Cross Side Steps

[TopGeek]

Emboldened by Anchorman's brilliant video, I gort a set of trim removal tools online and set aout removing the overhead lighting panel. I now see why Toyota don't include this in the manual when they talk about bulbs that can be changed by the owner. It really is a brute of a job.

I was ready for the four buttons to fall out but there is another item that also fell out and that is an H shaped clear plasic piece with the cross bar of the H forming a squiggle. I suspect it's a spring. If anyone can tell me what this is and where it belongs  I would appreciate it, although eveything seems to work without it.

The other, more worrying, thing I noticed is that the SOS micophone is loose, as though it has been pushed up and is sitting above the lighting panel. To fix that, I think I need to remove the whole lighting assembly from the headlining but again, I can't see how to do it. Does anyone here have any ideas?

[anchorman]

2 minutes ago, TopGeek said:

Emboldened by Anchorman's brilliant video, I gort a set of trim removal tools online and set aout removing the overheadlighting panel. I now see why Toyota don't include this in the manual when they talk about bulbs that can be changed by the owner. It really is a brute of a job.

I was ready for the four buttons to fall out but there is another item that also fell out and that is an H shaped clear plasic piece with the cross bar of the H forming a squiggle. I suspect it's a spring. If any one can tell me what this is and where it belongs  I would appreciate it although eveything seems to work without it.

The other, more worrying, thing I noticed is that the SOS micophone is loose, as though it has been pushed up and is sitting above the lighting panel. To fix that, I think I need to remove the whole lighting assembly from the headling but again, I can't see how to do it. Does anyone here have any ideas?

I can get the whole light out if needed but can you post a photo of this detached part?   To get the whole light out, remove the cover, buttons and bulbs then gently warm the light with a hot air gun (I really mean gently) then get your fingers under it and pull.  It is held on with 3 body clips.  

[TopGeek]

12 hours ago, anchorman said:

I can get the whole light out if needed but can you post a photo of this detached part?   To get the whole light out, remove the cover, buttons and bulbs then gently warm the light with a hot air gun (I really mean gently) then get your fingers under it and pull.  It is held on with 3 body clips.  

Good grief! You mean it's both clipped and glued? Sounds a bit OTT to me.

This is the item. It measures 30mm x 19mm

[Bernard Foy]

On 6/16/2022 at 9:43 PM, Cyker said:

Nice, that's something I might do to mine - The interior lights are pretty rubbish; The dash and headunit put out more light than they do which makes them almost redundant!

I just wish I could sort out the sun visor as I'm still having trouble with it only liking certain angles. I forgot and set it just off-angle and the damned thing sprung back and hit me in the head when I went over a bump  

It's because the electrical contact for the sun visor lamp is too stiff/springy. But that sun visor is so daft; Why even have a lit mirror on the driver's one when the rear view mirror and interior lights are right there?

 

Karma, that’s the Yaris getting it’s own back on you 🤣😂🤔

[anchorman]

2 hours ago, TopGeek said:

Good grief! You mean it's both clipped and glued? Sounds a bit OTT to me.

This is the item. It measures 30mm x 19mm

Hmm, that looks like a spring.  I’ll pull mine to bit’s tomorrow.   

[anchorman]

It’s not a spring, it’s a light refractor.  Push it up into the front like this....

 

..

[TopGeek]

11 hours ago, anchorman said:

It’s not a spring, it’s a light refractor.  Push it up into the front like this......

Many thanks. I'll take a look on Saturday.

How did you get the red and green lights to come on without alerting the SOS centre?

[anchorman]

8 hours ago, TopGeek said:

Many thanks. I'll take a look on Saturday.

How did you get the red and green lights to come on without alerting the SOS centre?

They go through a boot up procedure when you switch the ignition on.  Do it with the ignition off to avoid pressing it by accident but if you do manage to call the control centre, just tell them you’re working on the vehicle, they’ll be fine.  

[TopGeek]

On 6/30/2023 at 8:25 AM, anchorman said:

They go through a boot up procedure when you switch the ignition on.  Do it with the ignition off to avoid pressing it by accident but if you do manage to call the control centre, just tell them you’re working on the vehicle, they’ll be fine.  

Many thanks for your advice. I managed to put the refractor piece back in it's correct place and also installed a pair of very bright LED bulbs. However, I failed to detach the complete unit to reposition the SOS microphone, which looks different to yours. I should have taken a photo while I had the cover off but I forgot and I don't plan to tackle that job again for a while. Your unit seems to have a solid block of plastic above the tiny grill in the cover. Maybe just a different model. Mine has a slot about 30 x 5mm through which the microphone is visible and is loose, just sitting above the hole. It doesn't seem to rattle when driving and would presumably function in an emergency 🫰.

[TopGeek]

BTW, To avoid the buttons falling, with the risk of disappearing between the seats or other cavities, I placed a piece of masking tape over them so that they stay in place and come away with the cover.

[TopGeek]

In this day and age, why on earth don't Toyota install LED bulbs for overhead and boot lighting instead of miserable filament lamps. Furthermore, it amazes me that there is no lighting at all in the rear of the Yaris Cross. This car cost me €39K, is full of luxurios features and yet falls short on such a basic necessity as rear seat lighting.

[Cyker]

I must admit that was a bit of a surprise - This is the first car I've had that didn't have any rear lighting!

 

[anchorman]

On 7/2/2023 at 12:47 PM, TopGeek said:

In this day and age, why on earth don't Toyota install LED bulbs for overhead and boot lighting instead of miserable filament lamps. Furthermore, it amazes me that there is no lighting at all in the rear of the Yaris Cross. This car cost me €39K, is full of luxurios features and yet falls short on such a basic necessity as rear seat lighting.

Tell me about it!  I’ve added a rear light and leds and I’ve added a pair of decent horns.  Things that are disappointingly cheap.  

[Micka669]

On 7/4/2023 at 12:35 AM, anchorman said:

Tell me about it!  I’ve added a rear light and leds and I’ve added a pair of decent horns.  Things that are disappointingly cheap.  

How did you get electricity to the back of the car? I have the same model (with a sunroof) but my car doesn't have vanity lights for mirrors like some others have in this group it's probably different for every country. I would like to have some light in the back at night. Can you please share your process of modding the roof and what parts you used?

[anchorman]

5 hours ago, Micka669 said:

How did you get electricity to the back of the car? I have the same model (with a sunroof) but my car doesn't have vanity lights for mirrors like some others have in this group it's probably different for every country. I would like to have some light in the back at night. Can you please share your process of modding the roof and what parts you used?

It wasn’t easy.  You don’t need thick wire for a led so I threaded a length of twin core from front to back but inboard of the curtain airbag.  There’s loads of room to work through that access panel at the back to fish the wire through.  That light I chose is made as a vanity light and has the proper clip to spring it into a headliner.   I carefully cut the hole with a Stanley knife after practicing on cardboard.  You need the plug as well as the light and they are available off eBay as it’s a VW Group part.   I wanted it to work with the doors and be able to manually switch it so I carefully soldered a short tail onto the outside exposed part of the front left bulb holder as I didn’t want to hack into the loom or the pcb of the light unit.  It fades with the lights which is nice, is the same pure white as my led bulb upgrades and come on with the front left switch.  It isn’t very bright but unlike the time we had to stop and mess with phone lights to fasten seatbelts, it does light up the back seat more than well enough for that.  They (VW) do a black version if you’ve got a black headliner.  

[TheRealMe]

Hi Anchorman,

 

Thank you for all the details regarding the side steps. I have now purchased a set and plan to fit them myself, I notice you say it is a bit of a drawn our affair.

 

Is there cutting involved with the fitting, I have looked at some on line instructions and all looks ok until the measuring and cutting bit. 

I appreciate your time. 
 

kind regards

Steve

[anchorman]

On 2/19/2024 at 1:43 PM, TheRealMe said:

Hi Anchorman,

 

Thank you for all the details regarding the side steps. I have now purchased a set and plan to fit them myself, I notice you say it is a bit of a drawn our affair.

 

Is there cutting involved with the fitting, I have looked at some on line instructions and all looks ok until the measuring and cutting bit. 

I appreciate your time. 
 

kind regards

Steve

You have to cut the openings for the fixing mounts.  I spent ages doing it with great care and de-burring the cuts to make them look super…… only to find that you can’t see them at all when the step is fitted so the moral is, don’t beat yourself up as long as you are in the right spot.  I offered it up before every cut.  You’ll be impressed by the amount of wax inside the sills.  

[TheRealMe]

Thank you Anchorman,

 

I’ll give it a go if it ever stops raining. 

[anchorman]

10 hours ago, TheRealMe said:

Thank you Anchorman,

 

I’ll give it a go if it ever stops raining. 

I’m building an ark.  Where tf do I find aardvarks?

[Bob66]

3 hours ago, anchorman said:

I’m building an ark.  Where tf do I find aardvarks?

Wrong forum...you'll need the biblical forum !

Africa....or apparently Varkala ?  🙂

[Mjolinor]

Varks are always 'ard to find, hence their name.