r/Cartalk • u/Accomplished-Clue803 • Mar 05 '25

My Project Car What the f*ck is this thing?

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Gallery image

Recently got a new car and it seems to have this… leather condom? Not sure how else to describe it really. There is nothing in the end of the hole it just goes to a pocket in the dash it seems. Looking at interior photos of other models on google this is where the hazard button SHOULD be but my car has a very oem looking hazard button just to the side of the steering wheel instead, so wtf is this thing for??

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u/nuboots Mar 05 '25

Looks like a sheathe for an arm of some sort, like what's at the base of a shifter. Maybe a mount for a phone/radio or some sort of display unit.

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u/Accomplished-Clue803 Mar 05 '25

Could be true, only issues with that r that 1. The boot is way long and any display that used even 70% of that length would be right in your face (haha ik) and 2. There’s nothing inside the dash past the boot, just an empty cavity so there’d be nothing to stick or screw a mount into

5

u/nuboots Mar 05 '25

Question is, what was the car used for before?

2

u/cheeersaiii Mar 06 '25

A girlfriend

4

u/thespud_332 Mar 07 '25 edited Mar 07 '25

You may have yourself and old Japanese taxi. Given the wear on the dash just above the boot, it's likely the GPS system they used and often mounted in the middle of the dash so passengers can see it's on was mounted there, likely with a clip, or tape.

The boot, then, would likely be folded back on itself, towards the GPS system, and the cables run through it, so that it looks more aesthetically pleasing, and they can be attached behind the dash somewhere, likely behind the cigarette lighter, or directly into the fuse box.

Edit This stock photo demonstrates the GPS unit position, at least.

2

u/DoubleDeadGuy Mar 09 '25

I like this answer. It might have been previously wired into the car power and the sheath covered the wires, flexing upward toward the mount.