I just yesterday noticed something on the dashboard that I don't know what it was intended for. I looked in the owners manual but didn't find anything to explain it (although maybe I just didn't look in the right place). I did a search here and came up empty. So I throw it out to You, the Knowledgeable.

What's the round thingy just to the left of the glove compartment? Is it an access cover for something or a blank for some control or feature my car doesn't have? Maybe something for something not offered in America (hence my not finding it in the owners manual)? I'd take a picture but I don't have a camera, but I'm sure you can find it on your own. It's just a round cut-out in the dashboard, about the size of a half-dollar coin.

First one to solve this mystery for me wins a limerick of praise.

 

passenger airbag warning light or key for turning it off... and this is a guess from the past..

beers

 

Have wondered what it is for as well. Ejection seat option?

 

My guess is that it could be a 'blank' for one of two things: either a passenger seat airbag warning light (so that it lights up at start up); or a sensor for the interior temperature for those 8s with automatic climate control.

 

it is a light that has to do with the passenger side airbag everytime someone isnt sitting in my passenger seat it lights up. and you wouldnt want the ejection seat button being on their side...makes it harder to hit without being noticed.

 

It also stays lit if you have a really small kid in the seat. I think 35 pounds is the cuttoff.
But if it the little circle next to the glove box .. . . it is a passenger airbag light.

 

But there is no light in that spot...just a plastic blank.

 

Can you post a picture?

 

2005 Interior with plastic plug. I generally think plugs are ugly, but the light cover in the 2006+ models does not really look all that integrated with the rest of the dash.

 

2006 Interior with the airbag light.



It also has the 6 disc changer and logo. Also notice the small chrome accents that were put on the center air vent *****.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one with a glovebox that doesn't line up well on the left.

 

i was happy to find it there...it made an absolutely perfect place to route the power for my Garmin GPS power cord as well as the audio cable running from the audiolink to the aux-out of my GPS. Absolutely flawless MP3 and GPS integration into the 8 :-)

Guess I can't knock it. Still wires, but looks much more flush running through that hole.

 

Ok, so why does the '05 have the blank and not the light?

Yes, me too!!

 

^ yep, damn crroked glovebox ;-)

 

Here is a picture of it

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-interior-audio-electronics-24/moving-power-outlet-86284/

 

That hole is the perfect place to relocate the ashtray cig lighter in case you use the ashtray area for something else. That's what I did.

 

ditto

 

Lots of Miatas had the same exact problem. I don't know if it would work in our cars, but here's a Miata glovebox fix…
http://www.miata.net/garage/glovebox.htm

 

Yeah, mine's just blank. But i have an '04..

-Cody

 

I thought the very same thing. I was going to mount an audio in cable there.

 

Interesting..thanks!

We should have a whole separate thread on this defect!

 

I think they had the light in the Euro models in '05.

One of them "You don't get the feature, but you get the hole anyway" deals.

Ken

 

It always screams--I was too cheap to get that option.

 

On the otherhand it's nice to get the cost savings of that design feature.

 

?