello everyone,

I am currently is in market for a new Scion xB. Since they are not making no more new model except for 2008, can any one spare the time and tell me whether i should buy the 2006 model or wait for the new 2008 which has bigger engine and different appearance.
Thank you for your input, regardless. Besides, you folks are hosting a nice forum here.

Lingnan

tinkuy

The vapor barrier, as I understand it, is that Tyvek-like material inside the structure of the door. My suspicion is that the leaking problem in xAs goes far beyond the vapor barrier & door & window seals, since Toyota attempted to fix those items repeatedly in my vehicle and the damn car still leaks. Must be some fundamental design flaw.

aatherton

"...Since they are not making no more new model except for 2008, can any one spare the time and tell me whether i should buy the 2006 model or wait for the new 2008 which has bigger engine and different appearance."

They are completely different cars in size, power, appearance, and the 2008 is about $1500 more. Since you apparently do not already have a particular need or preference for the smaller 2006, and since the 2006 is now "take what you can find", you may as well order a 2008 they way you like it.

lingnan

Thank you for your suggestion. Deeply appreciated.

lingnan

I went in and test drove the 2008 xB today and find it lot more pleasing, especially the redesigning of the dash and gear shifter which also comes with sequential shifting.
It has a lot of pull when putting your foot of the paddle and the 4 wheel disc brakes are so responsive.
Unfortunate thing is the model I drove today has a lot of upgrade, i.e. steel wheels and sport package. So, I have to get my hands on the basic automatic again, when its available which, according to the salesman, will be another 10 days wait. (Originally, he called me yesterday afternoon about the silver with auto, and basic that I want him to contact me. But when we were there, he said it was sold yesterday w/o informing me. I was little unhappy about that, because its 30 miles from my house.)
Overall, this is a better and improved model, at least to my standard because I'm more incline with bigger engine cars. Just as we were coming home from the dealer, this absent minded driver, merged right into my lane w/o even looking. Lucky I have a powerful engine to haul away from his path. Another reason that a bigger engine can provide escape from situation.
But, I don't think this car is suitable for younger drivers, if they are not experienced with such engine size. It really gets up and go. But the lucky thing is the 4 wheel disc brakes plays a compensating role.
In any event, this is a totally different car as you have mentioned to me earlier and its curb appeal is even better than the old model.

sbrown4

Hi All, I'm another one. I have a leak too. It's on my passenger side. Similar, if not the same, problem as was describe in a previous email: "Water . . . dribbles onto the floor. . . It accumulates on the sill & makes it's way into the car." If it rains hard enough, I can have a puddle on the floor.

One of the previous writer said it seems to happen when the car is at an angle of 5 degrees or more. That info. was very helpful info. My driveway is at a slight angle. That could explain why it leaks for me & not Toyota. I've brought it in 9 or 10 times now, with no resolutions. The last time I brought it in Toyota acknowledged that the floor was wet, but said it was from someone wet shoes - Give me a break! They tried numerous things to fix it; none have worked. Although Toyota would argue that it's fixed now. (Like they've said 9 or 10 times now.) I wonder how many more people are having the same problem. Maybe it will take a group of people complaining to get Toyota to do something (wishful thinking). I am suing Toyota under the lemon law. It's been dragging on & on. It should come to a head some time this summer. As others have said, it's soooo frustrating. In my opinion, it's just a disgrace that Toyota isn't just acknowledging that there is a problem & doing the right thing. ( I guess they didn't realize that I thought I was buying the Scion Xa without the leak option. lol.) It's good to know I'm not the only one!

n92cp

Can a 2006 or 2007 XB be towed behind a motor home without damage to the drive train? Manual transmission? Automatic transmission? Also, about how much does the 06 or o7 XB weigh?

Thanks
N92CP

aatherton

The xB weighs 2400 lbs. You can flat-tow a 5-speed. An automatic must have the front wheels off the ground. See "Dinghy Towing" in the manual. If a dolly is used, it puts the rear bumper pretty close to the ground.
Here are some links to products:
http://www.aemfg.com
http://www.hitchcorner.com/tow_bars.htm
http://www.roadmasterinc.com/
http://www.roadmaster-tow-bars.com