Aluminum or Plasitc

I read several reviews that said the heater control knob on the Scion tC was Aluminum but mine is clearly plastic.

Are any of yours out there Aluminum???

read here:
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=3&article_id=8288&page_number=1

QUOTE:.....and metallic-look accents, and the large HVAC knob actually is aluminum.


and here:
http://www.scionlife.com/tc/

QUOTE: .........seams in the sporty fabric seats and paper-textured dash. The gauges on the dash self-calibrate when you turn the ignition on (zoom to max and back to zero) and the heater knob is a hefty chunk of aluminum.


SO whats up with this??
Updated info: ALL Knobs are aluminum . Mine was painted instead of clear coated. I took mine off and removed the paint and polished the knob. Soory for the inconvience folks

madpb...you should be forced to place a bumper sticker on your car which reads, "I'm the cheapass loser who bitched about a knob I thought was plastic"

At least have the decency to edit your post over at www.toyotanation.com and here (and anywhere else you included in your web alert) to alert people NOT to waste their time reading all the whining...ie...goto page 6 to see what a loser I was for ever mentioning this.

But now I'll just laugh real hard...AT you...and me for reading it. :D Too freakin' funny.

yup...mine is Aluminum . I also read that then went and looked at mine and it was true.

Miranda, thanks for letting me know that. Your tC looks great and I know you enjoy it very much as I do mine. Any chance you could take a picture of that knob. I would love to see what it looks like.
Here is mine
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/756540/4862003/61946280.jpg

Why do you think yours is plastic?

Well someone else is using my camera right now...sorry. But mine looks just like that. Trust me they wouldn't make some of them plastic and some aluminum for the same price. Toyota is a pretty reliable company.

Originally posted by TenkahBellaTC
Well someone else is using my camera right now...sorry. But mine looks just like that. Trust me they wouldn't make some of them plastic and some aluminum for the same price. Toyota is a pretty reliable company.

exactly this is toyota not GM :lol:

Read this!!

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=240661#240661

/shrug, I'm still gettin mine ASAP :D

Aska question on www.scion.com

7pm Thursday

Michael: hi Mia
Mia: Hi Michael this is Mia
Mia: How may I assist you?
Michael: I am comming back to hceckon status
Michael: check on the Aluminim button issues
Michael: any official word from Toyota on that?
Michael: the issue on the HEater knobon the tC
Mia: We should have more information tomorrow
Mia: We are working on it
Michael: ok great..glad to hear that.. talk to tomorrow then. thanks

Here's the scoop on the tC knobs. It has been claimed that the tC's "heater knob is made of aluminum" per Scionlife.com postings. Yet, some people are claiming that their heater knobs are made of plastic. Here's the truth:

- Only the surface of the heater knob is composed of a "machined aluminum", the rest of the material underneath the knob's surface is plastic.:thumbup:

Originally posted by kaz1
Here's the scoop on the tC knobs. It has been claimed that the tC's "heater knob is made of aluminum" per Scionlife.com postings. Yet, some people are claiming that their heater knobs are made of plastic. Here's the truth:

- Only the surface of the heater knob is composed of a "machined aluminum", the rest of the material underneath the knob's surface is plastic.:thumbup:

Nope.... no aluminum anywhere whats so ever.. not even in the paint..at least on mine..and the ones in the currently in the dealer
but some people say they do indeed have solid cast ,machined alumunim knobs. Just like it says on the links above.

HEre is the latest info:

Please wait for a Scion Customer Advocate to respond. You are number 1 in queue.
You are now chatting with Mia
Mike: HiMia.
Mia: Hi Mike, this is Mia
Mike: I spoke to you yesterday
Mia: How may I assist you?
Mike: Any updateon the Aluminum knob issue?
Mia: Oh...welcome back
Mia: No we won;t have any information until probably this afternoon. They were going to have a meeting and discuss it last night.
Mia: So no word yet.
Mike: ok.. i will check back later..
Mike: thanks
Mia: Okay
Mia: You're welcome

hmmm that is very interesting, let me know what you find out.:dunno:

honestly who cares...its a knob...its not like it broke or anything so who gives a crap...it doesnt seem like that big of a deal

I checked out my knob and i'm pretty sure its aluminum, when i tap on it it doesn't sound like the rest of the console, definitely sounds like metal, I couldn't figure out how to get the knob off though so i didnt get a good look at it

No dont try and take the knob off, its held on with a clip on the backside and you need somekind of thin tool to release it.

I don't mind if the nob is plastic...as long as it works good. So far mine has been fine.

This dont sound good. Looks like I am getting the brush off on this.

Please wait for a Scion Customer Advocate to respond. You are number 1 in queue.
You are now chatting with Moe
Moe: HI Mike
Moe: How may I help you today?
Mike: Oh Hi Moe..\
Mike: I am looking for an answer on
Mike: the Aluminum knob issue
Mike: YOu and I spoke before on this
Moe: There has been no further update the this issue.
Mike: gee... now what? Nothing is being done?
Moe: Something is but no time frame yet.
Mike: ok.. I wish there was another contact or resource so I can push this further and harder.
Mike: Any suggestions?
Moe: Sorry there is not. we are working on it.
Moe: sorry.
Mike: OK.. I will check back daily.. thanks
Moe: Ok.
Moe: Thank you for visiting. Please contact us again.



I hope there are others calling them daily. Go here
http://server.iad.liveperson.net/hc/18376743/?cmd=file&file=visitorWantsToChat&site=18376743&byhref=1

In the interest of customer satisfaction, Scion would like to officially respond to the questions regarding material content of the temperature control dial in all 2005 Scion tC vehicles.

First and foremost, the knobs in all prototype vehicles used for test purposes by automotive magazines and the knobs in all production vehicles are made of the same materials. There was no running change made since production started, or during the media evaluation process.

As noted in marketing materials, the dial is made of cast aluminum. The cast aluminum is then coated with a clear finish to prevent discoloration and corrosion of the aluminum that would be caused over time by human touch.

The plastic piece on the back of the dial acts as an attachment between the dial and the shaft, and is essential to prevent the transfer of static electricity when in use. This is to ensure that the heater control circuit is not damaged.

We sincerely hope this addresses all concerns regarding the cast aluminum temperature control dial. Scion is dedicated to satisfying its consumers, and appreciates your active participation with the brand. If you have any further questions regarding the dial, please contact the Scion Customer Experience at 1-866-70-SCION or chat online live with a Scion representative at Scion.com (M-F, 6am-5pm PST).:)

Ok.. first off.. I have to deeply appologize for this thread.. I screwed up bigtime. I read the above post and decided to take my dash apart and remove this knob to get to the truth.
Turns out mine IS aluminum. It also seems that some knobs were clear coated and other like mine are painted. I hope you can see in the pic where I sanded off some of the center area to expose the aluminum. I am going to finish sanding all of it and polish and post another pic when I am done.

Again, I am very sorry for this mistake.. I feel like a jerk!!
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/756540/4862003/62795403.jpg
http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/756540/4862003/62793656.jpg

the back! I scratched it up a bit to get that shiny spot.

http://pic11.picturetrail.com/VOL368/756540/4862003/62793644.jpg

Hey we all make mistakes. Don't worry bout it.