One of the big selling points for me on the Element was the handy AUX input for the stereo. I wanted to plug in two of my favorite gadgets into my Element and that was a PocketPC GPS system and my iPOD for tunes. I went out and got a Y-auto power adapter and a Y-2.5mm adapter so that I could plug everything in at once.

As you can see in the pic below, once I plugged everything in, there was an unsightly rat's nest of wires sitting in my dash bins.

http://www.jimlin.com/pics/before_wires.jpg

I decided that it would look a lot better if I covered them up somehow. I went out and cut some cardboard to see if I could fit some kind of cover. It took me three attempts until I got it just right. The cardboard itself was kinda ugly so I wrapped some of that blue shelf liner that I picked up at a 99cent store. The blue shelf liner does two things, it matches the interior nicely and it provides a soft outer edge so that I can tuck it in tightly around the outside edges of the bin.

To make it easy to pull out, I put in a couple of pushpins and bent the pin on the back with a hammer.

http://www.jimlin.com/pics/after_all_covered.jpg

As you can see in the after picture, I think it does a fairly nice job of covering up my mess.

This is my first prototype. I plan on making one made out of thin wood or other material. I'm not very handy with working on stuff so I gotta find someone that can help on that part.

I thought some great ideas would be to get an extra exterior "ELEMENT" logo and mount it on the dashbin cover or maybe put the Element Ownersclub logo on it and make it a Club merchandise Exclusive! :lol:

I also thought about putting some corkboard and a whiteboard on the outside so that you could write notes to yourself and tack pictures of your loved ones.

The one con on this approach is that it makes it harder to access the bins although one other possible idea is to put in a small hinged "door" that you can open out and reach for things "inside".

What do you think?

would really like hinged door idea maybe with a soft plastic covering similar to stock surfaces lets see that on maybe prototype 3? :lol: love to see a measured plan sheet if you figure that one out im a buyer

Nice, but... Could you tighten up the wiring a bit and just cover the one bin? It would be nice to not lose them.

It probably could be done to cover up only one bin. I personally like the more streamlined look. As I mentioned in my post, one option would be to put a small hinged door that you could open up and reach inside.

Also with the current material that I was using "cardboard", it wasn't feasible.

Another idea that I thought about was to mount a 5" LCD display in the cover for a DVD player. Of course, I will need to use sturdier material. Anyone good at woodworking?

Well, as ideas come in, I'll look at doing Prototype 2 :)

Could you please tell me more about the PocketPC GPS thingie? What it does and how it works? Thanks

Ger

The PocketPC is basically a handheld computer which has an expansion slot (Compact Flash) where I plug in a CF GPS module. Together with some mapping software (Mapopolis) which includes voice navigation, I can use this system to give me directions to wherever it is that I want to go. Using satellites, the GPS will track my movements on the map and tell me whenever I need to make a turn. Even if I miss a turn, it will re-calculate on the fly very quickly and re-route me to my destination.

I got hooked on this when a friend of mine used his GPS unit to avoid some major traffic after a concert. We just started driving away from everyone and it would continually re-route us and we were able to make it home in no time going down completely unknown side streets, etc.

It's pretty amazing to always "know" where you are and to know exactly what's coming up next.

This is the perfect toy for us "guys" who never wants to stop and ask for directions!

Reminds me of a joke that I heard a while back.

"Why does it take a million sperm and only one egg to make a baby?"
"Because not one of those little buggers will stop and ask for directions!" :lol: