Miata Mailing List: March 2000, Message #113

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Maybe it's a place for the robot that inserts the steering column to
grab it without marring the column???

(There didn't seem to be anything of any consequence under it)  I was
hoping it was for some trick Japanese market only "heads-up-display" or
something..  )

Must be something we enterprising types can use it for, huh?  I'm
thinking about grafting the LED display and controls for my radar
detector onto the panel actually...

John

Team Homegrown Strikes Again!



Keith Hearn wrote:
> 
> Kevin Lahey and I noticed this hole when we were doing our oil pressure
>   gauges. My guess is that it's used at some point during assembly.
>   There's probably something that might require access after the column
>   cover is installed. So they can install the cover without the cutout,
>   then later after they've done whatever they need to do through the
>   hole, they can just pop the cutout into place.
> 
> The removable part looks like it can only be removed when you have the
>   whole cover off, so it's not for access after the car is built. But it
>   could easily be installed while the cover is in place.
> 
> Of course, this begs the question of what they need to get in there for?
>   I have no suggestions for that one.
> 
>   Keith Hearn
>   '99 10AE "Sexy Sadie" the Sapphire Shark
>   Milpitas, CA
> 
> In message <38BC8B84.C8E29161@mediaone.net>, John Suchak writes:
> > Okay, here's one that's been bugging me for a while now..   While
> > changing my '91's steering wheel I  had the top part of the plastic
> > steering column cover off, and observed a removeable cover in what was
> > obviously an intentional cut-out.  IIRC, it was rectangular, measured
> > about 2 inches by 3 or 4.  What is this there for?  It sort of was in
> > the place where the automatic trans indicator would have been in a
> > column shift car, but that's clearly not it...  Is the column cover
> > maybe used in another model line where it's used for a flasher switch or
> > something??!?!?  Mazda wouldn't have gone to the trouble of cutting a
> > big cut-out and making a plate to cover it if there weren't some reason.
> >
> > (It's bugging me!)
> >
> > John
> >
> > Team Ponder This Stuff
> >
> >
> >
> >