[ani_meher]

I have a Yaris VX CVT 2019 model. Toyota later brought a refreshed model with some minor tweaks, but majority of the car is the same.

I love the car for multitude of reasons. The interior quality is good, you feel comfortable and reasonably luxurious once inside the cabin. The silence in the cabin because of the noise reducing glass is something to be experienced and not described. Often, I don't need any music inside the car because the external noise such as road and other vehicles is muted to a great extent. Even the IR glasses seem to help a lot, because I haven't felt the need for any illegal sunfilm yet. The ride too is supple, and eats up bad city roads well. The engine works well for my purpose, that is driving safely from A to B. The peddle shifters help a lot in controlling the drive in ghat sections.

But there are some key drawbacks, faced universally by Yaris owners. Not just in India, but even outside where the same model was sold under the name of Vios.

First, the atrocious center table in the shape of an arm rest. It is absolutely ridiculous, and whoever designed it brings a great shame to car design.

Photo from official review:

I thought about addressing the issue by some DIY way. I found this parts diagram for the arm rest, which was surprisingly difficult to find. Hope someone has a use for this:

I removed the top part of the arm rest (wrapped in leather), and considered extending it by 6 inches. But I couldn't find any seat maker confident enough to take up the job. Their main objection was, such an extension would fall off once we keep our hand on top, no matter how much support we give by way of velcro. I didn't think so, but since no one was cooperating to experiment, I had to drop this idea.

Second, I found a youtube video showing an installation of aftermarket part that moves the arm rest ahead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Przleonb6ps

I have been trying to establish a contact with those people since last year. Because of lockdown, there was no stock. Then recently, I once again tried to contact them. Getting some basic information about the product took a long time, because of sheer reluctance of the sellers to pick up the phone. Later, we resorted to whatsapp chat only. I was told that after paying 7500, they would ship the part to my home in Pune. In any other deal, I would have rethought the case just because of the lack of proper communication. But in this case, I took a leap of faith, and the part arrived at my home a week later.

The underbody is not pretty. The new part is a two piece part supposedly made by 'glass wool', as concluded by the accessory fitting shop. I have no way of confirming or denying this. Just that from the inside, it looks as of it was shaped rather than casted in plastic/fiber.

Yaris owners may recognize the reduction here. In stock arm rest, we can keep a mobile phone horizontally and still have some space left. In the new part, the mobile fits vertically only.

Photo of original part from official review:

New part:

[ani_meher]

I took it to a local accessory fitting shop, which took Rs. 500 for fitting it. The fitment is straightforward, but needs some pulling of stock parts and enlarging the holes on the new parts, so I was more comfortable outsourcing it. Brave DIYers can do it themselves too. Here are some photos of the transplant process.

Here is the monstrosity in its glory, pushing the driver seat all the way to the front. Bravo to the designer!

The backside part is hooked on using clips, and needs a gentle pull. Later, you can remove the visible screws, and gently remove the arm rest. VX model has leather wrap around the hand break, that too comes off with the arm rest part.

Here's the skeleton of the inside parts:

The new part is about the same length of the existing one. Just that it is designed with some common sense, with a straight back.

Side by side:

It required some figuring and fingering to fit the three chargers in the given holes. Here's how it looks like, once fitted. Finally my arm has a place to rest!

Even though the base is of the same length, just the angle of the part has freed up a lot of space at the rear.

A before and after photo:

[ani_meher]

These are the photos sent by the seller. I find them true to the actual fit of the product.

The contact details are:
Kishan: 9953261304

Address as per the parcel:
Vivid Auto Style
Rama Road Industrial Area, 13/13C - 110015

The fitting doesn't hamper anything. Inserting the seat belt buckle needs a bit more care, because there is this armrest part there. But besides this minor 1 second change, there doesn't seem to be any other shortfall.

The original part is admittedly better quality than the new one. I drove only a handful of kilometers after fitting the new part, and I couldn't hear any rattles or anything. The accessory fitting person warned me to be gentle with the part, and not let anyone stand on it. As there is no sunroof in Yaris, I think standing on the armrest would be quite painful, stock or otherwise.

This concludes my hunt for a proper arm rest for Yaris. I like that all key stock elements such as charging points, leather cover of hand break and the three charging points are utilized, and only the underlying structure is changed. The storage area under the arm rest is bit reduced, and I may use it less now, because I have less faith in the durability of the mechanism if used frequently, as compared to the stock one. But the sacrifices are minor as compared to the benefits. Toyota should have done this simple redesign by themselves, rather than being adamant and removing the arm-rest altogether from some future versions.

[ani_meher]

Another weak area in Yaris was the headlight. Even though the bulbs are 55W, being halogen powered was the reason for their weakness. I found an excellent post on facebook Yaris group, who had researched and experimented about this.

There are some comparisons of LED vs HID lights on youtube, showing how HID lights are superior and LEDs are quicker. Since I was looking for a fuller throw, I didn't mind waiting a few seconds before the HID bulbs power up. So I bought the following kit (CS Glare Car HID 55W 6000K White Xenon High Power Headlight Conversion Kit (H8/H11/H16-5500K/W55):

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is how it looks, in a fairly lit parking area.

The throw is nice, and the cutoff line is sharp. I can't see the faces of two wheel riders or car drivers coming from front, and so far no one has used flash to indicate me to lower the lights. So I think the HIDs fit the existing projectors very well.

The fitting was done by the same local accessory shop for Rs.600. The facebook user had identified two excellent mounting points for the ballasts. I think it is simply ingenious to use existing mounting points to mount ballasts, rather than keeping them floating, tied up with wires and zipties.

There is already a screw poking up on the driver's side of the bonnet. Simply enlarge the mounting hole on the ballast using a drill and mount it on that screw. On the passenger side, there is a hole in the earthing area, so use a nut and bolt in that hole to fit the ballast securely.

HIDs take 5-8 seconds to warm up to full brightness, and I fear frequent On/Off switching may harm them. So for time being, I am not using the Auto Headlights feature. I switch on the lights manually whenever it gets dark. Now night driving is bright and nice.

[ani_meher]

There are four t10 bulbs that light up the interiors. I replaced them by Allextreme 3W t10 LEDs.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The fitment is straightforward. There is a polarity to the LEDs, so if they don't work when you insert them, pull them out and reverse them. The difference in the ambiance is vast. Now it lights up beautifully, and the dimming effect is still there.

[ani_meher]

Lastly, this is not really a modification, but rather an addition. I had bought a pair of blind view mirrors from Mr. DIY. I have fitted one of them on the rear seat's window, so that the rear passenger can see whether anyone is coming from behind before opening the door. I needed only one, because other door is blocked by baby seat. So I was left with a spare blind view mirror.

I fitted it on top of IRVM, so that now it is a conversation mirror! This way I can keep an eye on my baby who sits at the back of the car. I used a plastic plate to stick it behind the IRVM and then stuck the blind spot mirror both using a 3M double sided tape. I wish it would be a bit wider, so that I could see even my co-passenger.

[ani_meher]

At first, I had some problems adjusting to the seat. I tried some cushions etc as well, to aid the back pain. But after adjusting the seat using guidance from following video, I no longer need any cushions or pillows to find a comfortable position. Finally the driving is comfortable for a sensitive back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfmPkMtlWY

Yaris is not a sales hit. So finding readymade answers to its problems is not easy. There will be many modifications available to sales superhits such as Brezza and Creta, but for non-hits like Yaris, the options are very limited. I fear that after some years, availability of after-market accessories will reduce a lot.

That being said, the car itself is solid. Above were minor inconveniences at best. I hope this thread was useful.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Mods & Accessories section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[Simhi]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

I fear that after some years, availability of after-market accessories will reduce a lot.

That being said, the car itself is solid. Above were minor inconveniences at best. I hope this thread was useful.

@ani_meher, thanks for capturing detailed information (along with the pictures) for all the mods. I have bookmarked the thread for future reference. This thread will be useful to our small community of around 19000 Yaris owners in India.

[Dead_Pedal]

Nice! A major ergonomic disaster fixed to a great extent. I wonder how did the stock armrest design make it to the production models and as such it looks like a bathroom stool more than an armrest. You fixed something which Toyota still hasn't in the 2020 Vios update launched in the Philippines/Vietnam. I stayed away from this otherwise brilliant car just because of it's bizarre ergonomics(no dead pedal, no telescopic steering). Next DIY tip for you - add reverse camera guidelines Anyways, Om Shanti for the Yaris.

[crazy42]

Appreciate your patience and dedication. Adding blind mirror to rear seat is very interesting and very important addition. Could you share a photo of that mod post-fitting. Thank you and wish you lots of happy miles.

[drsnt]

I had opted for a cheaper route to extend the armrest. It's been working fine after 2 years. The total expenditure was Rs 320. Here's the link
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4587764 (Toyota Yaris : Official Review)

[drsnt]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

Another weak area in Yaris was the headlight. Even though the bulbs are 55W, being halogen powered was the reason for their weakness. I found an excellent post on facebook Yaris group, who had researched and experimented about this.

I had changed my lights to all LED setup when I got my car in 2019. Fogs have Philips Ultinon H11, High goes 4300k XHP50 chip-based led 9005/HB3, and lows with 6000k XHP70 based chips, H11. All bulbs I got from Aliexpress in 2019 and have been working fine. Never been able to take proper pics as either they come too bright or too dim not justifying the real brightness. Let me put in this way that I am able to drive at 80-90 KMPH on highways with just low beams if no oncoming traffic.

I had HID setup in my honda city and the slow initial glow was irritating. So I had shifted to led later.
This is the one for high beams. The lower beam bulb is not listed now.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3281...27424c4ddgwYMX

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by crazy42

Adding blind mirror to rear seat is very interesting and very important addition. Could you share a photo of that mod post-fitting.

This is how the blind mirror looks from the rear seat.

This helps the rear passanger to see the traffic before opening the doors, negating the need for the driver to tell them. Also, while driving, this improves the involvement in the drive. Otherwise rear passenger's only view is the one from side window.

Originally Posted by drsnt

I had opted for a cheaper route to extend the armrest.

I had this setup in mind with some reinforcements at the back, but I couldn't find any seat modifier willing to do this job. Also, the freed up rear space is a bonus now.

Originally Posted by drsnt

I had HID setup in my honda city and the slow initial glow was irritating. So I had shifted to led later.

HIDs take up some 5-8 seconds to charge fully, but once ready, their light throw is fuller. I saw a number of videos on youtube that showed this remarkable difference in the Lumens and overall throw of light in HID vs LED. LEDs were in fact cheaper and easier to install, still went ahead with HIDs for low beams. For High beams which are required to switch on quickly, I am going to install LED lamps.

For vehicles with combined upper lower lights, LEDs may be better suited for quick flashing of lights.