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What's this black little mat cover sitting on my steering wheel telescope?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by crellion, Apr 11, 2013.

  1. crellion

    crellion Junior Member

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    I noticed something particular today that I never noticed before that may be on steering wheel the whole time.

    Right behind the actual steering wheel - where the steering wheel scope attaches to the car - there seems to a plastic fiber mat cover that seems to loosely sit on top of the steering wheel telescope.

    What's it used for - and why is it there?

    I just noticed it cause I was dusting my Prius, and found it...
     
  2. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    It's to catch food that misses your mouth and cigarette ashes that miss the partially open window.

    I don't know what the actual purpose was, but it was also on my 2010 Prius III.
     
  3. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    My guess is that it is purely cosmetic to fill the void when you tilt the wheel.
     
  4. crellion

    crellion Junior Member

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    I may need to get back to my car to further take a look. But just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, it looks like a little fiber mat flap of some sort on the telescope.

    Can I clean under it or remove it from the telescope for cleaning?
     
  5. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    It's just a flap. You can clean under it by carefully placing a cloth beneath it. It's pliable and won't be damaged if you're careful.
     
  6. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    A better name for it is, "curtain". It just hides the exposed workings down, inside the steering column.
     
  7. crellion

    crellion Junior Member

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    I see - so is it advisable to dust under the "curtain" or would I just risk putting dust into my steering column innards?

    And why make it a curtain at all - and not just have it a completely solid plastic steering column (which was what I kind of assumed all along)?
     
  8. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    Remember, the steering column tilts up and down.
     
  9. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    Maybe the engineers felt there were enough rattles/squeaks in the plastics that a piece of rubber would be more pleasing to the user.

    You're reading way too much into this flap. Rub it clean and forget it
     
    Canard likes this.
  10. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    That's what she said.